Outsourcing Medical Transcription Services – Save Money

Outsourcing medical transcription services reduces the workload and can help save money.

From the business point of view, outsourcing medical transcription services is believed to be very cost-effective. There are numerous medical facilities in the US which have recognized the benefits offered by the outsourcing companies and are pleased with their functioning.

Medical transcription is stressful and time consuming. The major disadvantage of employing in-house staff to carry out the transcription work is that it is not economical as the expenditure incurred (employee benefits, salary) is huge. Moreover, it proves impractical in the long run. Doctors, however, find it difficult to manage transcription work and treat patients. Excess work invariably results in stress and this could adversely affect the treatment of patients.

Outsourcing of medical transcription is therefore the most sought after service as it reduces the workload and substantially decreases client expenditure. Outsourcing of work can be either onshore or offshore. The cost of labor in countries like India, Philippines, and China is far less than that in developed countries like the US, UK and Canada.

Professional MT companies employ experienced transcriptionists who are trained in the field. The companies work round the clock and this makes the processing of work faster. The use of the latest technology and software also helps in speedy completion of the work. The work is constantly assessed and regular quality checks are conducted by proofreaders and analysts. This ensures that accuracy and standard of work is consistently maintained.

Outsourcing medical transcription services can help save money anywhere from 40% to 60%. A flexible and client-centric company handles all the aspects of transcription and provides unsolicited customer and technical support. Doctors find sufficient time to attend to their patients and focus on giving adequate treatment which they rightly deserve.

Medical transcription companies bracing up for newer challenges

The Medical Transcription industry, recently rechristened as the Clinical Documentation industry, is gearing up to counter the challenges posed by technology and outsourcing. In order to reinvent itself, the industry has resolved to move beyond conventional medical transcription services to encompass every touch point in the clinical documentation continuum, according to the newly-formed Clinical Documentation Industry Association.

Hitherto, a medical transcription company’s sole job was to convert voice files into text format, edit them, and send them back for the physician’s review. But CDIA is now looking at a broader role for medical transcription companies. It now wants transcription services to include not just transcribing and editing but also producing meticulously documented clinical reports which could also be used for coding and billing to ultimately make a practice’s workflow faster and more efficient.

The industry which is already facing an existential threat from medical transcription outsourcing firms in developing countries is also seeing some competition from sophisticated transcription software.

A case in point is the front-end and back-end speech recognition (SR) transcription software. While the front-end SR software captures physician voice files directly into the computer and converts them to electronic text format, the back-end SR software additionally sends the transcribed files to a professional transcriptionist for correction and editing. The latter is more popular among physicians as it is screened both by a transcriptionist and physician, and makes the reports more reliable and error-proof.

But technological advances and the threat from outsourcing notwithstanding, the role of medical transcription companies continues to remain important. With more and more patients to tend to each day, providers have little time for medical transcription functions even with the aid of software. So they would continue to use the services of medical transcription companies who in turn would have to raise the bar and add more value to their services.

Ultimately the future of medical transcription industry will depend on its willingness and ability to modify transcription services in line with the changing physician requirements and technological advances.

The Importance Of Transcription In The EHR Age

In preparation for the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association) Conference next week, my publisher and I have been speaking with several transcription services companies that will be exhibiting at the show. Since Healthcare Technology Online is a new media outlet, these conversations typically begin with us describing the focus and purpose of our website and weekly email newsletters. In more than one instance, a representative from a transcription company questioned our interest in their services. “We’re not a technology company,” they’d say. “I don’t see how our content and offerings would be of interest to your audience.”

This response floored me. While it’s true that most transcription companies offer outsourcing services as opposed to hardware or software technologies, these companies still play a vital role in healthcare IT — particularly as more healthcare facilities migrate to an EHR (electronic health record).

Transcription: The EHR On-Ramp

Some proponents of EHR suggest that template-driven electronic documentation capture is the best approach to realize the benefits of EHRs. However, this approach often forces the process and behavioral changes that have been primary barriers to EHR adoption. Furthermore, relying on a physician to key information into an EHR or select data from a series of drop-down menus while with a patient can lead to human error, inaccuracy, and incomplete information.

