What functionality do smart links provide in a medical note?

Smart links in a medical note primarily serve to pull previously documented information. This feature allows healthcare providers to efficiently access and integrate relevant patient data from prior encounters into current documentation. By enabling quick retrieval of historical notes, lab results, or treatment plans, smart links enhance the accuracy and continuity of care while reducing the time spent on repetitive data entry or searching for information.

While the other options, such as accessing diagnostic codes for billing, connecting with laboratory systems, or linking to external databases, are important functionalities in the medical documentation process, they do not specifically describe the primary role of smart links. The essence of smart links is to streamline the process by facilitating easy retrieval of existing notes, thereby improving the workflow and ensuring that healthcare providers have all necessary information at their fingertips to make informed decisions about patient care.