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A Complete Guide to the Pros and Cons of Medical Virtual Scribes

The burden of administrative workload has plagued the healthcare industry for years. Instead of focusing on patient care, many doctors are typing away their hours just to finish their documentation backlogs. 

In fact, the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) says that in 2022, the medical industry spent 47% more on administrative expenses than the previous year. This huge jump in spending is mainly caused by the shortage of healthcare workers, which pushes physicians to take care of documentation independently.

Aside from the unnecessary spending, this lack of manpower also causes healthcare professionals to burn out easily and compromise the quality of their patient interactions.

Now, you might think, if this problem has persisted for many years, is fixing it just a lost cause? 

Fortunately, the answer is no, and that’s because of virtual medical scribes! 

In this guide, we’ll help you understand how virtual scribes can help your practice and what you should consider when hiring one.

Medical virtual scribes have truly simplified my daily workflow!

What are virtual medical scribes?

A virtual medical is a physician’s partner during patient encounters. As a scribe, they attend consultations virtually and help doctors record all critical information during the check-up. 

This way, the doctor can focus on patient care while the scribe documents their chief complaint, symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and more.

Aside from documentation, a virtual scribe also handles tasks like:

  • Entering data into the electronic health records (EHR) system and keeping it updated.

  • Properly coding medical notes so they can be used for billing and insurance claims.

  • Writing up post-visit summaries to help patients understand their treatment plans and follow-up instructions better.

How are virtual scribes different from traditional medical scribes?

the different between virtual and traditional scribes

Both virtual and traditional medical scribes have the same goal: to take over physicians’ documentation load so they can give their undivided attention to patients. 

But even if they serve the same purpose, these two types of scribes work quite differently. Here are some main differences between virtual scribes and in-person scribes:

Physical vs. remote presence

Traditional scribes are physically present during consultations, which makes it easier for them to seek clarifications when necessary. However, some patients may feel uncomfortable having someone other than the doctor in the exam room. On the other hand, a virtual scribe only remotes during check-ups, which is far less distracting for patients.

Overhead expenses

Hiring in-person scribes costs your company more money since you need to cover their salaries, benefits, equipment, and more. Meanwhile, you don’t have to worry about these things when employing virtual scribes since they work on a contractual or hourly basis.

Flexibility in locations

Unlike traditional scribes who can only work around or near their local area, virtual scribes are not limited by their location and can work for practices even on the opposite side of the world.

What are the pros of hiring virtual medical scribes?

Medical practices often hire virtual scribes to aid their challenges in medical documentation. However, aside from that, there are multiple benefits you can enjoy from getting remote scribes.

Read to learn these different pros:

Fewer administrative tasks for doctors

Administrative tasks and documentation work can easily take up a doctor’s full workday.  But by outsourcing these assignments to other employees or virtual scribes, physicians can now reclaim their time and focus on what they’re meant to do –  seeing more patients and providing the required treatments.

Key Statistics of Physicians Using Virtual Scribes

No Data Found

This study analyzed 144 physicians using virtual scribes for over three months. Key findings include 88.2% using asynchronous scribe services, 63.2% being female, and 59.7% in primary care. Virtual scribes significantly reduced EHR time, note time, and “pajama time,” enhancing workflow efficiency and highlighting the impact of scribe integration in healthcare.

More accurate documentation

Having a dedicated scribe expertly handle patient documentation is much better than letting a physician who’s already stretched thin manage this additional workload. 

A trained virtual scribe taking care of your documentation is less prone to mistakes and can allocate more time to thoroughly check their notes before recording them into the EHR. 

Accurate documentation helps doctors administer better patient care and can also save your business from denied insurance claims or even malpractice suits.

Cost-savings for the business

cost savings for business

If you want to reduce your business expenses, going for virtual medical scribe services would be a great solution! 

Unlike employing traditional scribes, hiring remote scribes won’t cost you additional overhead costs except for their standard rate. There’s no need to worry about benefits, bonuses, equipment, or even office space, which makes this a great option, especially for smaller practices.

Keeping burnout at bay

When physicians are constantly overloaded with clinical and administrative work, managing physician burnout and stress seems impossible.

Offloading the repetitive and time-consuming tasks to a virtual scribe helps your physicians achieve a better work-life balance. With their reduced workload, doctors can spend their time more freely and actually clock out when their working hours are over.

Improved patient care

If you consulted with a doctor who doesn’t seem focused on your concerns, would you ever try to go back? We don’t think so.

When physicians are too busy balancing both documentation and clinical work, patients tend to feel dissatisfied and unhappy with the process. They don’t feel prioritized and have difficulty building trust with doctors.

However, once you take away the documentation burden and let doctors give their undivided attention to patients, the whole experience instantly becomes better, with a visible increase in patient satisfaction.

Greater flexibility

Just like other industries, the medical field experiences fluctuations and seasonal spikes, too. For example, medical emergencies tend to happen more during the holidays. 

There are also times when some kind of virus is spreading around your area, which leads to more patients.

Nevertheless, hiring a remote medical scribe gives you the flexibility to easily change their shifts, extend their working hours, or cut them down, whichever you need at the moment.

Scalability in services

Hiring virtual medical scribes gives you an advantage if you’re looking to grow or scale your practice. 

