Can Medical Scribes Who Work from Home Align with Modern Practices

Medical scribes have been essential to the healthcare industry for years, supporting clinicians by accurately recording patient interactions and making documentation more efficient. Historically, scribes worked in person, assisting clinicians directly in the examination room. Recently, however, there has been a notable shift toward virtual medical scribes and other remote documentation solutions that better suit modern work-from-home standards.

Traditional Medical Scribes

For many years, in-person medical scribes were the go-to choice for clinicians, mainly due to concerns about the PHI security and reliability of remote options. By documenting patient visits in real time, in-person scribes provided valuable support, enabling clinicians to focus more on patient care. Research suggests that allowing clinicians more time to engage with patients increases patients' trust in their care and their overall satisfaction. Other studies indicate that in-person scribes significantly reduce the time spent on electronic health record (EHR) documentation, which leads to greater job satisfaction for clinicians. However, there has been a decline in the demand for in-person scribes.

High turnover rates and the costs associated with hiring and managing in-person scribes have contributed to this decline, especially for private practices that cannot afford the associated expenses. Additionally, in-person scribes can create malpractice risks due to "functional creep," where scribes may handle EHR tasks beyond their training or authorization. These challenges have prompted many clinicians to consider alternatives, which has fueled the growth of virtual medical scribes who work from home. Virtual scribes offer similar benefits to in-person scribes, such as helping clinicians focus on patient care and improving patient satisfaction, but without the same high costs and privacy concerns.

COVID-19 Times

The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the shift toward remote work in healthcare. Providers who were once reluctant to adopt telemedicine were now compelled to embrace it, along with virtual medical scribes or Telescribes. More than two years into the pandemic, the concept of remote work has become a significant part of healthcare. However, with this shift to virtual scribes or work from jobs, it's important to evaluate if they truly meet the needs of both providers and patients. The reality is that while virtual scribes have some benefits, such as cost savings and flexibility, they also have considerable drawbacks that providers are increasingly considering as they search for better documentation solutions.

Though cost concerns, turnover, training standards, and data security are notable issues with Telescribes, the biggest challenge is that traditional scribing methods — both in-person and remote — no longer align with the increasing demands of modern healthcare documentation. As medical documentation requirements continue to grow, healthcare providers are overwhelmed with administrative tasks, and traditional scribes, whether in person or remote, are struggling to keep up. Patients expect personalized care, but the growing demands of EHR documentation mean that providers must juggle multiple tasks in a single day, often leading to excessive administrative burden. Without better solutions, clinicians are caught in a continuous cycle with no clear path forward.

The Solution: SOAPsuds AI Medical Scribe

At SOAPsuds, we believe that documentation should not hinder patient care. We understand that traditional medical scribe methods no longer meet the needs of today's healthcare environment, so we've developed a solution that bridges the gap between the past and the future.

Our AI-powered system allows clinicians to focus entirely on their patients without worrying about note-taking. By simply recording the patient encounter on their phone, our AI analyzes the conversation, extracts essential information, and creates accurate medical notes automatically. SOAPsuds aims to create a more efficient way for clinicians to document patient visits and believe our solution is the future of medical documentation — one that helps clinicians focus on what matters most: caring for their patients. At SOAPsuds, we’re dedicated to restoring the joy of caregiving.