Medical Transcription, Transcription Services Blog

Medical transcription outsourcing: Getting started on the right note!

2. September 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

It has been proven that outsourcing medical transcription has numerous benefits that aid the healthcare facility in reducing costs and increasing focus on the core business of providing quality healthcare. As medical transcription services are a continuous requirement, it is important to source a medical transcription service provider who can consistently provide quality services. While outsourcing medical transcription it is important to consider a medical transcription service provider who can be more of a partner than a vendor.

Once the medical transcription service provider has been sourced and evaluated it is important to formalize the expected service levels in writing. This will clearly establish the expected levels of quality, enabling the medical transcription service provider to gear their resources to deliver quality services consistently. As the needs of each healthcare facility is different it is important to define the parameters of service expected. The expected parameters can be categorized into:

Quality: The parameters for quality medical transcription services would include:

  1. Accuracy: Accuracy is perhaps the most important quality criteria as the information in the patient record is used by healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities for several purposes like imparting healthcare, as evidence in case of litigation, coding and billing etc.. It is important to communicate the minimum expected levels of accuracy and also the guidelines for quality
  2. Turnaround time: As information in the transcripts is vital for the both the operational and commercial aspects of healthcare it is important that patient records be made available on time. The turnaround time requirements may differ according to various factors like the criticality of the situation, emergency, specialty etc. These need to be defined.
  3. Format/ template: Formats/ templates of reports could vary based on the type of report, the specialty or even the based on the preference of the healthcare professional, these need to be clearly specified.

Administrative: These would include:

  1. Options to retain familiar modes of dictation: The medical transcription service provider should be in a position to allow healthcare professionals to retain their familiar modes of dictation allowing them to maximize the time available to them. And the dictation system needs to be configured to accept audio from varied sources.
  2. Upload of audio files: The medical transcription service provider has to configure a utility, which enables automatic transfer of audio to the medical transcription service provider, by checking at frequent pre-defined intervals.
  3. Modes of document delivery: Once the transcripts are ready it is vital for the medical transcription service provider to have modes of document delivery that enables the healthcare professionals to have access of transcripts through their preferred mode. There could be variations like delivery of transcripts to specific folders, delivery to multiple users, remote printing and faxing options etc
  4. Archives: It is important that the medical transcription service provider provides an archiving system which enables the healthcare professionals and support staff to retrieve old records using various search criteria
  5. Job summary: It is important for the support staff at the healthcare facility to keep track of number of dictations uploaded, work in progress and transcripts delivered. To enable this the medical transcription service provider needs to provide a comprehensive job summary with all these details.
  6. Billing method: Reduced cost is perhaps one of the main benefit one hopes to gain from the outsourcing process. To ensure actual cost savings, it is important that the medical transcription service provider clearly defines the billing method used along with all the parameters used for calculating cost.

Technological: This would include:

  1. Getting started with outsourced medical transcription services : This could include configuring healthcare facility system with the service provider’s system, building VPN tunnels, installing software, ADT feeds etc.
  2. HIPAA / HITECH compliance: Protection of patient data during the medical transcription process can be ensured by use of security features like 128-bit data encryption, multi-tiered application architecture, design level security safeguards, firewall protected networks, sterilized e-mail servers etc.
  3. HL7 interface: To configure the interfaces and deliver reports to EMR/EHR as HL7 messages at no additional costs.
  4. Upgrading software: Software to be upgraded automatically.

Customer service channels: This step of the outsourcing process is simply establishing that the medical transcription service provider has channels of communication so that any issues that may arise during transition can be solved at once. Having open channels of communication with the service provider ensures that the healthcare professional/ healthcare facility is in a position to seek instant relief for any doubts/ problems that is faced by them during the course of transition to outsourced medical transcription services or during any subsequent stage

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry has been providing medical transcription services for over a decade. TransDyne provides outsourced medical transcription services that include all the service parameters described above. TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, done by expert medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail trustworthy outsourced medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: Fulfilling the purpose of clinical documentation

1. September 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

The process of healthcare is based on the premise of drawing meaningful and significant inputs from various sources, including the experience, education and expertise of healthcare professionals & support staff, inputs from other sources like pharmaceuticals, laboratories and numerous other sources. Information regarding every step of the healthcare process in a patient medical record is one factor that has always been a common factor helping bring together all sources to provide quality healthcare profitably.

Medical transcription is the process of creating patient medical records from the dictation of the patient- healthcare professional encounter. Accurate, timely and secure medical transcription is the result of the the culmination of resources like the right team, the right processes and the right technology. Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that patient medical records meet all the quality criteria without diluting the focus of healthcare facilities on their core business of providing quality care. Outsourcing medical transcription also ensures enormous cost saving benefits.

Outsourced medical transcription service providers help the healthcare facility fulfill the purpose of clinical documentation.

How do outsourced medical transcription services help fulfill the purpose of clinical documentation?

