After-visit summaries are a mess. Some information is redundant, and some information is missing. Let's face it, does it matter if all your other doctors are on that sheet of paper? There has to be a better way. So Modern Healthcare set out to find it, asking around the industry to help create a summary that is useful for patients and providers alike. This is what we came up with. We want your help to make this after-visit summary even better. Submit your comments and critiques at the end of this article; we'll take those into account and create an updated version, which we'll publish soon. Download the PDF.
Our version of the form:
The experts weigh in:
OVERALL:
Dr. Alex Federman, PROFESSOR, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: “What are the best practices for communicating information in print? Lots of white space, simple ideas expressed on a single line, no run-on sentences, information clearly grouped together.”
Dr. Eric Schneider: “If we thought about the visit as a co-planned use of time, the patient would say what they want to put on the list, the provider would say what they want to put on the list, and together they'd choose the most important.”
TOP:
Federman: “We did some research with patients, and we learned that at the very top, they didn't want a crowded header—they wanted to know who their doctor is, who they saw, what number to call when they need something.”
TO DO LIST:
Schneider: “The No. 1 element is what the next steps are, whether that's changing a medication or making an appointment with somebody else or buying something from the drugstore. That should be front and center.”
Dr. Farzad Mostashari, CEO, ALEDADE: “It's important to have anticipatory guidance—if this happens, then do that.”
Federman: “People want actionable steps and concrete instructions.”
VITAL SIGNS:
Federman: “This kind of surprised us: People wanted to see their weight and their blood pressure.”
MEDICATION LIST:
Federman: “This is something that many of them do carry around with them, that they'll bring with them on a visit to a doctor. They wanted to see the brand and the generic names, and they wanted to see what the medication is for. ... Often you'll see a list of current meds and a separate list of meds to start and to stop. Patients find that very confusing.”