What is a Virtual Medical Scribe? How Scribes Transformed Healthcare Services

A virtual medical scribe is a healthcare professional who specializes in medical documentation. They assist physicians and doctors in documenting patient encounters which include appointments, procedures, and other visits. Unlike traditional medical scribes, virtual scribes work from a remote location.

The demand for what is a virtual medical scribe has risen over the recent years thanks to their invaluable asset. They reduce administrative burdens and lessen the risk of physician burnout. Their work also enables healthcare providers to focus better on patients during encounters as they no longer have to worry about documentation and can listen better to the plights of their patients.

Core Responsibilities of a Virtual Scribe

Virtual medical scribes are multifaceted. They are skilled and experienced and have undergone specialty training in various aspects of the medical workflow.

Medical Documentation

Medical documentation is the main tenet of virtual medical scribe services. These healthcare workers record and document patient interactions in real time, whether in telehealth appointments or in-clinic consultations. As they work remotely, virtual scribes listen in on appointments via secure virtual communication platforms.

Medical documentation needs to be completely accurate. Anything less can have repercussions on the continuity of care. On top of that, accurate documentation is also crucial for legal purposes and matters of billing, coding, and insurance processing. To attain accuracy, medical scribes must have strong typing skills while paying extra attention to detail.

EHR Management

Following the creation of medical documentation, the virtual scribe will also handle and manage electronic health records (EHR) systems. 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.

Chart Preparation

Chart preparation is a vital aspect of patient care as it enables doctors to reach a more informed patient outcome efficiently. As the handlers of information within a medical clinic, the virtual medical scribe can prepare a patient’s chart, reviewing previous medical history and other medical notes from previous visits.

By making sure the charts are organized, updated, and accurate, scribes help optimize a clinic’s workflow. This can greatly reduce appointment times, which in turn, allows doctors to see more patients on a daily basis.

Additional Administrative Assistance

On top of the core responsibilities of a virtual scribe, once they have enough time on their hands during a shift, they can provide further assistance to a clinic’s work efficiency by offering additional administrative assistance.

Virtual scribes are experienced and trained professionals. They are knowledgeable enough about the work process of a medical clinic and how to manage its myriad of administrative tasks. Virtual medical scribes can work alongside virtual assistants to contribute to the overall efficiency of the medical facility.

A handful of examples of administrative tasks a virtual medical scribe can complete are appointment scheduling, customer service, coordination with other healthcare professionals, calendar management, and insurance verification assistance, just to name a few.

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. 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. 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.

Either work setup brings specific advantages to a medical facility. On-site scribes have the advantage of being in close proximity to both the physicians they work for and the patients they treat. This allows them to hear encounters clearer and correct mistakes much more easily. On-site scribes also have the ability to immediately inquire with the physician should they need answers to specific questions.

On the other hand, virtual medical scribes have also become more appealing to more physicians thanks to them being more cost-efficient while having the ability to be as effective in the role, if not more so.

When they opt to hire virtual scribes over in-house scribes, physicians have access to a broader talent pool. Remote scribes can work from anywhere, which means doctors and employers can hire highly skilled and experienced professionals regardless of their geographic location.

Virtual scribes also reduce the overhead costs of maintaining a physical office space, all the equipment and technology an in-house scribe requires.

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 sribes.

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

n 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.