Skip to main content

Ask Matic: what it can answer and what it can't

2-min read · The sparkles button in the top bar answers questions about the open patient or about Matic in general; here's how to use it well.

Written by Bryce Blackwell

Ask Matic is the sparkles button in the top bar. It opens a panel that greets you with "Hi, how can I help?" and works in two modes.

Two modes

  • About this patient (available when a patient is open): asks about the chart Matic has read for this visit, the brief, the problem list and today's note. Examples: "When was the last colonoscopy?", "Which labs are pending?", "Summarize the last three visits."

  • General question: asks about using Matic. Examples: "How do I change the template for this visit?", "What does Not on claim mean?"

If no patient is open, the placeholder says Open a patient to ask about them; switch to a visit first.

The first question takes a moment

When you open a patient, Ask Matic reads the chart before it can answer. The first question on each patient takes roughly 30 to 70 seconds; after that, answers are quick. You don't have to wait in the panel: close it and keep working, and a red dot appears on the sparkles button when the answer is ready.

Tip: open the patient and ask your first question while you are still reviewing Prep, so the warm-up happens before you walk in.

Get better answers

  • Ask one thing at a time and name the section you mean ("in the Assessment", "on the problem list").

  • Every answer has Copy and thumbs up/down. The thumbs help us improve; use them.

  • Answers come from what Matic has already read. If a document was added to athena after the brief was written, regenerate the brief first (see What Prep pulls from athena).

What it won't do

  • It doesn't change the note or the chart. To edit the note, use the pencil or Magic Edit; to change the problem list, use Prep.

  • It doesn't decide clinical questions. Codes, doses and diagnoses are suggestions for you to confirm.

  • It can't see anything outside the chart Matic has read, and it can't open a ticket. For problems, chat with Mat through Support.

Medication questions. Ask Matic will summarize what is in the chart (current medications, recent changes) but it holds back on recommending a specific drug or dose for a patient. That is a deliberate guardrail while the clinical review is finished, not a stall; if you need a recommendation, your usual references apply.

If it stalls

"Ask Matic took too long to answer" or "the answer was lost" means the request timed out; ask again. If it keeps happening on one patient, report it with the time.

Did this answer your question?