What AI Shift Review does
AI Shift Review is an automated check that Careswitch runs on each finished shift. When a shift is completed (or canceled), Careswitch looks over the shift's details and flags anything that doesn't line up with the rules you set for your agency. Each flag is called an exception.
The point is to catch problems before a shift is billed to a payer or paid out to a caregiver, without you having to open every shift by hand. You decide which rules matter, whether a flagged issue should just warn you or actually hold a shift back, and you can always re-run the review or push a shift forward yourself.
This review is a background automation. It is not the Looper Assistant side panel or Command Center that you chat with — it runs on its own, with no chat involved, every time a shift reaches a final state.
When the review runs
You don't have to start the first review by hand. It runs automatically once a shift reaches a state where its details are final:
A shift becomes completed — for example when a caregiver clocks out, when an auto-clock job completes a live-in shift, or when an admin completes the shift. It also runs on canceled shifts.
Careswitch reviews the shift's details against your shift review rules.
If something doesn't match a rule, an exception is added to that shift.
Shifts with no blocking exceptions can move forward automatically: they can be added to an invoice and approved for payroll. Shifts with a blocking exception are held back from those automatic steps until the issue is handled.
Only completed and canceled shifts are reviewed. Scheduled or in-progress shifts can't be reviewed yet — they don't have final details to check — so you won't see exceptions or a refresh option on them until they're completed or canceled.
After the first automatic pass, you re-run the review yourself with Refresh Exceptions (see below). This is what you do after editing a shift.
The three types of exceptions
Blocking — A serious issue that stops the shift from being automatically added to an invoice (for billing rules) or automatically approved for payroll (for payroll rules). Blocking only holds back the automatic steps; you can still move the shift forward manually.
Non-Blocking — A heads-up. The issue is flagged for your awareness, but the shift can still move forward automatically.
Resolved — An exception that no longer applies the next time the shift is reviewed. Resolution is automatic: when you Refresh Exceptions and the rule no longer fires, the old exception is flipped to Resolved for you. There is no "mark as resolved" button — you fix the shift (or delete the rule) and refresh, and Careswitch decides. Resolved exceptions stay on the shift so you keep a full history of what was flagged and fixed.
How blocking works for billing and payroll separately
Each rule has two independent settings: one for billing and one for payroll. That means a single rule can be Blocking for billing but Non-Blocking (or turned off) for payroll. Exceptions are stored separately for each side, so the same shift can be held back from invoicing while still auto-approving for payroll — or the other way around.
A blocking billing exception stops the shift from being automatically added to an invoice.
A blocking payroll exception stops the shift from being automatically approved for payroll.
One important caveat for payroll: payroll auto-approval only runs if your workspace has at least one rule that applies to Payroll. If you've configured only billing rules, your shifts will not auto-approve for payroll even when there are no blocking exceptions — you'll keep approving payroll manually. Billing auto-add doesn't have this requirement.
Setting up your shift review rules
The review is only as useful as the rules behind it. Here's where to manage them:
In the left sidebar, click Settings.
On the Settings page, click the Rules tile (described as "Define AI shift review rules to generate exceptions.").
You'll land on the AI Rules page, which lists your Shift Review Rules.
To add a new rule, click Add Rule.
Enter a Name for the rule, and use the Definition field to describe what should cause a flag (for example, "The client did not sign the shift").
Check Applicable to Billing and/or Applicable to Payroll to choose where the rule applies. Choose at least one.
For each area you turn on, choose Non-Blocking (flag only) or Blocking (hold the shift back from the automatic step). Leaving an area unchecked means the rule is ignored for that area.
Click Save.
To change an existing rule, click the three-dot menu on its row and choose Edit; to remove it, choose Delete. If you need help wording your rules, the AI Rules page links to the guide to writing AI shift review rules.
You don't start from scratch — there are default rules
Every new workspace comes with a starter set of shift review rules, so the review is useful from day one. The defaults include rules like Payable Time Outside Regular Clock-out Window (blocking for payroll), Billable Time Outside Regular Clock-out Window (blocking for billing), Missing Required Care Documentation, Empty Care Documentation, and Missing Client Signature (blocking for billing, non-blocking for payroll). Edit or delete these to match how your agency works, or add your own.
Where you see flagged shifts
Exceptions show up in a couple of places so you can spot them while you work.
On the shift's detail page
Open a completed (or canceled) shift. You'll see:
A status section telling you whether Exceptions are current or Exceptions may be out of date, when the shift was Last reviewed on, and a Refresh Exceptions button.
Separate exception summaries for each side: billing exceptions appear in the client (Care Recipient) details card, and payroll exceptions appear in the shift's payroll card. Each shows count buttons such as 1 Blocking, 2 Non-Blocking, or 1 Resolved. Hover over a count to read each exception's title and the reason it was flagged. Each hover card also has its own Refresh Exceptions button.
