Smart Text, Letter Tags and Fast Tags: what each one does
HealthTrack has several tools that put text into a document for you. They overlap in name and purpose, so this article defines each one, where it works, and whether it is shared across the practice or personal to one user.
Use this article to decide which tool to reach for. For step-by-step setup, follow the linked articles under each section.
At a glance
| Tool | What it does | Where it works | Shared or personal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter Template | A Word document that becomes a new letter. Tags in the template fill with patient, doctor and booking data when the letter is created. | Letters and documents | Shared. Visible to everyone whose security group has access to the template. |
| Letter Tag | A placeholder such as <HMS-Patient_Firstname> that is replaced with live data. | Letter Templates and Smart Text items | Shared. Tags are system-wide. |
| Smart Text | A tree of reusable phrases, sentences and headings you insert into a clinical note or report by double-clicking. | Clinical record Report tab, clinical notes, letters and referrals | Shared by default. Individual items can be restricted to one user. |
| Smart Text Template | A pre-built layout of Smart Text headings and text that loads a whole note in one go. | Clinical record Report tab | Either. Set Visible To to Anyone or to one doctor. |
| Fast Tag | A short code you enter with // in front of it. It expands into the Smart Text item it belongs to as you type. |
Anywhere Smart Text works | Follows the Smart Text item it belongs to. |
| Letter shortcut | A key combination such as Ctrl+Shift+1 that opens a new letter from a chosen Letter Template. |
Anywhere in HealthTrack desktop | Personal. Each user sets their own. |
Letter Templates and Letter Tags
A Letter Template is a Word document stored in Admin > Letter Template Manager. When a user creates a letter from it, HealthTrack copies the template and replaces each Letter Tag with data from the patient, the selected booking or referral, the doctor and the practice.
Letter Tags follow a fixed pattern, for example <HMS-Patient_Surname-Upper>. They are case sensitive and are entered as plain text in the template body. There is no tag picker. For the tag structure and the commonly used tags, see Letter Template Tags. To build templates, see Create & Manage Letter Templates.
One template can serve every doctor. Use tags such as <HMS-MO_Name> for the doctor's name and signature instead of keeping a separate template per doctor.
Sharing
Letter Templates are system-wide. Which templates a user can see is controlled by security group, not by the user. There is no personal or favourite list of Letter Templates. The personal equivalent is a letter shortcut (below).
Smart Text
Smart Text is the panel of reusable clinical text on the Report tab of a clinical record. It is organised as a tree of groups (headings) and items (phrases, sentences or paragraphs). Double-click an item to insert it at the cursor. Items can contain Letter Tags, which fill with live data when inserted.
Smart Text is configured per record type (a Set). An item created for one record type does not appear in another. See How to Configure Smart Text and How to Use Smart Text.
Sharing
Smart Text items are shared with every user of that record type by default.
Smart Text Templates
A Smart Text Template is a saved arrangement of Smart Text headings and text for one record type. When a clinician creates a new record, HealthTrack offers the available templates and loads the chosen one as the starting note. Templates are managed from the Report tab: click the drop-down arrow next to Hide Smart Text and select Edit Templates. See How to Manage Smart Text Templates.
Sharing
Each template has a Visible To setting. Anyone makes it a shared template for the whole practice. Selecting a doctor makes it that doctor's private template, which only they see. This is the closest thing HealthTrack has to a favourites list: give each doctor a private template with their own headings and leave the shared templates for the practice.
Fast Tags
A Fast Tag is the short code attached to a Smart Text item. Enter // followed by the code, then press Space , Enter , a comma or a full stop. The code is replaced with the full Smart Text item. This is HealthTrack's equivalent of VIP auto text.
The code is set in the Smart Tag field when the Smart Text item is created. See How to Create Fast Tags.
Because a Fast Tag is part of a Smart Text item, it is available to the same users and in the same record types as that item. Restrict the item to restrict the tag.
Letter shortcuts
A letter shortcut is a key combination assigned to a Letter Template in File > User Preferences. Pressing it opens a new letter from that template for the current patient without going through the Create Letter button. Shortcuts are personal. Two users can assign different keys to the same template, and each user must set up their own. See How to Set Keyboard Shortcuts for Letter Templates.
Which one do I want?
| I want to... | Use |
|---|---|
| Start a letter that already has the patient's details and my signature | Letter Template |
| Open that letter with one key press | Letter shortcut |
| Insert a standard sentence into a note by typing a short code | Fast Tag |
| Pick a sentence from a list while writing a note | Smart Text |
| Start every consult note with my own headings | Smart Text Template, Visible To me |
| Pull a value such as the patient's date of birth into any of the above | Letter Tag |