Follow Up with Patients for Better Relations

Start following up with patients to ensure treatment clarity, compliance and good relations

Following up with patients after visits is probably not high on your action list. You already spend a lot of time acquiring patients, making sure they understand their treatment plans and convincing them to return for follow-up care. Also consider that a quick follow-up after their visit will uncover any misunderstandings, give you a chance to answer any questions the patient didn’t think of during the visit, and, most importantly, it will promote a caring relationship with each patient.

Plan for Each Patient Follow Up 

To make your patient follow-ups meaningful, you need to do more than ask the patients if they were happy with their visit and whether they have any questions. Before you initiate a follow-up, be sure to review each patient’s visit and decide if you need to check on the patient’s understanding of their treatment plan, ensure they have filled any medications, schedule their next appointment, and share any lab results. 

Based on this plan, decide who will make the contact: the doctor, a nurse, or the front-office staff.

Choose the Best Patient Follow-Up Method

Your patients have likely already let you know their preferred method of contact for appointment reminders. Consider this together with your plan for the follow-up and choose the best method for contacting those patients. Many patients nowadays like text or email versus a phone call, but don’t guess. Be sure to look at the patient’s preferred method of contact.

In addition, if you are passing along lab results, secure email, email with a secure link or traditional mail might be the best options. For more in-depth conversations, a live phone call is also appropriate.

Organize Patient Follow-Ups

For patient follow-ups, you’ll want to use your electronic health record (EHR) system to keep track of your contacts. You should take advantage of the calendar feature to schedule follow-ups, and time them based on your plan for the follow-up. 

For example, if a patient’s prescriptions have changed recently, contact them at an appropriate time to determine whether they are experiencing the desired effects. Also, assign a person in the office to be responsible for determining the following:

• Which patients need follow up care
• The staff member who will do the follow-up 
• Timing 
• Content
• Updating the EHR system

With an organized approach to patient follow up, you’re much more likely to be successful.

Record and Review Patient Follow-Ups to Make Improvements

Recording and reviewing patient follow-ups is critical for making improvements. You’ll want to keep track of information such as: 

• The patients with whom you followed up
• Their conditions
• The contents of their follow-up
• The results

For example, if medication changes or other adjustments were made to a care plan, make sure it is noted on the patient file. You can use these notes in the future during consultations with patients to determine the effectiveness of your follow-up program.

Brevium Can Help You with Follow-Up Plans for More Patients

Are you looking for a patient follow-up system to help make your office more organized and successful? Brevium can help. 

Brevium is a leader in patient communication and reactivation. We use a research-based method for communicating with patients and ensuring they stay in contact with your practice and in compliance with their treatment plans.

With Brevium’s research-based approach, practices can efficiently manage follow-up care, ensuring that patients remain engaged and compliant with their treatment plans. By implementing Brevium’s comprehensive solution, practices can not only retain existing patients but also expand their reach and impact within their communities. 

Experience the difference Brevium can make in patient follow-up and enhance overall practice success.