Posts Tagged ‘Medical Transcription’
admin on June 1st, 2010
By, Lea M. Sims
With our nation engaged in dialogue around health care reform, and health care delivery engaged in discussions around what “meaningful use” of EHRs will look like, there has never been a more important time for the health care documentation sector to stand up and demonstrate its contributory value to these critical issues. This means aligning our key messages with health care’s goals and demonstrating why we matter to the health data capture process, both now and in the evolving EHR.
What is health care delivery telling us?
More than anything, health care needs cost-effective, technology-centric solutions that ensure quality of care, eliminate redundancy and inefficiency, and improve the quality and accessibility of patient information within and between health care enterprises. When it comes to our sector, the health care system is looking for the right solutions to securely and accurately capture, consume and repurpose health information. It needs partners and advocates who will advance its EHR adoption goals, facilitate reliable data exchange, and deliver robust health encounter information that allows providers to make real-time clinical decisions. And out of the evolving debate around “meaningful use,” a new concern is also emerging-How much of the EHR documentation burden should be shouldered by the physician?
How can our sector respond to those challenges?
The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and the Medical Transcription Industry Association have been delivering a core message to legislators, policymakers and health care stakeholders around the ability of the health care documentation sector to meet these evolving needs for managing health information. Our key messages around EHR adoption have focused on the following points:
1. Preservation of narrative capture is critical to meaningful use of EHRs because:
- More than 1.2 billion clinical records are produced in the U.S. every year.
- 60 percent of all clinical records are documented via traditional dictation/transcription.
- No documentation method captures complex patient stories better than narrative dictation.
- Dictation/transcription is still the preferred method among U.S. physicians for documenting patient encounters.
- Point-and-click templates cannot adequately capture a comprehensive, complete patient story.
- Physician-driven data entry is costing health care time and money; physicians are better deployed in frontline care than burdened with clerical capture.
2. Health care documentation specialists are critical to effective capture of health information because we:
- Understand the diagnostic process and the complex story-telling of patient care.
- Provide risk management support and oversight to ensure health encounters are captured accurately.
- Are able to indentify error/inconsistency in the record as well as support pay-for-performance goals through documentation improvement measures.
- Know how to apply data capture standards that ensure health information is available at point of care for clinical decision-making.
- Integrate seamlessly with data capture technologies, such as EHRs and speech recognition technology (SRT) solutions.
- Partner with physicians to document care encounters in a way that frees up providers for hands-on patient care.
How can you promote this campaign in 2010?
Be an advocate. First and foremost, our sector needs you to promote the concepts above to your providers, clients, health care facilities and legislators. Be proactive in advocating for your current and future value in advancing health care’s goals for EHR adoption. Download the MT Week flyer/poster-Capturing America’s Healthcare Story: Why We Matter to Health Care-at www.ahdionline.org and share it with your professional contacts.
Be ready to deliver. The value proposition we’re making to health care is predicated on the assumption that our workforce can facilitate EHR adoption by being an extra set of eyes on the health record, well-oriented to the diagnostic process, and capable of recognizing error and inconsistency in health information. This will require MTs to embrace professional development, continuing education and credentialing. Position yourself well for evolving and future roles by seeking additional training in new roles/technologies (receive $100 off the cost of our SRT training course if you register in the months of April/May for May/June courses), obtaining your certified medical transcription (CMT) or registered medical transcription (RMT) credential, becoming an AHDI member to stay in the stream of cutting-edge information, and embracing long-term continuing education.
Above article publish on http://health-information.advanceweb.com/Columns/AHDI-Track/Why-We-Matter-to-Health-Care.aspx
admin on April 9th, 2010
Companies who are in the medical transcription industry may underestimate the importance of a powerful voice transcription software platform. Consider for a moment that almost every function of that business will be affected by and handled by that system and it is easy to see how important it is to select the right one. Trying to save money on a system that does not significantly improve the productivity of medical transcriptionists can end up being a waste of capital.
There are many ways that voice transcription software can improve the profitability of a medical transcription business. The equation for making money is fairly simple; revenue has to go up and expenses must go down. The right voice transcription software platform can help a company to do both of these things.
