To open a Quick SOAP, go to the patient's profile and select Check In. If the appointment type is configured to prompt for SOAP type selection, choose Quick SOAP.
What You Need to Know
A patient can only have one Active SOAP at a time.
If an existing SOAP from a prior visit is still set to Active status, a new Quick SOAP cannot be opened until that SOAP is moved to a non-Active status, such as In Review.
Converting a Quick SOAP to Comprehensive SOAP is permanent.
A Quick SOAP can be converted to a Comprehensive SOAP, but a Comprehensive SOAP cannot be converted back to a Quick SOAP. Do not convert unless you are certain the visit requires the full Comprehensive SOAP workflow.
Quick SOAP does not support scheduling treatments to the Whiteboard.
Treatments added in a Quick SOAP do not appear on the Whiteboard, even when marked STAT or PRN. To schedule treatments to the Whiteboard, convert the Quick SOAP to a Comprehensive SOAP first, then schedule treatments from there.
Estimates cannot be imported into a Quick SOAP.
If the visit requires importing an approved estimate and converting it to treatments, open a Comprehensive SOAP instead.
Tx History is collapsed by default.
To reverse an administered treatment, scroll to Tx History in the Treatments section, expand it, and use the Actions column to reverse the treatment. Do not delete the charge from the invoice directly — the treatment must be reversed from the SOAP for the invoice to update correctly. See Reversing a Treatment below.
Quick SOAP items appear in the patient's medical record; Quick Invoice items do not.
Use Quick SOAP when the service or product should be documented in the patient's clinical history. Use Quick Invoice when you only need to charge the client without creating a medical record entry.
Setting the Default SOAP Type
Each appointment type in Shepherd can be assigned a default SOAP type, which controls which workflow opens automatically when a patient is checked in.
Navigate to: Admin > Scheduling > Appointment Types
SOAP Type | Best For |
Comprehensive SOAP | Full exams, diagnostics, treatment planning, visits involving estimates or prescriptions (default for new appointment types) |
Quick SOAP | Rechecks, tech visits (nail trims, anal glands, blood draws, and similar) |
SOAP Type Selection at Check-In | Prompts users to choose between Comprehensive or Quick SOAP each time |
To set the default SOAP type for an appointment type:
Go to Admin > Scheduling > Appointment Types.
Select the appointment type you want to edit.
Choose a Default SOAP Type.
Click Save.
Quick SOAP Layout
Quick SOAP uses a vertical, single-page layout with a floating navigation header for fast scrolling. The navigation bar displays three tabs — Overview, Notes & care, and Invoicing — which highlight in blue as you scroll through the page. You can also click a tab to jump directly to that section.
Overview
The Overview section contains the following, in order.
Patient History Summary shows an AI-generated summary of the patient's medical history. Select SummarizeAI to generate or refresh the summary.
SOAP Summary includes SOAP title, location, initial complaint, supervising doctor, and assigned users. The SOAP status (e.g., Active) is displayed as a dropdown at the top of the SOAP Summary. The three-dot icon at the right of the SOAP Summary header opens the Quick SOAP action menu.
Vitals provides standard vitals entry fields, including weight, temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, mucous membrane color, capillary refill time, mucous membrane hydration, attitude, and mentation.
Notes & care
The Notes & care section contains the following, in order.
Visit Notes provides a free-text notes field. Select + Add Note to add additional entries.
Diagnostics displays laboratory and diagnostic imaging orders directly within the Quick SOAP. The Diagnostics section only appears when diagnostic or imaging orders exist for the visit. From this section you can view order status, open results, download and print reports, and perform other supported integration actions. Results update automatically as received without requiring a SOAP refresh. The section can be collapsed or expanded as needed.
Laboratory, Imaging, Documents, and Forms each appear as collapsed sections beneath Diagnostics.
Treatments contains two subsections:
Tx Plan — search for and add products using the Search Products field, then select Confirm Treatments to administer them.
Tx History — displays previously administered treatments. Use the Actions column to reverse a treatment.
Discharge Instructions — add discharge instructions directly or import from ClientEd articles.
Prescriptions — view and manage prescriptions for the visit.
