Outcomes Dashboard: Best Practices for Data Collection
To ensure outcomes progress is measured accurately, patients must have both a baseline value and a follow-up value recorded within specific time windows. These windows help us capture progress that reflects the impact of Nourish care.
This guide explains how patients are included in the Outcomes Dashboard and shares best practices for collecting baseline and follow-up information so that patient progress can be tracked over time.
How patients are included in outcomes tracking
For a patient to appear in the Outcomes Dashboard for a given metric, two things are required:
A baseline value near the start of Nourish care
A follow-up value within the appropriate monitoring window
These requirements allow the system to measure progress toward a clinically meaningful target over time.
Baseline requirements
A baseline value represents the patient’s starting point when they begin care with Nourish. To ensure this value reflects their status at the start of care, baseline measurements must fall within the following windows:
Metric | Baseline Window |
|---|---|
Weight | 30 days before → 14 days after first appointment |
A1C, Cholesterol, Blood Pressure | 90 days before → 14 days after first appointment |
EDE-Q, GI-PROMIS | Within 14 days after first appointment |
Values recorded outside of these windows will not be used as the baseline for outcomes tracking.
This helps ensure that the dashboard reflects progress made during Nourish care, rather than changes that occurred before treatment began.
Follow-up requirements
To measure outcomes progress, at least one follow-up value must be recorded after the baseline. The follow-up window varies by metric based on how quickly meaningful change is typically expected:
Metric | Follow-up Window |
|---|---|
Weight & Blood Pressure | 1–3 months after first appointment |
A1C & Cholesterol | 3–6 months after first appointment |
EDE-Q & GI-PROMIS | Any second entry within 6 months |
If multiple follow-up values are available, the most recent value is used to calculate progress.
Patients without a follow-up value in the appropriate window will not yet appear in the outcomes progress calculations.
When a patient may not appear in a metric
Even when patients are actively working on a health goal, they may not appear in the dashboard if the system cannot yet measure progress.
Common reasons include:
Baseline value recorded outside the allowed window: If the first available measurement is too far before the initial appointment, it cannot be used as a baseline for Nourish care.
Follow-up measurement not yet recorded: If the patient has a baseline value but has not yet had a follow-up measurement within the monitoring window, the system cannot calculate progress.
The patient does not have a clinical target for that metric: Some patients may already be within healthy ranges and therefore may not have an outcome target for that measure.
The patient started care recently: Certain outcomes, especially lab-based measures like A1C or cholesterol, require several months before follow-up testing is clinically appropriate.
Best practices for capturing outcomes data
The following practices can help ensure patient progress is reflected in the Outcomes Dashboard.
Capture baseline values early in care
Whenever possible, record baseline values during or shortly after the first appointment. Having a clear starting value allows the system to measure progress made during Nourish care.
For outcomes that rely on laboratory values (such as A1C or cholesterol), encouraging patients to obtain labs early in their care journey can help ensure a baseline is captured within the required window.
Helpful approaches include:
Encouraging patients to upload recent lab results from their physician
Using Nourish lab ordering when recent labs are unavailable
Asking patients to share results from recent doctor visits
Recording home measurements such as weight or blood pressure when available
Capturing this information early ensures the patient’s progress can be tracked from the start of care.
Encourage follow-up measurements at appropriate intervals
Regular follow-up measurements allow progress to be measured over time and help make improvements visible in the dashboard.
Typical monitoring timelines include:
Outcome | Recommended Monitoring |
|---|---|
Weight | Monthly or at regular appointments |
Blood Pressure | Periodic home readings or clinic measurements |
A1C | Approximately every 3 months |
Cholesterol | Every 3–6 months |
PROMs (EDE-Q, GI-PROMIS) | Periodically during care |
For patients working on blood pressure management, encouraging home BP monitoring can be particularly helpful. Even occasional home readings can provide useful follow-up data and help track trends over time.
Use Nourish labs when recent data is unavailable
If a patient does not have recent laboratory data, Nourish labs can help establish a clear baseline and enable follow-up measurement.
This ensures:
The baseline falls within the required window
Progress can be measured reliably over time
Improvements are visible in the Outcomes Dashboard
Important note
Not every patient will appear in every outcomes category. The dashboard focuses on patients where meaningful progress toward a clinical target can be measured using reliable baseline and follow-up data.
Over time, as more data is collected throughout the course of care, more patients will naturally appear in outcomes tracking.
Related resources
For more information about the clinical targets used in the dashboard, please refer to the Outcomes Philosophy article.