As physician practices move towards EMR documentation, it’s important to know whether the system is helping physicians improve speed and efficiency of care.

1. Is EMR Saving Money and Helping Physicians See Patients Faster and
Quicker Over Doing Dictated Medical Transcription?
With the 2015 deadline for EMR adoption, more and more healthcare facilities and
physician practices are moving towards the implementation of digitized medical
records. While the goals of EMR adoption are improved quality and safety of patient
care and enhanced healthcare provider revenues, questions are now being asked as
to whether these objectives are being met. A recent study by RAND Corporation says
that EMR implementation has failed so far to generate expected health care cost
savings and that its track record in improving patient care and productivity is as
impressive as expected. Are dictated medical transcription services better than
EMR when it comes to documentation?
Documentation with EMR and Transcription Services
Depending on the type of EMR, the average
time taken for EMR documentation is 7 to 15
minutes. Patients find that they get less
attention during an office visit because the
physician has to focus on entering information
into the EMR. According to a Medical Group
Management Association study conducted in
2012, over 53% of healthcare systems or
practices reported that they did not set aside
enough time to train physicians to use the
system, which means that they take more
time to enter data. More time spent on EMR
operation means less that patients are seen.
Physicians need to enter the information
correctly to get reimbursed. The RAND study
says that the EMR system aims at increasing
billing efficiency rather than helping
physicians provide better patient care. Industry watchers even say that there is a
chance that unscrupulous healthcare providers can misuse the system to bill the
services which were not actually provided.
In comparison to EMR, it takes only 3 minutes for a physician to dictate a note
during a patient encounter. A dedicated medical transcription service provider can
transcribe the audio accurately and in customized turnaround time, ensuring efficient
documentation solutions for the physician.
Overall Costs: EMR V/s Medical Transcription
One of the main advantages that EMR is supposed to provide is the ease of transfer
and accessibility of a patient’s medical record between practices and service
providers such as hospitals, laboratories, specialists, radiology and so on. However,
the RAND Corporation study points out that many commercial EMR systems are hard
to operate and make it difficult for doctors and patients to share medical information
across various systems.
www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com call: 1-800-670-2809

2. It has also been pointed out that each provider network has a unique EMR system
and that systems are not compatible, making it almost impossible to share
information.
In addition to huge initial capital costs, the hardware of EHR
system must be replaced in the event of serious technical
issues. Also, the software has to be upgraded regularly.
Maintenance costs can be quite high.
However, good EMR software from a reputable vendor can ensure better productivity
(quick access to patient information) and interoffice usability (sharing of information
across systems). Experts are pointing out that the best way to improve patient care
and revenues is to integrate medical transcription solutions with a good EMR system.
Physicians can continue with their dictation and focus better on their patients.
Reliable medical transcription companies provide affordable medical transcription
services with feeds to EMR/EHR.
About MTS
MTS Transcription Services (MTS) is a medical transcription service company offering
quality medical transcription outsourcing services to hospitals, outpatient clinics,
physicians and health care facilities of all specialties and sizes across US and Canada.
Contact us:
Headquarters:
8596 E. 101st Street, Suite H
Tulsa, OK 74133
Main: (800) 670 2809
Fax: (877) 835-5442
E-mail: info@managedoutsource.com
www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com call: 1-800-670-2809