Using a “migratory” approach to EHR can help you avoid these potential pitfalls. With this approach, physicians can continue to interact with patients the way they always have and continue to leverage their existing dictation and transcription processes. However, getting voice data into a transcribed format that can be seamlessly integrated with or digested by the healthcare facility’s chosen EHR platform becomes a required capability of the transcription services company. In response to these growing EHR integration needs, most transcription services companies leverage the latest NLP (natural language processing), XML (extensible markup language), and HL7 (health level seven)-compliant technologies. These tools can create templates for data entry that automatically populate an EHR. In other words, data is tagged according to the report’s format and the NLP’s output and uploaded directly into the EHR in the appropriate place. It then becomes simple for the transcriptionist to perform a quality check of the data to ensure it matches physician instructions and the requirements of the EHR. In this way, the transcription provider truly serves as a healthcare facility’s on-ramp to an EHR.

Key Transcription Provider Criteria

Ensuring that the transcription service company you select can deliver data that can easily be fed into your EHR is just one step of the process. Other areas to consider when selecting a transcription services company include:

• guaranteed compliance with HIPAA (The Health Information Accountability & Portability Act) when it comes to handling the protected health information of your patients
• storage in a mission-critical data center that provides 99.99% uptime and security
• a guaranteed transcription accuracy rate of 99%
• multiple levels of quality assurance
• transfer of files through FTP (file transfer protocol) or browser-based secure 256 bit AES (advanced encryption standard) encrypted file transfer protocol
• 24/7 technical support

Again, while not a “technology” in and of itself, medical transcription is a vital part of adopting EHRs and other healthcare information management processes. Transcription companies will provide the industry with the guidance and support necessary to accelerate EHR adoption and help us to embrace the electronic age of clinical documentation.

An Efficient Medical Transcription Service Can Decrease Costs And Increase Margins

Want to organize physician’s handwritten notes and prescriptions into electronic documents without spending a fortune? A medical transcription service is the perfect solution for you.

All medical institutions require computerization of medical notes for clean and compact record-keeping, insurance claims processing, quick reference, conferencing and various other reasons. Hospitals and clinics have long been hiring full time transcriptionists to do the same. But this is an expensive option and not the ideal solution if you have varying volume of transcription needs. Alternatively, you can give transcription duties to other clerical staff or use voice recognition software. But these solutions can be quite inaccurate, putting the health of your patients at stake. Your clerical staff may not be well trained for medical transcription and accuracy of voice recognition usually is too low to be useful. A medical transcription service gives you the best combination of expense, quality and accuracy.

How does a medical tanscription service work?

* Physicians dictate their notes into a recording device, usually a toll-free phone line or handheld digital recorder. Most medical transcription services support both these methods. Some services also accept recorded cassettes. Mp3 is the preferred sound format when using digital recorders, though other formats can also be used.

* The recorded information is then sent to the medical transcription service provider. Information security during transfer is critical. Your patients’ personal information must not be leaked out at any cost. Digital recordings are submitted via the Internet. This can be done using a secure web site and file transfer protocol (FTP) using custom software from the provider, or even through encrypted email. In case of a toll-free line, the information is directly recorded on the provider’s servers.

* The recorded notes are then transcribed and returned to the hospital or clinic. Information is usually returned as word files, though other formats like pdf can also be specified. Delivery methods include secure web sites, FTP, custom software, encrypted email and in some cases fax.

More comprehensive medical transcription services are also available. They offer an online system that stores both the audio files and transcripts, organizes them by date, doctor, or patient, and keeps track of progress as they’re being transcribed. These services are more expensive but offer substantial management benefits.

Important Considerations

Accuracy: The returned work must have accuracy close to 100 per cent. Select a medical transcription service that employs experienced and skilled medical transcriptionists and quality assurance professionals who review the transcriptions before delivering them to you. Your doctors should review and evaluate each transcript on delivery to prevent any damage to your patients’ health and well-being.

Turnaround Time: It refers to the maximum time within which medical transcripts will be delivered to you after submitting the audio recordings. Most medical transcription services offer a turnaround time of 24 to 48 hours. Most also include a STAT service that allows you to specify a turnaround time of one-, two- or four-hours at an additional cost. Different types of notes can have different turnaround times.

Security: Medical transcription services are subject to HIPAA rules about patient confidentiality. The industry standard for internet security is 128-bit SSL security. Physical security at the provider location is also important. Careful employee screening and tracking is essential. Audit trails can assist in tracking employees. An audit trail keeps track of each individual who accesses a given set of notes and the modifications they make.

Sound Quality: Good quality of sound recording is essential for performance. Digital handheld recorders provide better sound, though they carry an additional hardware cost. Some medical transcription services charge lower prices if you provide them with better quality recordings.

