Study provides new solution to offset the cost of medical scribes

Requirements for electronic health records are greater now than ever, and that burden is exacerbating the problem of physician burnout. However, there might be a solution: the medical scribe.

New research led by Neda Laiteerapong MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University Chicago Medicine, indicates the real value of adding this healthcare professional to a medical practice.

It gives physicians more time to treat patients, add new ones, and schedule more return visits. This research also indicates that the initial cost of employing a medical scribe can be offset in a year or less, after which the possibility of increased profit follows.

“We did an economic evaluation, a pretty common technique for healthcare administrators,” Laiteerapong said. “And we did it for a total of 30 specialties, plus physician assistants and nurse practitioners.” The study was published October 6, 2020, in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The research assumed that every patient visit would be reimbursed by Medicare. Based on that, Laiteerapong and her team determined the number of additional visits needed to have 90% certainty of breaking even one year after hiring a scribe. However, most practices are made up of a combination of Medicare, Medicaid and privately insured patients, making it possible to reach that break-even point even sooner.

Read the full article here

Retraining Existing Employees Can Help Mitigate the Effects of Healthcare’s Workforce Shortage

The healthcare job market is pretty tight at the moment. This is due in part to ongoing nurse and physician shortages. Healthcare professionals have been exiting the workforce faster than they’re joining it. That has posed a challenge for healthcare providers as they seek to fill in the gaps.

One possible solution, thought, might be right under their noses.

Perhaps there’s a receptionist in the organization who’s interested in becoming a medical scribe (Develop your own team(s) of Certified Medical Scribe Professionals) or a licensed practical nurse. Maybe a registered nurse wants to move into an operating room setting rather than working in the maternity ward.

In cases such as those, a healthcare organization with a bit of capital can invest in the workforce it already has. Paying for additional training and certifications for existing staff members who are looking to take a step up in their careers can benefit your workforce and build loyalty. If modern workforces are meant to be versatile, healthcare can take advantage of that versatility by offering training in the areas for which fresh applicants are scarce.

“We’ve heard, ‘Hey, this is great, we can fill or own pipeline a little bit,'” said Matt Wolf, director and healthcare senior analyst at RSM. RSM provides auditing and tax consulting services. “It makes for happier, more engaged employees. This translates to better care.

“If you can invest a little money to train and upscale your employees, it raises their commitment and can reduce turnover costs,” he said.

Click here to see the complete article as published on HealthcareFinanceNews.com on 8/27/2019.

Medical Scribes Reduce EHR Burden, Boost Physician Satisfaction in Primary Care

,

The use of medical scribes in primary care can reduce the electronic health record (EHR) documentation burden for clinicians, improve workflow and job satisfaction, and enhance clinician-patient interaction, a small crossover study suggests.  This is the conclusion of a recent study conducted b, Pranita Mishra, MPP, and colleagues from Kaiser Permanente in Northern California.  The 12-month study evaluated whether the use of medical scribes would mitigate the negative impact of EHR technology in primary care. They report their findings in an article published September 17 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Here are some of the findings outlined in the study:

From the physicians perspective:

  • Less time spent on after-hours EHR documentation.
  • More appointment time interacting with patients/Less appointment time on documentation
  • 17 out of 18 physicians reported higher job satisfaction
  • 16 out of 18 physicians report better clinical interactions
  • No change in the length of clinic visit
  • Significantly higher liklihood that physicians would meet their target time for completion of their visit documentation

From the patients perspective:

  • More than half the patients felt their clinician spent less time than usual on the computer
  • Nearly half reported their doctor spent more time interacting with them when a scribe was present
  • Patient-reported satisfaction scores were modestly improved with scribes, but the difference did not reach statistical significance.

Medical Scribes May be More Financially Viable Under Capitated Payment in the Primary Care Setting

, ,

Team documentation (i.e., the use of medical scribes) has the potential to improve primary care clinician satisfaction and efficiency, yet little has been known about the financial and time use implications.

A new study finds that, compared to fee-for-service payment, capitation-based systems may require less external financing to support team documentation. The study used a microsimulation model of practice costs, revenues, and time use data from 643 primary care practices.

Researchers estimated critical threshold values for time saved from routine visits that would need to be redirected to new visits to avoid net revenue losses, comparing documentation conducted by medical scribes to advanced team-based care in which medical assistants perform history, documentation, counseling, and order entry. They found that, to prevent net revenue losses under fee-for-service, physicians would need to save 3.5 minutes per encounter using scribes and 7.4 minutes per encounter using medical assistants.

The redirected time was expected to add 317 additional visit slots per year under the medical scribe strategy and 720 visit slots using the medical assistant approach. In comparison, to prevent losses under capitated payment, the medical scribe approach would require physicians to empanel at least 127 more patients and 279 additional visit slots per year, while the medical assistant strategy would require 227 more patients and 499 visit slots per year.

In the fee-for-service environment, the authors explain, team documentation would have to focus on providing efficiency to redirect time for additional visits to pay for itself. By contrast, a capitated practice would need to empanel new patients to pay for the team documentation costs, and typical additional visits for these new patients would be lower in cost.

The study findings, the authors suggest, can assist in estimating both start-up and longer-term benchmarks for time use for practices considering either the use of medical scribes or advanced team-based care (i.e. using Medical Assistants as scribes) and can inform ongoing discussions about how payment reform could affect the potential for team-based care.

To review the study: Finance and Time Use Implications of Team Documentation for Primary Care: A Microsimulation

For more information on how to implement a medical scribe or team documentation strategy at your practice: Medical Scribe Training, Certification and Implementation Support

AHDPG Announces Availability of Medical Scribe Specialty Training Series

, ,

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]SHREWSBURY, Mass., June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group, Inc. announced today the launch of two new medical scribe specialty training courses: Medical Scribe Training for Cardiology and Medical Scribe Training for Dermatology. These courses represent the first two courses of what will eventually be a series of approximately 15 – 17 courses in our Medical Scribe Specialty Training Series.
AHDPGTM Announces Availability of Medical Scribe Specialty Training Series

Like physicians who after completing medical school usually further their education in a specialty of medicine by completing a multi-year residency, a medical scribe can benefit by enhancing their knowledge in a specific specialty or specialties.

These courses are designed for practicing medical scribes and/or graduates of AHDPGTM‘s Medical Scribe Professional or Medical Scribe for Practicing Allied Health Professionals training programs.

Each specialty specific course trains each scribe candidate in the areas of anatomy and physiology, diseases, terminology and abbreviations, medications, procedures, billing/coding requirements, and charting. Each course is online, self-paced with instructor feedback and assistance as needed. Each course includes approximately 20 clock hours of instruction and is designed to be completed in less than 30 days.

“As the use of certified medical scribes become more commonplace and more healthcare organizations choose to leverage their existing allied health professionals in the role of medical scribe on a longer-term basis, our medical scribe specialty training course is designed to help advance the skills and meet the unique requirements of each specialty,” says Peter Reilly, CEO of the American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group. “The better we can prepare each scribe, the better they can capture the healthcare documentation needed to support patient care, and this serves both the physicians and patients best.”

AHDPGTM‘s Medical Scribe Specialty Series is just one way we are working to help individuals become highly skilled medical scribe professionals and healthcare organization better develop their own team(s) of internally managed medical scribes. Our Medical Scribe Training, Certification and Implementation Support Program includes the following key elements:

A FREE Online Medical Scribe Readiness Assessment
2 Initial Medical Scribe Training Programs; our Medical Scribe Professional Training Program and our Medical Scribe for Practicing Allied Health Professional Training Program
On-site (On-the-Job) Scribe Training for Physicians and their Scribes
National Medical Scribe Certification Exam

Availability, Pricing and Additional Resources

The AHDPGTM Medical Scribe Training for Cardiology and Dermatology courses are now available on our website at https://ahdpg.com/scribe-specialty/ or you can call Ms. Lynn Calkins, our Admissions Coordinator at 508-925-0556 for more details. The price for each training course is $295 and we offer quantity discounts to organizations looking to enroll ten (10) or more scribe candidates in each medical scribe specialty course.