In terms of reducing costs, things that medical transcription companies can look for in a software platform are advantages like local dictation telephone numbers that reduce the telephone bill. If a provider of this software has local numbers that are based in major centers across the country, then long distance charges will be minimized. It may not seem like a large expense, but when all of the clients that are dictating into a system are doing so for long periods of time and frequently then it can add up quickly.
Because the systems are so technical, often it can be beyond the abilities of the medical transcription company to maintain the voice transcription software and the servers that it will run on. This should be handled by the provider, and a good one will offer the large amount of storage space required at a good price. It will also be able to commit to having technical support available when it is needed.
Upgrades to the voice transcription software can also be expensive. When a transcription company is looking to engage a software provider, they should inquire about what kind of future costs they will have to shoulder for system upgrades. It is also important to know that upgrades can be facilitated without the need to bring down the system.
Improving profitability also has to do with increased revenue. If a voice transcription software platform can allow every medical transcriptionist to produce more in the same amount of time then this will have an effect on the company’s fortunes. This means having the ability to review and edit the document quickly and it also requires a seamless distribution of the work to medical transcriptionists. When documents are complete, it should also incorporate an automated system that delivers the finished product to clients.
Companies should move very carefully when they are considering purchasing a voice transcription software platform. It touches every department of their business and ones that provide a complete system will reduce the administrative burden on a company. When much of the tedium that was present in the industry in past years is eliminated by advanced software platforms, companies can then focus on retaining good talent and acquiring new clients.
Above article publish on http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/voice-transcription-software-to-grow-a-medical-transcription-business-2011433.html
admin on March 31st, 2010
By Arvind Kashyap
Ever since the beginning of medical services & procedures around the world, there was always a need for properly writing down medical procedures. It was an important thing, because it could be easily referred to whenever a patient’ treatment history was required. Hence, initially it started with Doctor’s assistants writing down treatment procedures for the future reference of the doctor. But these instructions which were purely in Medical terms needed to be elaborated for easy comprehension of others in the medical fraternity.
To address this problem, and help in creating a comprehensible treatment history of every patient, Medical Transcription was formally introduced. The task of a Medical Transcriptionist thus involved understanding the medical jargon written by the doctor’s assistant, and document the same in easily understandable language. Slowly, this practice became popular and with the advent of recording devices, it was completely transformed to a totally new level.
The recorded tapes could now be sent to Medical Transcription companies located at the farthest corners of the world, and they would document the tape and send it across through internet in just a matter of hours. With the increasing presence of internet, Medical Transcription Services have attained greater significance in developed countries across the world. Doctors practicing in US, Canada, Australia & Europe are hiring transcription Companies based in Developing countries for their transcription work.
Countries like India have seen a big rise in the number of Companies, because of abundant availability of educated labor, who are able to deliver highly accurate transcription work at fairly cheap rates. And this also is the prime reason behind outsourcing of Medical Transcription Services to India which is growing at a pretty healthy rate through the past few years.
Considering the fact that rising concern about quality health services is only going up all the time, the future does look quite bright for people working in the business of transcription in India. As more and more Doctors in the west queue-up for quality Transcription services, the Transcription companies in India are sure looking for a pretty busy and booming future ahead.
Above article publish on http://ezinearticles.com/?Medical-Transcription-Poised-For-Bigger-Things-Ahead!&id=3957999
admin on July 17th, 2009
Should doctors be taken word-for-word?
By Cheryl McEvoy
A run-on sentence. A misspelled drug. A superfluous comma. Heck, maybe even a split infinitive. Dictation errors can irk word-wary MTs, but should they be forced to overlook such grammatical offenses? Thus begins the debate over verbatim transcription, a contractual item that makes MTs withhold all judgment — medical, grammatical or otherwise — and simply type what the dictator says. The controversial practice pits risk management against quality assurance (QA), but MTs’ reputations and patient care are what’s on the line.
While traditional transcription lets MTs correct punctuation, misspellings and dictation errors at their discretion, verbatim transcription requires MTs to transcribe notes exactly as dictated. The practice is usually based on the client’s preferences; if a doctor doesn’t want his words altered, the MT is expected to transcribe word-for-word. There are arguments for and against the no-edits approach, but most MTs aren’t thrilled about it.
