Allscripts Keyboard Shortcuts and Hot Keys Guide

Allscripts users often move through busy workflows: scheduling appointments, opening patient records, verifying results, entering notes, managing prescriptions, and completing administrative tasks. Keyboard shortcuts and hot keys can make that work faster, especially in older desktop-style Allscripts products.

But there is one important caveat: there is no single universal Allscripts keyboard shortcut guide.

“Allscripts” now refers to a family of products that has changed over time. Ambulatory products are largely associated with Veradigm, while acute care products are associated with Altera Digital Health. Products such as Professional EHR, Practice Management, TouchWorks EHR, Sunrise, FollowMyHealth, and ePrescribe all have different workflows.

That means an Allscripts shortcut may work in one product, but not another. Some products rely on Windows-style shortcuts. Others rely more on right-click menus, browser navigation, templates, favorites, and configurable text shortcuts.

This guide covers the most useful publicly documented Allscripts keyboard shortcuts, hot keys, quick actions, and productivity patterns.

Allscripts Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Here is a practical starting point for the highest-value shortcuts and quick actions across the Allscripts product family.

Product	Shortcut or pattern	Common use
Allscripts Practice Management	Alt + Down Arrow	Open lookup lists in supported fields.
Allscripts Practice Management	Alt + S	Schedule an appointment.
Allscripts Practice Management	Alt + K	Use Walk In scheduling.
Allscripts Practice Management	Alt + O	Open the Account tab.
Allscripts Practice Management	Alt + L	Open the Policy tab.
Allscripts Practice Management	Tab	Move through fields or pull a patient into focus after entering a patient number.
TouchWorks EHR	F5	Refresh or recover from incorrect user/patient context.
TouchWorks EHR	F11	Toggle full-frame mode in older Internet Explorer deployments.
TouchWorks EHR	Right-click → Q-Verify	Quickly verify results from a worklist.
TouchWorks EHR	Right-click → Q-Verify All	Quickly verify multiple displayed results.
TouchWorks EHR	~Fn Ln~	Insert patient first and last name into note text.
TouchWorks EHR	~dob~, ~age~, ~mrn~	Insert patient details into note templates.
Veradigm / Professional EHR	User-defined dot phrases, such as .review	Expand saved text in notes.
Veradigm / Professional EHR	Short Lists	Reuse common medications, plan items, or favorites.
Sunrise / RxWriter	Ctrl + click	Select multiple items in supported lists.
Sunrise / RxWriter	Right-click medication row	Open medication actions, such as Renew, Modify, or History.
Sunrise / RxWriter	Tab	Move through fields in form-based workflows.
FollowMyHealth	Tab / Shift + Tab / Enter / Space	Use standard browser keyboard navigation.
Veradigm ePrescribe	Favorites	Reuse common prescriptions faster.

Why Allscripts Shortcuts Vary by Product

Allscripts is not one single interface. It is a portfolio of related systems that evolved over time.

A front-desk user in Allscripts Practice Management may rely on Windows-style shortcuts such as Alt + S or Alt + Down Arrow. A clinician using TouchWorks EHR may save time with right-click result verification or note placeholders. A user in Sunrise RxWriter may rely more on web-style medication row actions and menus.

That is why the best way to think about Allscripts shortcuts is by product:

Product	Shortcut style
Allscripts Practice Management	Strongest support for Windows-style Alt shortcuts and Tab-based data entry.
TouchWorks EHR	Strong support for function keys, right-click workflows, result verification, and note placeholders.
Professional EHR / Veradigm EHR	Stronger support for text shortcuts, Auto Replace, and Short Lists than fixed hotkeys.
Sunrise / RxWriter	More workflow-driven, with right-click menus, toolbar actions, and web-style navigation.
FollowMyHealth	Browser and portal navigation are more important than product-specific hotkeys.
Veradigm ePrescribe	Favorites, help tools, and browser-based workflows are more prominent than fixed keyboard maps.

Allscripts Practice Management Keyboard Shortcuts

Allscripts Practice Management has some of the clearest publicly documented shortcut behavior. Many shortcuts follow older Windows-style conventions, especially Alt key combinations.

Common Practice Management Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	Where it helps
Alt + Down Arrow	Opens a lookup or search list.	Registration, scheduling, companion windows, and supported lookup fields.
Alt + S	Runs the Schedule command.	Patient Scheduling.
Alt + K	Runs the Walk In command.	Walk-in or same-day scheduling.
Alt + O	Opens the Account tab.	Companion Registration.
Alt + L	Opens the Policy tab.	Insurance and policy workflows.
Tab	Moves to the next field.	Registration, payment entry, scheduling, and data-entry screens.
Tab after patient number	Pulls a patient into focus.	Patient lookup workflows.

Where Alt + Down Arrow Helps Most

Alt + Down Arrow is one of the most useful Allscripts Practice Management shortcuts because it can open lookup lists from supported fields.

