Preparation (All Practices)

• Assemble your QI/data team: Include clinical, admin, and IT staff.
• Back up your database: Always back up before making bulk changes.
• Ensure access to POLAR or equivalent audit tool: For reporting and cross-checks.
• Review relevant guides:
• Best Practice Knowledge Base
• Medical Director Help

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Identify Patients with Both a Mental Health and Chronic Disease Diagnosis

Best Practice Premier

• Search for patients with a mental health diagnosis:
• Go to Utilities > Search > Patients.
• Set criteria for mental health diagnoses (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia).
• Add criteria for chronic disease diagnosis:
• Add additional criteria for chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease, COPD, asthma).
• Use Boolean logic (AND) to filter for patients with both conditions.
• Export or print the list for review.
• Best Practice Knowledge Base

Medical Director

• Search for patients with a mental health diagnosis:
• Go to Search > Patients.
• Filter by mental health diagnosis.
• Add criteria for chronic disease diagnosis:
• Add additional filter for chronic diseases.
• Use Boolean logic (AND) to filter for patients with both conditions.
• Export or print the list for review.
• Medical Director Help

Step 2: Cross-Check MyMedicare Registration Status

• Use POLAR or your clinical software’s reporting tools to check which patients on your list are already registered with MyMedicare.
• Flag patients who are not registered for targeted outreach.

Step 3: Clinical Review and Action

• Review the list with clinicians and admin staff:
• Confirm eligibility and appropriateness for MyMedicare registration.
• Exclude patients who are not suitable (e.g., already registered, not interested, or not clinically indicated).
• Contact eligible patients:
• Use recall systems (letters, SMS, phone calls) to invite patients for a discussion about MyMedicare registration.
• Provide information about the benefits of registration and support them through the process.

Step 4: Documentation and Follow-Up

• Record outcomes in the patient record:
• Note registration status, patient preferences, and any follow-up actions.
• Update the register to reflect new registrations.
• Track the number of patients identified, contacted, and registered.
• Reflect as a team: What worked? What could be improved for next cycle.

Key Tips and Resources

• Use and adapt this conversation starters resource to help your practice team talk to patients about MyMedicare registration and support informed consent
• Use this MyMedicare Registration Checklist to support your practice processes related to informed consent and MyMedicare registration

Better Access Initiative resources:

• Better Access Initiative Resource Collection
• Best Practice Premier:
• Best Practice Knowledge Base
• Medical Director:
• Medical Director Help
• POLAR
• Use POLAR reports to cross-check and validate your findings.

Summary Table