The running joke is, “If you want verbatim transcription, I will put in every ‘uh,’ ‘ah,’ ‘oh’ and ‘um’ that you have dictated,” said Barb Marques, CMT, AHDI-F, president-elect of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI).
In reality, it’s no laughing matter.
Risky Business
Doctors can make mistakes, so risk managers champion verbatim transcription as a way to keep MTs from taking the fall, according to Donna Brosmer, CMT, AHDI-F, NREMT-B, quality officer, Spheris. If the document ends up in court, an MT can claim no culpability because the doctor requested the dictation be transcribed word for word. If the MT changed any words, he or she might be held accountable for the error – a mark hospitals and medical transcription service organizations (MTSOs) don’t want on their hands.
But many say verbatim transcription neglects the value a skilled MT can bring to the table. With knowledge of diseases, diagnoses, treatments and medical terminology — not to mention, a knack for grammar and punctuation — MTs can serve as the first line of defense against errors, according to Brosmer. “You have a group of very intelligent people creating these reports, transcribing these reports,” she said.
For example, a good MT would know the difference between Xanax and Zantac and could correct the mix-up if a doctor misspoke, Brosmer said. MTs are also trained to notice when a doctor switches between left and right.
“If he said ‘right foot’ five times in the report and he gets down to the bottom and says ‘left,’ 99.9 percent [of the time], he really does mean the right foot,” Marques said.
Errors like that are becoming more common as good dictators become few and far between. With doctors able to dictate from their Blackberrys and iPhones, MTs are struggling to hear over the background sound of gyms, pools and oncoming traffic, Brosmer said.
Physicians are also getting more lax. Marques said today’s rising doctors do not speak in complete sentences, making it harder to understand the report. While a skilled MT would have the confidence to edit and make corrections without delaying the report, with verbatim transcription, the MT would have to query the physician or flag errors in hopes he would re-examine his work.
Making matters worse, many doctors don’t review their transcribed reports, according Lesli McGill, director of U.S. operations, SPi Healthcare. McGill hails from the “old school” of transcription, where she learned to edit as she transcribed. She recalled the “rubber stamp” method physicians used to approve reports — simply passing it on without so much as a glance. In today’s electronic environment, that stamp has been replaced with a click of approval, making it even easier to overlook flagged items.
Employee Pride
What the controversy boils down to is quality. MTs pride themselves on delivering a timely and accurate record, so they loathe initialing a document that isn’t up to par — especially if that document is hauled into court. “[MTs] want people to understand they did the best job they could with that document,” McGill said. “It reflects badly on them if it’s a verbatim account and you’ve got a bad dictator.”
The squabble isn’t likely to end soon, the experts said. The topic was among discussions at the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) Convention last April, and it’s expected to be on MTs’ minds at the AHDI conference later this month. In health care, quality isn’t something to take lightly; a mistake that slips through the cracks could mean the difference between life and death. MTs are supposed to be the first defense against errors, but amid the skirmish of lawsuits and legal liability, some fear verbatim transcription will push patient care to the wayside.
Cheryl McEvoy is an editorial assistant with ADVANCE
Above article published on
http://health-information.advanceweb.com/editorial/content/editorial.aspx?cc=202692
admin on July 16th, 2009
The proven ability for medical transcription to facilitate accurate, cost-effective EHR adoption will be the key message brought by the members of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) to federal legislators on Capitol Hill when the associations convene in Washington, DC, for their annual Advocacy Summit. With the HITECH Act, the Obama Administration’s high priority on nationwide EHR adoption has opened an opportunity for the transcription sector to educate the current Administration and Congress about the need for contemplative, prudent migration to the EHR – one that preserves the role of complex narrative and engages human intelligence in ensuring the accurate, secure capture of patient healthcare encounters.
The Advocacy Summit, being held June 3-4, 2009, in Washington, DC, will focus on the need for standards and regulations in EHR technology integration/adoption, the role of transcription in safeguarding protected health information (PHI), and the need for workforce development funding in healthcare documentation to ensure a knowledgeable, prepared next gen workforce that is capable of functioning in the quality assurance role the EHR will demand.
“Healthcare can ill afford a knee-jerk reaction to the EHR requirements of the HITECH Act,” states Peter Preziosi, PhD, CAE, AHDI/MTIA chief executive officer. “Successful EHR adoption and meaningful interoperability hinge on healthcare’s ability to set standards that promote efficient, cost-effective, quality-driven data capture solutions. The transcription sector is uniquely positioned to offer healthcare delivery the means to make that happen, and that’s what we’ll be sharing with this new Administration and the new Congress.”
The associations will take to the Hill their Transcription: Proven Accelerator to EHR Adoption whitepaper, which includes compelling statistics that demonstrate (a) the loss of income to physicians who integrate EMR/EHR technologies ineffectively, (b) the critical role of transcription technology solutions in facilitating better EHR adoption, (c) the value of solutions that create “rich, interrelated narratives” rather than cookie-cutter records, and (d) the irreplaceable role of a knowledge worker in data integrity management
Above article published on http://www.chiroeco.com/chiropractic/news/8027/865/Association-readies-for-EHR-advocacy-summit/
admin on July 8th, 2009
Medical Transcription is the process of understanding and transcribing the transcript made by healthcare professionals, such as doctors, treatment procedures, prognoses, diagnoses etc. It is the wide procedure of transcribing voice-recorded reports done by doctors and healthcare professionals into text formats for various uses.
Today there are extensive medical transcription services are available that cover all kind of the specialties in medicine. As the health care industry grows up, one finds that the number of companies is specialized in providing medical transcription services. Medical transcription is growing day by day. These services are provided to a wide range of practices and organizations that can include healthcare facilities, hospitals, laboratories, clinics, individual doctors and physicians’ groups.
Electronic storing of medical records is preferred by contemporary medical organization because of the giant number of patient information being accumulate. It crafts it very easy to integrate all details including the medicine, diseases details and other diagnostic information. Maintaining of this type of records is primarily to facilitate the patient’s healthcare. Also to use it as a general use data bank while still maintaining privacy of patient data.
Medical transcription services are offered exclusively for all the different medical specialists. Nowadays we have experienced medical transcriptionists who do specializations in transcription of different branches of medicine.
Medical Transcription Services includes:
- Radiology Transcription
- Cardiology Transcription
- Gynecology Transcription
- Dental Transcription
- Psychology Transcription
- Neurology Transcription
- Dermatology Transcription
- Orthopedic Transcription
- Academic Transcription
Medical transcription is one of the most widely outsourced works in the healthcare industry. Medical transcription services can consistently give you the combined unique experience of 99% accuracy, data security and absolute privacy for your records and documents. The concentrated training provided at these outsourcing companies guarantees quality and speed. To guarantee maximum accuracy in medical transcription, all these medical transcription services have experienced editors and proofreaders. Another foremost benefit of outsourcing these medical transcription works is that backup copies of patient data. These are forever available at the servers of these outsourcing companies and so it is easier to search and access patient records. Medical Transcription outsourcing is one of the most important industries in the outsourcing range.
Above article published on
http://www.articles-freeway.com/aid81074/Benefits-of-Outsource-Medical-Transcription-Services.html
admin on July 6th, 2009
Medical transcription services are in high demand in a variety of healthcare settings. These services are in high demand mainly because:
- They help speedy processing of patient insurance claims
- They ensure accurate and detailed medical records which are of great importance in any healthcare setting
- They can efficiently handle the growing volume of medical reports in hospitals, clinics, primary healthcare centers, acute care centers
- They ensure that clients receive properly formatted, edited and reviewed documents
Most companies in the medical transcription field offer HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant transcription services. Reliable transcription services are available for operative reports, diagnostic imaging studies, laboratory summaries, x-ray reports, physical examination reports, patient histories, ER reports, clinic notes, referral letters, progress notes, psychiatric evaluations, physical examination reports, pathology reports and death summaries.
Convenient Dictation Options and Flexible File Formats
Leading transcription companies offer affordable and convenient dictation options – toll free number, digital recorders or computer based dictations. The voice-recorded files can be in any format including WMV, MPG, AVI, MOV, ASF, ASX, RM, SWF, DIC or extended audio formats such as WMA and MP.
