Physican practices and Scribes

Has your medical practice thought about using a Scribe? I know of a rheumatology group medical practice in Arizona that has used Scribes for about 8 months.  While the goal was not to see more patients (the practice is now seeing more patients), the real reason that the practice started using a Scribe was for efficiency. Two physicians (that work on opposite schedules) split her salary. One struggled with documentation and the other physician goes by the speed of light and he was working incredibly long hours.  For these physicians it was a quality of life issue. It has transformed the way they practice. They are able to focus on the patient during the visit while the Scribe is capturing everything.  They read and sign off on all of their charts.  It took a week or so to get into a flow or rhythm but I do not think they would go back now.

The other physicians in the group are now watching these physicians - a couple of them see the dramatic change in the two physician's mood and attitude so now they want to pursue using a Scribe.

I would highly suggest making sure that if you choose to use a Scribe that you get one that has actually been through Scribe training and has not been groomed to be a Scribe.  Theirs came from a good program and has done extremely well.

Something you might want to think about for your physician practice.