Workflow can determine whether technology is a burden or benefit to physicians

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Technology is a known benefit and burden for physicians.

So when Ludi, Inc. CEO and founder Gail Peace introduced a new software designed to help physicians log their time, she went to their offices to observe how they used the new technology and how it fit into their workflow.

The idea is for physicians to log their time daily, for no more than 15 minutes a month being spent on the DocTime Log.

None of the physicians clicked on a button asking for more detail. One physician kept pressing submit when once was enough. 

"In watching how he used it, I removed buttons and changed the flow," said Peace, a former health system executive who helped design the software. "When I saw how their brains worked, I changed the main screen from six buttons to four."

One doctor told her he would record his hours on his phone before leaving a meeting. 

Physicians just don't have the time, but whether they are employed by a hospital or are independent, they must track their time.

A physician's financial transactions and compensation are subject to a significant level of regulatory scrutiny that requires them to be paid at fair market value.  

Hospitals have a productivity standard for work called relative value units, or RVUs.  Sometimes doctors are required to work two call shifts and may be paid a bonus for additional shifts, according to Peace.

Independent doctors must log the hours they spend working in the hospital.

Submissions are still routinely done on paper. When done digitally, physicians are given feedback that the reporting has been received. It saves time and is more transparent, Peace said.

WHY THIS MATTERS

During COVID-19, physicians experienced more than burnout. Peace said she spoke to a local CMO who said clinicians on the front lines experienced a kind of PTSD. 

"The pandemic taxed infrastructures, supply chains and already burned-out physicians," Peace said. "Everyone had to be flexible."

Telehealth has changed the way physicians are engaging with patients, and the physicinas are excited about behavioral health software programs, she said.

"I do feel doctors to be more bullish on technology than they were before the pandemic," Peace said.

THE LARGER TREND

Technology continues to evolve. When computerized physician order entry was introduced a decade ago, it resulted in fewer errors in filled prescriptions, Peace said. 

EHRs have offered a more complete medical record, while resulting in physicians spending more time on the computer during a patient visit than they would like.

Burnout among physicians is seen as one of the most damaging disruptive forces in healthcare, in a survey of healthcare executives. 

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com