Managing Historical Conditions

Last updated: October 27, 2025

Introduction

Patient conditions evolve over time. Some resolve, others require diagnostic updates, and many remain relevant as historical context. This article explains how to document past medical history, resolve active conditions, and change diagnoses in Canvas Medical while preserving important clinical information.

User's Guide

Documenting Past Medical History

The Past Medical History command documents conditions that are no longer active but may still impact clinical decision-making.

To add past medical history:

  1. Add the Past Medical History command to a new or existing note

  2. Complete the command fields:

    • Past Medical History: Previous medical condition (search by ICD-10 code or text description)

    • Approximate Start Date: Date when the condition began (e.g., "last week," "3 years ago," "2015," or specific date)

    • Approximate End Date: Date the condition resolved

    • Show on Condition List: Toggle on to display the condition in the patient summary

    • Comments: Additional notes pertaining to the condition (up to 1000 characters)

  3. Click Record to add the medical history to the patient record

Key points:

  • Searches ICD-10 codes similarly to the Diagnose command

  • Supports entering the code directly in addition to text search

  • Use free-text date entries for flexibility

Resolving Active Conditions

The Resolve Condition command closes active conditions for patients when they are no longer relevant for tracking.

To resolve a condition:

Choose one of these methods:

  • Add the Resolve Condition command directly to a note

  • Click Resolve next to the condition in the Patient Summary

If the cursor is not positioned in a note before clicking Resolve, Canvas creates a Chart Review note to store the command.

Complete the command fields:

  1. Resolve Condition: The condition that is no longer relevant

  2. Rationale: Reason for resolving the condition

  3. Show on conditions list: If selected, resolved conditions appear at the bottom of the Patient Summary in gray non-bolded text

  4. Click Record to resolve the condition

Changing a Diagnosis

The Change Diagnosis command allows you to update a condition to a more relevant diagnosis while preserving historical data.

To change a diagnosis:

  1. Add the Change Diagnosis command to a note

  2. Complete the following fields:

    • Change Diagnosis: Current condition being changed

    • New Diagnosis: Updated diagnosis (search using natural language or ICD-10; omit the decimal point when searching by ICD-10)

    • Background: Add additional background information to provide context for the updated diagnosis

    • Today's Assessment: Document observations made during the current visit reflecting the revised condition

  3. Click Record to update the patient record

Billing implications:

When the note is billable, the Change Diagnosis command ensures the billing footer and claim are updated. The new ICD-10 code is added for the revised condition, and the previous ICD-10 code associated with the original diagnosis is automatically removed.

Historical data preservation:

The Change Diagnosis command creates a new condition with the updated diagnosis while preserving historical data from the original condition. See the article on Assessing and Updating Conditions for details on how timelines are affected.

Configuration & Set Up

No special configuration is required. Past Medical History, Resolve Condition, and Change Diagnosis commands are available by default in all patient charts.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Q: What happens when I change a diagnosis?

A: The Change Diagnosis command creates a new condition with the updated diagnosis while preserving the historical data from the original condition. The original condition is resolved with a note indicating the change, and the new condition includes the full assessment history from both diagnoses.

Q: Can I undo a resolved condition?

A: Once resolved, a condition cannot be automatically reactivated. If the condition becomes active again, add a new Diagnose command to document the recurrence.

Q: How can I see resolved conditions in the patient summary?

A: When resolving a condition, toggle on "Show on conditions list." Resolved conditions will appear at the bottom of the Patient Summary in gray non-bolded text.

Related Resources

Keywords: past medical history, resolve condition, change diagnosis, historical conditions, ICD-10 update, inactive conditions, billing updates

Categories: Clinical Documentation, Condition Management