What suffers when doctors have too much of an administrative burden? Patient care. Administrative tasks not only add to physician burnout, but they also decrease the amount of time doctors have to spend with the individuals to whom they’re responsible for providing care — a big factor in patient satisfaction levels.
There are numerous technologies for streamlining doctors’ workflows, but many of them simply add to clinicians’ workloads. The very solutions created to give you more time with patients have you staring at a screen during an appointment instead of the individual in their office.
Focusing on a patient, though, might mean you don’t get appropriate documentation done on time. Or, it’s inaccurate, causing other problems, from medical errors to missed practice revenue.
To combat these issues, it’s almost like you need a second healthcare professional in the room with you — a partner of sorts. That might sound far-fetched, but the benefits of such an idea can be achieved through the use of a virtual scribe.
How exactly does this work? A dedicated scribe partners with you in the exam room to ensure patient records are securely and accurately updated in real time. Employing voice, video, secure messaging and screen-sharing capabilities, they can resolve queries on the go to securely keep
your patient encounters updated.
If you’re not yet sold on the advantages of using a virtual scribe in your practice, here are five key reasons to consider one:
- 1 More Time for Patient Care
Yes, we’re focusing on this again. Why? As the American Academy of Family Physicians notes, time spent during an appointment is one of the top five factors affecting patient satisfaction.
Patients don’t like to feel rushed when meeting with their doctor, and when this is a common occurrence, their satisfaction with you wanes. How costly is this? Industry estimates put the loss of a patient due to dissatisfaction at more than $200,000 in income over the lifetime of a practice — for just one patient.
Using a virtual scribe enables you to see more patients and spend more time with each one. That means happier patients and more revenue!
- 2 Less Data Entry for Documentation
Manual data entry isn’t only time-consuming, it’s also fraught with errors. These mistakes can be very expensive for a practice: it’s estimated that medical documentation errors cost providers roughly $20 billion annually in lost revenue.
Virtual scribes ensure patient charts are ready at the time of each appointment and securely and accurately update them in real time. They listen in and document visit notes in your EMR, saving you both time and money. Not to mention a lot less hassle!
- 3 Secure and Clear Communication
In healthcare, poor communication often leads to decreased patient safety, reduced staff productivity, longer patient wait times and higher costs. No wonder communication problems are one of the top common root causes of medical errors.
Conversely, effective communication can lead to better health outcomes. Virtual scribes utilize those voice, video, secure messaging and screen-sharing features we mentioned earlier in this blog to promote HIPAA-compliant communication that’s clearer and less costly. Another perk? A lot less paperwork for you and your staff!
- 4 Fewer Post-Appointment Tasks
Physicians in the United States who use EHRs spend an
average of 1.84 hours per day completing documentation outside work hours. If that sounds familiar, you’re probably staying at the office way after the last patient of the day leaves.
Not only do virtual scribes have the capability to finish post-visit notes and perform
appointment follow-up tasks, but they also conduct offline documentation and complete
charts in a timely manner. The best ones receive ongoing education on medical
terminology and EMRs, thereby reducing those costly errors while improving the quality
of care.
- 5No More End-of-Day Loose Ends
As a physician, you probably don’t get to spend as much time as you’d like with the ones
you love. Your hobbies and other interests most likely get pushed to the bottom of the
list.
Because virtual scribes can tie up all those pesky loose ends for which you’re typically
responsible at the end of each workday, you can leave your office after seeing the last
patient of the day. Plus, you can do so knowing your work is literally — and completely
— done.
At maxRVU, our dedicated virtual scribes are assigned to you and know your
working style, preferences and requirements. And, our solution ensures security and compliance
through advanced encryption. Sign up for Virtual Scribe today to start your free trial. Then, find
out for yourself how you can spend less time on administrative tasks and instead go home at
the end of your day to do more of what you love!