Qualified Professionals to Handle the Rising Transcription Demands
To handle transcription services in various specialties–including pediatrics, gastroenterology, internal medicine, radiology, orthopedics, cardiology, chiropractic and podiatry–at 99% accuracy, these service providers have a team of skilled and experienced medical transcriptionists, quality analysts and proofreaders. They utilize the best combination of tools and techniques to output transcribed files in various formats (such as JPG, GIF, XML, PageMaker, XML, PDF, HTML, TIFF, FrameMaker, QuarkXpress, Word and Excel) through FTP or browser based 256 bit AES encryption protocol.
If you need medical transcription service for generating accurate transcripts, it is important to get the support of a dependable service provider.
Above article published on
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-medical-transcription-services-are-in-high-demand.html
admin on June 24th, 2009
Medical transcription, also known as MT, is an allied health profession, which deals in the process of transcription, or converting voice-recorded reports as dictated by physicians and/or other healthcare professionals into text format.
Traditional medical transcription is a form of document creation that the medical industry considers outdated, but necessary as a means of providing the necessary documentation needed to satisfy regulatory and insurance provider requirements. The practice of modern medicine dictates that the physicians spend more time serving patient needs than creating documents in order to make financial ends meet. More modern methods of document creation are being implemented through the technology of computers and the internet. Voice Recognition (VR) is one of these new-age technologies. With the power to write up to 200 words per minute with 99% accuracy Voice Recognition has freed physicians from the shackles of traditional transcription services.
Medical transcription is still the primary mechanism for a physician to clearly communicate with other healthcare providers who access the patient record; to advise them on the state of the patient’s health and past/current treatment; to assure continuity of care. More recently, following Federal and State Disability Act changes, a written report (IME) became a requirement for documentation of a medical bill or an application for Workers’ Compensation (or continuation thereof) insurance benefits based on requirements of Federal and State agencies.
The medical transcription industry will continue to undergo metamorphosis based on many contributing factors like advancement in technology, practice workflow, regulations etc. The evolution toward the electronic patient record demonstrates that, over time, documentation habits will change either through standards and regulations or through personal preferences. Until recently, there were few standards and regulations that MTs and their employers had to meet. First, we had the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It wasn’t long ago “experts” stated that HIPAA would not have any effect on the medical transcription industry. Either in a state of denial or ignorance of the law, many transcriptionists and companies have continued on their existing course of providing medical transcription. Many providers are concerned that the majority of the transcription industry will not be able to meet several specific requirements: namely, access controls, policies and procedures, and audits of access to the patient information. Without the knowledge or resources to comply, many in the industry are claiming to comply and signing their Business Associates Agreements without taking the security measures required. Many are uninformed, and some are choosing to remain so, believing that the world of transcription cannot possibly be expected to make these adaptations. The fact is that the employers will demand HIPAA compliance and will change employees and contractors when they don’t get it. There will also be demands to enhance patient safety, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. It is mandatory for service providers and healthcare practices to migrate to a HIPAA compliant environment.
Above article published on
http://www.mediformatica.com/medical-transcription/index.php
admin on June 24th, 2009
The Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines, Inc. (MTIAPI) has forged an agreement with the US-based Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) to protect the interest of the industry.
MTIAPI president Myla Rose Mundo-Reyes, who attended the Building a Viable and Sustainable Relationship with Offshore MT Service Organizations by the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) conference held recently in Long Beach, California reported.
“I was actually glad that the participants’ concerns on quality, data privacy, public holidays and government support in policy making were openly raised because I was given the opportunity to inform them that the Philippines is addressing exactly the same issues that really matter to our clients,” Reyes said.
Reyes reported that MTIAPI and MTIA agreed to forge a partnership to protect the interests of the industry and its players. Some of the highlighted areas of cooperation were policy enforcement on data privacy protection, intellectual property rights protection of their MT curricula, certification of MT workers and training facility accreditation, a company verification process, and some business matching activities for MTIA’s US Medical Transcription Service
Organizations (MTSO) members looking for offshore partners.
