Augmedix Case Studies Transforming Healthcare Documentation: A Case Study of Kittitas Valley Healthcare

Edit This Case Study Record

	Transforming Healthcare Documentation: A Case Study of Kittitas Valley Healthcare Augmedix

Transforming Healthcare Documentation: A Case Study of Kittitas Valley Healthcare

Augmedix

Technology Category	Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Virtual Private Cloud Wearables - Virtual Reality Glasses, Headsets & Controllers
Applicable Industries	Education Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions	Quality Assurance
Use Cases	Time Sensitive Networking Virtual Training
Services	Testing & Certification Training
Challenge	Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH), a small regional rural health system in Washington State, was grappling with the challenge of excessive administrative burdens on its clinicians. Studies have shown that clinicians in medium-sized hospitals spend about 44% of their time on documentation and only 24% on direct patient contact. This was largely due to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), which required clinicians to document a wide range of data for billing verification. This system turned clinicians into data-entry clerks, documenting not only diagnoses, clinician orders, and patient visit notes, but also an increasing amount of low-value administrative data. KVH was using scribes to assist providers with documentation and data entry into the Electronic Medical Records (EMR). However, due to its rural location, KVH was struggling to recruit and retain high-performing scribes. The training for these scribes could take six to eight months and was not very effective in reducing high scribe turnover rates. Read More
About Customer	Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH) is a small regional rural health system situated in the heart of Washington State. It provides patient-centered care through its hospital, clinics, and specialty services. KVH Hospital provides 24-hour emergency care and offers inpatient and outpatient hospital services. KVH also provides care through clinics and specialty services in both Upper and Lower Kittitas County. KVH sees 400 patients per day in its clinics. As a rural health system, KVH understands the importance of providing its clinicians with the support they need to maintain quality outcomes, reduce costs, and improve the patient experience—the Triple Aim of health care. Read More
Customer Name	Kittitas Valley Healthcare Read More
Solution	To address this challenge, KVH decided to use virtual scribes from Augmedix. These virtual scribes are specially trained to work in both acute and non-acute environments, acting as an always-present assistant to the clinician, converting real-time clinician-patient conversations into precise medical documentation. They are experienced in most EMRs, which improves accuracy, increases the quality of documentation, and ensures timely charge capture for faster reimbursement. Virtual scribes can also place orders for testing, medications, and labs to keep patients moving along the care continuum. KVH created a unique model to begin the roll-out of virtual scribes through a “memorandum of understanding” with its clinicians. In order to qualify for a scribe, clinicians must become productive enough to cover the cost of the service creating a dual incentive. The system also created a work group to present the clinicians the financial case around the business of healthcare to clinicians. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Virtual Private Cloud

Wearables - Virtual Reality Glasses, Headsets & Controllers

Applicable Industries

Education

Healthcare & Hospitals

Applicable Functions

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Time Sensitive Networking

Virtual Training

Services

Testing & Certification

Training

Challenge

Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH), a small regional rural health system in Washington State, was grappling with the challenge of excessive administrative burdens on its clinicians. Studies have shown that clinicians in medium-sized hospitals spend about 44% of their time on documentation and only 24% on direct patient contact. This was largely due to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), which required clinicians to document a wide range of data for billing verification. This system turned clinicians into data-entry clerks, documenting not only diagnoses, clinician orders, and patient visit notes, but also an increasing amount of low-value administrative data. KVH was using scribes to assist providers with documentation and data entry into the Electronic Medical Records (EMR). However, due to its rural location, KVH was struggling to recruit and retain high-performing scribes. The training for these scribes could take six to eight months and was not very effective in reducing high scribe turnover rates.

About Customer

Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH) is a small regional rural health system situated in the heart of Washington State. It provides patient-centered care through its hospital, clinics, and specialty services. KVH Hospital provides 24-hour emergency care and offers inpatient and outpatient hospital services. KVH also provides care through clinics and specialty services in both Upper and Lower Kittitas County. KVH sees 400 patients per day in its clinics. As a rural health system, KVH understands the importance of providing its clinicians with the support they need to maintain quality outcomes, reduce costs, and improve the patient experience—the Triple Aim of health care.

Customer Name

Kittitas Valley Healthcare

Solution

To address this challenge, KVH decided to use virtual scribes from Augmedix. These virtual scribes are specially trained to work in both acute and non-acute environments, acting as an always-present assistant to the clinician, converting real-time clinician-patient conversations into precise medical documentation. They are experienced in most EMRs, which improves accuracy, increases the quality of documentation, and ensures timely charge capture for faster reimbursement. Virtual scribes can also place orders for testing, medications, and labs to keep patients moving along the care continuum. KVH created a unique model to begin the roll-out of virtual scribes through a “memorandum of understanding” with its clinicians. In order to qualify for a scribe, clinicians must become productive enough to cover the cost of the service creating a dual incentive. The system also created a work group to present the clinicians the financial case around the business of healthcare to clinicians.

Impact #1	The implementation of Augmedix virtual scribes at KVH was easy and quickly adopted by its clinicians. Most were up to speed within just a couple of weeks—much faster than the six to eight months with an in-person scribe. The virtual scribes have enabled KVH to quickly work down a backlog of overdue charts, reduce the number of people needed in the hospital’s small rooms and clinical areas, improve privacy for patients receiving surgeries or treatments of a sensitive nature, and eliminate the risk of nonmedical scribes documenting critical medical information. They have also increased the retention of clinicians, saving thousands of dollars in recruitment fees. The virtual scribes allow clinicians time to see more patients, which supports the KVH strategic focus of expanding access to care for patients and the communities it serves. Faster turnaround of documentation enables more timely referrals for patients who need other services.

Impact #1

The implementation of Augmedix virtual scribes at KVH was easy and quickly adopted by its clinicians. Most were up to speed within just a couple of weeks—much faster than the six to eight months with an in-person scribe. The virtual scribes have enabled KVH to quickly work down a backlog of overdue charts, reduce the number of people needed in the hospital’s small rooms and clinical areas, improve privacy for patients receiving surgeries or treatments of a sensitive nature, and eliminate the risk of nonmedical scribes documenting critical medical information. They have also increased the retention of clinicians, saving thousands of dollars in recruitment fees. The virtual scribes allow clinicians time to see more patients, which supports the KVH strategic focus of expanding access to care for patients and the communities it serves. Faster turnaround of documentation enables more timely referrals for patients who need other services.

Benefit #1	10.4% increase in hourly productivity (clinician work RVU)
Benefit #2	Decrease in time spent in the EMR from more than 20 minutes to 14.5 minutes (Practice Expense RYU)
Benefit #3	2 – 3 hours saved per day

Benefit #1

10.4% increase in hourly productivity (clinician work RVU)

Benefit #2

Decrease in time spent in the EMR from more than 20 minutes to 14.5 minutes (Practice Expense RYU)

Benefit #3

2 – 3 hours saved per day

Download PDF Version

Overview

Transforming Healthcare Documentation: A Case Study of Kittitas Valley Healthcare

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit