A well-prepared visit is a more productive visit. Pre-visit planning involves reviewing a patient’s chart ahead of their appointment to ensure that all needed information is available and all care opportunities are identified. Brilliant Care offers thorough chart prep services:
Before the patient sees the provider, our staff reviews their chart for updates. We pull in any new lab results, specialist notes, or hospital records that might not yet be reconciled. We ensure the problem list and medication list are up to date (reconciling any external data as needed).
As part of prep, we check if the patient is due for any routine services (e.g., preventive screenings, immunizations, chronic disease monitoring labs) and flag those for the provider. For instance, if a patient with diabetes is coming in and hasn’t had an A1c in 8 months, we flag to get an A1c test; if a 75-year-old is there for a visit and hasn’t gotten a pneumonia vaccine, we flag that. This way, during the visit, these can be addressed. This practice aligns with advice from the AMA and others that pre-visit planning improves care and prevents missed opportunities.
We prepare a brief for the provider highlighting the reason for visit and any priorities. E.g., “Patient here for blood pressure follow-up; note BP readings at home averaging 150/90, due for foot exam.” This helps the clinician use the visit time efficiently and not spend the first several minutes just sorting through data. According to the AMA STEPS Forward, pre-visit planning can save time, reduce costs, and improve patient care. – indeed, it can mean the difference between a disjointed visit and a smooth one.
For complex patients or annual physicals, sometimes we contact the patient a few days ahead to gather info. For example, we may administer standardized questionnaires by phone (such as a depression PHQ-9 or asthma control test) so that information is ready. We might also remind them to bring in their medication bottles or home BP log. Such steps make the face-to-face visit more productive.
Providers walk into each visit with a clear picture and a plan, which reduces stress and improves throughput. One study noted that implementing pre-visit planning and pre-visit lab testing not only saved physician time but also improved patient engagement in their care. When doctors aren’t scrambling to find data or realize after the patient left that they missed an important screening, satisfaction rises.
Patients experience more comprehensive care – everything is addressed in one go. They don’t have to come back for a lab that was forgotten or get a call later about something that could’ve been handled during the visit. Also, visits tend to start on time more often because the prep work (like entering outside records) is done beforehand, meaning less wait and more face-to-face time.
In short, our Pre-Visit Planning ensures no visit is “wasted” and every patient encounter is optimized. By doing the homework ahead of time, we help you deliver the high-quality, efficient care that leads to better outcomes and happier patients. This service exemplifies being proactive rather than reactive – a theme across all we do.