Even though clinicians are penning longer notes, they spend 11 percent less time writing them, Epic Research found.
They averaged 4.8 minutes per note in April 2023, down from 5.4 minutes in May 2020, with nearly 90 percent of providers experiencing a drop, according to the July 6 report. They are also spending less time in clinical review activities in EHRs.
This could help "free up time for patient care or reduce work after hours," the study's authors noted. The researchers pointed to other benefits of CMS' 2021 evaluation and management CPT code changes, such as "reducing cognitive burden or increasing physician efficiency with documentation."
The study looked at 384 healthcare organizations with an Epic EHR.