Physician Order Entry Clerical Support Improves Physician Satisfaction and Productivity

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Primary Care Medicine
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Physician burnout and administrative burden are significant challenges in primary care.
• Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems require efficient documentation processes to support clinicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of dedicated clerical support for physician order entry on physician satisfaction, productivity, and EHR documentation timeliness.
• To assess changes in physician attitudes and work-life balance following the intervention.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, pre- and postintervention study involving seven part-time physicians in an academic general internal medicine practice.
• One full-time clerical staff member was trained for order entry and previsit planning within the EHR.
• Physician satisfaction, productivity (wRVU), EHR documentation timeliness, and attitudes were measured before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Physicians reported significant improvements in quality of life (71%-100%) and personal balance (43%-71%).
• Burnout decreased notably, with weekly burnout dropping from 43% to 14% and callousness from 14% to 0%.
• Productivity, measured by work relative value units (wRVU) per session, increased by 20.5% post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Employing clerical personnel for physician order entry is a cost-effective strategy to enhance primary care physicians' work lives.
• The intervention led to physicians feeling more supported, focused on patient care, and experiencing reduced stress and fatigue.