Surgery-to-Text: Generating Operative Reports in Epic

Theator's Surgery-to-Text feature generates complete operative reports from surgical video, directly inside Epic. The AI analyzes the procedure, learns your individual preferences over time, and produces a fully editable report that can be exported to your patient's chart in seconds.

Watch: Surgery-to-Text in Epic

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Open Theator Launch from Epic

From the patient's chart in Epic, select the Theator Launch tab from the tabs menu.

Theator Launch tab selected in Epic

Step 2 — Select "Get Started Now"

Once the Theator interface has loaded, click Get Started Now to begin generating your operative report.

Get Started Now button in Theator interface

Step 3 — Complete the Procedural Inputs

Theator will automatically determine the procedural inputs required for your procedure type. Answer the series of questions presented.

Procedural input questions

Tip: With each report you submit, the AI learns your individual preferences and tailors both the presets and operative reports for subsequent cases.

Step 4 — Save and Generate the Report

Once you've completed the questions, click Save and Generate Report. Theator's AI will analyze the surgical video and produce a complete operative report.

Save and Generate Report button

Step 5 — Review the Report and Video Timestamps

The generated report includes green timestamps representing key steps in the procedure. Hover over any timestamp to see the corresponding video for verification purposes.

Operative report with green video timestamps

Note: These timestamps are for verification only and will not appear in the exported version of the report.

The blue sections indicate portions of the report that required the surgeon's direct input.

Step 6 — Toggle Between Procedures

If there were two or more procedures under a single admission, you can toggle between them using the selector in the upper-right corner of the report view.

Procedure toggle in upper-right corner

Step 7 — View Associated Medical Codes

Theator automatically provides the medical code(s) associated with the case. Expand the Medical Codes section to view the specifics.

Medical codes section expanded

Step 8 — Export the Report

The report text is fully editable. Once you're satisfied, there are two ways to populate it in a new Epic note:

Copy: Click Copy, open a new note in Epic, and paste the report.
Export: Click Export to use a SmartText shortcut. You do not need to update the three pre-populated fields — just click Export Now.

Export options for the operative report

Step 9 — Populate the Note in Epic

In the Epic note:

If you previously copied the report, simply paste it into the note.
If you exported, type .theatornote to populate the report instantly via SmartText. Note, the exact shortcut may vary by organization, however it should start with "theator".

From there, complete the remaining sections of the note, then sign and submit.

Epic note with .theatornote SmartText populated

Operative Report AI Assistant — Overview of AI-powered operative report generation
Using the Operative Report for Accurate and Efficient Surgical Documentation — Best practices for operative report documentation