Orthopedic Medical Scribes - Reasons to Hire

Orthopedic Medical Scribes - Reasons to Hire

Orthopedic surgeons are significantly more likely to experience some of the highest rates of burnout when compared to other specialties. According to a 2017 Medscape survey, nearly half of orthopedic surgeons (49 %) are burnt out. The top reasons cited were too many administrative tasks, computerization of practice and extended working hours. Well, if you are an orthopedist looking to cut down on the time spent on administrative paperwork and electronic data entry as well as restore the quality of your work life, then it's time you consider hiring orthopedic medical scribes.

Orthopedic medical scribes can improve physician productivity and physician well-being

A study was conducted in an orthopedic sports medicine clinic to assess the impact of medical scribes. For this purpose a survey was carried out for eight months among orthopedic surgeons working in the clinic. The average time spent per half-day of clinic was 104 minutes without scribes and 25 minutes with scribes. Moreover, the average time spent documenting patient visits per half-day of clinic was 87 minutes without scribes and 26 minutes with scribes. The study concluded that the use of scribes in a high-volume orthopedic sports medicine clinic was beneficial for the orthopedic surgeons. Medical scribes reduce physician paperwork time in half during clinic and at the end of each clinic day.

Let's see what eminent orthopedic surgeons have to say about the use of medical scribes

• Dr. Mark Floyd, MD Orthopedic Surgery Specialist in Rome has been using medical scribes for more than a year now. He says that he leaves home immediately after his last patient visit without having to stay back after clinic hours to finish his notes. He was able to get home early and have dinner with his family. Simply put, he was able to maintain a perfect work-life balance, a key contributor to physician well-being.
• Dr. Chad Patton Medical Director of Spine Surgery at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis said that incorporating a medical scribe has changed his life, for the better. He said that at the end of the day he had more time and energy than before which made him happier overall. Even after a year of using voice-to-text dictation software he was spending one and a half hours after clinic to catch up on his charting. Initially, he opted to use a medical scribe on a one-day trial basis. He was highly impressed by the difference he saw in a single day. He was able to reconnect with his patients better than usual and his documentation time was also reduced to just 15 or 20 minutes a day. Dr Chad Patton also witnessed a 24% increase in the number of patients he saw and this was more than enough to neutralize the scribe cost.
• Dr. Timothy S. Hamby an orthopedist in Evansville, Indiana said that he saw a staggering number of 70 patients a day, three days a week and desperately wanted a better quality of life. After using a medical scribe, there was no need for him to dictate or catch up on notes. He gets home early and coaches his three children in their respective sports.

Is using a scribe a prudent investment?

Wondering whether the use of medical scribes improves financial returns? The benefit or improved productivity enjoyed by using orthopedic scribes should cover the cost. Well, in the case of orthopedic medical scribes it does by just adding two or three surgeries a month. And everything else just adds up to the revenue. Dr Chad Patton also witnessed a 24% increase in the number of patients he saw and that was more than enough to make the scribe cost neutral.

Are you an orthopedic surgeon who faces the juggling act of complying with regulatory requirements while also giving patients ample face-to-face time? Help is on the way. Scribe4Me's orthopedic medical scribes are highly- trained in orthopedic diseases, terminology, procedures, and medical codes to meticulously document the details of each visit. While they assume the documentation responsibilities you focus on treating your patients. What more do you need? Get in touch with them today for more details.