I’m hearing from more physicians who want to work part-time from home. The reasons vary: more time with the kids, a less stressful environment, greater job flexibility and some extra income.
With advances in communication technology and the availability of digitalized information, the opportunities to work from home are increasing in many professions, including healthcare.
While the electronic medical record may be challenging for a variety of reasons, it is providing more options for physicians to work in the comfort of their own home. Two areas that are a natural fit for this type of work are doing Chart Reviews and Telemedicine.
Today, I will be discussing Chart Reviews, and in Part II, I will cover Telemedicine.
Chart Reviews, also called File Reviews, provide a second-opinion evaluation on a matter relating to patient care. These reviews are done “in-house” within an insurance company or hospital, as well as by third-party company called IRO’s or Independent Review Organizations.
Some examples of Chart Reviews are:
- Utilization of Services
- Medications
- Quality of Care
- Length of Hospital Stay
- Disability
- Workman’s Comp
In doing their review, a physician may be determining if a procedure is covered on a patient’s plan, determining if an inpatient hospitalization should be covered, or reporting whether or not an off-label medication use is appropriate. These types of reviews can require only a matter of minutes in some cases, while determining disability eligibility would naturally be a more involved process.
Physicians need to be board certified with a current license, and in many cases, be in active practice. Certain specialties are more in demand than others, and the workflow can be unpredictable. The compensation varies, ranging from $85-$200 or more per hour.
To get started, a physician would first submit their CV and go through the credentialing process. Once approved, training is provided (often web-based) and the physician is eligible to receive cases pertinent to their specialty. Depending on the physician’s specialty and the needs of the company, there could be a significant number of reviews per month, or very few.
To increase the number of reviews, a physician can be on the panel of more than one review company, or instead, work exclusively with a company that contracts with multiple review organizations.
The longer a physician does this type of work and establishes a reputation for quality work, quick turn around, and reliability, the more cases they are likely to receive.
While most physicians do this type of work to supplement their clinical practice, there are a small percentage who have developed this niche into their full-time occupation.
Up Next: Doctors Working From Home Part II: Telemedicine
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I am interested in retiring from an active 25+ year career as a full time Emergency Specialist. I would like to find out how one begins a supplemental career reviewing charts. Accessing the review companies you mentioned would be a good start. Do you have resources available?
Thank you for your time.
Hello Dr. Selby,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding chart review and congratulations on your 25+ years of work as an Emergency Specialist. You are welcome to contact me regarding how to get started on doing chart review. Many, but not all companies, require some degree of continued clinical practice. You can also be on more than one company’s panel, as long as there no non-compete restrictions. It is often a good idea to start out with one company to see how much you like the work and how it fits into you lifestyle. Best wishes to you.
As a physician recruiter I constantly come across physicians looking to do chart reviews out of the comfort of their home. How would I go about finding these places for these physicians. Any help would be appreciated.
Hello Paul,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding chart review for physicians. Please feel free to contact me at heatherfork@gmail.com.
Do you employ physician assistants for this type of position ?
Hello Elizabeth, thank you for your question. My company is a career coaching business and so we do not hire any healthcare professionals. I hope you can find some opportunities elsewhere.
I am an Anesthesiologist and want to do chart review. How can I get started,
I am looking for a remote position Telemedicine
Experience many years Home care hospice
16 years hospice care
20 years Retinal surgery
BC CFP Insurance license
Speak Italian and some Spanish
Hello Dr. Richard, it sounds like you have a lot of great experience. If you’re interested in Telemedicine, you can check out our free Telemedicine guide at this link. Scroll down until you see the Telemedicine one. https://doctorscrossing.com/freeresources/. I hope this helps!