The Affordable Care Act is swelling patient rolls while CMS continues slapping EMR-resistant providers with increasingly hefty financial penalties. What’s an already overburdened doctor to do?
Hire a medical scribe.
According to a feature article in the Sacramento Bee, that’s exactly what a growing number of physicians, hospitals and clinics are doing.
Job 1 on the role’s to-do list is entering key details of each and every patient encounter into the EMR in a timely manner.
The article cites a Mayo Clinic study published last month showing that more than half of physicians nationwide experience professional burnout, and the condition significantly worsened from 2011 to 2014.
It quotes Justin Wagner, MD, medical director of Sutter Health’s emergency department, which employs about 40 scribes.
“As time goes on, the landscape of healthcare becomes more complicated,” Wagner told the Bee. “Scribes can help reduce that burden for physicians. They’re worth their weight in gold, for sure.”
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.