Select to download PDF (96.13 KB). Followup is the act of making contact with a patient or caregiver at a later,
specified date to check on the patient's progress since his or her last appointment. Appropriate followup can help you to identify misunderstandings and answer questions, or make further assessments and adjust treatments. In addition, followup helps to promote a good working relationship between you and your patients. Who follows up depends on the purpose of the communication:
Choose the ways your office will follow up.
Initiate and track followup.
Track Your ProgressSelect the records of a sample of patients who should have received followup after a recent visit (e.g., patients with heart failure). Count the number of patients who received followup actions that were scheduled in your tracking system. Count the number of followup actions (e.g., phone calls, emails, letters, automated calls) that were performed within the desired time frame. Note what was achieved by the followup contacts: medicine changes, referrals made, clarification of medicine regimens. Return to Contents Page last reviewed September 2020 Page originally created February 2015 Internet Citation: Follow Up with Patients: Tool #6. Content last reviewed September 2020. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. Which of the following is the most appropriate action when the patient comes into the office for a singular problem?Which of the following is the most appropriate action when the patient comes into the office for a singular problem and wants to discuss many problems with the physician? remind the patient that the physician's time is limited, but he will try and accommodate if possible.
Which of the following is the most appropriate action of the medical assistant who is assigned an unfamiliar task?Which of the following is the most appropriate action of the medical assistant who is assigned an unfamiliar task? Read the procedures manual.
How should a medical assistant communicate with an elderly patient?Medical assistants must provide clear and concise information to these patients in a way they can understand. If you tend to speak quickly, you should try to slow down and speak clearly with your elderly patients, especially if you have an accent that is different from what your patients are used to hearing.
What does it mean when medical assistant shows empathy when dealing with patients?What does it mean when medical assistants display empathy when dealing with patients? They are able to hear what patients say without judging the content.
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