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Bank AJ, Obetz C, Konrardy A, et al. Impact of scribes on patient interaction, productivity, and revenue in a cardiology clinic: a prospective study. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2013;5:399-406doi: 10.2147/CEOR.S49010.
Bank, A. J., Obetz, C., Konrardy, A., Khan, A., Pillai, K. M., McKinley, B. J., Gage, R. M., Turnbull, M. A., & Kenney, W. O. (2013). Impact of scribes on patient interaction, productivity, and revenue in a cardiology clinic: a prospective study. ClinicoEconomics and outcomes research : CEOR, 5399-406. https://doi.org/10.2147/CEOR.S49010
Bank, Alan J, et al. "Impact of scribes on patient interaction, productivity, and revenue in a cardiology clinic: a prospective study." ClinicoEconomics and outcomes research : CEOR vol. 5 (2013): 399-406. doi: https://doi.org/10.2147/CEOR.S49010
Bank AJ, Obetz C, Konrardy A, Khan A, Pillai KM, McKinley BJ, Gage RM, Turnbull MA, Kenney WO. Impact of scribes on patient interaction, productivity, and revenue in a cardiology clinic: a prospective study. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2013 Aug 09;5:399-406. doi: 10.2147/CEOR.S49010. eCollection 2013. PMID: 23966799; PMCID: PMC3745291.
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Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2013 Aug 09;5:399-406. doi: 10.2147/CEOR.S49010. eCollection 2013.

Impact of scribes on patient interaction, productivity, and revenue in a cardiology clinic: a prospective study.

ClinicoEconomics and outcomes research : CEOR

Alan J Bank, Christopher Obetz, Ann Konrardy, Akbar Khan, Kamalesh M Pillai, Benjamin J McKinley, Ryan M Gage, Mark A Turnbull, William O Kenney

Affiliations

  1. United heart and Vascular Clinic, St Paul, MN, USA.

PMID: 23966799 PMCID: PMC3745291 DOI: 10.2147/CEOR.S49010

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Scribes have been used in the emergency department to improve physician productivity and patient interaction. There are no controlled, prospective studies of scribe use in the clinic setting.

METHODS: A prospective controlled study compared standard visits (20 minute follow-up and 40 minute new patient) to a scribe system (15 minute follow-up and 30 minute new patient) in a cardiology clinic. Physician productivity, patient satisfaction, physician-patient interaction, and revenue were measured.

RESULTS: Four physicians saw 129 patients using standard care and 210 patients with scribes during 65 clinic hours each. Patients seen per hour increased (P < 0.001) from 2.2 ± 0.3 to 3.5 ± 0.4 (59% increase) and work relative value units (wRVU) per hour increased (P < 0.001) from 3.5 ± 1.3 to 5.5 ± 1.3 (57% increase). Patient satisfaction was high at baseline and unchanged with scribes. In a substudy, direct patient contact time was lower (9.1 ± 2.0 versus 12.9 ± 3.4 minutes; P < 0.01) for scribe visits, but time of patient interaction (without computer) was greater (6.7 ± 2.1 versus 1.5 ± 1.9 minutes; P < 0.01). Subjective assessment of physician-patient interaction (1-10) was higher (P < 0.01) on scribe visits (9.1 ± 0.9 versus 7.9 ± 1.1). Direct and indirect (downstream) revenue per patient seen was $142 and $2,398, with $205,740 additional revenue generated from the 81 additional patients seen with scribes.

CONCLUSION: Using scribes in a cardiology clinic is feasible, produces improvements in physician-patient interaction, and results in large increases in physician productivity and system cardiovascular revenue.

Keywords: patient interaction, scribe; physician productivity, medical economics, patient satisfaction, physician

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