“We’re seeing an impact in this way as we see practice patterns emerge, so as you spend more time with each patient, you’re likely to gather more information. So, documenting these Information takes longer,” Sweeney-Platt said.

These findings help explain why the average female doctor Over a 40-year career, he earned an estimated $2 million less than male doctors. The report also recommends that employers should reduce the administrative burden on clinicians while maintaining high-quality medical records.

Transitioning to a value-based payment model could also ease the pay gap by financially rewarding clinicians for quality outcomes rather than treating large numbers of patients, Sweeney-Platt said.

“When you remove the penalty for seeing fewer patients, you relieve the pressure of seeing more and more patients,” Sweeney-Platt said. “You can speculate that this will shrink the earnings potential of female physicians versus male physicians. the gap between.”

Spending more time on clinical documentation doesn’t necessarily translate into better health outcomes, but it does put pressure on EHR providers to make it easier for clinicians to create comprehensive patient records.

“Studies like this reveal significant structural issues that affect all clinicians, not just women,” Sweeney-Platt said.