How Will This Toolkit Help Me?
Learning Objectives
Describe how to design and implement a team documentation process
Identify documentation assistants and train them in team documentation
Describe ways to optimize the workflow after implementation
Electronic health record (EHR) systems are a fundamental part of modern-day medicine, but many physicians dislike how the documentation takes away from their time with patients. Implementing team documentation can help to improve documentation efficiency (and reduce redundancy), provide better care to patients, and reduce physician burnout.1,2
What Is Team Documentation?
Quiz Ref IDTeam documentation, or multiple contributor documentation, is a process where nonphysician team members assist with documenting visit notes, entering orders and referrals, reconciling medications, and preparing prescriptions during a patient visit.1,2 Clinical team members, such as medical assistants or nurses, or nonclinical team members, such as dedicated scribes, can support team documentation. The degree of task-sharing varies according to state and local scope of practice regulations. Still, overall, this process improves patient-centered care because the physician is less focused on EHR documentation and more present during the visit.
Decreasing physician time spent on documentation tasks that other team members can handle is also an important cost-saving tool for organizations.
Six STEPS to Implement Team Documentation
Create a Change Team
Decide Which Team Members Will Help With Documentation
Choose a Model
Define the Workflow
Start With a Pilot Team
Assess and Optimize
STEP 1 Create a Change Team
You can't make a big change in your practice without help. A change team consists of a small group of team members who will identify barriers and determine the best way to implement changes designed to improve your practice, such as team documentation.
When creating a multi-disciplinary change team, select a high-level champion—the medical director, division head, or department chair—and include representatives from administration, nursing, medical assistants (MAs), information technology personnel, compliance, and physicians. It is helpful if all representatives agree on the goals, such as improved patient and clinician satisfaction, decreased physician burnout, and reduced pajama time spent on documentation.
STEP 2 Decide Which Team Members Will Help With Documentation
Quiz Ref IDThere are 2 categories of team members who can assist with documentation: clinical team members and non-clinical documentation assistants.
Clinical team members include:
| Nonclinical documentation assistants include:
Students (pre-medical, pre-physical therapy, pre-pharmacy) Transcriptionists or scribes (virtual options for these also exist) Patients themselves (this is an evolving functionality of some EHRs where patients can participate in components of documentation, such as medication reconciliation or even entering aspects of the chief complaint or their history)
|
The scope of work will depend on the type of documentation assistant and model selected (see STEP 3).
There are 2 different team documentation approaches based on whether the documentation assistant is a clinical or nonclinical person. When a clinical team member helps with documentation, the model is referred to as an advanced team-based care model; when a nonclinical team member is separately brought on, the model is referred to as a clerical documentation assistant (CDA) model.
The Advanced Team-Based Care Model
A specially-trained MA or nurse accompanies each patient from the beginning to the end of the appointment to provide team care services, such as health coaching, care coordination, and panel management. The nurse or MA assists the clinical documentation while the physician conducts their portion of the patient visit.
Typically, there are 2 to 3 nurses or MAs per physician, and they perform all of the clinical support functions and assist with the documentation.
Example: Cleveland Clinic
In the family medicine practice of Kevin Hopkins, MD, at the Cleveland Clinic, trained nurses and MAs follow a 3-step process. There are 2 MAs per physician.
Pre-Visit: The physician and team design protocols and templates for specific patient complaints and chronic conditions common to the practice. The MA uses these tools during rooming to guide the recording of the initial history. During this step, the MA also updates the past medical, social, and family histories, reviews and sets up orders for any health maintenance items that are due, and reviews the patient's medication list and refills. The MA then exits the room and huddles with the physician to share what they discussed with the patient.
Visit: The MA and physician enter the exam room together. The physician confirms and expands on the preliminary history and examines the patient while the MA documents in real-time. The physician then diagnoses and crafts a treatment plan with the patient. The MA continues to record the assessment and treatment plan and queues any orders for the physician's signature. The patient asks any further questions, and the physician moves on to the next patient.
Post-Visit: The MA remains with the patient to reinforce the treatment plan, provides an updated medication list and visit summary, engages in motivational interviewing, and provides self-management support. The MA then assists with appointment and referral scheduling.
