You've heard it time and time again. Physicians are overworked, overstressed, and racing toward burnout at alarming rates. With pressures mounting and the to-do list spiraling out of control, something's got to give, right?
Here are three simple ways physicians can improve their productivity while simultaneously reclaiming their time and sanity.
1. Delegate EMR Tasks.
The introduction and utilization of EMRs has been a bumpy road for many, although the ultimate benefits of the technology hold promise. But in the meantime, the seemingly never-ending task list that populates inside the EMR can quickly zap a physician's productivity, especially if some of the items can be handled just as easily by auxiliary or clinical support staff. Add in system alerts and notifications, which one study found required nearly one hour of physician time each day, and the impact is only further amplified.
Consider delegating as many of these tasks as possible, ideally so that they do not show up on your task list at all. This should be a relatively easy workaround that your IT department or vendor can help implement. While it may seem like some of these tasks wouldn't take much time, the cumulative effect unnecessarily hampers efficiency. A 2013 study found that delegating EMR tasks had a positive impact on clinician productivity, resulting in an 11 percent increase in work relative value units (RVUs) per clinician workday.
2. Maximize Technology.
The effective distribution of patient care has a definite technological component — one that is growing larger with each passing year. EMRs certainly have their benefits, but between the learning curve, implementation difficulties, and the strict, often confusing regulations, physicians are fed up. A 2016 Deloitte survey identified that seven out of 10 physicians feel that technology has actually slowed their productivity.
One way to combat these challenges is to optimize your EMR to the needs and workflow of your practice. Creating shortcuts and templates can minimize repetitive actions, saving time and often improving clinical documentation as well. EMR vendors and consultants typically offer these services. Plus, this can be a great time to also request a refresher training course to be sure you're operating at max capacity within your EMR.
In addition, make a point to eliminate frustrating technology that isn't maximizing productivity and replace it with a platform that does. For example, utilizing speech recognition technology is one way to increase documentation speed and accuracy while also recapturing patient face-to-face time. But if your current platform isn't consistently providing those benefits, then check out other speech recognition products on the market until you find one that does.
3. Set Boundaries.
This one may be the hardest to implement, but it's a must for physicians looking to take back their time. Establishing boundaries with patients, staff, and colleagues — particularly in regard to work-life balance and expectations — is key. In general, society has placed unrealistic demands on physicians, assuming they can maintain superhuman schedules and stress loads.
But like anyone else, physicians need to find a reasonable work-life balance, ways to deflect or minimize the impact of stressors, and time to recharge mentally, emotionally, and physically. Exercising, eating healthfully, and shutting down electronics (if at all possible) when you leave the office are just a few suggestions. Carving out specific, uninterrupted timeslots to take care of key tasks and finding a couple of minutes to breathe and refocus periodically throughout the day can help reenergize and boost productivity.