About AHDPGTM

The American Healthcare Documentation Professional Group (AHDPGTM) is a premier provider of healthcare documentation services, staffing and training. Since 1992, we’ve provided healthcare documentation services, staffing and training to hospitals, medical clinics, physician groups and other healthcare organizations. We also provide comprehensive healthcare documentation training to individuals and healthcare organizations in the following areas.

  • Medical Transcription
  • Medical Scribe
  • Speech Recognition Editing
  • Medical Administrative Assistant
  • Clinical Medical Assistant
  • Medical Billing & Reimbursement
  • Outpatient Medical Coding
  • Credentialing Programs
  • Continuing Education Programs

We are licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and our Medical Transcription training program is approved by the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity’s Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP).

Media Contact:
Peter Reilly
[email protected]
508-938-9250[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

AHDPG Applauds House Bill Supporting VA Medical Scribe Project; Scribe Certification

,

The House passed the VA MISSION Act (S. 2372) by a bipartisan vote of 347-70. This legislative package includes the VA Medical Scribe Pilot Act, a bill co-authored by Walden to help unburden VA doctors by bringing medical scribes into the VA system, which will allow them to see more patients in a timely manner.

“Research in the private sector has shown that allowing medical scribes to handle electronic health records allows the doctor to do what they do best: treat their patients,” Walden said in a speech on the House floor Wednesday. “Chairman Roe joined me in my district last fall on a tour of the VA Clinic in White City, Oregon, where we heard first-hand about the administrative challenges VA doctors face and how that affects their ability to care for veterans. This bill will help.”

“If this bill is approved and the program goes forward, employing Certified Medical Scribes to assist physicians at the VA will undoubtedly improve efficiencies and have the positive effect the bill proponents desire, and more,” said AHDPGTM President and CEO Peter Reilly. “However, in approving the language, AHDPGTM urges that only Certified Medical Scribe Professionals (CMSP) be used in the program. Medical scribes unburden physicians from the administrative burden brought on by todays electronic health record (EHR) systems and increase practice efficiencies in a variety of clinical, non-clinical and administrative ways, but they must be certified. The use of Certified Medical Scribe Professionals will help ensure the accuracy and integrity of the information and data used to effectively capture each patients story.”

The plan introduced by Representative Greg Walden, R-Ore., to improve the care veterans receive at the Veterans Administration is one step closer being sent to the president’s desk.  After receiving approval in the House, the VA MISSION Act now heads to the Senate for final approval before being sent to the president’s desk. To read more about Walden’s legislation, click here.

10 Reasons to Consider Becoming a Medical Scribe

, , ,

U.S. News recently published an article entitled, 10 Reasons to Consider Becoming a Medical Scribe Ahead of Med School.  If you’re considering a career in medicine, working as a medical scribe is a best bet for familiarizing yourself with patient care. A scribe works directly with physicians, primarily focused on charting patient encounters in the electronic medical record. What’s more, scribe positions can be full or part time, making it a viable job choice for a student.

If this sounds appealing, consider the following 10 reasons why prospective medical school students should consider becoming a medical scribe.

1. You will shadow physicians.
2. You will learn a great deal about medicine.
3. You will make money while you learn and shadow.
4. You will learn a lot about teamwork.
5. You will learn medical language.
6. You will watch, hear and see how trust is developed.
7. You will learn about the medical record.
8. You will learn about templates, checklists and smart phrases.
9. You’ll probably increase your typing speed and efficiency.
10. You will get to listen to patients.

