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On-site or Virtual Scribe? Jobs That Reduce Physician Burnout

Physician burnout is a serious problem in today’s medical industry. The pandemic has only exacerbated it. According to The American Journal of Medicine, approximately 50% of physicians experience burnout at some point in their career, the effects of which negatively impact not only their own mental and physical health, but the quality and outcomes of patient care. And that’s just a conservative estimate; some studies indicate a full 100% of doctors will face burnout before they retire. 

In an effort to combat physician burnout, many healthcare systems are filling onsite and virtual scribe jobs, adding skilled professionals to their healthcare teams who are able to alleviate some of the clerical responsibilities of physicians so that they can focus on the thing they really enjoy about their job: treating patients. Indeed, research indicates that by adding on-site and virtual scribe jobs to their staff teams, providers minimize physician burnout. Here’s why:

Clinical Scribes Perform Data Entry

In a study published last year, researchers found that physicians spend “an average of 16 minutes and 14 seconds per [patient] encounter using EHRs, with chart review (33%), documentation (24%), and ordering (17%) functions accounting for most of the time.” That’s a lot of time that doctors could be using differently if they could only rid themselves of the burden of federally-mandated data entry. Enter clinicial scribes; because the bulk (but certainly not all) of an on-site or virtual scribe’s job is to perform data entry into electronic health record (EHR) systems, when a practice or office chooses to employ scribes, it automatically reduces the workload of its physician(s). Scribes instantly reduce physician responsibility for many of the administrative and clerical tasks that doctors’ dislike, allowing those physicians to spend more time actually meeting and treating patients and, hopefully, eliminating some of the stress that leads to physician burnout.

Clinical Scribes Improve Patient and Physician Satisfaction

As mentioned, having dedicated staff in on-site or virtual scribe jobs means physicians have the opportunity to fully concentrate on patient encounters, filling the time they would have spent on documentation with a higher quality of service. Instead of having to interrupt patients during an exam to enter notes into a computer, physicians can devote their attention to the individual at hand, focusing on communication regarding his or her issues rather than navigating EHR software and entering codes. The end result is happier patients and happier physicians.

The Provider’s Choice Scribe Services Advantage

Of course, not all scribes are created equally. To more fully ensure that your practice fills an on-site or virtual scribe job with the right person, you need to partner with a respected scribe provider that has access to only the most skilled candidates. Our on-site and virtual scribes here at Provider’s Choice Scribe Services undergo rigorous training and have the clinical experience needed to effectively work as a clinical scribe, lessening their burden so your own doctors are less stressed, happier in their jobs and less likely to experience physician burnout. Please contact us to learn more.

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