Learn more about the expanded nurse and MA role in the advanced rooming and discharged protocols toolkit.
Access [Pre-Visit Questionnaire].
Access [Visit Planner Checklist: Order Sheet for Patient Visits].
Access [Health Maintenance Checklist].
The Clerical Documentation Assistant Model
The clerical documentation assistant (CDA) accompanies the physician during each patient visit and only records the encounter. There is typically 1 CDA per physician. Other team members, such as nurses, MAs, or physicians, are responsible for the clinical aspects of care. This includes obtaining vital signs, performing medication reconciliation, or providing patient education.
Example: University of California, Los Angeles
Nonclinical team members in the geriatric practice at the University of California, Los Angeles, serve as Physician Partners (P2s). The P2s document aspects of the office visit, facilitate the flow of patients through the office, and improve the efficiency of ordering and/or scheduling tests and medications.
Under the physician's direction, the P2s enter all aspects of the patient encounter into the EHR, including the patient history, physical exam findings that the physician verbalizes, procedures, and clinic charges. They also queue orders discussed during the visit for the physician to sign.
At the close of the visit, when the physician leaves the room to see the next patient, the P2s stay behind to review the after-visit summary with the patient, conduct any needed care coordination with other team members, and provide patient education. If labs are required, the P2s may also escort the patient to improve patient flow through the clinic. After the P2s conclude the patient visit, they complete the encounter in the EHR and send the documentation to the physician for review. This approach saves considerable time. In this practice, there are 3 P2s for every 2 physicians. This 3:2 ratio allows continuous rotation of P2s in the clinic to minimize interruptions in the workflow.
STEP 4 Define the Workflow
Identify who will perform which responsibilities during each patient visit. Don't forget to consider your EHR features and functionality as well. Some EHRs allow only one user in the record at a time. Others enable the record to be “passed” from one user to another without being closed. Choreograph the work and expect to refine it with experience.
Other items for consideration:
Which devices will the assistant and physician use?
Will template notes be used?
Will documentation assistants be responsible for entering orders?
How will the physician sign the team notes and orders?
For more tips and tricks to tailor your EHR to meet your needs and optimize workflows, see the AMA STEPS Forward™ Taming the EHR Playbook.
STEP 5 Start With a Pilot Team
Developing collaborative care is hard work. It is best to start small. We suggest a pilot with 1 or 2 physicians. The pilot team should be enthusiastic about assuming new responsibilities and being trailblazers within the organization. They should also be eager to help shape the new process. As institutional knowledge grows and bugs are worked out, the process can be spread to more physicians. Many practices report a 3- to 6-month learning curve.
For the first few days, you might do team documentation care for only half of your scheduled patients or all of your patients only a few days per week. Use the rolling start to refine the process and avoid change fatigue.
STEP 6 Assess and Optimize
Quiz Ref IDTraining is ongoing. Weekly meetings allow the physician and team to remain current with the happenings in the practice, any barriers to care, and updates to the process. The physician and team should meet at least weekly for 30 to 60 minutes to review and adjust the workflow. The meetings can also be used to continue the educational process and clinical issues, billing, and coding.
Access [Team Documentation Implementation Checklist].
Access [Measure the Impact of Team Documentation].
Team documentation instills a sense of cooperation among care team members at all levels of your practice, empowering them to take an active role in managing patient visits. Through ongoing training and weekly meetings, team documentation processes can evolve as your practice continues to grow.
