Physicians spend a lot of time on paperwork every week. Medical scribes have been used for decades to improve doctor workflow in the office. These positions require detailed training and can cause inflexibility for doctors without access to skilled workers. Virtual scribes greatly decrease the load on physicians.
Keep reading to discover what to look for in a virtual medical patient scribe.
What Does a Virtual Medical Patient Scribe Do?
A virtual medical patient scribe listens in on doctor-patient visits and enters the information in electronic medical records. They do this via audio or video, for the entire visit or on an as-needed basis. Depending on location, in-person scribes cost doctors anywhere from $31k-$55k per year while virtual scribe services cost approximately half that at $14k per year.
Flexible Technology
The first thing to look for in a remote medical scribe is the technology they use. Some services allow you to choose between audio or video. In the modern physician's office, using a tablet or smartphone is common practice. You want to ensure your virtual scribe's chosen video-conferencing app is HIPAA approved and compatible with your office technology. Also, you want to ensure that you can go back and review the session at a later time.
EMR Compatibility and Training
Using scribe services reduces the physician's workload and optimizes time spent with patients. The service you choose should have a good track record for accuracy. A large part of a doctor's job is filling out administrative work required by the electronic medical record systems. Virtual scribes that are trained on multiple systems, and don't require retraining like you would an in-person scribe. Find a company that offers an array of choices when it comes to EMRs.
Scheduling
Scribes go through up to two months of training or more to become familiar with the office or hospital's EMR. They are then assigned to one doctor. The trouble you run into with an in-person scribe is when that person gets sick, your office is left without assistance.
Scribe services usually have multiple people trained on your EMR to take over when another person is unavailable. So instead of having one person per office, you have four or more. This service can be especially helpful in areas where doctors don't have access to hiring multiple skilled workers.
Physicians have a heavy load and often become burnt out. Hiring a virtual scribe can help your medical office to save money and energy. When vetting remote medical patient scribe services, ensure that they are well trained, flexible, compliant with applicable HIPPA laws, and professional.
For more information, contact a virtual medical patient scribe service today.