Session Merge is only available to Heidi Remote accounts. If you do not have a Remote paired with your Heidi account, this feature will not be available to you yet. For accounts with a paired Remote, this feature is available across all your sessions, not just those transcribed using your Remote.
What is Session Merge?
Session Merge is for Clinicians who see the same patient more than once within the same day.
Instead of creating every encounter as a separate session within Heidi, Heidi can now merge each encounter into one session (after you review and confirm). Heidi does not silently merge sessions without your approval. Heidi may suggest a patient or show a merge prompt, but nothing is final until you confirm.
How do I enable Session Merge?
To enable Session Merge, go to:
Settings > Defaults > Session Merge
Toggle on Session Merge
Enabling Session Merge applies to new sessions after you turn it on.
Session Merge is only available on the Heidi mobile and desktop apps. Make sure your apps are up to date. It is not yet available on your web browser.
For mobile, update to v3.9.1 or above
For desktop, update to v2.16.0 or above
How does Session Merge work?
When using your Remote, Heidi will first try and identify the patient and then suggest previous sessions for that patient.
At the start of each session, state the patient’s full name and date of birth.
Make sure the patient has a Patient Profile in Heidi with at least their full name and date of birth.
If needed, you can create a Patient Profile after the session using the desktop app. The more complete the profile, the better Heidi can match. See more information on Patients here.
If Heidi can confidently match the patient e.g. full name and date of birth, it will link the patient automatically.
Patients can always be un-linked from sessions by hovering above the patient's name and selecting Unlink from session.
Once your session is linked to a patient, Heidi will then ask you to review previous sessions that are eligible to be merged (sessions that fall within a 24 hour window for the same patient). Sessions outside this window usually will not be eligible to merge.
If you do not wish to merge any sessions for the patient, you can select Ignore on the merge prompt.
What happens if Heidi doesn’t find a patient to link to?
If Heidi is less confident with the patient match, Heidi will not automatically link a patient to the session. You can select the correct patient by clicking into Add patient identifier in the top left corner of the session. Then, start typing a name, select an existing patient or create a new patient.
If you’ve linked the session to an existing patient, you will then be prompted to merge any eligible sessions.
What happens to my sessions when they are merged?
After merging, your session list will show one main session and all merged sessions are now combined within it. The main session will now have a Session Merge tab. Here, you'll be able to see the sessions that are merged.
Context and transcripts will now be merged to reflect each of the merged sessions.
The transcript will be timestamped throughout which gives an indication of each of the encounters of the merged sessions.
Notes and documents should re-generate with the additional information from the merged sessions.
When sessions are merged, sessions are not deleted. They are merged into one main session. You can un-merge a session if something was merged by mistake.
You can view merge information offline, but merging and un-merging require internet.
How do I un-merge a session?
You can un-merge a session, at any time. However, you can not re-merge an un-merged session.
Click into the session.
Open Session Merge tab (next to Transcript).
Toggle off the session(s) that should be un-merged.
Confirm when prompted.
You may briefly see an Undo option after un-merging. You should use this immediately if the un-merge was accidental.
Please note:
Un-merging is meant for corrections, not for moving sessions in and out repeatedly.
Details you changed on the merged session (patient details, extra context) do not automatically copy back to the individual sessions after unlinking.
Working with your EHR
With EHRs, the Session Merge window is tighter and follows the EHR booking slot. The window will be an hour either side of the booking slot. For example, a booking slot of 3:00-4:00 can merge with a session between 2:00-5:00.
EHR-created sessions still appear in Heidi as usual.
EHR-created sessions can only be merged into Heidi sessions, not additional EHR-created sessions.
The EHR-created session will become the main session once it has been merged with Heidi sessions.
The Session Merge review screen may only highlight one best match. If it’s wrong, close or ignore the prompt and choose the patient manually from the patient list.
Heidi combines the transcripts and then generates the note from that combined transcript. You can push that note back to the EHR on the main session.
Troubleshooting
I’ve turned Session Merge on but nothing happens
Session Merge only affects new sessions after you enable it.
Make sure you are stating the full name and date of birth of the patient at the start of each session.
Check that the full name and date of birth match those on the Patient Profile.
Check the sessions timestamps and whether they fall within the 24hour merge window.
The Session Merge modal will only appear after any notes have finished generating.
Heidi suggested the wrong patient
Do not confirm the merge if the patient is wrong. Tap Ignore on the merge prompt (or dismiss it).
Use the patient selector (Add patient identifier in the left hand corner) to choose the correct patient manually.
If a session was already linked to the wrong patient, unlink the patient on the session (by hovering on their name and selecting Unlink this session) and select/create the correct patient before merging.
The merge prompt never appeared but I know there are two sessions
Sessions may be outside the 24-hour window.
If you are merging an EHR session, the merge window is one hour either side of the start and end time of the EHR session.
The Patient Profile may be incomplete and not include enough details such as full name or date of birth.
Try opening the newer session and select the patient manually. If other sessions exist for that patient, the merge review may appear then.
After merging, something looks wrong (note, length, missing session)
Refresh the session, or close and reopen the session.
Check the Session Merge tab to see if all expected sessions appear.
If a session is missing or doesn't look right, let us know.
I unlinked a session and want it back in the merge
This is not currently supported in this release, except the brief Undo right after unlinking.
Keep working from the remaining merged session, or treat the unlinked sessions separately.
The patient name disappeared after syncing a Remote session to my Android
Make sure your app is up to date and refresh the session list once.
If the name is still missing after refresh and your app is up to date, then let us know.