Journal Articles and Other Publications
Ammann Howard K, Helé K, Salibi N, Wilcox S, Cohen M. Adapting the EHR scribe model to community health centers: the experience of Shasta Community Health Center's pilot. Blue Shield of California Foundation. 2012. Accessed January 7, 2022. https://blueshieldcafoundation.org/sites/default/files/covers/Shasta%20EHR%20Scribes%20Final%20Report.pdf
Arya R, Salovich DM, Ohman-Strickland P, Merlin MA. Impact of scribes on performance indicators in the emergency department. Acad Emerg Med. 2010;17(5):490-494. doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2010.00718.x
Bank AJ, Obetz C, Konrardy A, et al. Impact of scribes on patient interaction, productivity, and revenue in a cardiology clinic: a prospective study. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2013;5:399-406.. doi:10.2147/CEOR.S49010
Basu S, Phillips RS, Bitton A, Song Z, Landon BE. Finance and time use implications of team documentation for primary care: a microsimulation. Ann Fam Med. 2018;16(4):308-313. doi:10.1370/afm.2247
Earls ST, Savageau JA, Begley S, Saver BG, Sullivan K, Chuman A. Can scribes boost FPs' efficiency and job satisfaction?. J Fam Pract. 2017;66(4):206-214. http://www.mdedge.com/jfponline/article/134396/practice-management/can-scribes-boost-fps-efficiency-and-job-satisfaction
Funk KA, Davis M. Enhancing the role of the nurse in primary care: the RN “co-visit” model. J Gen Intern Med. 2015;30(12):1871-1873. doi:10.1007/s11606-015-3456-6
Hafner K. A busy doctor's right hand, ever ready to type. The New York Times. January 12, 2014. Accessed February 7, 2022. www.nytimes.com/2014/01/14/health/a-busy-doctors-right-hand-ever-ready-to-type.html
Hopkins K, Sinsky CA. Team-based care: saving time and improving efficiency. Fam Pract Manag. 2014;21(6):23-29. www.aafp.org/fpm/2014/1100/p23.html
Lyon C, English AF, Chabot Smith P. A team-based care model that improves job satisfaction. Fam Pract Manag. 2018;25(2):6-11. https://www.aafp.org/link_out?pmid=29537246
Martel ML, Imdieke BH, Holm KM, et al. Developing a medical scribe program at an academic hospital: the Hennepin County Medical Center experience. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2018;44(5):238-249. doi:10.1016/j.jcjq.2018.01.001
Milford J, Strasser MR, Sinsky CA. TEAM approach reduced wait time, improved “face” time. J Fam Pract. 2018;67(8):E1-E8. http://www.mdedge.com/jfponline/article/170949/practice-management/team-approach-reduced-wait-time-improved-face-time
Miller N, Howley I, McGuire M. Five lessons for working with a scribe. Fam Pract Manag. 2016;23(4):23-27. https://www.aafp.org/fpm/2016/0700/p23.html
Misra-Hebert AD, Amah L, Rabovsky A, et al. Medical scribes: How do their notes stack up?. J Fam Pract. 2016;65(3):155-159. https://www.mdedge.com/familymedicine/article/106833/practice-management/medical-scribes-how-do-their-notes-stack
Reuben DB, Knudsen J, Senelick W, Glazier E, Koretz BK. The effect of a physician partner program on physician efficiency and patient satisfaction. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(7):1190-1193. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1315
Sinsky CA, Jerzak J, Hopkins K. Telemedicine and team-based care: the perils and the promise. Mayo Clin Proc. 2020;96(2):429-437. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.11.020
Sinsky CA, Willard-Grace R, Schutzbank AM, Sinsky TA, Margolius D, Bodenheimer T. In search of joy in practice: a report of 23 high-functioning primary care practices. Ann Fam Med. 2013;11(3):272-278. doi:10.1370/afm.1531
Sinsky CA. Cleveland Clinic: Improving access, quality and satisfaction with “turbo practice”. The ABIM Foundation. December 6, 2011. Accessed February 7, 2022. https://abimfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Finding-Joy-In-Primary-Practice-Site-Visit-Cleveland-Clinic.pdf
Sinsky CA. Allina Clinics: Reconnecting with patients through scribing. The ABIM Foundation. November 31, 2011. Accessed February 7, 2022. https://abimfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Finding-Joy-In-Primary-Practice-Site-Visit-Allina-Clinics.pdf
Sinsky TA. Newport News Family Practice:The family team care model. The ABIM Foundation. December 5, 2011. Accessed February 7, 2022. https://abimfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Finding-Joy-In-Primary-Practice-Site-Visit-Newport-News.pdf
Smith PC, Lyon C, English AF, Conry C. Practice transformation under the University of Colorado's Primary Care Redesign model. Ann Fam Med. 2019;17(Suppl 1):S24-S32. doi:10.1370/afm.2424
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