14.4. HQ's Visit Summary & Post Op Template

Visit Summary - Take Home Template Overview.

Every appointment should receive an emailed or printed visit summary detailing the services rendered and any client communication notes.
HQ recommends a custom template instead of the built-in Spay and Neuter Certificate because the custom template is an all-in-one, offers better client communication options, and can be used regardless of whether the surgery was successful.

Download HQ Recommended Templates (follow link and open HQ Templates.) AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH & SPANISH.

Take Home Template Requirements.

A good take-home template acts as an all-in-one and has the following parts:

1. Animal and owner information such as owner’s address and an animal description.
2. Services received.
3. Rabies certificate lot information, which only populates if a rabies vaccine was administered and the certificate was generated.
4. Notes about the visit.
5. Client Communication, which populates triggered notes based on exam, services, or other pre-written Medical Notes..
6. Test Results.
7. Declined surgery reasons.
8. Other merge fields based on your clinic’s preference, including options such as Exam, Surgery Summary, prescriptions, and drugs used.
9. Aftercare instructions, which provide the post-operative instructions for the spay and neuter surgery.

• Aftercare instructions should explain how to care for the animal, including limiting activity, feeding a regular diet, keeping the animal indoors, keeping the animal warm and dry, preventing licking, and keeping the animal away from other animals.
• Aftercare instructions should list abnormal recovery signs and concerns to monitor for.
• Aftercare instructions should explain what to do if there is a recovery concern, including who the client should call for post-op concerns or to schedule a recheck.
• Edit the language of the HQ post-operative instructions or copy and paste your instructions into the Word template before uploading to HQ.

Use Item Triggered Notes for Aftercare Instructions.

• The merge field called Client Communication produces pre-written notes from Medical Notes.
• In Settings > Medical Notes, create item triggered notes that provide aftercare instructions for other services performed during the spay and neuter visit.
• For example, if the animal received a dental cleaning, use the dental cleaning line item to provide a note about additional monitoring needed or the potential for gum bleeding.
• This pre-written message only appears on the visit summary if the animal has a dental on their services.

Assign the Template as a Take Home Template.

Assign the discharge visit summary as a take home template when uploading the document in Settings > Templates.

• The discharge paperwork is referred to as a "Take Home Template." Assigning the discharge paperwork as a take-home document allows you to email clients their records automatically with Patient Flow Automations..
• Public clients can request copies of their discharge paperwork through the online Medical Record Request link..
• Volume clients can access the visit summary paperwork from their portal based on settings HERE..