Timely note completion is a key component of quality clinical care and ensures that our clients are getting the best possible treatment we can provide. It also makes our jobs easier by allowing for timely referral management, timely billing, improved care coordination and the ability to retrieve quality and access data. Not to mention, it’s a part of HRSA and Joint Commission compliance.

So, we’ve developed a new procedure to ensure that we are doing our part to accurately report each and every client visit. Our goal is for providers to complete notes on the same day as the visit. We know that’s not always possible, especially for field visits, so we are instituting a 72-hour cut-off. Any note completed more than 72 hours (3 business days) after the visit will be considered late, and any note completed more than a week (five business days) after it’s started will be considered delinquent. If a provider has six or more late notes, or two or more delinquent notes within the same month, a corrective action plan will be initiated to help address the issue. 

While this new policy may seem daunting, it’s easier than you think. When we started working on this procedure in April, approximately 11% of notes were late. Since we put out the draft policy last month and educated providers on the new policy, we’re down to only 5% of all notes being late. So way to go, everyone!

If you have any questions or need assistance in getting your notes completed on time, please talk to your manager or director.