Abstract
Meaningful use of the electronic health record (EHR) is a nationwide goal for the health care delivery system. The use of the EHR varies among health care systems, but by meeting this goal, improvement can be seen in the quality, safety, and efficiency of care. Among the meaningful use of the EHR is the provision of the after-visit summary (AVS) to patients at the conclusion of the clinical visit. In this project, the AVS was used in the management of patients in a free primary care clinic. The aims of this project were to determine compliance of providers giving each patient an AVS in the free clinic, to assess barriers to providing the AVS, to determine provider perceptions of the AVS, and to determine if patient satisfaction increases with the AVS. The population that was studied included patients ages 19 and older that were uninsured. An AVS template was developed and provider education on the AVS was completed in the pre-intervention phase. A total of 31 out of 49 patients were enrolled in the project. Of those 31 patients, 28 completed the patient satisfaction survey with 96% reporting overall satisfaction with the AVS. The most common barriers for not providing the AVS were found to include technology issues, printer issues, and time limitations. There were 7 providers and student providers that completed the post-intervention satisfaction survey with a majority reporting that the AVS improves communication with the patient. Findings from this project support the use of the AVS to improve meaningful use of the EHR and overall patient care. This approach to patient care can be applied to any clinical setting and could help to improve communication and outcomes.