EHR-integrated medical transcription and documentation can serve the needs of physicians and practices by enhancing their efficiency and improving patient care.
EHR-integrated Medical Documentation
The electronic health record was introduced to improve the medical documentation process, and make it more efficient and reliable. But since then, while some doctors and hospitals have reported improved performance, others have felt that the complex nature of EHR is actually slowing them down, compromising patient care and increasing their workload. This confusing trend is made more astonishing by the fact there seem to be only two extremes and no middle ground – doctors are either singing praises of it or complaining about its introduction.
Positive Response towards EHR Adoption
Market research firm Black Book conducted a survey recently which revealed that physicians in large practices and clinics were increasingly experiencing satisfaction with EHR usage since the survey was first conducted six years earlier. The larger physician practices were more satisfied with electronic health record usability and the productivity improvements it helped achieve than the smaller practices.
The survey involved 1,304 large practices. Physician satisfaction with EHR rose from a mere 8% in 2013 to 67% in the second quarter of 2015. There were also improvements in physician documentation from 10% in 2013 to 63% in the second quarter of 2015. Practice productivity enhancements rose from just 7% to a massive 68% in the second quarter of 2015.
Contrasting Results in AMA Survey
However, a survey conducted by AmericanEHR Partners and the American Medical Association (AMA) revealed that physicians are more dissatisfied now with electronic health record usage than they were five years ago. The survey covered 940 physicians and revealed that only 34% of them were pleased with their system of EHR, which is a significant drop from the 62% reported when the survey was conducted in 2010.
Respondents largely gave negative reactions with regard to their EHR system’s intended goals of cost savings and improved efficiency and productivity. Up to 72% of respondents believed it was difficult or extremely difficult to bring down their workload, 54% believed it was increasing their operating costs, and 43% believed they had productivity challenges that needed to be overcome.
Primitive or Inefficient EHR Systems
This is in striking contrast to the Black Book findings mentioned earlier. However, Black Book’s survey also revealed that 71% of dissatisfied clinics and large practices were struggling with their original electronic health record systems implemented before the fourth quarter of 2012. As a result, 18% of these large practices are either planning or executing the replacement of their original EHR before the end of 2016.
The reason for the dissatisfaction with EHR could then be pinned on primitive and inefficient software, and it is important that practices realize this and make the required changes since EHR here to stay. EHR-integrated medical transcription services can help improve user-friendliness and performance for physicians and practices. They can also help physicians in their transition from conventional dictation platforms to EHR/EMR systems. Judging by the prevailing discontent, such seamless integration is the need of the hour.
