Have you ever heard of a medical scribe? If not, you’re not alone – while they are an integral part of many healthcare teams, they’re often overlooked or misunderstood. A medical scribe is a professional who specializes in the documentation of patient encounters in real-time during physician visits. They are essential to ensuring accurate and efficient records are created and maintained. Let’s take a closer look at this important role.
What Does a Medical Scribe Do?
Medical scribes work alongside physicians to accurately document patient visits as they happen. This includes everything from transcribing physician dictation to entering relevant information into electronic health records (EHRs). In order to do so, medical scribes must have knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, medical terminology, diagnosis coding using ICD-10 codes, and other clinical topics. They must also be proficient with EHR systems such as Epic or Cerner. The goal is for the physician to spend more time with the patient by allowing the scribe to complete all data entry within the visit – from vital signs to lab values – and then review it before closing out the record. This increases efficiency while ensuring accuracy in charting.
Benefits of Having a Medical Scribe
Medical scribes can provide numerous benefits for healthcare teams—in particular physicians—by saving them time that would otherwise be spent on data entry when completing patient notes post-visit. Physicians can also enjoy improved accuracy in their documentation due to real-time dictation and clarification offered by medical scribes during the visit itself. Additionally, having an extra set of eyes in the room can help spot potential diagnoses or treatments that may have been missed by the physician alone which is beneficial for both doctor and patient alike. Finally, having a medical scribe frees up more time for physicians so they can focus on providing quality care instead of paperwork; studies have found that having one improves job satisfaction amongst healthcare providers significantly!
Going Pro As A Medical Scribe
If you’re considering becoming a professional medical scribe there are several qualifications necessary before taking on this role including completion of specialized training programs as well as becoming certified through organizations like The American College Of Medical Scribe Specialists (ACMSS). With training comes knowledge; important traits such as strong communication skills, an understanding of basic patient care procedures, attention to detail and being organized are all essential characteristics needed for success in this field. Once these requirements have been met you will be well on your way to making an impactful difference within any healthcare team!
Overall, medical scribes play an invaluable role within healthcare teams by helping maintain accurate records while freeing up valuable time for physicians so they can focus solely on delivering quality care to their patients. Being knowledgeable about anatomy & physiology along with having excellent communication skills are just some of the requirements necessary if you wish to pursue this profession but once achieved it can prove highly rewarding!