Summary
Give the patient the signed plan in plain words, a way to ask about it at any hour with answers drawn only from that plan, and check-ins on the days the doctor chooses. Track every prescription, referral and follow-up until it is done. A summary alone does not improve recall, so the plan has to keep talking.
Patients forget much of what is said in a consultation. In a randomised trial of after-visit summaries, patients recalled about 53% of their medications, and the summary did not improve recall.1
A written summary is necessary and not sufficient. This article sets out what a patient needs in the weeks after a visit, and how a clinic can give it without adding work for its doctors.
See it in your clinicSee a signed plan reach a patient, the questions they ask about it, and the loops your team closes.
Request a demo| Loop | Opened by | Closed when |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription | The doctor signing it | The patient has collected it |
| Referral | The letter going out | The specialist has accepted it |
| Test | The request | The result is back and reviewed |
| Review | The plan | The visit is in the diary |
Half of the plan is gone by the car park
Most patients read the summary they are given. In one survey, 82.8% recalled receiving it and 67.4% consulted it later.2 Reading it once is not the same as following it, and the questions arrive days later, at home, when the clinic is closed.
The questions are specific. Twice a day or twice a week. With food or without. Whether the redness on day three is expected. Each one is a reason to stop the treatment, or a message to a doctor.
Send the signed plan, then let it answer
The plan the doctor signs should reach the patient in plain words, with the medicines, the dates and the warning signs. Then the patient should be able to ask about it, and get answers drawn from that plan and nothing else.
A question the plan does not answer goes to the doctor. Drafted replies can make those answers kinder. In a randomised study at UC San Diego, doctors judged AI-drafted replies more compassionate, though reading time rose.4
Check in on the days that matter
The doctor knows when a plan tends to go wrong. Day three of a new cream, week two of a new tablet, six weeks into HRT. A check-in on those days asks how it is going, in a sentence the patient can answer with a tap.
Answers that suggest a problem go to the doctor. Answers that suggest progress are saved for the review, so the next visit starts with what happened. Outreach that patients welcome is covered in proactive outreach.
Close every loop the visit opened
A visit starts things that finish elsewhere. A prescription sent and collected, a referral accepted, a test done, a review scheduled. Each should stay open on a list until it is done.
The after-visit companion is the wai version, being built with design partner clinics. Signed plans, prescriptions and referrals are live today.
How it works across markets
In the UK, plans and check-ins sit within CQC's person-centred and safe care regulations. In the US, where device readings are used, the remote patient monitoring codes introduced for 2026 can apply.5 In the UAE, plans are expected in Arabic and English.
The rule that holds everywhere is the same. Answers come from the plan the doctor signed, and anything else goes to the doctor.
Bring one of your care plans and see the check-ins and the loops it would open.
Request a demoFrequently asked questions
Do after-visit summaries improve patient recall?
Not on their own. In a randomised trial, medication recall was about 53% and the summary did not improve it.1
Can an AI answer patient questions about their care plan?
It can answer from the plan the doctor signed and nothing else. Anything the plan does not answer should go to the doctor.
When should a clinic check in after a visit?
On the days the doctor chooses for that plan, such as day three of a new treatment or six weeks into a new medicine.
What is a closed loop in clinical care?
An action the visit started that is confirmed as finished, such as a prescription collected or a referral accepted.
Is the wai after-visit companion available?
Signed plans to patients, prescriptions and referrals are live. The companion and check-ins are being built with design partner clinics.
Sources
- Effect of after-visit summaries on medication recall, read 18 October 2026
- Patient use of after-visit summaries, read 18 October 2026
- Patient portal messages outpace office visits, read 18 October 2026
- AI-drafted responses to patient messages, read 18 October 2026
- 2026 physician fee schedule final rule and remote care, read 18 October 2026
Send the plan home, and keep it talking.
We are building the companion with design partner clinics. Thirty minutes to see it, and a reply within one working day.
Partner with us
See it on your own patients, then build it with us
Thirty minutes on your own patients, doctors and rules, in your market. We reply within one working day, and the clinics that partner with us early shape what we build next.
Read how after-visit companion works in a clinic