Objectives. A free-standing emergency department (FSED) is a facility that provides comprehensive emergencymedical care similar\nto a traditional emergency department but is not attached to a hospital campus. Medical scribes are increasingly likely to work in\nfree-standing emergency departments. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively investigate the benefits of a scribe program\nin an FSED. Methods. A retrospective, Institutional Review Board-approved analysis from December 1, 2013, to February 1, 2015,\nof free-standing emergency department medical data was extracted to determine if scribed charts resulted in increased revenue\nand improved throughput. Results. When scribes are present in the FSED there is a small, but statistically significant, decrease in\ntime from patient arrival to provider by 2.74 minutes. Scribed charts collected $4.69 more per chart and resulted in an increase in\nproductivity. Incremental cost effectiveness ratios resulted in proven cost-utility with a net-positive effect. Conclusion.While there\nare some gains in terms of operational metrics and provider productivity with the addition of scribes to a free-standing emergency\ndepartment, there is a net-positive financial impact of scribes. Implementing a scribe program at a FSED is cost-effective and\njustified from both an operational and a financial analysis.
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