Physician burnout has been a major problem in the healthcare industry for several years, and the trickle-down effect is significant. With physicians unable to work, patients are becoming stuck on waiting lists and struggling to get the care they need. This is the opposite of what the healthcare system strives to achieve, so it’s crucial that this epidemic of burnout is addressed. But how do you get started on solving an age-old healthcare problem? Well, have you considered starting with a virtual medical scribe?
Why Are Physicians Suffering Burnout?
Before we dig down into how a virtual scribe can help reduce burnout, it’s important that we understand why so many physicians are experiencing it. It’s a significant issue in the US and one which is driven by several factors:
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Administrative Burden:
Too many physicians find themselves having to dedicate their time to non-clinical tasks. This can take the form of transcribing, patient documentation, and billing. These time-consuming duties pull physicians away from patient care and increase stress levels and job dissatisfaction, a recipe for disaster.
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Long Hours and High Caseloads:
Physicians have exceptionally high caseloads at present, and it’s no surprise that they’re often working up to 60 hours per week. These are serious demands which, coupled with the pressure of targets, can quickly undermine a physician’s physical and emotional wellbeing.
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Work-Life Imbalance:
The sheer number of hours that a physician has to work, along with the mental exhaustion of such demanding work, means physicians have little time for themselves or their families. This can foster a sense of being overwhelmed and ratchets up the tension on the physician, a surefire way of increasing the burnout risk.
The Virtual Assistant Revolution
A virtual medical scribe is a relatively recent employment solution for physicians, and one which has emerged from the virtual assistant revolution. Starting around 15 years ago, the world of virtual assistants has grown significantly in the last 10 years. Best of all, it’s one of the surest ways to address the impact of contemporary physician burnout, felt most notably in the number of physicians quitting the industry.
What, though, is a virtual assistant? In a way, you already know. You see, a virtual assistant is very similar to your traditional in-house assistant. You know the type, commutes to your workplace every day to work a 9 – 5 shift. It’s a good solution for coping with the intense administrative demands of modern healthcare, but is it the best? After all, the physician/assistant relationship has been in place for decades, so surely there must be something new and innovative.
Thanks, as ever, to the internet, there is a new and innovative solution. Modern internet speeds are incredibly powerful compared to 20 years ago. Back at the dawn of the 21st century, internet users could log on to the internet, do some browsing and send a few emails. But that was it. However, modern internet connections now allow you to do so much more. From conducting crystal clear video calls through to transferring huge data files and collaborating with colleagues, there are few work duties which can’t be completed virtually.
And the setup behind a virtual assistant is remarkably simple. A PC, an internet connection, and the appropriate login credentials are all that are needed for them to carry out their tasks within your IT environment. So, yes, you could very well have a virtual medical scribe working for you who’s based on the other side of the world. There’s no longer any need for them to be based within driving distance of your practice. They don’t even have to be based in the same country, continent, or hemisphere.
The opportunities presented by a virtual scribe are simply too valuable to overlook. And once you discover the enhanced benefits they offer, you'll find it hard to resist bringing one on board.
Embrace the Benefits of a Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants are bursting at the seams with benefits, and these alone are almost enough to relieve the stress from physicians. So, if you bring in a virtual medical scribe, these attractive benefits will suddenly be available:
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Cost Savings:
Choosing to work with a virtual medical scribe can save your business up to 78% in operating costs by eliminating expenses like vacation pay, pensions, and sick leave, all of which add up significantly over time. In fact, it’s estimated that hiring a remote assistant over an in-house one can save you around $11,000.
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Availability:
Virtual assistants are always available at short notice and can be quickly integrated into a new team. This is a godsend when physicians are struggling with an intense workload and need assistance with their duties. With this help in place, physicians can then focus on their core duties of patient care.
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24/7 Coverage:
Healthcare is the industry which never sleeps, and this means physicians require 24/7 assistance. This is where a virtual scribe can step forward and be counted. With many virtual assistants based in different time zones, the opportunity to staff unsociable shifts – such as the evening – instantly becomes an option. This ensures physicians can delegate transcription duties at any time of day, a move which has a major impact on reducing physician burnout.
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Increased Productivity:
Removed from the hustle and bustle of a busy medical practice, virtual scribes are free to focus on their main duties. The lack of regular interruptions from colleagues enables them to take on tasks from your physicians and complete them not just promptly, but also to a professional standard.
