In this article, researchers analyzed EHR usage for 142 family medicine physicians, and all data was captured via EHR event logs during clinic hours (8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) and non-clinic hours.
The primary care physicians spends 5.9 hours out of their
11.4-hour workday in the EHR. Four and a half of those hours were during clinic
hours and 1.4 hours were after clinic hours.
What's just as surprising is what the physicians were spending
their time on while in the EHR. The study found administrative tasks —
like billing and coding, system security, order entry and documentation —
accounted for 44.2 percent (157 minutes) of clinicians' total EHR time per day.
Another 23.7 percent (85 minutes) was spent on inbox management.
As the study, which is published in the Annals of Family
Medicine, points out, such a copious amount of time spent on EHR
tasks increases a physician's workload and contributes to feelings of burnout.
If your physicians are spending too much time on administrative tasks
in the EHR, then it's hard to be focused on the patient experience in the
clinic. Let Expeditor help you
streamline communications and optimize patient flow efficiency so that the patient's
satisfaction and experience are your primary focus. Fill out our Contact Us form and we will be
happy to help you focus more on the patient experience.
