Medical scribes are nonclinical support staff dedicated to clinical documentation during medical visits, allowing the provider to focus on the patient. Existing research shows that scribes can improve provider productivity and satisfaction and minimize the time they spend on documentation.
When the MISSION Act passed in 2018, one section of the law required the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to conduct a two-year medical scribes pilot. The goal was to determine how medical scribes impact VHA clinic function. The pilot was implemented in emergency departments and cardiology and orthopedics clinics.
The Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center (PEPReC) evaluated the pilot and, in 2023, published a policy brief on its findings. Read the full brief here.
PEPReC, within the Veterans Health Administration and funded in large part by the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), is a team of health economists, health services and public health researchers, statistical programmers, and policy analysts who engage policymakers to improve Veterans’ lives through evidence-driven innovations using advanced quantitative methods.