Virtual Scribe: The Physician’s Solution
When you bring a virtual medical scribe into your practice, you’re removing a substantial weight from the shoulders of your physicians. With their abilities to streamline documentation and improve efficiency, a virtual scribe can be the key to maximizing job satisfaction levels for your physicians. And a virtual medical scribe does this with real style. In among the seemingly endless list of tasks they can handle, the most impactful duties are:
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Real Time Documentation:
The administrative demands of patient care can easily distract physicians from their patients, and this can affect the quality of care the patient receives. But these distractions are eliminated when a virtual medical scribe is present. They can take on the duty of documenting patient interactions in real-time, allowing your physicians to focus their full attention on the patient. This provides a greater experience for the patient, enhanced accuracy, and fully comprehensive record keeping.
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Reduced Administration:
With a virtual scribe by their side, physicians can feel confident of letting go of their administrative tasks and delegating them. This frees up considerable time and, as a result, drives down stress levels for your physicians. And with over 45% of physicians reporting burnout symptoms in recent years, this avenue of delegation has never been more important. With the intensive paperwork demand removed from your physicians’ days, their job satisfaction and performance will skyrocket.
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Template Management:
Virtual medical scribes are a creative brand of virtual assistant, and this enables them to create tailored documentation templates which suit specific medical specialties or individual physician preferences. A virtual scribe can then use these templates to detail patient consultations and physician requirements. By including only the very necessary data, a virtual medical scribe can ensure their physician has only the details they need to review and no extraneous data to complicate decision making and record keeping.
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Accurate Billing and Coding:
The presence of a virtual medical scribe guarantees that all the detailed information necessary for accurate medical coding is captures. This is achieved thanks to the meticulous approach of a virtual scribe who can document patient encounters with high levels of accuracy. This reduces the risk of billing errors, which are a major source of stress and headaches for physicians. But with this stressor removed, your physicians can reduce their stress levels, enhance their performance and deliver better patient care.
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Data Management:
A virtual scribe comes complete with the necessary experience of handling medical data and using electronic health records. This expertise with data enables your physicians to have access to a comprehensive set of records for your patients. All the crucial data is there, and the patient records aren’t full of unnecessary information, providing a concise resource. This makes your physicians’ lives much easier and, again, cuts down on the amount of wasted labor they have to expend.
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Patient Portal Management:
The digital age has enhanced the provision of healthcare, but the accompanying bureaucracy has also caused sizable stress for physicians. One of the main bugbears of physicians is the number of different portals they need to log in to in order to process patient care e.g. pathology labs, electronic referrals, and visit summaries. Luckily, a virtual medical scribe will be fully proficient in tackling these portals. Accordingly, they can take this stressful duty off your physicians and save them some valuable time.
Step into the Future with a Virtual Medical Scribe
Life’s too short for both stress and below-par patient care, so why not do something about it? By protecting the mental and physical health of your physicians, you’re enabling them to work to their full potential. This enhances the quality of service your patients receive and preserves the well-being of your physicians.
A virtual medical scribe represents the perfect solution to this scenario, and they could easily transform your practice in next to no time. However, where do you find a virtual medical scribe? With a global spread from one corner of the globe to another, how do you secure the services of the perfect virtual scribe? Traditionally, you would advertise locally, but this approach misses the point of globally available virtual assistants.
Thankfully, you’ve found yourself in the right place as Hello Rache is one of the industry's leading suppliers of virtual medical scribes. Our years of experience in the industry make us the gold standard when it comes to VA agencies, and this is reflected in the quality of our virtual assistants.
Fully trained and ready to hit the ground running, our virtual assistants are priced at just $8 per hour. This cost is free from any contract or setup fees, and you only ever pay for the hours worked by your virtual assistant. On top of this, you also get to work with the same virtual medical scribe every day and have a dedicated account manager to liaise with.
If you want your physicians to be happier, more productive, and feel secure in their jobs, bringing in a virtual medical scribe is one of the best ways to achieve this. Not only will your physicians thank you for taking this step, but the increased patient satisfaction will be a serious result for your practice. To get started on your virtual scribe journey, click here to see what Hello Rache can do for you.
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