Exam Room to Optical Handoff with One-Tap Replies

When the doctor finishes with a patient, they can send optical a short note about that patient straight from the exam or the patient file. Optical staff get a pop-up right away and answer with one tap: Coming, 5 min or After this patient. Every note and reply is also saved on the patient's record, and each handoff shows where the doctor is right now, for example "With Jane Doe until 10:30 AM".

You'll find all handoffs in their own app: open the apps menu and choose Handoffs.

Who uses it

• Doctors and exam-room staff send the note.
• Opticians and optical staff get the pop-up and reply.
• Front desk and practice managers can check the Handoffs board to see who is waiting for optical.

Setup

1. Choose who gets the pop-ups

Only users with the Optical: receives handoffs access right get a pop-up when a note is sent. In Got2, access rights are given through user roles, so an administrator switches it on once for the role your optical team uses (for example Optician):

1. Turn on developer mode (Settings ▸ Activate the developer mode). The option only shows in developer mode.
2. Go to Settings ▸ Users & Companies ▸ User Roles and open the role.
3. On the Access Rights tab, scroll down to the Other section and tick Optical: receives handoffs.
4. Save. Everyone with that role now gets the pop-ups.

Tip: Set it on the role, not on the individual user. Rights ticked directly on a user are reset to the role's rights after a system update.

Note: Pop-ups only go to users who have access to the same store as the doctor. The doctor never gets a pop-up for their own note.

2. Keep the doctor's calendar up to date

The "where is the doctor" line comes from the doctor's appointments in the calendar. If the doctor has an appointment happening right now, the handoff shows "With [patient] until [end time]". If not, it shows Free. No other setup is needed.

Sending a patient to optical (doctor)

1. Open the patient's exam or the patient record.
2. Click Send to optical in the top bar.
3. In the Send to optical window, type your message in Note to optical, for example "New progressive Rx, needs frame selection and PD".
4. Click Send. You'll see "Sent to optical."

If you started from the exam, the handoff is linked to both the patient and that exam. The note is also added to the patient's history (chatter) as "To optical, from [doctor]: [note]".

Replying (optical staff)

When a note arrives, a pop-up appears in the corner of your screen. It shows the doctor's name, the patient, the note, and where the doctor is right now. This pop-up stays on screen until you close it, so it won't be missed.

To reply:

1. Open the Handoffs app.
2. Find the patient's card in the Waiting column.
3. Tap Coming, 5 min or After this patient.

The doctor immediately gets a short pop-up with your answer (for example "Maria: 5 min, About John Smith"). The card moves to Answered, and your reply is added to the patient's history as "Optical ([your name]): 5 min".

When the patient has been looked after, tap Done on the card to close the handoff.

What you'll see

The Handoffs board

Handoffs are grouped into three columns. Each card shows the patient, how long ago the note was sent, the note, who sent it, where the doctor is now and, once answered, the reply and who gave it.

By default the board shows today's handoffs. Use the search bar to find a patient or doctor, or switch to the Open filter to see everything not yet done. You can also switch to the list view for a table of sent time, patient, note, sender, status and reply.

On the patient record

Each note and each reply is saved in the patient's chatter, so anyone opening the patient later can see what the doctor asked for and how optical responded.

Tips and troubleshooting

• "Write a note for optical first." You clicked Send with an empty note. Type a message and send again.
• "This exam has no patient yet." The exam isn't linked to a patient. Add the patient to the exam, or send from the patient record instead.
• "This handoff is already done." Someone closed it before you replied. Send a new handoff if more help is needed.
• Nobody got a pop-up. Check that at least one optical user has Optical: receives handoffs and has access to the same store. Pop-ups only appear for users who are logged in at that moment. Anyone who missed one can still find the note on the Handoffs board.
• The doctor shows as "Free" during an exam. The doctor must be the person the current appointment is assigned to in the calendar, and the appointment's start and end times must cover the current time.

Tip: Keep the Handoffs app open in a browser tab at the optical counter. Answering from the board takes one tap.

FAQ

Is this the same as Discuss chat?

No. A handoff is always tied to a patient (and the exam, if sent from one), and it's saved on the patient's record. It also comes with one-tap replies, which Discuss doesn't have.

Can optical change their reply?

Yes. Until the handoff is marked Done, you can tap a different reply and the doctor gets a new pop-up.

Is the "doctor is" line a snapshot from when the note was sent?

No. It's worked out live from the doctor's calendar every time you look at the handoff. The pop-up shows the doctor's status at the moment the note was sent.

Can a handoff be deleted?

No. Handoffs are part of the patient's history. Mark one Done to close it.