Scribes give providers more patient time

Medical scribes across the nation are helping patients get more one-on-one time with their healthcare providers by serving as personal assistants in the exam room.

Providers use scribes to document their interactions with patients in real-time. Once details of the visit are documented, they are reviewed and signed by the provider and included in the patient’s electronic health record (EHR).

Additionally, scribes help retrieve patient testing results, nursing notes, and other relevant health information that is part of the patient’s EHR. Performing many of the duties that once were a physician’s responsibility allows providers to spend more time on patient care.

Having scribes accompany providers in the exam room benefits both providers and patients in several ways, including the following:

• Documentation is faster and more accurate. Providers no longer have to split their time between recording details of the visit and diagnosing and treating patients.
• Information gathered from patient visits is more readily available and patient records are updated more quickly. Many providers previously would spend additional hours doing documentation at the end of the day or during off-hours.
• Scribes save providers time, which can expedite the ordering of prescriptions and testing.
• With a streamlined documentation process, providers can spend more time on direct patient care and less time on documentation.

More medical providers nationwide are relying on scribes to help fulfill the numerous documentation requirements that come with maintaining complete, accurate electronic health records. The American College of Medical Scribe Specialists estimates there are more than 20,000 scribes in the US. That number is expected to grow to 100,000 by 2020.

Several doctors and nurse practitioners in the Paris Clinic utilize scribes, which allow them to spend more time with their
patients.

Several doctors and nurse practitioners in the Paris Clinic utilize scribes, which allow them to spend more time with their patients.