You might use it when searching for:

Lookup type	Example use
Patient	Find or confirm a patient record.
Referring provider	Search a referring doctor field.
PCP	Find a primary care provider.
Appointment type	Select a visit type.
Insurance or policy fields	Choose from available values.

This shortcut is especially useful for front-desk and revenue-cycle users who spend much of the day moving through structured fields.

Allscripts Practice Management Scheduling Shortcuts

Scheduling is one of the best use cases for Allscripts Practice Management hot keys.

Shortcut	Action
Alt + S	Schedule an appointment.
Alt + K	Open Walk In scheduling.
Alt + Down Arrow	Open a lookup list from supported fields.
Tab	Move through scheduling fields.
Enter	Select a highlighted option in many Windows-style workflows.

A keyboard-driven scheduling workflow might look like this:

1. Open the Patient Scheduling screen.
2. Select the patient and appointment slot.
3. Use Alt + Down Arrow to open lookup lists where needed.
4. Press Alt + S to schedule.
5. Use Tab to move through required fields.

For walk-in workflows, Alt + K can be a useful shortcut when the user is working from the Patient Scheduling screen.

Allscripts Practice Management Registration Shortcuts

Registration and account setup involve a lot of repeated field navigation. Shortcuts can reduce the amount of mouse movement needed.

Shortcut	Action
Alt + O	Open the Account tab.
Alt + L	Open the Policy tab.
Alt + Down Arrow	Open supported lookup lists.
Tab	Move through fields.
Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V	Copy and paste where allowed by policy and system behavior.

For example, if a user is working in the Companion Registration window, Alt + O can move to the Account tab and Alt + L can move to the Policy tab. That can be faster than switching back and forth with the mouse.

TouchWorks EHR Keyboard Shortcuts and Quick Actions

TouchWorks has some of the strongest publicly documented shortcut-adjacent workflows in the Allscripts family.

The most useful TouchWorks shortcuts include:

Shortcut or action	What it does
F5	Refreshes or helps recover from bad user or patient context.
F11	Toggles full-frame mode in legacy Internet Explorer setups.
Right-click → Q-Verify	Quickly verifies a result.
Right-click → Q-Verify All	Quickly verifies multiple results.
Verify / Verify All	Opens the Results Verification Dialog for more detailed work.
~Fn Ln~	Inserts the patient’s first and last name.
~dob~	Inserts date of birth.
~age~	Inserts age.
~mrn~	Inserts medical record number.
~pcp~	Inserts primary care provider.

TouchWorks F5 Shortcut

In TouchWorks, F5 is one of the most practical troubleshooting shortcuts. It can help when the banner bar shows the wrong user or patient context.

That makes F5 less of a “speed shortcut” and more of a “fix the screen before you keep working” shortcut.

Use it when:

Situation	Why F5 may help
The wrong patient appears in context.	Refreshing can restore the expected context.
The wrong user appears in the banner.	Refreshing may correct the display.
The screen appears out of sync.	Refreshing can reduce confusion before continuing.

Because this affects patient context, users should still verify the patient before taking action.

TouchWorks F11 Shortcut

TouchWorks documentation includes F11 for full-frame mode in older Internet Explorer workflows.

This is important, but also limited. It is not a universal modern TouchWorks shortcut. It is mainly relevant for legacy browser setups where TouchWorks was running in Internet Explorer and users wanted to maximize the usable workspace.

If your organization no longer uses that setup, this shortcut may not apply.

TouchWorks Results Verification Shortcuts

TouchWorks result verification has several high-value quick actions.

Action	Best use
Right-click → Q-Verify	Quickly verify one result when no extra documentation is needed.
Right-click → Q-Verify All	Quickly verify multiple results.
Verify	Open the verification dialog for more detail.
Verify All	Open the verification dialog for multiple results.

The difference matters.

Use Q-Verify when the result can be reviewed and verified quickly. Use Verify when you need to document more, communicate with the patient, create a note, or take another action.

A practical workflow might look like this:

1. Open the result worklist.
2. Review the result.
3. If no extra action is needed, right-click and choose Q-Verify.
4. If extra documentation is needed, choose Verify instead.
5. Move to the next result or patient.

Some TouchWorks settings may control what happens after Q-Verify, such as whether the system advances to the next patient.

TouchWorks Note Placeholders

TouchWorks supports placeholder phrases that can insert patient information into note text. These are not keyboard shortcuts in the traditional sense, but they can save time during documentation.

Placeholder	Inserts
~Fn Ln~	Patient first and last name
~Fn~	Patient first name
~Mr/Ms Ln~	Gender-appropriate title and last name
~He/She~	Gender-appropriate pronoun
~His/Her~	Gender-appropriate possessive pronoun
~male/female~	Gender-specific term
~addr~	Address
~mrn~	Medical record number
~dob~	Date of birth
~age~	Age
~pcp~	Primary care provider
~Author~	Author
~Owner~	Owner

These placeholders are especially useful for templates, standard note language, and recurring documentation patterns.

