In today’s day and age, more people are working remotely than ever before, partly due to the ongoing pandemic and partly because working from home has never been as accessible. There are numerous professions where we see people working hard from the comfort of their living room and doing exceptional jobs, and one of such professions is the medical virtual scribe. But what do these remote scribes actually do?
Documents Information
Perhaps the most important duty of a virtual scribe, recording the interactions between patients and providers, by means of a video call or over the phone is their foremost goal. However, they do not simply transcribe the encounters word for word, but rather they interpret them, ensuring that the documentation is easily understood and accessible. They ensure that all electronic records are taken with care and that any clinical charting is done well. Assuming the scribe does an adequate job, the doctor will not have to spend as much time with each patient because they aren’t having to waste precious time recording the encounters, which in turn means they will be able to see more patients on a given day.
Sends and Receives Messages
Another important aspect of being a virtual scribe is messaging. They must be ready to respond to any messages that the doctor may receive throughout the day, so as to not disturb them in the middle of a crucial task. Sending occasional messages out, as requested by the doctor or physician, is also a part of the responsibility.
A Virtual Scribe Saves Money
It may seem like hiring an additional member to the team would prove to be more costly than not having one, but more often than not, having a scribe that works remotely actually reduces costs. When the physician doesn’t have to spend time writing and documenting their interactions with countless patients a day, they are able to schedule time with a larger number of them. It makes much more sense to bring in additional patients a day for that doctor or physician than it does to pay them to record all the vital information down. Allowing for a scribe to do that charting opens up the doctor’s time for more immediate tasks. Think of it like this: you would pay a head chef to prepare the food and take the orders, you would need a server or waitress.
Conducts Research
There may be times when the physician needs a virtual scribe to conduct additional research for them. This can include finding a particular piece of data in a test or report, locating details hidden in paperwork, or learning basic information about a patient and informing the given physician.
Contact Us
Overall, the goal of a virtual scribe is to make the doctor or physician’s job easier by doing some of the leg work, and all from an off-site location. They save valuable time and effort for others that can be better spent focusing on their patient. Their charting of information is crucial to the job at hand, which helps create a higher quality experience for the patient. Want to learn more? Contact us for more information or call (210) 796-4026.