Location of service: Many medical transcription services use both domestic and international transcriptionists. There is generally no difference in quality and accuracy between the domestic and outsourced services. Having transcription teams all around the world enables the service providers to meet deadlines. You will most like pay more for service if you insist on using medical transcriptionists located in a developed country like the US.

How much will you have to pay?

You are charged per line of text. The industry standard is 65 characters in a single line including spaces. Some service providers however, include lesser number of characters in a single line. Price usually ranges from $.05 to $.20 per line. Before you select a vendor, compare price quotes from multiple medical transcription companies.

Most medical transcription service providers offer free trial runs. Carefully assess the provider’s ability to meet deadlines, the accuracy of transcripts, and ease of interaction with their customer service representatives during the trial run. Many providers assign a dedicated team of transcriptionists for long term contracts and also offer lower prices. Carefully evaluate your requirements, the providers and the available services before making a decision.

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Cost-Effective and Reliable Medical Transcription Service

Medical transcription services are available for all specialties such as radiology, orthopedics, cardiology, and more.

With increase in the number of patients opting for quality medical care, hospitals and clinics find it hard to maintain their medical records and reports up to date. The pragmatic solution to this problem would be to rely on cost-effective and reliable medical transcription service. A number of transcription companies have now emerged in view of the increased demand for medical transcription in the industry.

The advantages of hiring a reputable transcription company are the low turnaround time, reduced expenditure and assured security. These companies offer services to all English speaking countries such as the US, Canada, UK and Australia. Transcription services are available for all specialties such as radiology, cardiology, orthopedics and more.

Medical transcriptionists are specially selected and trained to excel in their work. These professionals make use of the latest technology and infrastructure to offer the best possible service. Clients are assured of the quality and accuracy of the processed work as every medical transcription company would necessarily have a dedicated team of quality analysts and proofreaders. Peace of mind is assured as the work is processed and sent within the stipulated time period and security protocols comply with HIPAA

Cost-effective and reliable medical transcription service substantially reduces the workload of a physician or surgeon so that they get more time to focus on their patients instead of worrying about office work. It is advisable to assess the productivity and efficiency of a medical transcription company before engaging in a long term contract. This will allow you to frame a general idea of what you can expect form them in future. It is essential to ensure that they undertake any volume of work lest you find difficultly in the later stages.

Medical Transcription Software Means Greater Efficiency

For a long time medical transcription has been a growing field. It allows medical professionals to leverage their time by dictating the information that needs to be included in a patient file into some type of audio format. It is then taken by a transcriptionist for conversion to a text format. These software is making the job easier for transcriptionists and in the end it provides a service not only to medical professionals but to patients as well.

The most current medical transcription software utilizes speech recognition technology. This software can automatically take something that has been delivered in an audio file format and convert it to text. The transcriptionist will then review the text and generally also the audio file to ensure accuracy and the ability of someone to comprehend the data that has been delivered.

The improvements in the software have not only included the ability to recognize speech and convert it to text but also the methods that are used for the gathering of information. Audio files are currently being reduced in size and improved in quality so that the software can be even more effective, and the file size can be even smaller. This translates into faster download times and quicker turnaround.

Some people may believe that the advancements in medical transcription software will spell the end of the transcription field. This is simply not the case, as there will always be in need to have somebody who is versed in medical terminology to ensure that the text sent back to the patient file can be understood by anybody who reads it. Someone using this software will continue to need to make the end product something usable.

Part of the reason that there will always be a need for medical transcriptionists is that no matter how good the transcription software might be there may be errors or omissions on the part of the medical professional that is providing the information in the first place. The fact that these software can increase the output of the transcriptionist only means that the information will get back into the patient’s file quickly, that the transcriptionists will have the luxury of taking more time to ensure that quality text is sent back.

Medical transcription software will continue to allow physicians to leverage their time and provide them with more accurate and accessible patient files. The fact that the increased productivity of the transcriptionists will result in more current patient files will mean that patients receive better quality medical care. Transcription companies will be able to streamline their processes and handle greater volume for increased profitability.

For the work of a transcriptionist, these software can be a powerful aid. It is not, and may never be a replacement for the medical transcriptionist but instead a tool that allows them to be more efficient. There will always be discrepancies in the spoken word of a medical professional and the fact that many medical terms sounds so much alike will always have a need for somebody to review the final product.

Medical transcription software is changing the transcription industry, and medical transcription software that can increase productivity is a must. Keep pace by learning what a good medical transcription software program can do for your company.

