EMR Implementation and Revenue Drop-off

What Physicians and Medical Facilities Need to Know

Studies show, the more a facility decreases their transcription costs with an EMR, the more their revenue is reduced. EMR vendors claim the revenue will come back after 6 or 8 months. In these tough economical times, can your office, clinic, hospital afford to lose thousands in revenue with the "assumption" it will return at some point?

How we know revenue will decrease:


Right now, EMR documentation by a physician takes an average of 4.5 minutes PER patient versus only 1.5 minutes for dictation of the encounter. If a physician sees 20 patients per day, that's at least 60 minutes of lost time (3 x 20) 60 minutes lost time. 

If we calculate this out that translates to

• 300 minutes a week
• 1200 minutes per month
• 9600 minutes for 8 months

For offices that don't see a boatload of patients, it works. There is time in between appointments for EMR documentation by a physician.


Now, let's take a different look. Let's figure out how many patients' appointments physicians are giving up to "eliminate transcription" by documenting patient encounters themselves via an EMR (based on a 15-minute visit):

Based on the above calculations, physicians are losing:

• 20 appointments per day
• 80 appointments per month
• 640 appointments for 8 months

What is losing 640 appointments going to cost your facility?  



What's the solution? So glad you asked.

1. Doctors will either see less patients (reduced revenue) 
2. OR work longer hours (as if they don't work enough hours)

What Just My Type Transcription wants to see happen:

Physicians are more expensive than transcriptionists. So, we say see patients instead, and as technology evolves, transcription costs will reduce. This way, revenue will not drop off while during EMR/EHR implementation.


Just My Type Transcription offers our clients many different ways to cut transcription costs while continuing to dictate as this is the quickest and most accurate means to documenting patient encounters.


Contact us us today for a free, no-obligation demo to see how your facility can save on transcription while implementing an EMR.

MT Prayer

This is an MT prayer that was sent to me by a friend. Medical transcriptionists take their job quite seriously!

Dear Lord,

Bless the work of my hands and may it glorify You.

In all that I do, help me to remember that a patient's life may depend on the quality of my work. Keep me alert to discrepancies and inconsistencies, and help me to concentrate.

Give me compassion, Lord, and never let me see the report I'm typing as a case or a number.

But let me remember the patient - a living human being who may be experiencing pain, fear, and uncertainty. May the patient feel Your healing touch and be comforted by Your Spirit instead.

Bless the doctor, as well, and may he be filled with Your Wisdom and Your Compassion as he cares for his patients. 

And let me remember tolerance for the physician whose dictation slips may be due to fatigue or some great concern of which I'm not aware. Let me remember that he is human, too, and deserves the same amount of patience I would like shown to me.

Finally, let me always remember that You are the Great Healer, the Source of all Comfort and Joy.

May I acknowledge You in all I do and reflect Your Love to all whom I meet.

Amen.

By Ellen Drake (considered public domain)

LOST DOG -- SONNY

- UPDATE - 
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Sonny has been found, thankfully. He spent the night curled up on someone's deck about three or so blocks from where he got out of his collar.  



----

My post today involves a special lil guy. 

His name is Sonny. He's mostly German Shepard. He's just a few months old. He was last seen on Friday evening, October 21st, heading north of Schaumburg Road and Walnut Road. 

Take a look at his picture and please help us bring him home.

If you have any information at all, please contact me at nicole@justmytypetranscription.com

Thank you.   

Medical Transcription Resources

A medical transcriptionist is only as good as the resources she keeps. Here are the resources I use on a daily basis to assist in the art of transcribing medical reports accurately and efficiently.

Benchmark KB Online - This is a great tool for transcriptionists. There are many facets of this resource in that there are specialty-specific and searchable word books and contains the Holy Grail of our business the Book of Style in a handy searchable format. There are also QA alerts for terms/phrases that need to be changed to avoid confusion in medical reports. The best part is there's a searchable physician database that is constantly updated.  This is a MUST for all transcriptionists.

Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics - Great orthopedic specialty information. Just a great and detailed site.

American Medical Association - I use this to look up past practicing physicians and if I can't find what I'm looking for in Benchmark KB Online.

OneLook Dictionary Search - This is a one-stop shop for dictionaries -- medical, general, translations, etc.

Google - The All Mighty Google scores again! This is the quickest way to information, but a good medical transcriptionist will not take the sites listed in Google's word for it and absolutely must verify, verify, verify!

Skullcandy INK'd Headphones - Every transcriptionist needs a great set of headphones, ear buds, etc., and I blogged about these. They are of great quality, reasonable price, comfortable and can be worn for hours on end.    

Below is my single, most used and most coveted asset for medical transcription.

*** Drum Roll Please ***

Instant Text - Without this, I could not be successful. Well, that's not totally true, but it would take me a heck of a lot longer to get there without it.  Instant Text is a text expander.  Actually, this is not JUST a text expander. It's the most feature-rich, easiest to use and amazing text expander I have found. The possibilities are limitless with this program. No memorizing shortcuts = super easy to use. I have a command glossary for common tasks used in Word and/or other programs. For example, if a physician dictates a sentence and then goes on to dictate a compound sentence, I have a command that will go back and insert the comma + and.   My hands rarely move from my keyboard. I've made a drug database with brand name drugs, generics and dosing schedules.  This program also offers me a "compile" feature. I save reports and later can run the program and IT pulls the common phrases, words, etc., from the reports. The productivity potential is incredible! They now offer a free trial, and believe me, it is truly the best thing since sliced bread.

So....that wraps up my list of key resources for medical transcriptionists. If you're not using these resources, you really need to be. There are many others that I use, but these are the ones I use consistently.

-- Company plug to follow --

If you're looking to increase physician productivity while retaining the documentation capture capabilities of EMR / EHR, look no further! Hire us today to realize the savings in time AND hard dollars! You will NOT be disappointed with our service!  

Just My Type Transcription takes great pride in producing high-quality patient documentation. We treat your patients as if they're our family. Your patients' documentation is safe, accurate, and we of course are a HIPAA compliant service organization. We do NOT offshore any transcription and/or transcriptionists.  EVER.   

We're able to save new clients up to 40% on transcription costs with various options.  We know time is money, so call us at 847-890-0560 or email us to set up a quick demonstration of our web-based software which we provide to all customers as a service (no investment in software).  

Follow us on X and/or Connect with us on LinkedIn

EMR and Transcription - A Winning Combination

Just My Type Transcription partners with Emdat to bring you the leading technology in EMR integration.

This was recently posted on their website and will soon be incorporated into our site (as soon as I find the time).  

EMRs and Transcription

Are you an EMR client interested in incorporating dictation back into your workflow? Wouldn't it be great if physicians could complete their EMR using dictation, thereby increasing physician productivity and EMR adoption?

We provide a unique solution to Medical Facilities that allows physicians to properly document patients encounters in their EMR without sitting in front of a computer, all while increasing physician productivity and upholding attentive patient care.

METHODS OF POPULATING AN EMR SYSTEM

Electronic medical records (EMRs) aim to improve patient care and reduce costs while complying with Meaningful Use guidelines. However, most EMRs require doctors to enter patient data directly into the computer system, oftentimes causing a drop in physician productivity and, consequently, facility revenues. Medical Facilities want to make the best operational choice for their physicians, patients and bottom line. Let’s compare the options for populating data into an EMR.

