By Frank Travis
Aug 04, 2023
Medical scribes play a crucial role in reducing physician burnout and improving productivity by assisting with clinical documentation and electronic health record (EHR) management. This blog post will offer useful advice on how to optimize medical scribing processes in a physician’s office environment. We will cover topics such as the reasons for needing a medical scribe, hiring considerations, required skills, onboarding protocols, and evaluation and monitoring of medical scribes.
Why Do I Need a Medical Scribe?
To begin, it is important to identify the pain points you want to address with the introduction of a medical scribe. Common pain points include EHR usability issues, slow system response time, lack of time for documentation, clinical notes backlog, and revenue loss due to excessive paperwork. Understanding your specific needs will help determine the value a medical scribe can bring to your practice.
Before You Hire a Medical Scribe, Make Sure You Know This
While the pain points may indicate the need for a medical scribe, it is essential to consider the return on investment (ROI) and workflow changes associated with hiring a scribe. The ROI should result in significant cost reductions or revenue improvement. Additionally, physicians must be willing to modify their workflows to accommodate scribing, including introducing the scribe to patients and verbalizing encounters for documentation purposes.
Hiring the Best Medical Scribe by Process
When hiring medical scribes, it is crucial to assess their minimum knowledge, experience, and educational qualifications. Competency assessments and performance evaluations should be conducted to ensure they possess the necessary skills. These skills include domain knowledge (medical terminology, compliance, and EHR usage), understanding clinical processes, and familiarity with relevant tools and technologies. This position also requires good listening, excellent typing and strong written and verbal communication skills.
Follow the Medical Scribe Onboarding Methodology - A Step-by-Step Guide
To maximize the success of your medical scribe program, it is important to have a structured onboarding process. This process should include a CDPM that outlines the specific workflow and documentation guidelines of the physician. A formal induction program should be provided to help the scribe settle into their role, including training on organizational policies, EHR usage, and compliance requirements. Hands-on training and continuous evaluation should also be implemented to ensure that they meet expectations and provide high-quality documentation.
The Upshot
By understanding the reasons for needing a medical scribe, making informed hiring decisions, following a comprehensive onboarding methodology, and evaluating and monitoring the performance of medical scribes, healthcare practices can optimize their operations and alleviate physician burden. Implementing these proven tips can lead to improved productivity, reduced burnout, and better patient care in a physician's office setting.
We at Scribe4Me follow the above proven tips to onboard and manage our medical scribe team. If you are on the lookout for experienced and knowledgeable medical scribes for real-time electronic health record documentation, then look no further than Scribe4Me. You will never regret.
Please fill out this form.
We will reach out to you within 24 hours
Frank Travis
Frank Travis
Documentation is an important daily clinical responsibility. In order to optimize patient care, physicians are always on the lookout for new ways to effectively and efficiently document patient visits.
The use of virtual medical scribes has become increasingly popular in the recent years, as medical practices across the country are on the constant lookout for ways to reduce clinical documentation overload, thereby improving overall productivity.
The clerical burden associated with EHR usage is attributed as the number one cause of physician burnout. We also know that physicians spend twice as much time on EHRs and other clerical tasks compared to the time providing patient care.
