The number of U.S. medical scribes is growing, but lack of regulation or standardization when it comes to training these workers persists, according to a survey from The Doctors Company.
The Doctors Company, the nation's largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, teamed up with Portland-based Oregon Health and Science University for the survey. The survey included 355 of The Doctors Company's members, both physicians and risk managers.
Here are six survey findings.
1. The survey found more than half (55 percent) of scribes receive training from a physician.
2. Less than half of scribes (44 percent) have not had prior experience.
3. Only 22 percent of scribes are certified in any way.
4. The survey found scribes are hired as employees at approximately 24 percent of practices that use them.
5. Nearly 13 percent of practices hire scribes through staffing agencies.
6. The Doctors Company said the survey also showed lack of consistency in scribe responsibilities by workplace, such as pure note writing, data entry, data extraction and order entry.
Read the full survey here.
More articles on human capital:
Baystate Franklin seeks NLRB help to prevent nurses strike
Tufts responds to union claims amid possible nurses strike
4 healthcare organizations adding jobs