Professional EHR / Veradigm EHR Text Shortcuts

For Professional EHR, the strongest shortcut evidence is not a fixed hotkey list. It is the ability to create reusable text shortcuts.

These may work like dot phrases.

For example:

Shortcut	Possible expansion
.review	A saved review statement or note phrase.
.followup	Standard follow-up instructions.
.medreview	Medication review language.
.normalexam	Normal exam text, if approved by the organization.

Professional EHR supports user-created shortcuts through Auto Replace. A user can create a saved text entry and then insert it later by typing the assigned shortcut.

This is one of the most important productivity features for clinicians and staff who repeatedly type similar text.

Professional EHR Short Lists

Professional EHR also supports Short Lists, which are closer to favorites than keyboard shortcuts.

Short Lists can help users quickly reuse common items, such as:

Short List type	Example use
Medications	Frequently prescribed medications.
Assessment and Plan items	Common plan language or items.
Orders	Frequently used orderables, depending on setup.
Favorites	Common selections for a user or group.

Short Lists are especially useful because they reduce the need to search from scratch every time. They are not the same as keyboard shortcuts, but they can have the same effect: fewer clicks, less typing, and faster workflows.

Sunrise and RxWriter Shortcuts

Sunrise and RxWriter appear to rely more on workflow actions, menus, and web-style interactions than fixed hotkey lists.

Useful shortcut-adjacent actions include:

Shortcut or action	Common use
Ctrl + click	Select multiple orders in supported lists.
Right-click medication row	Open actions such as Renew, Modify, Discontinue, History, or Drug Information.
Tab	Move through form fields.
Shift while selecting columns	Support multi-column sorting in some list views.
Toolbar buttons	Open Workflow Management or Signature Manager.

Sunrise Workflow Management

Sunrise workflow actions are often accessed through menus and toolbar buttons rather than keyboard shortcuts.

Common workflow actions include:

Action	Use
Open Workflow Management	View, assign, and complete workflow activities.
Open Signature Manager	Sign, refuse, or reassign items.
Filter items	Narrow the list of tasks or signature items.
Complete activity	Finish a workflow task if the user has rights.

Security rights matter. A user may see a workflow item but not have permission to complete, sign, refuse, or reassign it.

Sunrise RxWriter Medication Actions

In RxWriter, the medication list may support right-click or row-level action menus.

Common medication actions may include:

Action	Use
Renew	Renew a medication.
Discontinue	Stop a medication.
Modify	Change medication details.
History	View medication history.
Drug Information	Review medication information.
InfoButton	Open additional information where supported.

This is a good example of how newer Allscripts-related products may not feel like classic “hotkey” systems. The speed comes from knowing the fastest menu path, not necessarily memorizing a function key.

FollowMyHealth Keyboard Navigation

FollowMyHealth is a patient portal, so keyboard use is closer to standard web navigation.

Common keyboard patterns include:

Shortcut	Use
Tab	Move forward through links, buttons, and form fields.
Shift + Tab	Move backward.
Enter	Activate a focused link or button.
Space	Activate certain buttons or checkboxes.
Arrow keys	Move through some menus, lists, or browser controls.

FollowMyHealth may also include portal-specific shortcuts, such as a top-of-screen appointment request shortcut. But we were unable to identify a comprehensive FollowMyHealth product-specific hotkey map.

Veradigm ePrescribe Shortcuts

Veradigm ePrescribe is also more web- and workflow-driven than hotkey-driven.

The most useful productivity features are likely to be:

Feature	Why it helps
Favorites	Reuse commonly prescribed medications.
i-Learn help	Access guides, tutorials, tooltips, and FAQs.
EPCS token workflow	Supports controlled-substance signing.
Version information on login page	Helps users and support teams troubleshoot release-specific issues.

For ePrescribe, the best “shortcut” may be setting up prescription favorites rather than memorizing keyboard commands.

Browser and Windows Shortcuts That May Help

Some Allscripts products run in browser-based or Windows-style environments. Depending on the product and setup, standard operating system shortcuts may still help.

Shortcut	Common use
Tab	Move forward through fields.
Shift + Tab	Move backward through fields.
Enter	Select or activate the highlighted item.
Space	Toggle a checkbox or activate a button.
Arrow keys	Move through lists or menus.
Ctrl + C	Copy selected text where allowed.
Ctrl + V	Paste copied text where allowed.
Ctrl + F	Search within a browser page or document, where available.
Alt + Tab	Switch between open Windows applications.

These are not Allscripts-specific shortcuts, but they can still make daily work faster.

