There was a time when physicians used to ask the question, “Whether or not I need a medical scribe?” because it was a matter of convenience. But nowadays, it is the need of the hour. There is a long list of statistics that say it has almost become a necessity to hire a medical scribe. The primary two reasons are the advent of the EHR and the increased pressure on the healthcare system. On average, a doctor has to spend 2-3 hours extra every day to perform the documentation in the EHR.
What is a medical scribe?
A medical scribe is a specialized individual who takes the responsibility of performing documentation in the EHR/EMR, organizing patient charts, and providing information to the doctor for a patient visit. Many people even refer to a medical scribe as a personal assistant to a physician as they can take care of other administrative tasks. However, the primary role of the medical scribe is to listen to the doctor-patient conversation and document it in the EHR.
What is a virtual medical scribe?
A virtual medical scribe works with a physician in real-time from a remote location connected via audio-video calling software. A virtual medical scribe (VMS) listens to the conversation between a doctor and a patient from a remote location, prepares the notes, gets them checked by the doctor, and documents them in the EHR.
7 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Virtual Medical Scribe Company
A virtual medical scribe can do almost every task as an on-site medical scribe. They both have the same primary responsibilities and roles. It is just that they use different tools of communication which result in different pros and cons. Have a look at the seven reasons why you should hire a virtual medical scribe company.
1. Cost less than an on-site medical scribe
A VMS costs less than on-site medical scribes. It is due to a variety of factors. First, they are working from a remote or home location. Thus, their hourly rate is less than the on-site medical scribe. Second, the operational cost of a VMS is less than that of an on-site scribe. You do not have to make arrangements to accommodate a new employee in the office. Also, you do not have to spend money on fulfilling the administrative responsibilities of hiring an employee.
2. Can be adapted easily to your workflow
Virtual scribes are well-trained seasoned individuals who know the industry very well. They can be trained to your workflow with little training, which makes them almost immediately available for work ready. All you have to wait for is to get them connected to your IT system. Whereas, with an on-site medical scribe, you need to interview plenty of candidates to find the right person for the job, train them, and finally get them to work ready.
3. Enhanced comfort for the patient
There are many medical practices where patients are not comfortable having any other person than the doctor in the examination room. In that scenario, a virtual medical scribe fits perfectly into the bill. A virtual scribe listens to the doctor-patient conversation from a remote location which makes the scribe less intrusive, resulting in enhanced comfort for the patient.
4. No administrative burden in hiring an employee
Hiring an on-site employee comes with HR responsibilities, payroll management, taxes, W-2 forms, and so on. When you partner with a virtual medical scribe company, all you have to do is pay for the services. Your service provider is responsible for HR, administrative work, taxes, employer obligations, legal document work, etc.
5. No Retention Challenges
Usually, on-site medical scribes are medical students who are looking for internships or part-time jobs. They work for a short period of time. Thus, it gets hard to retain the scribe. Also, a lot of time has gone into the training. So it is often not a fruitful choice for doctors. Not just that, good medical scribes are pursued by other hospitals. You need to incentivize the scribes to retain them. With virtual scribes, you do not have to worry about retention. It is the responsibility of your medical scribe company.
6. Scalability
A dedicated medical scribe company has plenty of human resources. In case you need more medical scribes, your company can provide you with additional resources. This ease of scalability makes it convenient to fulfill your scalable needs.
7. Quality services in a remote area
The unavailability of highly trained medical scribes is quite common in remote areas. A VMS makes it possible for physicians in remote areas to avail of quality services. A VMS provides the same level of high-quality, efficient, and productive service in remote areas as expert scribes provide in the city.
If you are looking for virtual medical scribe services, you can get in touch with VA.care to hire a virtual scribe for your medical practice. Va.care has the best virtual scribes in the industry. They can record and document patient visits in real-time right in the exam room and help you take notes and document your EHR systems. They are HIPAA trained and can be trained easily to your workflow. You can visit the website to know the pricing and various plans.