Following on from our earlier blog ‘Recalls and Reminders – why is it so hard?’ we are pleased to advise that the recent release of Bp Premier (Indigo) has 3 new features which should help Bp Premier clinical software users significantly improve their ‘Recall and Reminder’ system:
1. Reminder Comments
It is now possible to add a comment to a reminder when it is created. The comment is only for clinicians ie it will not appear on any patient communication. For example, when adding a reminder for a ‘Blood Test’ it might be useful for a clinician to record detail in the comment field eg ‘LFT, Vit D etc’ as a reminder for themselves. We expect this will be a timesaver for busy clinicians and help more easily identify why the original reminder was added rather than having to search past visits, test results etc. Most significantly it will mean you can just have one or two labels on that reminder list for Blood Tests, rather than dozens. Smaller (controlled) reminder lists = greater clarity around significance + time and cost savings.
It is important to know you need to to turn the Reminder Comments feature on in Bp Premier (Indigo):
- Go to Setup>Configuration>Reminders
- Select the tickbox: Allow free text comments
(You might want to untick ‘Add free text reminders’ while you are there as controlling the list is a defining factor for success).
Once this feature has been activated, the Reminder Comments feature will be available on the Reminder window of the patient record.
Note: this is a system wide parameter that will impact all users of the software.
2. Clinically Significant Tickbox
The inclusion of a tickbox labelled ‘Clinically Significant’ will enable practices to more easily differentiate between preventive health reminders and ‘clinically significant’ recalls. As we discussed in our last blog, and according to RACGP standards, ‘clinically significant recalls’ need to be followed up until the patient returns. Preventive health reminders can be managed differently. Remember, we don’t want to stalk anyone about their annual flu vaccination but if there has been a previous abnormality we need to do everything we can to ensure patients are followed up. It has been a constant challenge for many practices to manage recalls and reminders with clarity and confidence and now, if used well, we have additional features to help.
Example: Create one reminder label called ‘Blood Tests’ and a second label called ‘Blood Tests’ with the Clinically Significant box ticked. The clinician then decides at the time of adding the reminder (and can add relevant detail in the comment).
Download Train IT Medical instructions here.
3. Reminder Types
Many general practices have specialised clinics eg Immunisations, Chronic Disease Clinics etc. Now, with Bp Indigo you can create reminders specific to these clinics by using ‘types’ For example you could have a ‘type’ called CDM and then group specific clinic reminders eg. care plan reviews, cycle of care etc into that type and that should mean your list will be greatly minimised and therefore easier to manage.
These changes should all make it easier to filter by clinic type as well as clinical significance when generating your lists.
May we suggest when you upgrade to Indigo, that will be a great time for a practice ‘Quality Improvement’ project focused on improving your ‘Recalls and Reminder’ system? For success you most definitely need a team approach. Remember to document and celebrate your improvements too.
Free Resources:
Bp Premier Indigo official ‘Reminders’ summary sheet
Train IT Medical ‘Recall & Reminders’ summary sheets
All Train IT Medical existing clients will have access to our completely updated library of free Recall and Reminder resources including the clean up guide and comprehensive training manuals. If you have previously purchased our training resources email [email protected] and we will send you your update asap!
Stay tuned there’s more to come:
This is Part 2 of 3 Blog Posts related to Recalls and Reminders (our number one requested training topic).
Blog Post 1 highlighted the importance of designing a practice system and working as a practice team. Part 3 will focus on tips for improving Recalls and Reminders using MedicalDirector Clinical Software.
Please feel free to comment and share your practice success stories (and frustrations) – we’d love to hear from you.