The Best Allscripts Shortcuts to Learn First

If you are trying to build muscle memory, start with the shortcuts that have the broadest practical value.

For Practice Management users

Learn these first:

Shortcut	Why it matters
Alt + Down Arrow	Opens lookup lists.
Alt + S	Speeds up scheduling.
Alt + K	Helps with walk-in scheduling.
Alt + O / Alt + L	Moves quickly between Account and Policy tabs.
Tab	Speeds up field-by-field data entry.

For TouchWorks users

Learn these first:

Shortcut or action	Why it matters
F5	Helps fix incorrect user or patient context.
Right-click → Q-Verify	Speeds up result verification.
Right-click → Q-Verify All	Speeds up batch result review.
TouchWorks placeholders	Reduces repetitive note typing.
Personalize settings	Helps tailor schedule and workflow behavior.

For Professional EHR users

Focus on:

Feature	Why it matters
Auto Replace	Turns short typed phrases into reusable note text.
Dot phrases	Helps standardize repeated documentation.
Short Lists	Speeds up medication and plan selection.
Favorites	Reduces repeated searching.

For Sunrise and RxWriter users

Focus on:

Action	Why it matters
Right-click row actions	Opens medication or order actions quickly.
Ctrl + click	Selects multiple items where supported.
Tab	Moves through structured forms.
Signature Manager workflows	Speeds up signing and reassignment tasks.

How TextExpander Can Help Allscripts Users Work Faster

Allscripts shortcuts help users move through screens faster. TextExpander can help with a different problem: repetitive typing.

Healthcare users often type the same phrases throughout the day. That might include patient instructions, scheduling messages, referral language, internal notes, support responses, or administrative text. Even when an EHR has templates or favorites, staff may still need reusable language in other fields, documents, emails, portals, and support workflows.

With TextExpander, a short abbreviation can expand into a longer approved phrase.

For example, a user could type:

/apptprep

And expand it into:

“Please bring your insurance card, photo ID, current medication list, and any relevant paperwork to your appointment.”

Or type:

/rxdelay

And expand it into:

“Your prescription request has been received and is being reviewed. Please allow the care team time to process the request before contacting the pharmacy.”

Common TextExpander uses for Allscripts-adjacent workflows may include:

Use case	Example snippet
Scheduling	Appointment reminders and preparation instructions.
Patient communication	Follow-up instructions and standard next steps.
Referrals	Reusable referral status messages.
Results follow-up	General non-diagnostic communication templates.
Internal operations	Standard task notes or handoff language.
Help desk support	Common troubleshooting responses for EHR users.
Training	Standard explanations for workflows and policies.

TextExpander should be used according to organizational policy, especially in clinical environments. It should not replace clinical judgment, required documentation, or approved EHR workflows. But when used properly, it can reduce repetitive typing and help teams keep common language consistent.

Tips for Using Allscripts Shortcuts Safely

Keyboard shortcuts can speed up work, but they should be used carefully in healthcare settings.

Keep these best practices in mind:

1. Confirm the product first. Allscripts Practice Management, TouchWorks, Professional EHR, Sunrise, FollowMyHealth, and ePrescribe do not all use the same shortcuts.
2. Check the version. Some shortcut behavior is tied to older versions, browser setups, or release-specific workflows.
3. Verify patient context. If the wrong patient or user appears in TouchWorks, use tools like F5 only as a first step. Always confirm the correct patient before acting.
4. Use Q-Verify carefully. Quick verification is useful when no additional documentation is needed. Use the full Verify workflow when communication, notes, or follow-up actions are required.
5. Treat text shortcuts as documentation tools. Auto Replace, placeholders, snippets, and dot phrases should be reviewed before saving.
6. Follow local policy. Some organizations restrict copy/paste, text expansion, favorites, or shortcut use in clinical documentation.
7. Do not assume browser shortcuts are product shortcuts. Tab, Enter, Space, and arrow keys may work in web-based products, but they are not the same as a product-specific hotkey map.

Final Thoughts

The most useful Allscripts shortcuts depend heavily on which product you use.

For Allscripts Practice Management, the strongest shortcuts are Windows-style commands such as Alt + Down Arrow, Alt + S, Alt + K, Alt + O, and Alt + L.

For TouchWorks, the biggest time-savers are F5, result-verification actions like Q-Verify, and note placeholders such as ~Fn Ln~, ~dob~, and ~mrn~.

For Professional EHR / Veradigm EHR, productivity comes less from fixed function keys and more from Auto Replace, text shortcuts, Short Lists, and favorites.

For Sunrise, FollowMyHealth, and ePrescribe, users should expect more web-style workflows, right-click menus, toolbar actions, favorites, and browser navigation.

The best approach is to learn the shortcuts that apply to your exact product and version, then combine them with approved text shortcuts and reusable snippets. That gives users a faster workflow without sacrificing accuracy or consistency.