Transcription Software For Increased Productivity

Transcription software actually goes back many years and people may be surprised to know that it predates the Internet. It was originally developed as an aide to the manufacturing process but because of its effectiveness it has been found to be useful in a number of other applications.

One of the more predominant areas where transcription software is used is in the medical profession. In days past, medical professionals would write client information in a handwritten note. This note was then added to the patient’s file. The result was a physically imposing amount of files that were full of handwritten notes that may or may not have been difficult to read. Fast forward a few years and the same medical professionals are using recorded voice technology to make their notes. A medical transcriptionist would then transcribe the information into written form.

Today, the latest technology to be used in this field is speech recognition technology. This software has the ability to take the spoken word and automatically transcribe it into text. Some people may be concerned that the jobs of medical transcriptionists could be in jeopardy but this is not the case. Similar to advancements like the electric typewriter, transcription software will only serve to increase the productivity of these workers. The companies that successfully utilize transcription software will be the ones to become more profitable and sustain themselves in the long run.

Somebody working in medical transcription will still need to have the same skill set that they always have; they need to be familiar with the medical terms that will be used by medical professionals will provide the reports to be transcribed. They will continue to need to have strong typing skills and computer literacy. This may perhaps be even more the case that was in the past because of the tools that are being used.

Transcription software has come a long way, but there is still a need for a set of human eyes to oversee the end product. When a medical professional provides a voice sample there may be mispronunciations, words that are omitted or difficult for the software to comprehend. There will always be a need to have somebody ensure that the final text is something that can be understood.

When it comes to converting the spoken word in an audio file to text, it is important that the turnaround be as quick as possible. The text will need to be inserted back into the patient’s file so that when a physician or other medical professional is reviewing the file they will have the most up to date information. The transcription software will allow the transcriptionist to get the information to the necessary place in short order. The fact that the information has been converted to text will allow it to be searched easily. It also means that the storage space required for patients’ files will be considerably smaller than it has been in the past.

Transcription software offers the medical profession the ability to have more complete and concise patient files, and it will allow companies that provide transcription to be more efficient and profitable. It will make the job of a transcriptionist much easier.

Transcription software has caused a huge increase in the productivity of transcriptionists. Many companies can benefit from transcription software and overlooking a good transcription software program could mean getting outpaced in the industry.

Medical Transcription Software – Everything You Need to Know

Medical transcription is a useful process of converting reports in the form of voice recordings into text format. The reports, usually dictated by healthcare professionals and physicians, contain basic, updated, and confidential data about a patient. The end products are called ‘report,’ ‘medical record,’ or ‘transcript.’ Such information comprises a patient’s medical history. Indeed, this has become an important and very promising industry. It is not surprising that different transcription software products have emerged.

For quite a while, medical reporting has been consuming so much time. The typical and conventional process of transcribing medical reports has become outdated. Usually, a report in text format could be attained in about a week at the fastest. However, many practitioners and patients are not contented about it. The introduction of medical transcription software has made it speedier for healthcare practitioners and transcribers to come up and produce reports in just a day or two. The accuracy is never compromised despite the accelerated speed, though. In fact, many rave about the absence of abbreviation and handwritten notes that are commonly found in conventional transcriptions.

The use of these software does not make dummies out of medical transcribers. Contrary to common and instant perceptions, these professionals are not deprived of their jobs. The software would not displace them. In fact, the computer programs are designed to aid them and make their jobs easier, more enduring, and more accurate. Many medical transcribing companies are raving about the fact that their medical transcription productivity is significantly bolstered once they invest in and use the transcribing software.

The use of these software requires certain traits and features in professional transcribers. For one, the professionals should demonstrate high-level skills in using and operating basic office computer and equipment. Most of such software products need to be learned and mastered before being used. That is why many transcription companies allocate ample time in teaching their transcribers use and operate specific transcription software. Some of such products may be too hard to initially understand and use, while others recognize this problem and have made their basic features easy to understand and use.

Of course, the use of medical transcription software does not set aside basic requirements in transcribing professionals. The transcribers must still be most knowledgeable about basic and advanced medical terminologies. They also must have strong memory and verbal communication skills; must be able to check, sort, and verify numerical figures accurately; must be able to follow written and verbal instructions; must have good typing skills; must know about correct grammar; and must apply practical punctuation and capitalization when writing. Some companies require professionals to have sufficient experience in the past about medical reports transcription.