Post-procedure follow-up gets "I'm fine" and nothing useful | Healthcare & Life Sciences

What it costs you today

Your follow-up call is standardized, efficient, and useless. The patient says they are fine, you check the box, and the call is over. If there is a developing complication or a functional issue that is still limiting them, it is not in the record and you will hear about it at the 90-day visit if at all.

How RadRoot is used here

RadRoot sends a five-question adaptive follow-up at the 14-day and 30-day marks. Unlike a phone call, patients answer at their own pace and do not feel pressure to say "fine" to end the conversation. Questions probe specific functional outcomes and whether any aspect of their recovery is worrying them.

The file you would upload

A Epic EHR - Surgical Case Registry export. One row is one post-surgical patient record. RadRoot reads the whole row, so every question can name something the person already knows is true.

Case ID	Patient Name	Patient Email	Date of Birth	Procedure Code	Procedure Description	Surgeon
CSE-2026-04471	Robert Chen	robert.chen@pinnacle-tech.example.com	1978-03-12	27447	Total knee arthroplasty, right	Dr. Patricia Holm
CSE-2026-04509	Linda Vasquez	l.vasquez@westbrook-medical.example.org	1965-11-29	29827	Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair	Dr. Marcus Webb
CSE-2026-04512	David Kowalski	dkowalski@henley-manufacturing.example.com	1982-07-04	27130	Total hip arthroplasty	Dr. Patricia Holm
CSE-2026-04533	Michelle Tran	mtran@cloudvista.example.net	1991-02-18	29888	Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction	Dr. Samuel Ridge
CSE-2026-04558	James Pritchard	james.pritchard@silverline-consulting.example.com	1959-06-23	23130	Partial excision clavicle	Dr. Marcus Webb

First 5 of 20 rows, first 7 of 13 columns. RadRoot interviewed the patient on each row, and 6 of 20 answered.

One interview, exactly as it ran

Six options every time, including the ones that reflect badly on whoever sent it. Each question was written after the answer above it landed.

Q1It has been two weeks since your total knee arthroplasty on January 8th. How is your right knee feeling as you move around at home?

·Much better than expected, pain is minimal and I am moving well
·Worse than I thought it would be, pain is overwhelming even with medication
✓It is stiff and sore, about what I expected for this stage
·Very swollen and painful, I am worried something is wrong
·Improving steadily, each day is noticeably better than the last
·Hard to say, some moments are okay but others are very painful

Q2You mentioned stiffness and soreness. Are you able to bend and straighten the knee enough to do things like get dressed or use the bathroom independently?

·No, I need help with almost everything right now
·I can straighten it but bending is too painful to do those tasks
·Yes, I can do everything independently without any difficulty
✓Yes, I can do those things but it takes effort and I move slowly
·I can manage some tasks but need assistance with others
·Barely, I have to use adaptive equipment or creative positioning

Q3That makes sense. Have you noticed any numbness or tingling around the knee or down your leg that is still there most of the time?

·No, sensation is completely normal everywhere
·Yes, my whole lower leg feels numb and tingly constantly
·Yes, I have tingling that comes and goes throughout the day
·I am not sure, some areas feel different but it changes
✓Yes, there is a numb patch on the outside of my knee that has not gone away
·Yes, I have shooting pains down my leg that worry me

Q4Thank you for sharing that. Did you think that numbness was a normal part of healing, or were you planning to mention it at your next visit?

·I was worried about it and planned to call the office this week
✓I assumed it was normal and would go away on its own
·I looked it up online and everything said it was expected after surgery
·I was not sure, so I made a note to ask at my next appointment
·I thought it might be a problem but did not want to bother anyone
·I knew it could be concerning but wanted to give it more time first

Q5If something about your recovery was worrying you or seemed off, how comfortable would you be calling the office before your scheduled follow-up?

·Very comfortable, I would call right away if something seemed wrong
·Not comfortable at all, I would wait for my appointment no matter what
✓Somewhat comfortable, but I would probably wait unless it got much worse
·Comfortable if it was urgent, but not for minor concerns
·Not sure, I would probably try to find information online first
·Comfortable messaging but hesitant to call

The verdict it produced

Written for whoever ran the campaign. The respondent never sees it.

Robert Chen reported stiffness and soreness consistent with normal two-week recovery, and he is completing daily tasks independently though with effort. However, he disclosed a persistent numb patch on the lateral knee that he assumed was part of healing and had not planned to mention. He would hesitate to call unless symptoms worsened significantly. This interview captured a potential sensory complication that would otherwise have gone unreported until the next scheduled visit. Clinical evaluation of the numbness is recommended.

complication signal negative high confidence

Persistent numbness on the lateral knee is present and has not resolved.

patient hesitancy negative high confidence

The patient assumed the numbness was expected and did not plan to report it.

recovery gap positive medium confidence

Pain and stiffness are tracking with patient expectations and likely within normal range.

functional outcome mixed medium confidence

Basic activities of daily living are achievable but require significant effort.

communication confidence mixed medium confidence

The patient has a moderate threshold for reaching out and would likely wait to report concerns.

See this on your own data

Fifteen minutes, screen to screen. We run your real question through RadRoot while you watch, and you leave with the follow-up it wrote and a price.

Book 15 minutes Answer one yourself