When a follow-up letter is returned, what date do you use to update your database as the date of last contact?

• A. The date your registry mailed out the follow-up letter
• B. The date you received the letter back from the patient
• C. The date patient or representative signed and completed the letter
• D. None of the above

Answer: (C)

The date of last contact is the moment you have verified engagement with the patient, which is when the follow-up letter is signed and completed by the patient or their representative. This signing shows that the patient has actively interacted with the follow-up process and provides a concrete, date-stamped confirmation of contact. Mailing the letter is just an outreach attempt, and the date you receive the letter back doesn’t always align with when the patient actually completed the form, so it’s the signing/completion date that best represents the last contact. If the letter arrives unsigned or incomplete, that doesn’t constitute contact, so you wouldn’t update the last-contact date based on that.