Colin Christie, CEO of MXSecure and MTIAPI director who joined the meeting viewed the meeting as a great step towards future cooperation.
“The well-attended panel discussion has torn down barriers to the Philippines’ emergence as the outsourcing and offshoring destination of choice and presented the country as having viable solutions for US MT companies looking for a virtual extension office so as to expand their businesses.
Reyes, who is also the managing director of Total Transcription Solutions, Inc., explained that the panel discussion corrected some of the participants’ negative perceptions about offshoring and informed them of where to go, who to talk to, and what to consider if they want to explore outsourcing to other countries.
“I was actually glad that the participants’ concerns on quality, data privacy, public holidays and government support in policy making were openly raised because I was given the opportunity to inform them that the Philippines is addressing exactly the same issues that really matter to our clients,” she added.
Another MTIAPI delegate and marketing manager of IQ West, Sammy Pe, said that as a result of the panel discussion, he was able to get a number of leads at the convention.
MTIAPI director and Transkripsyo chief executive officer Michael Chua said, “It was a very good mission. I believe the delegation presented the Philippine value proposition very well. We are looking forward to having more US companies taking a second look at the Philippines for their outsourced transcription needs.”
Reyes added, “The challenge now is for our local stakeholders—the private sector and the government—to ensure that the right components are in place when the investors begin pouring in.”(BCM)
Above article published on
www.mb.com.ph
admin on June 19th, 2009
AHDI and MTIA bring their message to Capitol Hill.
The transcription sector took a solution-focused message to Capitol Hill June 3-4 in response to President Obama’s provisions and mandate for EHR adoption under the recent HITECH Act. With this administration’s push to have both a definition and criteria for “meaningful use” determined by July of this year, the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) and the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) believe there is a critically narrow window of opportunity for this sector to ensure that such criteria includes provisions for the evolving role of transcription in hybrid capture, where complex narrative is preserved and quality outcomes, not just fiscal savings, drive adoption and integration. The HIT vendor community is positioning itself around key decision-makers in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in whose hands the determination of “meaningful use” now resides. Inarguably, the primary interest of those vendors is in securing widespread EHR adoption through HITECH provisions, and our message to legislators was that HHS needs others at the decision-making table whose interest is geared more toward how these technologies will be deployed and not whether they will be deployed.
Defining “meaningful use” is not the role of HIT but rather of clinicians and experts in health care documentation who can speak to the document workflow process and the complexities of capturing health stories in a way that informs clinical decision-making and promotes coordination of care. If the “meaningful use” definition is shaped only by the vendor community, there is great risk for EHR deployment to fall short of health care’s goals for capturing and consuming health information. All stakeholders, most importantly the patient, lose under such an imprudent integration approach.
More than 120 legislative appointments were held during the 2-day summit through collaborative dialogue from both MTIA business owners and AHDI health care documentation workers who met together with Senate and House members to share the importance of our quality-focused sector in accurately capturing patient health stories. We visited with legislators from 26 states and delivered letters from AHDI members to their respective legislators for 28 states. Each person had an opportunity to share the key talking points and messages prepared for the event, as well as to engage in dialogue with legislators and their aides about the role transcription can and does play in accurate capture. Likewise, we stressed the need to preserve complex narrative in the EHR so that the important nuances of a patient’s story are captured outside of restrictive point-and-click templates. Consideration must be given, as well, to the impact on clinicians who are inefficiently deployed to capture health care encounters rather than engaging in provision of care. And we talked about the value of a knowledge worker positioned in partnership with physicians to ensure the accurate, secure capture and repurposing of health information.
MTIA and AHDI will be engaging the services of a lobbying firm to push this message to the right people on the HELP committee (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) as well as those in HHS who will ultimately be responsible for the “meaningful use” definition. In addition, through our lobbying firm, we will continue to drive this message and our recommendations to David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health IT, so that the role of transcription is not left out of EHR integration standards, recommendations and regulations. Both medical transcription service organizations (MTSOs) and MTs will have an opportunity to contribute to and participate in this advocacy effort.
Above article published on
http://health-information.advanceweb.com/editorial/content/editorial.aspx?cc=201256
