Remote Medical Scribing for Albany Area Primary Health Care
Can virtual scribes help providers see more patients, earn more revenue, AND stop charting at home? According to a large Georgia Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), ScribeEMR is a game changer for decreasing administrative workload and increasing patient access on demand.
Albany Area Primary Health Care (AAPHC) is Southwest Georgia’s largest Community Health Center, providing access to Family and Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Podiatry, General Dentistry, Vision Care, Behavioral Health, Pharmacy Services, and other specialties. AAPHC has over 100 providers who annually treat 50,000 established patients, and can accommodate more than 220,000 visits.
Practice Challenges
- High volume providers, seeing 20+ patients daily, struggled to close charts
• Nighttime charting interfered with personal and family time
• AI charting tools fail to pick up language and specialty nuances
• FQHCs must provide access to care on demand, which adds to an already full patient visit and charting workload
Solution
- AAPHC paired four top producers with ScribeEMR virtual medical scribes who prep charts, enter data during patient visits, and cue orders and referrals for sign off
• Significant ROI prompted 13 more high volume providers to request their own dedicated scribes
• Providers are agreeing to increase their patient visits to at least 22 a day to qualify for a scribe, knowing all charts will be completed EOD
ROI and Key Metrics
- Providers with scribes now see an average of 6 additional patients per day
• That’s a 25.5% average increase in visits per day for those with scribes
• Patient access is improving with the ability to offer more same day appointments
• One OB/GYN now sees up to 35 patients a day and leaves on time with all charts closed
• New production-based compensation model generates more revenue with less clinic hours and eliminates home charting
• Addressing provider burnout improves recruitment and retention
“Providers enjoy what they’re doing more now because it’s no longer a 24/7 job. They text me to say ‘I saw 25 patients, charts are closed, and I’m going home at 5:30.’ ScribeEMR virtual scribes are great for retention, recruitment, and our provider feedback makes me happy. We’re giving our providers more of the work/life balance that is so important.”
─ Shelley Spires, CEO Albany Area Primary Health Care