Session Workspace and Record Audio

How to use the appointment workspace for telehealth, audio recording, audio or video upload, transcripts, source material, and note review.

The Session Workspace is the appointment-specific page for the work that usually happens around a session. It keeps the appointment details, telehealth link, audio recording and upload tools, source material, and note review close together so the clinician does not have to move between several screens during or after the appointment.

Open an appointment from the calendar, then choose Session Workspace when you want to prepare for the session, join telehealth, record audio, review source material, or work on the note.

What is on the Session Workspace

The workspace shows the appointment time, client or case name, appointment status, quick contact links, and same-day navigation for the previous or next appointment when available.

Depending on your practice settings and subscription, the workspace can include:

Join telehealth when the appointment, case, or provider has a meeting link.
Session Brief when appointment preparation tools are enabled.
Record audio or Upload audio or video from the note source options when transcription is enabled for the practice.
Progress note, consultation note, group note, or other note areas depending on the case and appointment.
Attachments and source material that can help with note drafting or review.

Enable Record audio

An owner or authorized admin can turn on Record audio from Settings -> General.

Open Settings.
Go to General.
Find Record audio.
Turn on Enable audio recording and media upload in the Session Workspace.
Save the settings.

If the option is not available, the feature may not be included in the current subscription or pilot configuration.

Record appointment audio

Use Record audio only when it is appropriate for the appointment and your practice has obtained the consent required by your policies, laws, professional rules, and client agreements.

Open the appointment's Session Workspace.
In Start note from, choose Record or upload audio, then confirm that you have obtained appropriate consent.
Choose the audio source you want to use, if you do not want the browser's default microphone.
Use Test microphone if you want to confirm the live spectrum responds before recording.
Select Start recording.
Keep PracticeRunner open while the recording is running. PracticeRunner will try to keep the screen awake when the browser supports it, but the device should stay unlocked.
Return to the Session Workspace if you need to switch audio inputs during the recording.
Select Stop recording when the session or recorded portion is complete.

After you stop recording, PracticeRunner sends the audio for transcription. When transcription finishes, the transcript is stored with the appointment as source material.

PracticeRunner does not keep the raw audio after the transcript is created. The transcript remains available with the appointment unless you discard it.

If transcription is taking longer than expected and you do not want to keep waiting, select Cancel transcription. Canceling stops the current upload/transcription request and discards the browser recording instead of storing a transcript.

Choose an audio source

PracticeRunner records the audio that your browser receives from the selected input. The audio source menu can include the built-in microphone, USB microphones, USB headsets, wireless headsets, audio interfaces, Continuity Camera microphones, or virtual audio devices that your operating system exposes to the browser.

Choose the input that includes the voices you want transcribed. Use Test microphone, then say a few words and watch the live spectrum to confirm that PracticeRunner is receiving sound before you continue with the session.

If you need to change inputs during a recording, return to the Session Workspace, choose the new source, use Test to confirm the live spectrum responds, then select Switch input. PracticeRunner keeps the recording together for transcription.

If a device is missing from the list:

make sure the device is connected and allowed in the operating system's privacy settings
refresh the audio source list
allow microphone access in the browser
check whether another app has exclusive control of the device

Headsets usually capture the clinician's microphone clearly. If the client or caller audio is playing only through the headset speakers, the selected headset microphone may not capture that other side of the conversation.

Phone and video-call audio

For phone calls, PracticeRunner can record the call only when the call audio reaches the selected browser input. Common workable setups include speakerphone near the computer microphone, a phone or softphone routed through an audio interface, or a virtual audio input that combines call audio with the clinician's microphone.

For video sessions, browser recording usually captures the selected microphone. It does not automatically capture another app's output audio, especially when the clinician is wearing headphones. If both sides of the session are not present in the selected input, use the video app's recording or export workflow, or another recorder, then upload the audio or video file to PracticeRunner afterward.

Before relying on a phone, headset, or video-call setup for clinical use, test the same device and app combination your practice plans to use.

Upload audio or video from another recorder

If you recorded the session in another app or on another device, use Record or upload audio under Start note from, then choose Upload audio or video. This is different from uploading an attachment to the chart. The uploaded file is used temporarily to create a transcript, then PracticeRunner stores the transcript and does not keep the uploaded media.

For video files, PracticeRunner uses the audio track for transcription. It does not analyze the visual content of the video.

Open the appointment's Session Workspace.
In Start note from, choose Record or upload audio, then confirm that you have obtained appropriate consent.
Select Upload audio or video.
Choose the audio or video file from your device.
Keep the browser window open while PracticeRunner transcribes the file. You can keep using PracticeRunner during transcription.

Supported uploads include common audio formats such as M4A, MP3, WAV, WebM, OGG, and MP4 audio, plus common video formats such as MP4, M4V, and WebM. Video files are usually larger than audio-only files, so they may take longer to upload and transcribe or may exceed the upload limit. When possible, upload an audio-only file for the most efficient workflow.

After transcription, review the transcript before using it for documentation. If your practice policy requires removing the original recording from the recording app, phone, or external device, delete it there too. PracticeRunner cannot delete the copy stored outside PracticeRunner.

Using other pages while recording

When recording starts, PracticeRunner shows a recording bar at the bottom of the app. The bar stays visible as you move around PracticeRunner, so you can open the calendar, review scheduling details, or check another in-app page without stopping the recording.

Use the recording bar to return to the session workspace or stop the recording. PracticeRunner also warns if you try to close or refresh the browser tab while recording or transcription is still in progress.

When supported by the browser, PracticeRunner requests a screen wake lock while recording or transcribing. This can reduce accidental lock-screen interruptions, but it is not guaranteed on every device, browser, battery mode, or operating-system setting.

Browser and mobile limits

Browser-based recording depends on the browser and operating system keeping microphone access active.

Recording is expected to work best when:

the PracticeRunner browser tab stays open
the device stays awake
the device remains unlocked
you move between pages inside PracticeRunner instead of leaving the browser
you stop the recording before closing, refreshing, or navigating away from the tab

Recording may stop, pause, or fail if:

the screen locks
the browser tab is closed or refreshed
the device loses microphone permission
a mobile browser is moved to the background
you switch to another mobile app or another website
the operating system suspends the browser to save battery or memory

This is especially important on phones and tablets. Mobile Safari, mobile Chrome, and in-app browsers can limit microphone capture when the browser is not the active foreground app. For clinical use, treat mobile background recording as unsupported unless you have tested the exact device and browser workflow your practice plans to use.

Review the transcript

Select View transcript to read the transcript before using it for documentation.

Transcripts can include errors, missing context, speaker-label mistakes, or details that should not be included in the final clinical record. Review the transcript the same way you would review any other source material before using it in a note.

If the transcript should not be kept, select Discard transcript. This removes the transcript from the appointment's active source material.

Generate a draft note

When clinician-controlled note drafting tools are enabled, you can select Generate progress note after the transcript is ready. PracticeRunner creates a draft from the transcript and opens it in the normal note review flow.

These tools are off by default and fully optional. If your practice enables transcript-based drafting, processing runs under PracticeRunner's HIPAA and BAA safeguards. Client information is used only to provide the requested feature and is not used to train AI models.

The generated note is a draft. Edit it before saving or signing. The clinician remains responsible for confirming that the note is accurate, clinically appropriate, and limited to what belongs in the record.

For consultation cases, review the draft in the context of the consultation note workflow. Consultation notes should describe the professional consultation service and should not add therapy-specific diagnoses, treatment-plan language, or insurance-claim framing unless your practice has explicitly configured a workflow that supports that use.