HealthLiteracyCopilot by HealthcareGPSFree kit · no form
Is your recovery sheet ready for the 2027 patient question?
A short guide to the new outpatient measure, a self-audit built on PEMAT, a recovery sheet before and after in English and Spanish, and a teach-back card. All of it is on this page.
Last reviewed 2026-10-09
A review aid, not clinical guidance or a prediction of survey results.
The question patients will be asked
From 2027, Hospital OQR asks patients after an outpatient procedure or surgery about the recovery information they got. The measure is called Information Transfer. It asks whether they knew what to do at home, which signs to watch for and whom to call. Your recovery sheets are the written part of that answer. Check them before patients take them home.
A recovery sheet, before and after
Part of a synthetic recovery sheet. The numbers in the notes match the changes. Brackets mark what your clinicians fill in.
Synthetic example: Recovery sheet after an outpatient procedure. Not a member or patient document.
Post-procedure, the patient should maintain the dressing in a clean and dry condition and refrain from submerging the incision site. Analgesics may be administered as directed for discomfort. Notify the provider in the event of fever, increasing erythema, purulent drainage or uncontrolled pain. Resume normal activities as tolerated unless otherwise instructed.
Caring for your wound
Keep the bandage clean and dry for [number] days. Do not take a bath or swim until [date or event].
Pain
Take [medicine name] [dose] every [number] hours if you need it for pain.
Call us at [phone] if you have:
• a fever over [temperature]
• redness that spreads, or pus from the wound
• pain your medicine does not help
Activity: You can [activity] on [day]. Wait until [day] to [activity].
Words per sentence, before and after
Before
51 words in 4 sentences · longest 20 words
After
74 words in 11 sentences · longest 13 words
What changed and why
- The text talks to the patient as "you", not "the patient".
- Each action is its own short step, with a number or a date.
- Medical words like "erythema" and "purulent" become words patients use.
- Warning signs are a list, with one phone number to call.
- "As tolerated" becomes named activities and days, set by your clinicians.
The same sheet in Spanish
Spanish is measured with Spanish readability measures, not English ones. A qualified reviewer checks the variant your patients read before you use it.
Synthetic example: Hoja de recuperación (español). Not a member or patient document.
Posterior al procedimiento, el paciente deberá mantener el apósito en condiciones limpias y secas y abstenerse de sumergir el sitio de la incisión. Notifique al proveedor en caso de fiebre, eritema creciente o drenaje purulento.
Mantenga la venda limpia y seca por [número] días. No se bañe en tina ni nade hasta [fecha].
Llámenos al [teléfono] si tiene:
• fiebre de más de [temperatura]
• enrojecimiento que se extiende, o pus en la herida
What changed and why
- Uses usted, the same choice as in every other document.
- Short steps and everyday words, measured with Spanish readability measures.
- Placeholders and the phone number stay exactly as they are in English.
Teach-back prompt card
Ask before the patient leaves. If the answer is unclear, explain it another way and ask again. The goal is to check how well you explained it, not to test the patient.
- Tell me in your own words how you will care for your wound at home.
- Which signs would make you call us? What number will you call?
- When can you go back to [activity]?
- How and when will you take [medicine name]?
- When is your follow-up visit?
Where the recovery sheet sits on the patient path
A recovery sheet is one of many papers. Each stage below lists the papers a patient gets, what we do with them and the measure they feed.
Stage 1: Find & Schedule
- Touchpoints
- Appointment letters, Prep texts, Portal messages
- What we do
- SMS and email versions with channel checks
- Measure it feeds
- No-show rate (your data)
Stage 2: Register & Consent
- Touchpoints
- Consent forms, Financial notices, Privacy notice
- What we do
- Revise to target grade; Spanish, and content in 45 languages and regional variants; accessibility review
- Measure it feeds
- Consent-process tracer findings
Stage 3: Diagnose & Explain
- Touchpoints
- Condition handouts, Test-result letters
- What we do
- Create handouts from your trusted sources, with citations
- Measure it feeds
- HCAHPS communication items
Stage 4: Treat & Prepare
- Touchpoints
- Pre-procedure instructions, Medication guides
- What we do
- Clinical integrity check: dose, route, step order, "do not" rules
- Measure it feeds
- Day-of-procedure cancellations (your data)
Stage 5: Discharge
- Touchpoints
- Discharge instructions, Medication lists
- What we do
- Teach-back handouts; Teach-Back simulator for staff
- Measure it feeds
- Information Transfer PRO-PM; HCAHPS Information About Symptoms
Stage 6: Recover & Follow-up
- Touchpoints
- Warning-sign sheets, Follow-up texts
- What we do
- Journeys with persona variants across text, call guide and letter
- Measure it feeds
- Follow-up visit completion, 30-day readmissions
Stage 7: Prevent & Sustain
- Touchpoints
- Screening reminders, Chronic-care plans
- What we do
- Action plans and checklists at target grade
- Measure it feeds
- Preventive-care measures, portal engagement
Measures these touchpoints feed. Clear papers are one part of each measure. A study against your own starting point shows how much they add.
Recovery-sheet inventory
List your highest-volume procedure sheets, then run the self-audit below on each one. Start with the sheets most patients get. The first row is an example.
| Procedure sheet | Patients a year | Languages | Self-audit gaps | Owner | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outpatient procedure recovery (example) | [number] | English, Spanish | 3 | Patient education | [date] |
Type in the table, then download it for Excel or Google Sheets. Your entries stay in this tab: nothing is sent or saved, so download before you leave the page.
Recovery-sheet self-audit
Answer yes or no for one sheet. Every "no" is a gap to review with your clinicians.
Complete this checklist: about 10 minutes
0 of 14 checked
Can the patient act on it? (PEMAT actionability)
Does it answer the Information Transfer questions?
Is it ready for every patient?
Your answers stay in this tab: nothing is sent or saved. Download or print before you leave the page.
Sources
After the kit
Send a blank template, not a copy with a patient's or member's details.
Email me this resource
This resource is already open on this page. This sends you a link to it.
HealthcareGPS is SOC 2 Type II audited and HIPAA compliant. How we protect your documents
Questions
Will this change our survey results?
We can't promise that. Clear recovery sheets are one part of what patients are asked about. Your team measures what changes.
Who sets the clinical details?
Your clinicians. The brackets in the example are blanks for them to fill in. Every medical step stays with your own team.