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Fam Pract Manag. 2025;32(3):40

LEVERAGE SUMMARIES FOR MEDICARE WELLNESS VISITS

One strategy for saving time during Medicare annual wellness visits is to leverage the required personalized screening schedule at the conclusion of the visit to create a patient summary. I created an EHR template for this that I complete using data my nurse and I collect before and during the visit. The template lists adult immunizations, screening tests, and labs with the date completed or due. I also include a brief summary of what we talked about at the visit with follow-up instructions and general counseling for healthy living. I send this as a comprehensive letter through the patient portal (or U.S. mail if they can't access the portal).

Patients love the summary because it serves as a reminder for things they need to do and can be shared with family members. The summary becomes my “worksheet” for the following year. In 12 months, I can print it off and my nurse and I only need to update it with new information. It's easy to identify the summary in the chart, so any physician who needs to see where the patient is with these items can find the information at a glance.

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Practice Pearls presents readers' advice on practice operations and patient care, along with tips drawn from the literature. Submit a pearl (250 words or less) to FPM at fpmedit@aafp.org.

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