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What are Registers, Recalls and Reminders?
REGISTERS
A register is a list of patients in the practice and contains specific information such as date of birth, address details, gender and any conditions that need follow up.
RECALLS
A Recall is a proactive follow up to a preventative or clinical activity. Recall systems are used to recall patients back to the practice for a consultation with the doctor to discuss the results of a test or clinical correspondence, usually in the instance of an abnormal test result or failing to aattend a specialist appointment.
REMINDERS
Reminders can be opportunistic or proactive. A reminder system is usded to provide patients with with systematic preventative care (E.g. for diabetes, cervical screening and immunisations).
Why have R/R/R Systems?
- There is evidence that where patient registers are established, there is increased provision of appropriate investigations and preventative care activities.
- A recall system following review of tests and results is a clinical and legal necessity.
- Reminders are an appropriate and acceptable method for promoting preventative care.
What can these systems offer?
Establishing R/R/R systems is a part of overall Quality Improvement in General Practice.
Some of the things that these systems offer are:
- Patient confidence that the doctor is monitoring their health by issuing recalls and reminders
- Continuity of care
- Better management of chronic conditions
- Better quality of life for patients
- Meet accreditation standards
Recall and Reminder System*
An electronic recall and reminder system allows a medical practice to set up an efficient system that notifies patients of the need to make an appointment to see their doctor.
Most of this is achieved electronically using clinical software. There are, however two diverse aspects of the process – the clinical aspect whereby the doctor makes the medical decision to recall a patient and the administrative side where the practice staff generate recall lists and notify the patient, either by phone or letter. A successful system requires a team effort between GPs and Practice Staff so that the clinical and administrative functions work correctly.
In order to set up an efficient recall system there are various steps that need to happen:
1. Get the patient database up-to-date by either deceasing or inactivating patients. In this way you will not be sending letters to deceased patients or those patients who have moved away from your practice.
2. The doctor must know how to mark a patient for recall. This must be done in a consistent way – choose from a list of recall reasons rather than typing in your own reason. This stops different variations appearing on a recall list, such as:
Hep B, hep/b, Hep-B, hepatit B, hepatitis B.
3. As the recall reason appears on a letter to the patient it must be written in a way that the patient understands – use Hepatitis A/B rather than Twinrix.
4. The recall reason should also be specific – don’t use the generic “immunisation” for adults when the recall is for the specific “Hepatitis B”.
5. The practice must decide on the content of the recall letter. Do you use the supplied recall template that comes with your software program, or do you compose your own with wording that more closely reflects the philosophy of the practice?
Critical decisions to be made when setting up an electronic recall system:
1. How often do you create the recall lists and notify the patients. Daily, every 2 days, weekly, monthly?
2. What is the interval for the recall (how far ahead)? Weekly, fortnightly, monthly?
3. At what stage do you remove the patient from the recall list?
- as soon as the patient list is printed?
- as soon as the mail merge is completed and letters sent?
- when the doctor sees the patient?
4. Who contacts the patient? Doctor or practice staff?
5. How do you follow up those patients that do not respond to the initial recall?
In most cases it will be a process of trial and error before a practice settles down with a process appropriate to their needs.
*Noel Stewart - NEV Division
Do you need assistance with setting up an electronic Recall & Reminder system?
Unsure how it all works?
Please contact us at the Division on 8884 9444.
