Do you know how much time physicians spend working on paperwork and administrative tasks?
If you don’t have any idea, a study shows they actually spend at least 20 hours a week on paperwork and administration!
Healthcare providers balancing both patient care and administrative burdens is an age-old problem in the medical field. But how do you solve this?
Well, understanding the virtual medical scribe meaning is key, as virtual medical scribes are now here to save the day!
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What is a virtual medical scribe?
A virtual medical scribe is a trained professional who documents patient encounters in medical records for healthcare providers.
These virtual scribes save physicians numerous hours a day as they take over transcription and documentation duties during appointments. Their main goal is to ensure all details like medical histories, symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment plans are organized and updated.
Traditionally, medical scribes work onsite, which means being with the physician inside the patient’s or exam room. But thanks to technology, medical scribes can now work remotely without sacrificing the quality of their services.
How does a virtual medical scribe work?
With the help of virtual medical scribes, physicians and clinical professionals are now relieved of their administrative burdens.
To better understand how virtual medical scribes work, here are the key responsibilities they take over in your practice:
Real-time documentation during patient visits: Virtual scribes participate in consultations, whether through audio or video, to document interactions and all critical information in real time.
Managing electronic health records: Virtual scribes are also tasked to enter the details they recorded into the EHR system, organize patient charts, and ensure the accuracy of all records.
Streamlining administrative tasks: Apart from documentation duties, virtual medical scribes also handle administrative tasks such as preparing discharge summaries and referral letters.
HIPAA compliance is also crucial when working with virtual medical scribes. Good thing, technology makes it easier for virtual scribes to uphold healthcare standards since there are now HIPAA-compliant software and tools available for them to use.
In-person Medical Scribes vs. Virtual Medical Scribes
As mentioned, traditional medical scribes have a physical presence as they work side by side with clinical staff. More often than not, in-person scribes require more extensive training since they need to be familiarized with the hospital’s or clinic’s facilities.
On the other hand, virtual medical scribes can perform the tasks of a traditional medical scribe but in a remote setting. Virtual scribes use phone or video conferencing to listen in on consultations from anywhere in the world.
Unlike in-person medical scribes, virtual scribes can offer more flexibility and aren’t affected by any logistical constraints present for onsite staff.
What are the advantages of having a virtual medical scribe?
If your physicians and clinical staff are suffering from physical burnout, then virtual medical scribes could be the one thing you need!
Here are the different advantages your healthcare practice can enjoy by hiring virtual medical scribes:
Increase in productivity
Doctors should be able to focus on their patients 100% without the distraction of paperwork.
By taking on the burden of documentation, virtual medical scribes increase productivity in the workplace by multifold. Physicians can now worry less about having accurate documentation and get back the time to see more patients.
Flexibility in service
Since virtual scribes work remotely, they are more flexible when it comes to providing their services. They can be available on a full-time or part-time basis or can also work on demand if there are unexpected absences from your in-person scribes.
Reduced administrative work
Thanks to virtual medical scribes, doctors can now say goodbye to handling administrative tasks, especially beyond working hours!
Removing the administrative workload from physicians’ plates helps them concentrate on tasks they actually specialize in. Apart from reducing their stress, this benefit also improves the overall efficiency of your clinical staff since there’s a better segregation of duties.
Cost savings
Hiring a virtual medical scribe instead of an in-person scribe eliminates employee benefits, equipment, and office space expenses. Many agencies also offer virtual medical scribe services at a rate lower than the typical salary of an onsite scribe.
Who benefits the most from virtual medical scribes?
Virtual medical scribes provide numerous advantages, but are they the right people for your business?
Let’s discuss the different stakeholders within the healthcare industry that benefit the most from a virtual medical scribe:
Healthcare professionals
Many healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and specialists in various medical fields, benefit from having a virtual scribe.
Virtual medical scribes can take away the distraction of doing paperwork and administrative work from medical professionals.
The good work that virtual scribes do, ensuring accurate medical records, also helps healthcare professionals make informed judgments regarding the patient’s health.
Hospitals and clinics
Whether you have a small clinic or a large hospital, a virtual medical scribe is a good asset to have. Virtual scribes are experts when it comes to integrating into your hospital’s workflow and systems and can also streamline your documentation process.
Some clinics in rural areas may also find it challenging to scout local talents to hire in-person scribes. In these cases, getting a virtual scribe is a much more affordable option than hiring someone from another city or state to be an on-site staff member.
Telemedicine and other remote healthcare services
Nowadays, more and more people are resorting to telemedicine and other remote healthcare services when getting their medical needs.
