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OutSmart Guide

Changing a Document's Owner

You can transfer ownership of a document from one practitioner to another using the Change Owner drop-down at the top of the Documents Module. The exact steps depend on whether you currently own the document or it’s owned by someone else.

The Key Rule

You can only change the owner of a document if you’re currently viewing the Documents Module as the practitioner who owns it.

  • If you uploaded the document, you own it — you can change ownership directly.
  • If a practitioner uploaded a document, only that practitioner (or an admin viewing as that practitioner) can change its ownership.

This is why the same admin user can change ownership on some documents but not others — it depends on whose view they’re in.

As a Practitioner

To change the owner of a document you own:

  1. Open the Documents Module by clicking the documents icon at the top right of the screen.
  2. Find the document and click its row to select it. Selected rows are highlighted in orange. You can select multiple documents at once by clicking and dragging.
  3. The Change Owner drop-down appears at the top of the module.
  4. Pick the practitioner you want to transfer the document to.

You can only change ownership of documents you currently own. Documents owned by other practitioners aren’t visible to you in the Documents Module.

As Admin Staff

Admins always view the Documents Module from the perspective of a specific practitioner — by default, the clinic’s principal practitioner. To change ownership of a document, you need to be viewing as the practitioner who currently owns it.

To change the owner of a document already owned by the practitioner whose view you’re in:

  1. Open the Documents Module.
  2. Click the document to select it.
  3. The drop-down at the top switches from View as Practitioner to Change Owner.
  4. Pick the new owner.

To change the owner of a document owned by a different practitioner:

  1. Open the Documents Module.
  2. Make sure no documents are selected. If any are selected, press Escape on your keyboard to deselect them. You need to do this so the top drop-down stays in View as Practitioner mode.
  3. Use the drop-down to switch your view to the practitioner who owns the document.
  4. The Documents Module now shows that practitioner’s documents. Find the document (use the patient drop-down in the options panel on the left to narrow to the patient if helpful).
  5. Click the document to select it. The drop-down at the top switches to Change Owner.
  6. Pick the new owner.

Why Can’t I Change Ownership on This Document?

If the Change Owner drop-down won’t let you act on a document, the cause is almost always one of these:

  • You’re viewing as the wrong practitioner. The Change Owner drop-down only acts on documents owned by the practitioner whose view you’re currently in. Deselect everything (press Escape), switch your view to the document’s actual owner using the drop-down, then try again.
  • The drop-down is in View as Practitioner mode instead of Change Owner mode. That happens when no documents are selected. Click the document first.
  • You don’t have edit access to the patient’s records. Document ownership is only one layer of access; check that you’re linked to the patient or office that owns the patient record.

Where to Move Ownership To

In a multi-practitioner clinic, admins typically move documents to a central practitioner account so they stay accessible if individual practitioners leave the clinic. The details — and when this approach makes sense for your clinic — are covered in Document Ownership in Multi-Practitioner Clinics.