Cardiologists And EHR Woes: Is Hiring Scribes The Best Fix?

The advent of electronic health records has presented both physicians and patients with new challenges. The once-free interaction between physician and patient is now often hindered by the barrier of computer screens. Physicians, including cardiologists find themselves spending more time than ever on EHRs, which increases their workload and leads to burnout. Balancing documentation requirements with patient care has become especially challenging for busy cardiologists, highlighting the need for solutions such as hiring a scribe to ease these burdens.

The Role Of Scribes

Simply put, scribes help physicians by handing the electronic health records. Whether they’re with physicians and patients in examination rooms or working remotely, their primary responsibility is to document the details of the visit within the EHR. This includes effectively capturing intricate patient information, physician observations, treatment decisions, and much more. Scribes may even do quick research, calculate risk scores, and locate drug information or past test results, to enhance the efficiency of the documentation process. In spite of these benefits, the use of scribes in cardiology clinics remains a subject of debate among cardiologists.

Advocates vs. Critics: Analyzing The Benefits Of Scribes

The use of scribes in cardiology practices has sparked a debate between those who like the idea and those who don’t. Supporters say that scribes improve efficiency, increase revenue, and enhance satisfaction for both patients and physicians. While critics question the added cost of hiring and training scribes, saying that efficiency and patient satisfaction is possible with better time management and delegation of EHR tasks to the existing teams.

Perspectives Of Cardiologists

Dr. Ty J. Gluckman, a medical director at Providence Heart and Vascular Institute, Tigard, Oregon, says that scribes are incredibly valuable in dealing with EHR documentation challenges, especially in an ambulatory setting. However, not all cardiologists are of this opinion. Dr. Jeffrey Westcott, from the Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute, Seattle, Washington, says that the benefits of scribes can be enjoyed without the costs of recruiting, paying, and training a new team member. He prefers to streamline workflows and make use of the skills of existing team members to address EHR challenges.

Scribes Drive Productivity And Revenue

Dr. Alan J. Bank at the United Heart and Vascular Clinic, St. Paul, conducted a year-long study comparing outcomes with and without the use of scribes. His research strongly backs up the idea of hiring scribes and shows how much they can enhance physician productivity. He also found that cardiologists using scribes saw an increase in patient volume, which resulted in more revenue for the practice. Moreover, scribes helped physicians save 2.5 hours a day by eliminating clerical tasks and dealing with EHR alerts that contribute to fatigue.

Balancing Screen Time With Face Time

Although opinions vary on how much scribes improve patient satisfaction, most agree that it's beneficial to remove the barrier of the computer between physicians and patients. Alan Bank and his team found that both patients and physicians were satisfied with their interactions during cardiology clinic visits when scribes were present. They also noticed that having scribes around enhanced physician satisfaction more than patients.

Building Effective Teams

According to Gluckman, scribes are most effective when the entire team, including physicians, nurses, and staff, undergoes training in standardized documentation and clinic workflows. Ongoing education is also important as scribes may not initially be familiar with all cardiology terms and workflows. Moreover, bringing scribes into cardiology practices needs effort on the part of both the physicians and the scribes. Physicians should establish best practices, clear roles, and standardized templates while scribes may need training from EHR experts.

Dr. Westcott who has no intention of hiring a scribe, insists on modifying workflows and ensuring that all his team members are adequately trained on EHR documentation practices. Wescott follows a structured approach before each patient visit. A nurse or PA fills out key EHR sections for him to review. Later, he quickly adds notes. However, he admits that this method may not work for urgent or ambulatory care, where quick patient interaction is crucial. He believes having a scribe to document patient encounters could help him focus more on direct patient care.

Conclusion

While the use of scribes in cardiology practices can reduce EHR-related burdens on physicians, it remains a topic of debate among cardiologists. Advocates point out the improvements in efficiency, revenue, and physician satisfaction. On the other hand, critics argue that refining workflows and using the skills of existing team members can achieve the same results without extra costs. Hence, the decision to hire scribes depends on the specific needs of the practice, the preferences of the physicians, and their workflow. If you are looking to hire one today, get in touch with Physicians Angels! Hire a cardiology scribe, ease your EHR burden!