For these services, you need someone familiar with the remote care model and who can navigate telehealth tools.
Virtual medical scribes are the perfect experts to fill these roles since they’re already used to the nuances of remote working. Virtual scribes are also tech-savvy and can easily adopt new technologies to implement in your remote practice.
What makes an excellent virtual medical scribe?
Virtual medical scribing is a crucial responsibility in a healthcare setting. Virtual scribes ensure that all patient records remain accurate and updated so physicians can base their decisions on correct and timely information.
When hiring a virtual medical scribe for your practice, here are the top qualities and skills you should look for:
Strong medical knowledge and understanding
Ideally, virtual medical scribes should have a background in the medical field. At the very least, virtual scribes should have a deep knowledge and understanding of medical terminologies, jargon, and protocols.
After all, if your scribe doesn’t understand the conversation between the doctor and patient, how can you trust that they’re documenting the correct information?
Exceptional listening and typing skills
Apart from fully grasping physician-patient interactions, virtual scribes should also be skilled in listening and typing details quickly and accurately.
The goal of virtual medical scribes is to save physicians time, so any delays caused by slow typing or inaccurate details simply defeat the purpose of having one.
Compliance with healthcare standards
Like all other healthcare professionals, virtual medical scribes should also ensure compliance with HIPAA standards and any confidentiality regulations. Virtual scribes handle sensitive patient information daily, so ensuring these data remain secured and protected should be a top priority.
Effective communication skills
Clear communication is already difficult enough in a busy environment like healthcare, even if you’re working in person. So, what more if your scribe is operating remotely?
That said, it’s crucial that you hire a virtual scribe who can communicate effectively even when working offsite. This means they should be highly responsive, able to articulate their thoughts clearly, and always ensure they’re on the same page as the physicians they work with.
What are the possible challenges in getting a virtual scribe?
Even though virtual medical scribes bring numerous benefits to your practice, there are still challenges you should consider before getting one. Let’s talk about them.
Integration with existing workflows and systems
When hiring a virtual medical scribe, one of the things you should consider is their familiarity with specific tools and EHR systems. As part of their onboarding, you must allot time for them to learn your unique workflows, protocols, and operating procedures.
Fortunately, hiring a virtual scribe from an agency can reduce your onboarding challenges. Agencies ensure that their scribes are already well-versed in various EHR systems and provide them with additional training when necessary.
This way, you can be confident that the transition will be smoother and that your virtual scribe will hit the ground running.
Data privacy and security
Many regulations regarding data privacy and security exist, especially in the healthcare sector. When getting a virtual scribe, one of your priorities should be ensuring that your scribe complies with strict data privacy standards and handles documentation carefully.
If you’re partnering with an agency for your virtual scribing needs, you also assess if they have the proper security protocols in place to keep all patient data safe.
Things to know before hiring a virtual medical scribe
Are you excited to get started and hire your first virtual medical scribe?
Before doing so, here are some of the things you should know first so you can be well-prepared once you’ve hired your virtual scribe.
Finding the perfect virtual scribe
When looking for your perfect virtual scribe, remember the following essential qualities: strong and relevant medical knowledge, experience with EHR systems and healthcare tools, compliance with confidentiality standards, and proven ability to work remotely.
Always conduct thorough assessments and interviews to ensure your virtual scribe meets the needs of your practice. Better yet, you can hire a virtual medical scribe from a trusted agency that can already perform the vetting for you.
Setting up your workflow
Ensure you have your workflows and standard operating procedures in place for a smoother transition once you have your virtual scribe. These workflows should describe how your scribe should communicate with healthcare professionals, join patient consultations, and work with your existing systems.
Establishing best practices for collaboration
Even when your scribe only works remotely, fostering a collaborative relationship between your scribe and the healthcare team is still best. Establish channels for open communication between teams and provide regular feedback to your scribe.
Not only does this help you build camaraderie in the workplace, but it also helps your virtual scribe work better and provide better documentation for the business.
Transform your healthcare practice with a virtual medical scribe
As a healthcare provider, you have a duty to deliver to your patients – that is, providing them with the best patient care your business can offer.
But how do you achieve this if your physicians and clinical staff are bogged down with administrative work?
A virtual medical scribe meaning offers a valuable solution to this problem by taking over medical professionals’ administrative and documentation burdens. This alone makes virtual scribes a worthwhile investment that improves your practice.
If you want to be more productive and your patients more satisfied, hire a virtual medical scribe now! Visit us here to learn more.