The purpose of documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter can be defined as:

To provide a point of reference: Patient medical records basically provide a chronicle of the patient’s health history. This information is invaluable as a diagnostic tool for planning present and future care

For the purpose of communication: The process of healthcare requires that a primary healthcare professional may refer to specialists for inputs regarding the treatment provided to the patient. Patient medical records are essential for communication in such cases.

To establish accountability: Patient medical records act as evidence of the appropriateness of care provided. These inputs are invaluable in case of litigation where the healthcare professional has to justify the diagnosis and the treatment provided.

Fulfill legislative requirements: Maintaining patient medical records for a certain period of time is mandated by law.

Quality improvement: Documenting the healthcare process helps healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities improve the quality of healthcare services provided.

Research: Patient medical records provide valuable inputs for research and also help healthcare facilities provide preventive care

To ensure reimbursements: Patient medical records are the basis on which coding and billing is done leading to reimbursements.

Outsourced medical transcription services help in all the mentioned aspects of documentation by providing services with the following benefits:

Accurate: Outsourced medical transcription service providers ensure that the transcripts are created with maximum accuracy using specialty trained medical transcriptionists and stringent quality check methods

Timely: Outsourced medical transcription service providers ensure that transcripts are made available to healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals within the turnaround time specified, using a combination of the right team and the right technology

Secure: Outsourced medical transcription service providers ensure that the confidential patient data is secure throughout the medical transcription process by securing technology, teams and infrastructure

Cost effective: Outsourced medical transcription service providers are able to help healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals save on cost of transcription substantially by helping them convert fixed cost of transcription to variable costs, bring down the cost of medical transcription by passing on the benefits of economies of scale achieved by them and eliminating indirect costs.

Technology: Outsourced medical transcription service providers have used technology to provide medical transcription services with the following benefits, while still being easy to use, with features like:

It can be seen that outsourced medical transcription service providers understand the need for clinical documentation and help fulfill the purpose of documentation.

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry has utilized their extensive background in information technology and their experience in providing medical transcription services to come up with medical transcription solutions that help healthcare facilities save on time, money and effort. TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, done by expert medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail complete outsourced medical transcription solutions from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing : What are the advantages?

31. August 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

Running a healthcare facility successfully is a balancing act requiring that a delicate balance be maintained between providing quality care and maintaining profitability. To deliver quality healthcare it is imperative for healthcare facilities to clearly establish those tasks that are a integral part of the the healthcare delivery chain and outsource the rest of the inputs. This ensures that the focus is not diluted and quality is not compromised. One such input that plays a vital role in the provision of healthcare is information from patient medical records.

Medical transcription is the process of creating patient medical records from the audio recording of the patient- healthcare professional encounter. Medical transcription is a specialized skill requiring several inputs in the form of people skills, equipment and processes to be able to deliver transcripts that are accurate, timely and secure. Having patient medical records transcribed in-house tends to not only dilute the focus of the healthcare facilities from the core business but also tends to divert resources away from the core business.

One easy fix to ensure patient medical records are created without compromising quality standards and dilution of focus is to outsource the entire process to a professional medical transcription service provider. Outsourcing medical transcription provides healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals with numerous advantages.

What are the advantages of outsourcing medical transcription?
Outsourcing medical transcription to a professionally managed medical transcription service provider basically provides the healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals with numerous advantages, like:

Reduced costs: One of the main advantages of outsourcing medical transcription is that of the substantial savings on cost. Outsourcing enables healthcare facilities to eliminate fixed cost of medical transcription to a large extent and enables them to convert these costs to variable cost, totally depending on the volume of transcription required.

Faster turnaround time: Another advantage of outsourcing is that of ensuring that the transcripts are made available on time. Outsourced medical transcription service providers use a combination of the right team and the right technology to ensure that the dictation files provided by the healthcare professionals are transcribed speedily so as to meet the turnaround time commitments

Improved patient care and quality: Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that quality standards of accuracy and turnaround time are maintained. Having accurate patient medical records available on time helps healthcare professionals in providing quality care.

Develop more efficient billing procedures: The data in patient medical records is the basis for coding and billing. Prompt turnaround time of transcripts helps speed up the coding and billing process

Legal usage: Patient medical records are an important part of risk management, as they chronicle the diagnosis and treatment process. Having descriptive, accurate and timely creation of records help in case of litigation

Streamline document distribution management: Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that there is proper process available for collecting dictation of healthcare professionals and a proper system for distribution of transcripts. Delivery of transcripts can be made to folders specified by the healthcare professional, features like automated printing & faxing, delivery to multiple healthcare professionals, easy to search archives help enhance the working life of healthcare professionals.

Outsourced medical transcription services provide vital support to healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities in various aspects. However while outsourcing medical transcription it is important to source a service provider that can provide services that are accurate, speedy, secure, cost effective and using technology that provides numerous benefits.

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry has utilized their extensive background in information technology and their experience in providing medical transcription services to come up with medical transcription solutions that support the smooth running of healthcare facilities . TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, done by expert medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail complete outsourced medical transcription solutions from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: What to expect

29. August 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

Outsourcing medical transcription to a professional medical transcription service provider has proven to be a prudent solution for healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities seeking to create accurate, timely, secure and cost effective patient medical records. Outsourced medical transcription services provide several benefits to healthcare facilities, some of which are given below:

Customized turnaround time: One of the major advantages of outsourcing medical transcription is delivery of transcripts within the turnaround time specified by the healthcare professional/ healthcare facility.