If you are interested in launching a career in healthcare or taking your existing career in an exciting new direction becoming a Medical Scribe is a great way place yourself on the front-line!

Physicians Who Have Medical Scribes are More Satisfied and Spend More Time with Patients

, ,

Physicians who work with medical scribes are much more satisfied with their clinic hours, the length of face to-face time they spend with patients, and the time they spend charting, according to the first randomized clinical trial of scribes, recently published in the journal Annals of Family Medicine.

“Spending less time on documentation frees up the physician to pursue direct clinical care and care coordination, thus enhancing joy of practice and preventing burnout,” wrote professor and family medicine researcher Steven Lin, MD, and colleagues at Stanford University School of Medicine, in Stanford, CA. “These findings suggest that scribes may have a protective effect on physicians’ well-being.”

Results showed that scribes improved all aspects of physician satisfaction, including overall satisfaction with clinic (odds ratio [OR] = 10.75), having enough face time with patients (OR = 3.71), time spent charting (OR = 86.09), chart quality (OR = 7.25), and chart accuracy (OR = 4.61). In addition, charts done by scribes were more likely to be closed within 48 hours compared with charts completed by physicians (OR = 1.18).

Related link: Impact of Scribes on Physician Satisfaction, Patient Satisfaction, and Charting Efficiency: A Randomized Controlled Trial

AHDPG Announces Launch of Scribe Vibes — First and Only Online Discussion Forum for Medical Scribe Industry

SHREWSBURY, Mass., Sept. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — As the leading voice, training service and information resource for medial scribes, the American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group (https://ahdpg.com/) is excited to introduce Scribe Vibes. Scribe Vibes is an online forum catering to individuals and organizations from every corner of the scribe industry, from newcomers studying for certification to healthcare organizations working to develop their own team(s) of scribes.   The forum is designed to encourage discussion of everything and anything in the medical scribing world.

Medical Scribe
Medical Scribe

“We see Scribe Vibes as an online resource to exchange ideas, drive best practice adoption, discover employment opportunities, enhance industry certification and keep up to date on all things medical scribe related,” said AHDPGTM President and CEO Peter Reilly. “What makes this forum truly special is there’s nothing like it out there today. Scribe Vibes is an exceptional resource that has already demonstrated its value.”

Since the launch of Scribe Vibes, active discussion topics have included best practices for medical scribes, certification for medical scribes and how providers can build their own team of professional scribes. Indeed, AHDPGTM regularly fields inquiries from physicians, practice managers, hospital administrators and directors, among others, concerning the recruitment of well-trained, certified medical scribes. Now, Scribe Vibes offers a dynamic portal where employers and prospective employees can network and share ideas.

Scribes at any phase of their careers are welcome on Scribe Vibes. AHDPGTM believes a broad, diverse community will help ensure the forum’s continued growth, as well as providing maximum value to all members. For those who are considering employing medical scribes, Scribe Vibes is an ideal place for seeking out expert knowledge on launching their own scribe programs and teams.

By most estimates, the number of working medical scribes will exceed 100,000 by the year 2020.  Driven by federal meaningful use incentives and penalties, more than 95% of US hospitals and 56% of office-based physicians have adopted EHRs.  There is also growing evidence, however, that in their current state, EHRs are associated with decreased physician productivity and revenue, negative patient-physician interactions and relationships, and widespread physician dissatisfaction, hence the rise of the medical scribe as a profession in its own right. AHDPGTM is pleased to meet this demand with top resources like Scribe Vibes.

About AHDPGTM

AHDPGTM is a leading provider of training for the healthcare workforce. The company offers self-paced, instructor-facilitated online training developed by industry-leading experts in healthcare documentation and remains focused on advancing the education, proficiency and professional standing of medical scribes, medical transcriptionists, medical billers, medical coders, etc. and upholding the standards of excellence for certification, training, and evaluation.

