Why you may be receiving more outreach from your doctor’s office | Expert Opinion

I barely had a chance to say hello to the patient, a 63-year-old man who was in for his annual exam, when he waved the letter in front of me.

“Looks like I only have a few more things to catch up on,” he said with enthusiasm.

He was referring to the “Birthday Letter,” a note we send to all patients on their birthday that details the preventive health action items that are due and advised for their age group. This may include colon or breast cancer screening, along with blood tests or recommended vaccines. Because birthdays are often a time when people take stock of their accomplishments and set new goals, this is a natural time to send out this reminder, and it has been remarkably effective.

You may notice that you are receiving more outreach from your primary care clinician’s office — letters, phone calls, text messages or emails — regarding preventive care. This outreach is also helpful in keeping control of any chronic illness you suffer from, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. This is part of an effort to strengthen the focus on maintaining health and achieving your care goals in ways that complement regular office visits.

Along with the Birthday Letter, our health system’s coordinators review patient records and identify “care gaps”— recommended health screening tests that some of our patients are behind on. They reach out, remind them of tests that are past due, then help discover and overcome barriers that, for some patients, may cause difficulty with testing.

Health systems, insurance companies and some employers are also creating new ways to inspire clinicians and patients to be more proactive about health maintenance and prevention. This is part of a national movement to promote proven best practices, such as cancer screening and good diabetes control, more so than just the number of appointments and tests that you have. This shift from “volume-based” to “value-based” care is designed to improve your health while also helping to control soaring health-care costs. By broadening our focus on successfully meeting some of these care goals between office visits, more face-to-face time is available to build a relationship with your clinician, and discuss your concerns.

Since his last visit, the patient had completed his fecal immunochemical (FIT) at-home colon cancer screening test, finished his COVID-19 vaccination series, and completed diabetes blood tests.

“This is great work, and we’ll review your results,” I said, matching his excitement. “Tell me what else you are hoping to discuss today.”

We talked over his concerns about a family history of heart disease and came up with a plan for the few remaining to-do items on his Birthday Letter.

If you receive messages from your primary care office between visits, don’t discard or delete them. They are designed to help you better manage your health conditions, keep up with preventive care, and make the best possible use of your time in the clinician’s office.

Jeffrey Millstein is a primary-care physician and medical director for patient experience-regional practices at Penn Medicine.