Impact of Speech Recognition in EHR Systems
Up until a few years ago, the inefficiency of EHR systems was a constant source of frustration for physicians. It led them to work extra hours,taking up a significant amount of their time. In some cases, forcing them to stay at work late or come in on the weekends.
In one healthcare facility, this burnout sparked talks between the physicians and the management. Soon, they started considering solutions to improve the user experience with EHR systems.
After deliberating different solutions, they went ahead with a voice-based solution: Yale integrated speech recognition functionality into their EHR system. In a short period, it decreased the time required by clinicians and physicians for completing and closing encounters by up to 50%.
Hence, the Yale Medicine study concluded that speech recognition tools are effective enough to reduce a lot of hours of time from a physician’s shift, enabling them to focus on medical care, instead of getting bogged down by documentation.
Another study in 2018 by KLAS revealed that embracing speech recognition increased the overall productivity to a considerable extent. It took clinicians a lesser amount of time to finish their reports as speech recognition technology allowed them to prioritize their patients’ treatment.
How Speech Recognition Saves Time and Money
The outcomes of these studies haven’t gone unnoticed. Conventional dictation is gradually getting replaced by speech recognition technology in healthcare information systems around the world. They are the key to minimizing transcription costs. According to some estimates, speech recognition can save up to $30,000 every year in transcription costs alone.
The use of dynamic, command-based responses coded in an EHR system can noticeably cut the time it takes to work with conventional dictation.
The use of medical voice recognition software such as Dragon Medical One offers excellent functionality that resolves a large number of issues in EHR systems. Traditionally, physicians had to deal with a lot of screens, pick lists, form fields, radio buttons, check boxes, and tabs. This means they had to perform at least 100 mouse clicks, taking around 10 minutes of their time.
In order to create a single exam note, they were dependent on a great deal of manual data entry as well. Dynamic, command-based responses and trained speech recognition systems allow physicians to create an exam note in less than two minutes.
Our Final Thoughts
Many healthcare service providers have reported immense cost savings with speech recognition systems. It is reducing the burden from physicians, cutting down overtime hours from transcriptionists, and minimizing outsourcing needs. Therefore, everyone finds it efficient.
Send us a message if you want to integrate a speech recognition system to your EHR system. Our experts are well-known in the industry for adding value to healthcare information systems with voice-based solutions.