The virtual scribe service involves trained professionals who remotely document real-time patient interaction using video conferencing. Moreover, they also know how to work on the client’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, which increases the provider’s efficiency. Additionally, they reduce the administrative burden of healthcare providers so that the providers can focus directly on providing the best possible patient care. Furthermore, the virtual scribe services focus on improving the clinic's efficiency, reducing the burnout time of the providers, and improving the accuracy of the medical records. So that is why this blog will describe the five major impacts of virtual scribe companies on patient satisfaction.    

Major impacts of virtual scribe services on patient satisfaction   

#1: Improved patient satisfaction   

American College of Emergency Physicians performed a survey in which 89% of physicians stated that virtual scribes reduced their administrative burden, which helped them to focus more on patient care. Hence, focusing more on patient care leads to better patient satisfaction which boosts the healthcare providers’ revenue.   

#2: Enhanced accuracy and transparency of medical records   

One of the main challenges healthcare providers faces is making an accurate medical record for their patients. However, as virtual scribes have years of experience managing patient records, they can accurately record all the patient information in a very short amount of time. Apart from that, they are highly trained in all medical documentation and terminology which eventually ensures that no errors occur in the medical records, thereby leading to better patients' safety.     

#3: Better cost-savings   

The in-house scribes come up with a very high cost and also it takes a lot of time to hire them. On the other hand, as the virtual scribe services work from the comfort of their home, they come at less cost than hiring an in-person scribe. Apart from that, the healthcare providers also do not have to pay for other expenses such as a different office space, employee benefits, and training. Hence, the clinics will require fewer resources for their remote staff without paying other employment benefits to the virtual scribe resources which leads to a better cost saving for the healthcare provider.     

#4: Streamlined patient follow-up and reduced wait times   

The virtual scribes further assist efficiently and manage patient documentation, which leads to faster patient information processing. It has been observed that the virtual scribes carefully document the patient histories, and treatment plans so that no documentation error occurs. Furthermore, the scribes focus on capturing only the relevant information so that the patient does not have to share unnecessary data which saves a lot of time. Hence, it leads to a reduction in patient wait time and accelerates the delivery of necessary care.    

#5: Ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations   

The virtual scribes incorporate numerous data encryption techniques to access patient data, eventually safeguarding against unauthorized access. Moreover, the virtual scribes undergo rigorous training on the best practices of data security so that the patient data is thoroughly HIPAA compliant. Hence, complying with the regulations leads to the revenue growth of healthcare providers.   

Managing an in-house scribe service is a very costly and time-consuming affair for the healthcare provider. However, the providers may consider outsourcing virtual scribe services as it is quite beneficial for tasks like - eliminating the risk of physician burnout, increasing the efficiency, enhancing the overall patient satisfaction, reducing the errors rate, and also in improving the billing accuracy. Apart from that, outsourcing virtual scribe assistance comes with added advantages of extensive experience in utilizing the correct medical terminologies and complying with HIPAA regulations. So, if you want to streamline your healthcare operations in no-time and at a cost-effective rate, you can consider hiring a virtual scribe service.