Record in the sidebar. One visit is one session: it holds the audio, the transcript, the note and anything else you generate from it.
- Choose the patient. Type in Search or add patient name and pick an existing patient, or choose Add "…" (New patient). With an EHR connected you also get a From EHR group so you can pick the real chart. You cannot start recording without a patient — that is what lets HealOS pull prior-visit context and push the note back.
- Confirm consent. Tell the patient the visit is being recorded and click I Confirm Patient Consent. You can turn the prompt off in Account Settings → Show Consent Prompt if consent is captured elsewhere.
- Pick the template and note quality. Start with New Patient Visit or Follow-Up Patient Visit; your own templates appear here once you make them. Note quality is Balanced, Fast or Detailed — Detailed takes longer and produces the fullest note.
- Add context, if it helps. Patient context is a free-text box for anything the AI should know (it locks once recording starts). Patient Documents takes prior notes, reports or intake forms, and the note can draw on them.
- Record. Click Start recording and allow microphone access. Pause and Resume freely. Click End Session when the visit is over. Record for at least a minute — below that you get a Recording Too Short warning, because thin audio makes a thin note.
Recording modes
Use the small arrow next to Start recording to choose the microphone and the mode.
- Batch (recommended): audio uploads in 30-second pieces while you talk; the transcript appears when you end the session. Fine on ordinary office Wi-Fi.
- Live: the transcript appears as you speak. Needs a stable connection.
- Offline: saves locally and uploads when you are back online. Use this on unreliable Wi-Fi or between sites.
Other ways to create a note
Under or use a different input: Upload audio (an existing recording up to 50 MB) or Type the note and click Generate Note.
What happens after End Session
HealOS finalises the transcript and writes the note; the session then shows Note, Transcript and a summary. If it takes more than a minute you will see "Taking too long? Try again". If it fails you get Note generation failed and a Regenerate Note button, which rebuilds from the saved audio.
The single most common cause of an empty or near-empty note is audio: the laptop across the room, a muted input, or another app holding the microphone. Keep the device within a few feet of the conversation.
Next: Review and use the note.