Unlike traditional scribes, remote medical scribes only require minimal training and onboarding – perfect for healthcare professionals who want to quickly increase their workforce. 

Virtual scribes are also helpful if you plan to open new locations in the future since you can simply change their location assignments without any hassle! You won’t have to limit yourselves to local hires anymore now that you can choose from a larger pool of talent.

Effortless Medical Virtual Scribes Support with DocVA

DocVA provides seamless support through expert medical virtual scribes, enhancing efficiency for healthcare professionals. Our service ensures accurate, real-time documentation, allowing physicians to focus on patient care. With advanced technology and experienced scribes, we streamline workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and improve practice productivity, all while maintaining compliance and data security.

Medical Virtual Scribes Services

What are the cons of opting for virtual scribes?

Just like all things, hiring a remote medical scribe has both its pros and cons. 

And while the advantages of remote scribes far outweigh the drawbacks, it’s still important for you to learn them so you can be proactive in addressing these concerns.

Relying too much on technology

Since virtual scribes work remotely, they depend heavily on technology to do their jobs. 

Remote scribes need a stable internet connection, proper mics and headsets, and a working computer that can run all the required software. 

Because of this reliance on tech, any internet outages or equipment malfunction can easily derail a day of work. It’s always important for you and your scribe to have a backup plan in case these things happen.

Less personal connection

Even though patients tend to be more comfortable when it’s just them and the doctor, not having the remote medical scribe in the same room as them can also be a disadvantage.

When remote scribes are only present virtually, they may miss non-verbal cues like facial expressions or gestures. 

For example, a patient’s wincing can indicate their symptoms’ severity. They may also choose to gesture or only point at certain body parts, which the scribe may not catch if they have a limited view.

Going through adjustment periods

If you’ve never hired a remote worker before, then there may be a bit of an adjustment period after getting your first virtual scribe. 

You may have to modify some parts of your workflow to accommodate them, and the other staff in your practice need to get used to the new setting, too. 

While productivity may slow down at first, be rest assured that this is only temporary. Your work pacing will pick up in no time!

Concerns on privacy

Scribes concern on privacy

Even though they’re rare, using internet technology can bring risks such as unauthorized access, hacking, data breaches,  and more.

To mitigate these issues, ensure that your virtual scribe service or their provider has security measures in place against these cyber attacks.

Cultural differences

Opting for remote medical scribes allows you to hire scribes from all over the world. 

While this gives you the advantage of a wider talent pool, hiring from another country can also bring about cultural differences at work. It’s also possible for two countries to use different medical terminology for the same thing.

However, don’t let these potential differences in culture stop you from hiring remote scribes globally. There are still many remote scribes out there who are already well-versed in other cultures and can easily adjust their way of working.

What are the best practices to remember when hiring a virtual scribe?

Truly improving your healthcare practice doesn’t just stop at hiring quality virtual medical scribes. You also need to implement some workplace strategies to enjoy their benefits to the fullest.

Let’s talk about the best practices you can employ once you have a virtual scribe.

Lay down your expectations

The best way to start working with a virtual scribe is to let them know your expectations when it comes to the quality of work.

Clearly outline all their tasks on a day-to-day basis and orient them on your practice’s standard operating procedures. Some examples are what template to use, how detailed the notes should be, and what the expected turnaround times are. 

Top-quality technology

As mentioned earlier, virtual medical scribe services are heavily reliant on technology, which is why you should invest in high-quality equipment and secure connectivity.

While virtual scribes typically provide their own equipment, you should also make sure that yours are up to par.

Encourage collaboration

Even when they’re not with you physically, remote medical scribes are still an essential part of your team. 

Treat them as your partner at work and encourage them to voice out ideas on how to improve your processes. When virtual scribes feel that you value their inputs, they are more likely to perform excellently in their tasks.

Provide feedback

Not only should you get your virtual scribe’s opinions, but you should also do your part in sharing feedback.

Schedule performance reviews with your remote scribe and let them know how they’re performing, including what they do well and what needs improvement.

The two-way communication between you and the scribe helps both of you to be more comfortable and in sync with each other.

Keep improving workflows

Use your observations and your virtual scribe’s inputs to improve your processes and workflows consistently. Remember that your main goal in hiring scribes is to boost the efficiency of your practice. 

You can establish certain routines, such as conducting pre-consultation briefings so you and the scribe can discuss patient cases before they come in.

Another example is establishing a shorthand when documenting patient check-ups to make taking notes easier and faster.

Maximize the advantages of virtual scribes for your practice

Hiring a virtual scribe transforms your practice for the better as you enjoy many of its pros, like reducing burnout in physicians, increasing efficiency at work, providing better experiences for patients, and more.

But to truly maximize these benefits, you must do your part and create an environment where your virtual scribes can flourish. You can do this by establishing your expectations and having open communication.

Are you to take the first step in hiring a virtual medical scribe? If so, contact us now to learn more.

About Nathan Barz, CEO, DocVA

Nathan Barz is dedicated to integrating virtual assistants into healthcare practices across the United States, Canada, and beyond. With firsthand experience in healthcare, he has successfully implemented virtual medical assistant services in numerous practices, improving profitability and service quality and reducing staff burnout. Nathan firmly believes virtual assistants are the solution to addressing staffing shortages and economic challenges in the healthcare industry.

View all posts by Nathan Barz, CEO, DocVA