Because billing and payroll are shown separately, check both areas to see the full picture for a shift.
In your billing items
In the left sidebar, click Billing and open your billing items. Shifts with unresolved exceptions show an icon next to the shift: a red icon when there's a blocking exception, a yellow icon otherwise. Hover over the icon to see the Blocking and Non-Blocking details, with an Edit Manually button (opens the shift) and a Refresh Exceptions button.
Resolving or overriding a flag
When a shift is flagged, you have two self-serve paths forward — pick whichever fits.
Path A: Fix the shift and refresh
Open the shift and edit it so it follows your rule (for example, add the missing signature or correct the time), then save.
Editing the shift makes its exceptions show as Exceptions may be out of date. Click Refresh Exceptions — on the shift's detail page or from a hover card — to re-run the rules against the current shift.
If the rule no longer fires, the exception moves to Resolved automatically. Once all blocking billing exceptions are cleared, the shift becomes eligible to be added to an invoice automatically. (Payroll auto-approval also needs at least one payroll rule in the workspace, as noted above.)
Path B: Override a false positive
AI can occasionally flag something that's actually fine. Blocking only stops the automatic steps — it never stops you. If you've reviewed a flag and decided the shift is correct as-is, you can manually add it to an invoice or manually approve it for payroll while it still has unresolved exceptions. You don't have to resolve anything first.
Scenarios to know
A rule blocks billing but only warns payroll
If a rule is Blocking for billing and Non-Blocking for payroll, a flagged shift is held back from automatic invoicing while still auto-approving for payroll. The two sides are tracked independently on the same shift.
You set up only billing rules
Payroll line items will not auto-approve, even with zero blocking exceptions, because payroll auto-approval requires at least one payroll rule in the workspace. Add a payroll rule, or keep approving payroll manually.
Your workspace has no rules at all
The review still runs, but it generates no exceptions — so shifts advance with no holds. (And payroll still won't auto-approve, since there are no payroll rules.)
You edit a completed shift
Its status flips to Exceptions may be out of date. Click Refresh Exceptions to re-check it; if your edit fixed the issue, the exception auto-moves to Resolved and the shift becomes eligible for automatic invoicing again.
You delete a rule that already flagged past shifts
Deleting a rule doesn't immediately scrub existing flags. The old exceptions stay on those shifts until each one is refreshed, at which point the now-orphaned exception is auto-marked Resolved.
You're invoicing and spot a flagged shift
On the Billing items page, the red or yellow icon tells you a shift has unresolved exceptions before you add it. Hover to read the details, then either Edit Manually + Refresh, or add it to the invoice anyway if it's a false positive.
Things to keep in mind
Only completed and canceled shifts are reviewed; scheduled or in-progress shifts can't be.
Billing and payroll holds are independent — one shift can be held on one side and clear on the other.
Default rules are a starting point; edit or delete them freely.
Deleting a rule only clears its past flags the next time each affected shift is refreshed.
All exceptions stay on the shift for your records, even after they're resolved.
Frequently asked questions
Does AI Shift Review run on its own, or do I have to start it?
It runs automatically when a shift becomes completed — whether from a caregiver clock-out, an auto-clock job, or an admin completing it — and on canceled shifts. After you edit a shift, you re-run it yourself with Refresh Exceptions.
Why didn't my shift get approved for payroll even though it has no blocking exceptions?
Payroll only auto-approves if your workspace has at least one rule that applies to Payroll. If you've only set up billing rules, add a payroll rule or keep approving payroll manually. Billing auto-add doesn't have this requirement.
Can a single rule block billing but not payroll?
Yes. Each rule has independent Applicable to Billing and Applicable to Payroll settings, so one shift can be held from invoicing while still auto-approving for payroll (or vice versa).
How do I mark an exception as resolved?
You don't mark it manually — there's no button for that. Edit the shift so it complies with the rule, then click Refresh Exceptions. If the rule no longer fires, the exception moves to Resolved automatically.
Can I move a flagged shift forward without fixing it?
Yes. Blocking only stops the automatic steps. You can always manually add the shift to an invoice or approve it for payroll, even with unresolved exceptions — useful when a flag is a false positive.
What does "Exceptions may be out of date" mean?
It means the shift was edited after its last review. Click Refresh Exceptions to re-check it against your current rules.
Do I have to create every rule from scratch?
No. New workspaces come with a default set of shift review rules — such as time outside the regular clock-out window, missing care documentation, and missing client signature — that you can edit or delete.
Where do I see flagged shifts?
On the shift's detail page (billing exceptions in the client details card, payroll exceptions in the payroll card, plus a status banner with Refresh Exceptions) and on the Billing items page (a red or yellow icon with a hover card that includes Edit Manually and Refresh Exceptions).