What's the secret to quality healthcare?

There’s an actual answer here. 

Dr. Avedis Donabedian wrote one of the most cited papers on American public health. In it, he shared a truth that likely lives in your bones. 

“Ultimately, the secret of quality is love. You have to love your patient, you have to love your profession…” — Dr. Donabedian, Pioneer in Healthcare Quality

It’s not really a secret, is it? 

Of course, love isn’t the only part of the job. Today, every clinician has to balance a patient's care with the patient chart.

Your notes shouldn't have to come home with you. The right tools can help. We've created free, downloadable medical chart templates, so you can do what you love and still go home on time.

Free medical chart templates

Let's give you some time back with these free, downloadable patient chart templates.

Whether you need chart templates for initial visits or long-term care, these tools are designed to be:

• Editable: Customize the patient chart template to suit your practice.
• Printable: Keep paper copies handy.
• HIPAA-compliant: Ensure patient privacy and legal compliance.

Standard SOAP note template

📌 ‎Download for free: Get 1 pt/pg Portrait patient chart template for free.

This SOAP patient chart template uses one of the most popular progress note formats.

• Subjective: The patient's POV, including chief complaint, history of present illness (HPI), past medical history (PMI), and other health information (e.g., known allergies, and medication details).
• Objective: Much like a patient observation chart, this is all of the relevant data you find during examination, like vital signs, lab results, image reports, other test results, and more.
• Assessment & Plan: Analysis of the medical diagnosis, differential diagnosis, medical data and next steps (such as a surgical procedure, prescription, or follow-up).

Feel free to adjust each section for your practice and specialty.

Prerounding template

📌 ‎Download for free: Get in 2 pts/pg Portrait or 3pts/pg Landscape.

A hospital preround is common for medical students and residents. Here, you'll quickly outline necessary information (e.g., overnight changes, exam findings, and next steps) to later relay to the healthcare provider.

What should a medical chart include?

In general, each patient chart template includes:

1. Patient information: Demographics, contact details, and insurance information.
2. Medical history: Past diagnoses, surgeries, medications, and allergies.
3. Current complaints: Symptoms and concerns reported by the patient.
4. Clinical findings: Examination results, lab reports, and imaging studies.
5. Treatment plan: Prescribed medications, consultations with specialties, therapies, or follow-up instructions.

Of course, no two notes are the same. It all depends on your specialty and practice.

For example, here's a SOAP note template written for Pain Management by Dr. Sean Ormond at Atlas Pain Specialists.

Subjective (S):

• Chief complaint: “Pain in [location].”
• Pain rating: [0–10 scale].
• Description: [e.g., burning, sharp, constant].
• Timing and triggers: [e.g., worse in the morning, better with rest].
• Functional impact: [e.g., difficulty climbing stairs, poor sleep].

Objective (O):

• Vitals: [e.g., BP 120/80, HR 75].
• Physical exam: [e.g., tenderness at L4, limited range of motion].
• Imaging or tests: [e.g., MRI shows herniation at L5-S1].

Assessment (A):

• Primary diagnosis: [e.g., chronic radiculopathy].
• Secondary issues: [e.g., insomnia related to pain].

Plan (P):

• Medications: [e.g., increase gabapentin to 600 mg twice daily].
• Therapy: [e.g., refer to PT for core strengthening].
• Procedures: [e.g., schedule epidural steroid injection].
• Follow-up: [e.g., reassess in 4 weeks].

Use AI scribes for medical charts

Want more than a template? AI scribes write progress notes in real time.

Unlike traditional medical transcription, these tools are able to understand the context of a conversation to summarize and create ready-to-use notes.

These AI-powered medical scribes have:

• Automatic formatting: Notes are instantly organized into the SOAP note format.
• Instant integrations: Freed's AI scribe integrates with the top EHRs.
• Customizable notes: AI can train on your writing style and adapt to your preferences.
• Top-tier security: Fully HIPAA-compliant, with no storage of audio notes.
• Cross-device compatibility: Use on desktops, tablets, or smartphones.

For example, if a patient visits with knee pain, the AI identifies key details, like pain scale and mobility limitations, while skipping unrelated information.

This level of precision not only saves time but ensures every note is accurate and—most importantly— actionable.

“I have more time to spend doing other things I enjoy - getting home early, rather than staying late at the office trying to finish my charts or taking my charts home and doing them over the weekend”. — Dr. Olusesan Olotu, MD, Family Medicine

Taking the next step

Accurate charting doesn’t have to mean sacrificing time or energy.

These medical chart templates or an AI scribe are designed to be fast, simple, and accurate, so you can focus on what you love.

After all, the real secret to quality is you.

Freed is the most clinician-focused company in the world. Try our AI scribe for free.