How we saved hours of GP time by switching to digital dictation

I type my own referrals every day and that is a lot cheaper as well as quicker. I can do it probably because I can touch type, without looking at the keyboard. My typing speed is around 50-60 words per minute with almost no errors. If I try to type fast my errors start appearing. That should be a good model for cost saving as well.

Whilst I commend our colleague's own personal ability to type his/her own referrals, I would add a caution. As an experienced medical secretary within large University teaching hospitals, sometimes such referrals are ambiguous due to typing errors/omissions and have to be questioned.
May I therefore recommend the use of an in-house qualified medical secretary/audio typist within practices in order to filter out any questionable referral letters? Not every GP is, due to pressure of work I am sure, as assured and accurate as you may be. Having a highly qualified medical typist within the practice is always a "belt & braces" approach to a coherent referral letter, as they would, and could, question any ambiguous elements when transcribing dictated letters of referral.
Many Consultants question or disregard some referrals as they do not give relevant information pertaining to the medication, prior medical history etc, as the referring GP has left it off (including, in many instances, their signature or name!) . An experienced medical secretary/typist would not let this happen!

PS - we, as medical secretaries, are trained to type very accurately - at speeds above 70-90 words per minute! We also objectively review all relevant aspects of each letter by back-checking, using databases such as HISS, Maracis, SystemOne, Choose and Book, also full patients' clinical notes to hand etc, before submitting them for signature by the GP who dictated them.
Thus, in a cost-cutting exercise, a GP's service to the community is best spent on addressing their patients' concerns, face-to-face, timewise, not by doing their own secretarial version (on their higher pay-scale) of cheaper in-house administrative typing duties. Therefore, Dr Rahim's "own typing" can be more time-consuming than just quickly digitally dictating a letter at the time of consultation with the patient, also it lacks the "belt-and-braces" back-up, so necessary in this day and age.