Medical scribes are becoming a necessity throughout the medical community nationwide and are a cost-effective way to offset increasing electronic documentation requirements.  Providers are struggling to keep up with documentation of patient encounters in a timely manner due to the click intensive nature of the electronic health record. Medical scribes take much of the workload off providers by completing all the data entry into the EHR and allowing them to focus on patient care and increase efficiency.

With many scribe services available nationwide, determining which company is right for your practice can be a burdensome process.  Here are a few questions to ask while you’re inquiring about scribe program services:

1. What is the company’s shift coverage rate?

Once a medical scribe is integrated into the provider’s workflow, going a single day without a scribe causes a major disruption in workflow and a headache for providers who have grown accustomed to having a scribe document while seeing patients.  At ProScribe, we assign a backup scribe for every shift so that in the event that the primary scribe has an emergency, we would deploy the backup scribe to cover the shift. By doing so we maintain our 99.8% shift coverage of all contracted shifts.

2. What are the qualifications to become a medical scribe?

Medical scribing requires a robust skillset.  We expect our candidates to have high professional and ethical standards, proficient typing abilities, knowledge of medical terminology and techniques, and cognizance of delicate and confidential information.  Through our experience at ProScribe, we found that ideal candidates are typically pre-med students working towards a career in the medical field.

3. How are the scribes trained?

A scribe must have exceptional training in order to have a positive impact on assisting a physician. Extensively trained scribes also help physicians reap higher reimbursement.¹ We have developed a comprehensive 3-phase training program consisting of web-based, classroom, and clinical training designed to equip our scribes for immediate success.  Our training process begins with medical terminology, HIPAA regulations, medical documentation, and extends to the EHR and the specific preferences of each provider.

4. Does the company have valuable references?

References and endorsements from happy and satisfied clients go a long way in proving the quality of services, productivity, and knowledge of medical scribe vendors. ProScribe offers both of these and can provide additional references upon request.

If you are interested in hiring a medical scribe and would like more information, please fill out a contact form or call 888-991-1773 to speak with a ProScribe team member today.


₁Westgate, Aubrey. “Medical Scribes: Pros and Cons.” Physicians Practice, UBM Medica, LLC, a UBM Company, 2 Apr. 2015, www.physicianspractice.com/physician-productivity/medical-scribes-pros-and-cons.

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