Standard fields are edited in Visit Record sections. This article covers additional chart documents with questions mapped to existing client, case or visit fields.
Some fields on a chart do not just stay on that chart. A chart template field can be mapped to write straight through to the client record or to the case record, in addition to (or instead of) the visit itself. This article covers what staff see when a field is mapped that way and what happens when they complete the chart.
A field on a chart template can target one of these:
• The visit (or the visit record): the normal case, nothing changes. These fields stay quiet, no badge, no confirmation.
• The client record: the field can overwrite something on the client, like a phone number or preferred contact method.
• The case record: the field can update something on the case, like status.
Whether a field is mapped, and where, is set on the chart template itself. Only your organization's template editor controls this (see Managing Chart Templates).
A mapped field can also be marked read-only. A read-only mapping shows the current client or case value on the chart for reference, but staff can't change it from the chart. To change that value, edit it on the client or case record directly.
Fields that write to the visit only look like any other chart field. Fields mapped to the client or case get a small marker so staff know a field reaches beyond today's visit:
• client: a blue tag next to the label. This field will overwrite a value on the client record when the chart is completed.
• reads client / reads case: a muted tag on a read-only mapped field. The value shown comes from the client or case record and can't be edited here.
• Fields mapped to the case, and read-write, show no tag but do show a provenance line (see below), since a case update isn't tied to one client's identity the way a client write is.
Under each marked field, a short line explains what it's connected to:
• A read-write client field shows what it will overwrite, for example "Overwrites (205) 555-0142 on the client record," or for a dropdown, "Currently 'Call' on the client record."
• A read-only client or case field shows "Client record, set May 3 by Carmen R., locked by template" (or just "locked by template" if no history is available).
• A case field shows "Updates Case #1, currently 'Intake'."
When any field on the form writes to the client, a banner above the chart summarizes it, for example: "Two fields on this form write to Jane's client record. They're marked below." A note under the fields also reminds staff: "Nothing is written until you complete the chart, and you'll see exactly what changes first."
Nothing reaches the client or case record while the chart is still a draft. Visit-scoped fields can still save quietly as staff work, but client- and case-mapped fields wait until the chart is completed.
When staff choose Mark Completed (or the equivalent complete action) and at least one mapped client or case value actually changed, CoolFocus shows a confirmation first: "This updates records outside today's visit." It lists every field about to change, with the old value struck through and the new value next to it, for example:
• Client - Phone: (205) 555-0142 → (205) 555-0199
• Case - Status: Intake → Open
Staff can Cancel to go back without writing anything, or confirm with the same action label they clicked (for example "Mark Completed"). Previous values aren't lost. They stay in the record's history.
If nothing mapped to the client or case actually changed value, or every mapped field only targets the visit, completing the chart skips the confirmation entirely.
A couple of details worth knowing:
• A mapped field only shows up as a pending write if the chart's saved values actually include that field. A field that was never filled in on the chart doesn't overwrite an existing client or case value.
• Clearing a mapped field to blank does count as a pending write, since that's an explicit change staff made on the chart.
• Managing Chart Templates
• Custom Chart Templates
• Chart Sign-Off: Setup, Review, and Reminders
• Client Records and History
• Case Management Overview
A mapped answer can replace the current value on its target record when that write is applied. Review the proposed changes before completing a document; the original submitted client form response remains its own record.
