Following the creation of medical documentation, the virtual scribe will also handle and manage electronic health records (EHR) systems. For those wondering what is a virtual medical scribe, they are professionals who document patient encounters and ensure accurate data entry in healthcare settings. With the increasing adoption of telehealth solutions, there is a rise in cyber threats, making secure data management by virtual medical scribes crucial. They perform EHR documentation following patient encounters. Scribes will continue to update, maintain, and organize the EHR system so that the clinic’s patient records remain current and accurate. EHR management involves data entry wherein scribes input a patient’s lab results, medications, aftercare, and other relevant medical details. Completion of this task makes it vastly easier for medical teams to coordinate care, as well as prevent further errors.
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Definition and Benefits of Virtual Medical Scribes
What is a Virtual Medical Scribe?
A virtual medical scribe is a highly trained, HIPAA-compliant professional who specializes in documenting patient encounters and assisting healthcare providers with electronic health records (EHRs) and other administrative tasks. Unlike traditional scribes who work on-site, virtual medical scribes operate remotely, leveraging secure video conferencing technology to listen in on patient encounters. This allows them to capture detailed, accurate clinical notes in real-time, ensuring that healthcare providers can focus on delivering quality patient care without being bogged down by documentation tasks. Virtual medical scribes are adept at medical terminology and are trained to handle a variety of administrative duties, making them an invaluable asset to any healthcare facility.
Additional Administrative Assistance
Virtual scribes enhance clinic efficiency by offering administrative support, including appointment scheduling, customer service, coordination, calendar management, and insurance verification.
Improve Documentation Efficiency
Virtual Scribes Save You Time
- Pre-scribe documentation time averages 20 minutes per appointment.
- Post-scribe documentation time drops to 14.4 minutes per appointment.
- Time saved: Approximately 5.6 minutes per appointment (28% reduction).
- Frees up more time for direct patient care.
The History of Virtual Scribing
For decades, scribes have offered their services to healthcare professionals. Traditionally, medical scribes would shadow a physician throughout their workday to document patient encounters. In contrast, virtual medical scribes provide a cost-effective, flexible, and privacy-enhanced alternative, addressing the challenges and expenses associated with hiring traditional medical scribes. Whether a physician is tending to a patient consultation or an emergency procedure, a scribe can follow up by offering documentation services. As mentioned, this service allows doctors to focus more on patients without having to worry about documentation.
On top of that, medical scribes also perform secretarial duties, similar to what medical assistants do. During the pandemic that covered the globe, several medical roles had to continue performing their duties remotely. As it happens, this included the medical scribes. As such, the virtual medical scribe position was born. Since then, telemedicine and remote work have only become more prominent in almost every industry, including healthcare. Advancements in technology and the workforce becoming increasingly more skilled have made virtual scribes grow in demand within the world of healthcare.
On-site Scribes vs. Virtual Scribes
On-site scribes (or traditional scribes) and virtual scribes share the same core responsibilities. They create medical documentation, manage EHR systems, and perform several administrative duties for a medical clinic. Traditional scribes work in the exam room with physicians during patient encounters. The only main difference between a traditional scribe and a virtual scribe is their work setup. An on-site scribe needs to be physically at the medical clinic. They work in close proximity with physicians, following them throughout the day to document patient encounters in real time. Virtual scribes, on the other hand, do their work completely remotely. They listen in on patient encounters through secure communication applications. They also manage EHR systems from their own computers, uploading relevant data and information as they go.
Tools of the Trade
A virtual scribe relies on a range of tools and technology to perform their tasks properly.
Remote Work Setup
Every virtual scribe needs to have a reliable remote work setup. This means having a computer that’s serviceable enough to handle multiple applications, a high-speed internet connection, and a secure platform to keep patient records secure. That last aspect is vastly important as virtual scribes need to comply with all healthcare regulations concerning patient privacy.
Virtual medical scribing can be effectively done anywhere, but scribes will need to have a proper home/remote office setup where they can work in peace.
Software and Applications Used by Virtual Scribes
Virtual scribes use a range of specialized software and applications. These are needed to properly document encounters and communicate with the healthcare facility.
- EHR system – The main application used by scribes, the EHR system is where they will do most of their virtual medical scribing and where they store patient information.
- Secure communication tools – The communication tool will depend on the employer or doctor. The communication tool is encrypted to ensure security and confidentiality.
- Medical dictation application – A scribe may use a medical dictation application to assist them in transcribing notes more quickly and accurately.
A scribe may use more or less tools depending on the physician they work for. Regardless, a scribe can leverage these tools to perform their duties properly while ensuring the highest standards when it comes to accurate and timely documentation.
How Virtual Medical Scribes Transformed Healthcare Services
Virtual medical scribes have significantly improved how healthcare services operate in today’s world. Regardless of scale and experience, a healthcare facility thrives and every healthcare professional that works in it is empowered to work better thanks to the presence of virtual scribes.
On top of empowering healthcare providers to focus better on patients, virtual scribing services free up a physician’s time enough so they can focus better on the other aspects of their professional and personal lives. This reduces the risk of physician burnout and increases overall job satisfaction. With these two factors, a physician is then motivated to perform better, benefiting their patients in the end.
The Future of Healthcare in the Virtual Space
In recent years, the healthcare landscape has evolved to incorporate the virtual space. The demand for telehealth services and remote services has continued to increase over the years. More patients will choose to see healthcare professionals remotely rather than visiting an actual physical clinic. Not only is this option more time efficient for them, but telehealth services also allow patients to see a specialized healthcare professional from a different city or even a different country.
As this demand grows, so does the need for virtual employees. Healthcare providers will continue to need the services of remote medical professionals, such as virtual assistants and virtual scribes, as long as this need is present in the medical field.
Plunging Confidently Into Tomorrow With VMeDx
At VMeDx, we completely understand the demand for virtual scribes. That is why we take meticulous steps in gathering highly skilled scribes. We also provide them with continuous training so they are better equipped to handle the needs of the medical providers they work for.
Partner with VMeDx and plunge confidently into the future of the medical world. Our scribes and our experience will give you the power to focus on what you do best: caring for your patients.
