Some organizations hire scribes. Some organizations pay for AI scribing software. And many, many organizations still do not invest in scribing at all.

This week I spoke with a doctor who lamented, "Why are there no doctors who are proficient in EHR and consult to facilitate EHR use for other doctors?". Sounds like a great idea! I know one. In trying to connect the two, the EHR expert told me that while EHR optimizations help, hiring a scribe has the biggest impact. I read between the lines to understand that you can optimize EHR use with macros and fast paths, but nothing improves efficiency like hiring a scribe.

It seems to me that the cost of having a group of highly trained, highly skilled people doing tasks that can be handed off to others is worth the cost of hiring those others. It’s the most effective thing you can do to alleviate a burden that contributes significantly to burnout. So why don’t more organizations do it?