Wildcard Searching in Brightree (Super Simple Guide)
Brightree uses the * wildcard.
Think of it like this:
The Wildcard Rule
*means “anything goes here.”
It replaces any number of unknown letters — at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end.
If you know part of a word, the wildcard fills in the rest.
Why Use a Wildcard?
Brightree searches are exact.
If you miss a letter or aren’t sure how something is spelled, you won’t find it without a wildcard.
Staff Cheat Code
Type the part you know.
Put*where your brain gives up.
Common Patterns Everyone Should Know
1. Search for words that start with something
smith*
Finds:
- Smith
- Smithers
- Smithson
2. Search for words that end with something
*ford
Finds:
- Bradford
- Safford
- Buford
3. Search for words that contain something (most useful)
*john*
Finds:
- Johnson
- St. John
- Johnny Appleseed
Use this when you’re unsure of spelling.
Real Brightree Examples
🔍 Patient name you can’t fully remember
Unsure if it’s McAllister, MacAllister, McAlister?
mc*lis*
Finds all of them.
🔍 Item codes you only half recall
Mask codes that start with A70:
a70*
Finds:
- A7030
- A7031
- A7032
- A7033
- A7034
…and more.
🔍 Searching by partial words
Looking for anything with “cyl” in it?
*cyl*
Finds:
- Cylinder
- Oxygen Cylinder
- Cylinder Bag
Wildcard = Brightree’s Auto-Correct (But You Control It)
Important
You DON’T need to spell perfectly in Brightree.
Just give Brightree the part you know and use*for the rest.
It’s not guessing — you are guiding the search.
Quick Wildcard Reference
start* → starts with
*end → ends with
*middle* → contains