Outreach dates on Do Now alerts
Every Do Now alert includes an Outreach tag — the date by which your team should contact the patient or their care team. This is not the Appt. Deadline.
Pearl calculates this date based on 2 business days from when the alert was generated, excluding weekends. Acting within this window helps ensure time-sensitive patients get timely attention.
The tag will show one of the following:
Outreach by [Date] — outreach should happen by this date
Outreach by Today — outreach should happen today
Outreach by Tomorrow — outreach should happen tomorrow
Outreach Overdue — the outreach window has passed without the alert being resolved
Note: An alert marked Outreach Overdue means the recommended outreach window has passed — it does not mean the patient can no longer be helped. You should still act on these alerts as quickly as possible.
Appointment deadlines on Timely Follow-Up discharge alerts
Timely Follow-Up (TFU) discharge alerts include an additional tag: an Appt. Deadline. This is the date by which the follow-up appointment must take place to satisfy the TFU quality measure as defined by CMS.
The deadline is calculated from the patient's discharge date. The window varies based on the patient's discharge diagnosis:
7 days — CAD (high acuity)
14 days — asthma, diabetes, heart failure (CHF)
30 days — COPD
Your team will see both tags on a TFU discharge alert:
Outreach by [date] — when to contact the patient to schedule
Appt. Deadline [date] — when the appointment must occur to count toward the quality measure
Important: Completing outreach does not automatically satisfy the quality measure. The appointment itself must take place before the Appt. Deadline.
FAQs
What's the difference between the Outreach by date and the Appt. Deadline?
The Outreach by date is when your team should contact the patient — typically within 2 business days of the alert being generated. The Appt. Deadline only appears on TFU discharge alerts and represents when the follow-up appointment must occur to satisfy the CMS Timely Follow-Up quality measure. These are two separate dates tracking two separate actions.
What happens if an alert becomes Outreach Overdue?
The tag updates to Outreach Overdue once the outreach window passes. The alert remains in your queue and should still be acted on — it's always worth reaching out to the patient, even if the recommended window has closed.
Does the Outreach by date change if I take an action on the alert?
No. The Outreach by date is set when the alert is generated and does not change based on actions taken.
Why do TFU discharge alerts show two date tags?
TFU discharge alerts require two distinct actions: outreach to schedule the appointment, and the appointment itself. Both have separate deadlines, so Pearl surfaces both to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.