Copy and Paste Isn’t All It’s Cut Out to Be
Question: One of our practitioners copies and pastes the same template in their notes over and over again. It has gotten us into hot water on audits before. Is there a tactful way we can approach them so they stop doing this? Florida Subscriber Answer: According to William Morris, MD, MBA, during the “AI in the Exam Room: Transforming Physician Documentation with Generative Tools” panel session at AAPC’s DOCUCON 2025, “It’s important to find that sweet spot to create a high-quality note that accurately captures the uniqueness of the patient, but one that also allows the clinician to be able to capture any prior work that they’ve done.” He also pointed out that many practitioners may not understand all of the work that happens with their notes after they are finished writing and submitting them. Morris stressed that it is important to educate the practitioner on the full picture of the process so they can understand why copying and pasting the entire patient note is unacceptable and could flag an audit. “Invite them to watch what people do [in the office]. They should lean in, and they should be aware,” he said. Lindsey Bush, BA, MA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC
