With the advent of technology, the healthcare industry has undergone significant changes. However, medical transcription has remained a fundamental and necessary requirement in the healthcare sector. Technological changes have had a significant impact on how doctors’ notes are entered into the medical records, and on how transcriptionists are employed and work in a hospital or other healthcare facility. Verbal dictations have evolved into digital audio recordings and handwritten patient records have transformed into electronic health records. In keeping with this, medical transcription has also undergone changes in order to stay updated and relevant in the present age. Let us consider 6 major developments in the healthcare arena and how medical transcription has evolved to stay abreast with these innovative changes.
- Digital recordings: Electronic recordings in lieu of dictations have made the job of medical transcriptionists easy. Digital recording allows transcriptionists to work from anywhere. Though there are challenges involved such as muffled recordings or ambiguous references, these are efficiently handled by the trained and experienced team at a medical transcription company. Trained in transcribing physician notes for various medical specialties, professional transcriptionists are knowledgeable regarding medical terminology, procedures and jargon commonly used by medical professionals. They can make sense of what is being said and ensure maximum accuracy with the support of the QA team.
- Electronic health records: Electronic health record is the digital record of patient health information generated in a healthcare unit. It can be exchanged among and accessed by healthcare providers and patients. With electronic health records, no more file cabinets are required and it also reduces the need for storage space. To maximize the potential of the electronic health record, it is vital that the health documents are standardized. The transcriptionist in the EHR age should be trained in health terms, vocabulary, format and above all ensure that healthcare providers can easily read and understand the transcripts prepared.
- Increased demand for error-free data: In this digital era, a medical transcription firm providing value-added services need to ensure that the transcribed records are highly accurate. QA is very significant now, which the company would provide with an experienced quality assurance team. They would identify and flag errors in patients’ records thereby ensuring patient safety and provider compliance.
- Software for voice recognition: With voice recognition software, physicians can dictate the patient’s records. This helps the transcriptionist to review and edit the health record easily rather than create the record from scratch. With the introduction of voice recognition software, the transcriptionist’s role has changed to that of a medical editor.
- High expectations: Digital advancements enable people to get information about everything quickly. Healthcare providers also like to have the information they need promptly. Cloud-based health records and other digital productivity tools that enhance efficiency help transcriptionists to provide speedy and excellent quality service.
- The need for formal training: Earlier, doctors could hire anyone for transcribing medical notes but now with digitization and increased demand for accuracy and compliance, they need to ensure that the transcriptionist is well-trained and experienced. This is where professional EMR integrated medical transcription services become relevant. In this case, the transcriptionists would have undergone a formal training program that equips them with the necessary medical knowledge and skill to ensure accuracy and quality of the transcripts. They keep themselves updated on the new technological developments in the industry, and provide valuable service to their clients.
