🖥️ For providers using the Oasys web app. This assumes the appointment is already on your calendar (see Scheduling sessions).
This article walks you through running a session from start to finish, whether by video, in person, or by phone. It also covers what happens to appointments you don't mark, the tools you have during a session, and how to log a session that already happened.
In this article
1. Starting a telehealth (video) session
Video sessions run inside Oasys, with a waiting room so you decide when your client joins.
Open the appointment on your calendar and click Start Video. The button appears from 15 minutes before the start time until the appointment ends.
Check your camera and microphone in the preview, then join. You can switch them on or off at any time.
Wait for your client to join from the Join video session button in their email or from their client portal. They see "Waiting for the host to admit you..." until you let them in.
Click Participants to open the Waiting Room, then click Admit (or Deny).
You can also start from Today's schedule on your Dashboard, or from the client's page (New → Start Video Session).
If the session mode on an appointment is wrong, use the arrow next to the start button to switch to Video Session, In-Person Session, or Phone Session. You can only choose modes that the service allows.
Sharing the link
Before the session: for an upcoming video appointment, use the three-dot menu → Copy Link or Re-send Invite.
During the session: click Share Link (bottom right), then Copy link or Send Meeting Invite.
Telehealth links don't expire after the appointment. Anyone who opens the link still waits in the Waiting Room until you admit them.
Supported browsers
Chrome 75+ (including Chromium-based browsers) and Edge 75+
Firefox 91+
Safari 13.1+, and Safari on iOS 14.3+ (plus other iOS browsers on iOS 14.3+)
The current version of Chrome on Android (also Firefox, Samsung Internet, and other Chromium-based browsers)
Electron 6+
During the call
The toolbar has Audio, Video, Background (virtual backgrounds), Hide Self, Participants, Chat, Share Screen, and Transcribe.
On a computer, click the arrow next to Audio to choose your Microphone and Speaker, and to switch on Reduce background noise.
Reduce background noise filters hums and room noise from your own microphone. It's off by default. Turn it off for music or bells.
Your client has the same switch in their own audio menu, for their microphone. If a browser doesn't support it, the switch is greyed out with "Not available in this browser."
Click End to finish the call. To rejoin, click Start New Call on the Call Ended screen. It starts the video again in the same session, so there's no need to create another appointment.
If the call can't connect, you'll see Unable to join video call with an option to try again.
Transcription
By default, AI transcription starts when you join a video session.
To change this, go to Settings → Clinical → Feature settings and turn off Auto-start transcription (see Turning features on and off).
You can still start or stop transcription with Transcribe during a session. If you stop it, the auto-generated note won't have a transcript to work from.
⚠️ Important: Oasys never records sessions. It only transcribes them. While transcription is running, your client sees a transcription indicator on screen. The transcript is deleted once the note is signed and locked.
2. Starting an in-person session
For sessions in your office, start the session in Oasys so the timer and transcription can help with your note.
Click Start in-person on the appointment, or from the client's page choose New → Start In-Person Session.
Let the session timer run. It starts automatically.
Turn on transcription if you'd like help with note-taking. Oasys transcribes the session; it doesn't record it. The transcript is deleted once the note is signed and locked.
3. Starting a phone session
Phone sessions are logged after the call, not in real time. There's no live timer or transcription.
Click Log session on a phone appointment to open the Log Session form.
Enter the session details and your notes, either during the call or afterward.
Click Log session to save.
If you don't log anything, a phone appointment is marked Completed automatically once its end time passes. For more detail, see Logging a previous session.
4. Appointments you don't mark
If a video or in-person appointment ends and no session was started or logged, Oasys closes it automatically once its end time has passed, usually within a few minutes.
By default it's marked No Show. You can choose Completed instead.
Solo providers: go to Settings → Scheduling → Scheduling policies → Unmarked sessions.
Practices: a Practice HQ admin sets it for everyone under Feature settings → Unmarked sessions. Providers in a practice don't see this setting.
Choosing Completed creates an empty session for the appointment, and it becomes available to bill like any other completed session. Choosing No Show creates no session. If the service has a no-show fee, it's treated like any other no-show.
The setting only affects appointments that end after you change it.
Phone appointments are marked Completed at their end time.
Group sessions and appointments that have already been invoiced or claimed aren't closed automatically.
You can always change the status yourself afterwards (see Changing an appointment's status).
Sessions you start but don't end
If you start a video or in-person session and never save it, Oasys completes the session automatically about 1 hour after the appointment's end time.
If the session has activity (a video call took place, or there are notes, audio or a transcript), the appointment is marked Completed.
If it has no activity, the appointment is marked No Show. The Unmarked sessions setting doesn't apply, because a session was started.
A phone session is always marked Completed.
5. During any session
While a session is active, these tools are available to you:
Floating notes panel: write notes in real time with auto-save. Use the Add additional notes button to start voice dictation (transcribed and appended) or upload a file (PDF, JPEG, JPG, HEIC, PNG).
AI session preparation: a pre-session summary of client history, health data, and previous session themes.
AI assistant: ask questions about health data trends, get intervention suggestions, or get help with documentation.
In-call chat (telehealth): send text messages inside the video call, visible to everyone including the client.
The client's profile: open the Client tab in the side panel for a read-only snapshot (date of birth/age, chief complaint, diagnosis, mental health history, current medications). Available in the desktop side panel for individual sessions only.
Session menu: use Mark No Show if the client didn't attend, or Delete Session to remove the session you started.
6. Ending a session
When the session is over, save it and finish your note.
Click Save & Close when the session is complete.
Review and finalize your notes by selecting your note template, therapeutic modality, and any additional summary instructions.
Click Save Session. This marks the session as completed and moves the appointment to Completed.
Review and approve your notes, then click Sign and Lock to finalize them.
A session can end in the same minute it started, for example a very short check-in.
If you correct a session's times later, the end time can't be before the start time on the session date.
If a video session ends with no transcript and nothing written, Oasys doesn't draft a note from nothing. The session card says "This video session finished without a transcript or any written content, so no draft note was generated. Add your notes and regenerate."
💡 Tip: If you have a supervisor, you'll see Sign and Submit for Review instead of Sign and Lock. This sends the note to your supervisor for approval before it's finalized. See Clinical supervision.
7. Logging a previous session
Log a session that happened outside the platform or in the past, so it has a full session with notes and billing.
Open the Log Session form in one of these ways:
From a client's page, click New → Log Session.
On your calendar, click or drag across a past time.
On a phone appointment, click Log session.
Choose the Service Type, the Session Location (Video Session, In-Person Session, or Phone Session), and the date and time.
Add your notes and, if billing is on, check the billing details (including units and additional services).
Click Log session. The session is marked completed.
Frequently asked questions
Are video sessions recorded?
No. Oasys only transcribes sessions; it never records them. Your client sees a transcription indicator while transcription runs, and the transcript is deleted once the note is signed and locked.
Why don't I see the Start button?
The start button appears on an appointment from 15 minutes before its start time until it ends. It only shows if the appointment is still scheduled and no session has been started for it. For an earlier or later session, use Log Session.
Can I create a session without a scheduled appointment?
Yes. Use Log Session from a client's page (New → Log Session), or click a past time on your calendar. It creates a full session without needing a booking, including AI notes, billing, and all other features.
What if my client doesn't show up?
Open the appointment and choose No Show from the cancel menu (after the start time). Or use the three-dot menu → Edit → Status → No Show → Save. If you've set a no-show fee on that service type, it becomes billable in Bill sessions.
When does Oasys close an appointment or session I didn't finish?
An appointment with no session started or logged closes once its end time passes, as No Show or Completed depending on your Unmarked sessions setting. A session you started but didn't save is completed about 1 hour after the appointment's end time. See Appointments you don't mark.
What does "Video call not linked to this session" mean?
Oasys couldn't connect the video call to the session, so the transcript may not be imported. Refresh the page while you're in the session. If it keeps happening, contact Oasys support.
Can I cut down background noise on my microphone?
Yes. On a computer, click the arrow next to Audio in the call toolbar and switch on Reduce background noise. It only affects your own microphone, and your client can turn it on for theirs.