Invoicing
The Invoicing section contains SOAP Charges, which shows the current invoice total. Use the Change Invoice dropdown to assign charges to a different or new invoice. Select View Invoice to open the full invoice workflow.
Quick SOAP Action Menu
The Quick SOAP action menu is accessed via the three-dot icon at the right of the SOAP Summary header in the Overview section. Available options include:
Convert SOAP
Export Quick SOAP
Export Documents
Email Quick SOAP
Print Cage Card
Edit Check-In Time
Delete Quick SOAP
Permissions follow the same rules as Comprehensive SOAP.
Converting Quick SOAP to Comprehensive SOAP
A Quick SOAP can be converted to a Comprehensive SOAP when a visit requires features only available in Comprehensive SOAP, such as scheduling treatments to the Whiteboard or importing an estimate.
To convert a Quick SOAP to Comprehensive SOAP:
From within the Quick SOAP, open the action menu (three-dot icon in the SOAP Summary header).
Select Convert SOAP.
Review the confirmation message and select Convert to Comprehensive SOAP.
When a Quick SOAP is converted, the following applies:
Visit Notes transfer into the Treatment Notes area of Comprehensive SOAP.
All other entries map to their corresponding Comprehensive SOAP fields.
The conversion is logged in the SOAP activity log.
A Comprehensive SOAP cannot be converted back to a Quick SOAP. This action cannot be undone.
Reversing a Treatment
Administered treatments are tracked in the Tx History subsection within Treatments. Tx History is collapsed by default. To reverse an administered treatment from a Quick SOAP:
Go to the Notes & care section.
Scroll to Treatments.
Locate Tx History and click the arrow to expand it.
Find the treatment you need to reverse.
Select the reverse option from the Actions column.
If the treatment has generated an invoice charge, reverse the treatment from the SOAP first. Do not attempt to delete the invoice line directly — the charge must be removed through the SOAP for the invoice to update correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I schedule treatments to the Whiteboard from a Quick SOAP?
Quick SOAP does not support scheduling treatments to the Whiteboard. Treatments added in a Quick SOAP, including those marked STAT or PRN, do not create Whiteboard entries. To schedule treatments to the Whiteboard, convert the Quick SOAP to a Comprehensive SOAP, then schedule the treatments from the Comprehensive SOAP.
Can I import an estimate into a Quick SOAP?
Estimates cannot be imported into a Quick SOAP. If the visit requires importing an approved estimate and converting it to treatments, use a Comprehensive SOAP instead. Approved estimates remain in the patient's history and can be accessed from a Comprehensive SOAP.
Why won't a new SOAP open when I click Check In?
If clicking Check In does not open a new SOAP, the most common cause is that the patient already has an Active SOAP from a previous visit. A patient can only have one Active SOAP at a time. Change the existing SOAP's status to In Review, then try checking in again. If the issue persists on one device only, try a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) or clear the browser cache and cookies.
What is the difference between Quick SOAP and Quick Invoice?
Items added through a Quick SOAP appear in the patient's medical record. Items added through Quick Invoice do not. Use Quick SOAP when the service or product should be documented in the patient's clinical history. Use Quick Invoice when you need to charge the client without creating a medical record entry.
Can I convert a Comprehensive SOAP back to a Quick SOAP?
A Comprehensive SOAP cannot be converted back to a Quick SOAP. The conversion from Quick SOAP to Comprehensive SOAP is permanent and cannot be undone.
Why isn't the Diagnostics section appearing in my Quick SOAP?
The Diagnostics section only appears in a Quick SOAP when diagnostic or imaging orders exist for that visit. If no orders have been placed, the section will not display. If an order has been placed and the section is still not visible, check whether the order was created within the current SOAP or from another visit. If an order appears stuck in Created status, go to the Diagnostics Dashboard, locate the order, open the three-dot menu, and select Edit to complete the ordering process.
How do I delete a Quick SOAP?
To delete a Quick SOAP, open the action menu (three-dot icon in the SOAP Summary header) and select Delete Quick SOAP. If the SOAP has invoice items, products, or treatments attached, Shepherd may require those items to be removed or reversed before allowing deletion. SOAP deletion is permission-based.