Emdat	Front End Speech Recognition	EMR Point-and-Click
COST
Per patient encounter cost averages $1.50.	Software, hardware, maintenance and lost physician productivity.	Software, hardware, maintenance and lost physician productivity.
IMPLEMENTATION
Physicians continue business as usual using traditional dictation method.	Physicians must be trained on dictating, reviewing and editing their own documentation.	Physicians must be trained to use and navigate system.
PRODUCTIVITY
Physician productivity increases using traditional dictation method. Smartphones allow physicians to create and upload dictations, as well as view and approve documentation prior to populating the EMR, on-the-go.	Physician productivity declines as physicians spend four times the amount of time of traditional dictation documenting their encounters. Physicians must navigate to the appropriate field, dictate, and then edit their own documentation.	Physician productivity declines as physicians spend six times the amount of time of traditional dictation documenting patient encounters. Patient to patient workflow is disrupted as physicians visit workstation to log in, navigate system, and conduct data entry after each patient encounter. Alternatively, physicians log in, navigate system, and conduct data entry via menus and templated paragraphs during patient visit.
DATA COLLECTION
Same data results as Front End Speech Recognition and EMR Point-and-Click without direct physician entry.	Physician required to spend time and effort entering data directly into EMR.	Physician required to spend time and effort entering data directly into EMR.
COMPLIANCE
Full compliance (HIPAA, Meaningful Use, etc.).	Full compliance (HIPAA, Meaningful Use, etc.).	Full compliance (HIPAA, Meaningful Use, etc.).
AVERAGE ERROR FREQUENCY
0.33 errors per report.	1.48 errors per report.	7.8 errors per chart.

EMR POINT-AND-CLICK SUMMARY

Studies show that it takes a physician an average of 4.5 minutes per patient to document a visit using templates in an EMR system. By contrast, dictation takes only 1.5 minutes per patient. The result? Doctors will either see fewer patients or work longer hours. This productivity loss results in thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Consider that the calculated hourly wage for physicians and their medical assistants is significantly higher than that of transcriptionists. In addition, doesn’t high quality patient care mean physicians who focus on their patients instead of their computer screen?

FRONT END SPEECH RECOGNITION SUMMARY

Physicians must log in, navigate the EMR system and place the cursor where they need to dictate. After they generate content, the physician must edit it. Again, physicians spend their billable time performing data entry instead of treating patients. Again, productivity is lost and revenues are lost.

EMDAT SUMMARY

Emdat's DaRT tags transcription content (Eg. Chief Complaint, Medical History, Family History, etc.); integrates with any RIS, HIS, EMR or clinical repository; and discretely populates the EMR automatically. Every patient encounter is documented thoroughly and efficiently as if the clinician had entered it themselves via templates.

CONCLUSION: EMRS AND TRADITIONAL DICTATION — A WINNING COMBINATION

Emdat automatically integrates with EMRs and produces the highest quality, most complete medical document for the lowest cost, all while complying with government regulations, increasing physician productivity and upholding attentive patient care.

More so, our suite of applications streamlines the work process. Any authorized user can view, edit and electronically sign documentation online, 24/7/365. Encounter information is automatically routed, and can be sent automatically via auto-fax or a referral folder within the system. Alternatively, transcriptions, envelopes and standard cover letters can be printed automatically.

All this, at a cost significantly less than standard transcription services — our transcription templates and exclusive Qualified Text feature reduce the amount of typing required and reduce costs by up to 50%.

Emdat's software (brought to you by Just My Type Transcription) as a service delivers superb functionality and client satisfaction by streamlining workflow, reducing costs and providing free interfacing with any EMR system — all with no contracts, no capital investment, and rapid deployment.

EMDAT AND EMR SYSTEMS — A WINNING COMBINATION Emdat assists with EMR completion, placing data into the appropriate section of the EMR documentation Emdat requires no change in physician behavior, therefore acheiving higher physician adoption and physician satisfaction Emdat increases physician productivity — physicians dictate rather than perform data entry Emdat's EHR integration is a significant step towards "meaningful use"

CONTACT US TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN INCREASE PHYSICIAN PRODUCTIVITY WHILE RETAINING THE DOCUMENTATION CAPTURE CAPABILITIES OF AN EMR.

What are you waiting for?  Cite this blog post, switch to our service, and we'll discount 10% off your second invoice.   

Just My Type Transcription