Avoid Physician Burnout With the Latest EMR and EHR Tools
Are the physicians in your office spending too much time entering data into their electronic health records (EHRs) and managing administrative tasks? If so, it’s time to consider implementing EHR tools for physician burnout to help reduce their workload and improve overall efficiency.
Physicians overwhelmed by repetitive data entry and clerical work often experience frustration—and without intervention, it can lead to full-blown burnout.
According to Science Daily, physician burnout and suicide are escalating public health issues, with 1 in 15 doctors experiencing suicidal thoughts. The consequences extend beyond the physicians themselves—burnout can negatively affect patient care, reduce patient satisfaction, increase physician turnover, and contribute to medical errors.
So, how can you avoid physician burnout? While there are several strategies, this article will explore how the latest EHR tools for physician burnout can help restore balance, improve workflows, and protect your healthcare team from long-term fatigue.
A Brief Overview of Physician Burnout
Burnout is chronic distress related to your job as a physician. Several factors can cause it:
- Feelings of exhaustion or depletion of energy;
- Disengagement with work, feelings of negativity or cynicism about the work one is doing; and
- A decreasing level of professional efficacy.
Similarly, one study found that 25% of family physicians self-reported signs of burnout when asked about emotional exhaustion.
Doctors who experience burnout are more likely to quit practice, potentially threatening patient continuity of care. Thus, burnout can impair physician acuity, memory, and attention, negatively influencing patient safety.
Do you know that most physicians consider electronic health records (EHRs) to be a cause of burnout?
The Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association published an international study on the relationship between stress and burnout in the field of health information technology. Researchers have found that stress and burnout are particularly prevalent among physicians who use electronic health records (EHRs), as well as among family doctors and other primary care providers.
In another survey, 162 (75%) respondents reported symptoms of burnout caused by the EHR. To sum it up, physicians and residents claim that EHRs decrease their work satisfaction and well-being.
Physicians thus perceive EHR usage as a contributor to burnout.
To avoid physician burnout, it is essential to encourage the reduction of administrative burdens associated with EHRs or to utilize the latest EMR and EHR tools.
Latest EMR and EHR Tools to Combat Physician Burnout
- Electronic treatment plans that cover a range of situations.
The plans should vary according to the patient’s circumstances and preferences. For example, patients with well-controlled diabetes will have a different method than those who still struggle to control the disease. The treatment plan for a patient living alone would differ from that of a patient living with a large, loving family.
In addition, the list can help physicians organize various care plans for patients under their care.
- The ability to integrate systems (including billing and hospital information systems)
A vital element of any solution for Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) is integration, which involves real-time data exchange and on-demand access to data between systems. HIS-based hospital information systems (if you’re part of an institution-wide network) and billing systems are two common integration points. By integrating billing, you can simplify the billing process for your patients. As a result, your front office staff becomes more efficient, reducing coding errors. This results in a reduction of payment delays, saving you time and money. Utilizing EMR solutions for your medical practice can assist your practice with faster reimbursements by integrating your billing system within your EMR platform.
- A Seamless Appointment Reminder Feature
Maintain constant communication with your patients via email on your mobile device, tablet, and laptop. When physicians and patients are connected via seamless appointment reminders, the level of communication is enhanced fivefold.
If you establish a specified frequency or amount of advance notice within the EMR system, it will integrate with your scheduler and send messages to your patients. Patients can be notified of an upcoming appointment, reminded seven days before the appointment, and given 24 hours’ notice. Automating this process will save the clinic a significant amount of time and reduce the number of patient no-shows.
- Integrate Voice Recognition Software into Your EMR and EHR
Man physicians spend more time in front of their computers than interacting with patients. In turn, this can harm physician-patient relationships.
With your EHR, you can integrate voice recognition software. The software enables physicians to dictate clinical documentation, creating digital notes stored in the EHR.
Additionally, voice recognition software does a pretty good job of converting a physician’s speech to notes. However, conversion errors may be inevitable. Implementing mechanisms to detect errors is crucial for understanding the typical challenges of voice recognition software.
Google is developing tools to facilitate the capturing of medical conversations in improving EHR workflow. Using these tools, physicians can reduce their workload and avoid physician burnout.
Taking the Next Step
EHRs are a significant factor in physician burnout, and as a healthcare provider, you must do everything within your power to prevent or minimize it. With an easier-to-use EMR, physicians can spend more time on patient care and less time on daily tasks. It will reduce the likelihood of stressful situations in your office.
Providing you with the Best
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At 1st Providers Choice, we understand our client’s needs and expectations for a higher performance level for billing software and EMR software. That’s why we offer the top-tailored medical billing system and EHR with features that enable your practice to operate at its optimal potential, save time, and increase your revenue.
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