AHDPGTM‘s training programs are designed to improve individual skills and increase the efficiencies and competencies of healthcare providers. The company is an active member of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI), the Medical Group Managers Association (MGMA) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Along with assessment, training and certification, AHDPGTM provides medical transcription services for healthcare organizations across the country. The company is licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its Advanced Medical Transcription Program is approved by the AHDI’s Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP). Learn more at https://ahdpg.com.

Contact:

Peter Reilly
AHDPGTM
(508) 938-9250
[email protected]

AHDPG Online Medical Scribe Readiness Assessment Aids in Hiring the Best Medical Scribe Candidates

SHREWSBURY, Mass., June 22nd, 2017 – As more healthcare providers identify the need to standardize documentation and free up physicians’ time to focus on patient care, hospitals, clinics, and private medical practices nationwide are now building in-house teams of certified medical scribes. To help those organizations assess and recruit the best scribe candidates, the American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group (AHDPGTM) has just launched the Online Medical Scribe Readiness Assessment–and it’s free to employers and candidates alike.

“A medical scribe is an unlicensed assistant to the physician who performs documentation in the EHR, gathers information for the patient’s visit, and partners with the physician to deliver the most efficient, highest-quality patient care,” said AHDPGTM President and CEO Peter Reilly. “The use of medical scribes is exploding with the implementation of electronic medical record systems, but identifying top candidates can be a challenge for employers who are just beginning to hire their own medical scribes.”

Enter AHDPGTM’s free Online Medical Scribe Readiness Assessment. Designed to help healthcare employers find their best-fit scribes, the assessment measures each candidate’s existing knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, disease processes, labs, and HIPAA/HITECH. The 60-minute timed assessment, which cannot be taken more than twice in a 30-day period, is available on the AHDPGTM website or can be linked directly from employers’ websites, allowing medical scribe candidates to complete it for free online.

Healthcare organizations can send just one candidate to the tool or refer multiple candidates to identify stand-out medical scribes.  If an employer requires all candidates to enter the organization’s name and contact information, AHDPGTM will aggregate candidates and share the group’s results with the hiring manager.

For candidates, the assessment is a simple (but not necessarily easy) way to see whether they’re ready for the top jobs–from entry-level to upper-level–in the rapidly growing medical scribe field and identifies the next steps needed to become Apprentice Medical Scribe Professionals (AMSPs) or Certified Medical Scribe Professionals (CMSPs). For employers, the assessment is a powerful screening tool in a profession that is not yet regulated.

Nearly 1,000 people have taken the AHDPGTM’s free Online Medical Scribe Readiness Assessment. As a result, each candidate found out how much more training he or she might need to become an AMSP or CMSP. Just as importantly, prospective healthcare employers discovered which of their scribe candidates were best suited for the job.

“The Online Medical Scribe Readiness Assessment is a highly specialized screening tool for employers and candidates,” Reilly explained. “We anticipate it will streamline the hiring process for healthcare organizations and private practices looking to leverage their medical assistants, medical transcriptionists and other allied health professionals as medical scribes while giving these candidates a roadmap to nationally recognized certification.”

About AHDPGTM

AHDPGTM is a leading provider of training for the healthcare workforce. The company offers self-paced, instructor-facilitated online training developed by industry-leading experts in healthcare documentation capture. AHDPGTM’s medical scribe, medical transcription, and medical billing and coding programs are designed to improve individual skills and increase the efficiencies and competencies of healthcare providers. The company is an active member of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI), the Medical Group Managers Association and the American Health Information Management Association. Along with assessment, training and certification, AHDPGTM provides medical transcription services for healthcare organizations across the country. The company is licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and it’s Advanced Medical Transcription Program is approved by the AHDI’s Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP). Learn more at https://ahdpg.com.

Contact:
Peter Reilly
AHDPGTM
(508) 938-9250
[email protected]