Medical transcription is an interesting, and at the same time, seriously challenging profession which requires one hundred percent devotion to the work. Even a minor error can seriously affect patient health and security and result in legal liabilities for the physician.
Physicians need to adhere to best practices to ensure high quality clinical documentation in keeping with new industry regulations. Regardless of whether they rely on traditional dictation, use dictation software, or enter information directly into the electronic health record (EHR), medical transcription outsourcing is continuing to prove invaluable for quality healthcare documentation. However, there are still a lot of myths associated with medical transcription and it’s important to dispel them to realize the true value of these services.
- Medical transcriptionists just need to type really fast: Of course, professional medical transcriptionists do need to type really fast to meet the required turnaround time, but this is just one of the many capabilities that they should have. The transcriptionist should be well informed about the specialty handled as well as have an independent, pressure-resistant mindset and the enthusiasm to concentrate keenly on the task for long periods of time.
- Medical transcription is just like data entry: The medical transcription process can in no way be compared with data entry. The task requires more than what required for data entry. Transcription professionals need a combination of skills including hearing, listening, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension and plain common sense.
- Medical transcriptionists need little or no training: A medical transcriptionist undergoes specific and extensive training. They are trained in medical terminology and jargon, in the formatting of the different report types, HIPAA compliance and much more – everything that is necessary to deliver accurate, timely and secure clinical documentation that adheres to industry standards.
- Electronic health records will completely replace medical transcription: This is not expected to happen anytime in the near future. Medical transcription services not only improve the use of the new technology but also offer a lot of benefits for the physician: more time for patient care, reduced data entry costs, increased productivity, and meaningful documentation.
