Medical transcription involves the creation of accurate transcripts from the recorded notes of physicians. The transcription process is critical to maintain clear records of a patient’s medical history. These reports help the doctor review the patient’s condition as well as prescribe further treatment.
Medical transcription may be done in-house or outsourced to a third party. Medical transcription outsourcing has a number of advantages which makes medical transcription companies very popular today. The doctor can record his dictation on a digital recorder or into a dedicated toll number provided by the medical transcription company. This recording is converted by the medical transcriptionist into text format, which is later maintained as a medical report of the patient.
Listed below are some of the advantages of hiring a medical transcriptionist:
- It is cheaper to outsource than to perform the task in-house
- The transcriptionists are experienced and skilled to perform the tasks
- The work is completed on time and there is no scope for backlog
- HIPAA compliant medical transcription to keep the patient records confidential
There are many companies and individuals that provide these transcription services. However, it is important to carefully choose a reliable provider. A wrong medical transcript may prove to be fatal for the patients. Hence it is critical that the reports are generated by a reliable transcriptionist.
Before finalizing on the transcriptionist, the doctor or hospital should ensure that the transcriptionist is capable of providing quality output. Consider the factors below when choosing a transcriptionist.
- The ability of the transcriptionist or the organization to meet deadlines
- The security measures adopted by them for security of data
- Transcriptionists should have basic knowledge of medical terminology, sign and symptoms, disease names, medication processes, laboratory and diagnostic processes etc.
- They should be fluent in English and well-versed in format styling and editing
- Ability to make use of selected professional reference materials
- Ability to work with word processing equipment, dictation equipment and transcription equipment
Many transcription companies provide free trials to prospective clients to enable them to evaluate their efficiency. During this free trial you should check the following:
- Infrastructure of the organization and the technology used by them
- Accuracy of final draft
- Turnaround time as well as the capacity to meet deadlines
- Promptness of the staff and their skill to provide technical assistance as well as their dedication to customer service
- The process of maintaining confidentiality and security.
A reliable medical transcriptionist is indeed a great support for physicians and other healthcare professionals.
