What is Medical Scribe?
Medical Scribes (view them as a Court Stenographer) work remotely and converse with Medical Providers via a headset — might be more essential than ever in healthcare organizations with staffing shortages.
The Medical Scribe has access to the EMR through a firewall and can record the Medical Providers interaction with the patient in real-time. Because the Medical Scribe is not physically following the Medical Provider, they can look up and relay lab results as soon as the Medical Provider is still meeting with the patient, and simultaneously document and code the pertinent information.
Medical Scribes are proving to be the most successful strategy to reduce Medical Provider (Doctor, Physician, Nurse Practitioner) and related administrative expenses. It is also the best way to ensure Electronic Medical Record (EMR) accuracy real time.
Using Medical Scribes saves time and enhances patients’ satisfaction. This information will unfold Medical Scribes’ concept, why it makes sense, and its benefits. So, you have to go through it until the end.
Some History
Medical Provider employment has traditionally focused primarily on direct patient contact and care. However, the introduction of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) resulted in an overabundance of documentation and clerical duties, slowing physicians down and diverting them away from patient care. Medical Providers are using medical Scribe services all around the country to help with documentation overload.
A Medical Scribe is essentially a Physician’s Assistant, performing EMR documentation, gathering information for the patient’s visit, and collaborating with the Medical Provider to provide the most efficient patient care possible. Typically, Medical Scribes are assigned on a dedicated basis to a Medical Provider so that they become familiar with each other and can efficiently work together.
Benefits of Medical Scribe
The American Medical Association Network Journal released a study that followed 18 Primary Care Providers for a year and used Medical Scribes from a private Medical Scribe vendor who were initially thought to be more expensive than Medical Scribes recruited and managed directly by primary care organizations. Medical Scribes not only helped reduce the amount of time primary care providers spend on EHR documentation, but they also helped improve patient engagement, increase productivity, and increase Medical Provider job satisfaction.
Apart from this, there are more significant benefits which include:
·Increased Productivity and Efficiency
Using Medical Scribes improves provider efficiency while also reducing documentation obligations. Physicians can be more productive and see more patients throughout their shift when they are relieved of the responsibility of taking notes and documenting the chart in real-time.
·Lower Wait Times/ Left without Treatment (LWOTs)
Across the United States, emergency departments are doing everything they can to cut wait times and LWOTs. The time it takes to go from the door to the Medical Provider has become a benchmark for performance. Increased efficiency and productivity from using Medical Scribes who accompany Medical Providers on rounds and acquiring and documenting information in the EMR helps lower those figures.
·Better Bedside Etiquette
Medical Providers who have to enter information into the EMR during a patient visit are less talkative, spend less time with the patient, and more time with the computer. Medical Scribes relieve the Medical Provider of this burden. They allow him to converse with the patient face-to-face without the distraction of a computer screen and focus on the visit rather than EMR. So, it benefits both the Medical Provider and the patient.
·Improves Patient Outcomes & Satisfaction
It is noted that patient health happiness impacts a hospital’s reputation, and it is the top priority of all medical personnel to enhance patient satisfaction via better patient outcomes and happiness with the overall experience.
While the significant rationale for hiring Medical Scribes is to increase efficiency and production, they can also help improve patient satisfaction and experience. Their service allows for better communication between Medical Providers and patients (and their families), leading to a better patient experience.
Things to Look For When Retaining The Services of an Outsourced Medical Scribe Vendor
When considering hiring an outsourced vendor besides the obvious, you will want to discuss Scope of Work. Do they just listen to the Medical Provider and document the EMR? That’s what most do and that’s not enough. You should view Medical Scribe labor as your own and you will want them being used to document, to complete analytical reports and to flag other services within the organization that perhaps the patient can use. You will want to make sure that the Medical Scribe Vendor utilizes their staff efficiently and keeps them busy. Considering most arrangements mean Medical Scribe Vendors get paid by the hour, make sure their Scribe is performing meaningful tasks while working even when not listening to a Medical Provider/Patient interaction. For example, you can ask them to perform other tasks when they are not busy with their primary responsibilities. Does the Medical Scribe Vendor have qualified personnel who fill in when a particular Scribe is not working due to illness or other absences?
Summary
All these benefits of using Medical Scribe make great sense to explore. It’s not only a savings for a necessary cost center that will help the bottom line, but it’s also a service that positively impacts Medical Provider job satisfaction and increases organization profitability. The use of Medical Scribes can be a cost benefit that contributes to increased insurance reimbursement rates and better patient outcomes if utilized properly.
Anyone with an interest in a Medical Scribe service that delivers value-adds galore should contact us here at www.cornerstonebpo.com.
About the Author: Jeff Russell is the CEO of Cornerstone Business Solutions and Cornerstone Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). He has 30 years of outsourcing management and consulting experience with a healthcare focus.