Streamlined process for medical transcription: Medical transcription requires a system for collection of dictation, upload of audio files for transcription and document delivery modes to ensure timely delivery as specified by the healthcare professional. Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that the medical transcription service provider would have a transcription system in place which would enable all these features.

Archives to enable easy retrieval of transcripts: A lot of time of the healthcare professionals and the support staff at the healthcare facility is spent in retrieving old patient transcripts. The outsourced medical transcription service provider would provide a facility for archiving records which will enable easy searching options. The healthcare professionals and support staff can save on time as these archives allow for searches using several criteria.

Mitigating concerns of security compliance: One of the major concerns of healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities is protecting confidential patient information. This data becomes even more vulnerable during the transcription process. Outsourcing to a vigilant HIPAA / HITECH compliant medical transcription service provider would ensure that this data is secure throughout the medical transcription process

Accurate transcription: Using medical transcriptionists trained in specialties and multiple quality checks, the outsourced medical transcription service provider can ensure that the quality of transcription reflects accuracy and integrity without compromising on the turnaround time requirements

Complete medical transcription solutions: Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that the healthcare facilities have complete transcription solutions encompassing all their needs. Factors like varied modes of dictation, transcription for different specialties, transition to EMR, speech recognition transcription, different modes of document delivery etc can be specified and included while customizing the medical transcription solutions.

Easy to use technology:Transition to outsourced medical transcription services can be made easy for time-starved healthcare professionals by ensuring that the software and tools used to medical transcription system are easy to use requiring little change in the way healthcare professionals manage their working lives

Transparent pricing: Reduced costs of transcription is perhaps one of the main drivers of the outsourcing decision. However pricing in medical transcription can lead to a lot of confusion. This concern can be mitigated when the billing method used by the medical transcription service provider is verifiable, definable, measurable, consistent, fair and honest. The billing process can be made easier when the service provider explains the components of cost in detail.

Fast response to queries: Transition to outsourced medical transcription services can lead to a lot of queries and concerns, especially in the initial stages. A proactive customer service department can ease the process by providing instant response to queries and solving problems in the initial stages itself.

Outsourcing medical transcription needs to a leader in the medical transcription industry like TransDyne offers a comprehensive and easy solution for the medical transcription needs of a healthcare facility. TransDyne has used their extensive background in information technology and their experience in having served the needs of leaders in the healthcare sector to come up with medical transcription solutions that help save on time, money and efforts.

TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, done by expert medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail complete outsourced medical transcription solutions from TransDyne, click here

Medical transcription outsourcing: Provides access to the right team

27. August 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

It has been acknowledged that the healthcare process draws inputs from various sources to provide quality services. One of the inputs that aid the healthcare process is information from patient records. Patient records document the details of the ailment, the symptoms, the tests/procedures administered, the diagnosis, the treatment provided and the progress made by the patient. Patient medical records provide historical content regarding the health history of the patient and context regarding the patient. Having proper documentation takes away the need for guesswork and prevents wastage of resources.

Medical transcription is the process of creating patient medical records from the dictation provided of the patient- healthcare professional encounter. However medical transcription is a specialized skill requiring the right combination of a trained team, technology and a streamlined process to produce the desired result of accurate, timely, secure and cost effective records.

Of all the ingredients that contribute to quality medical transcription, the right team of skilled and trained medical transcriptionists is vital. However the process of recruiting and training the right talent can be a time consuming process, which would dilute the focus of the healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals on the core business of providing quality healthcare.

Outsourcing medical transcription provides healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities access to the right team. The outsourced medical transcription service provider would have a process for sourcing, recruiting and training medical transcriptionists to become specialists.

What are the advantageous of having access to a team of trained medical transcriptionists?

Accuracy: Accuracy of information captured in the patient medical records is one of the most important factors as this information forms the basis of continued care, reflects the appropriateness of care and helps in filing proper claims. Skilled medical transcriptionists who are well versed in the language of the specialty they are transcribing for would ensure that they capture all the details with maximum accuracy. Skilled medical transcriptionists would also ensure that they apply context where applicable to correct minor discrepancies using their knowledge of the specialty and the healthcare professional they are transcribing for

Speed: Along with accuracy the other most important factor that affects quality care and the reimbursement process is the availability of timely information. Well trained medical transcriptionists would ensure that not only are the transcripts accurate, but also available on time.

Customization: The level of service required by healthcare professionals would vary according to their specialty, the treatment situation and various other factors. Well trained medical transcriptionists would help in the process of customizing services according to the specific needs of healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities.

TransDyne, a leading provider of outsourced medical transcription services recruits the best t talent and has devised a rigorous training process which ensures that medical transcriptionists are well versed with the specialty they are transcribing for. Care is taken to update the medical transcriptionists on the latest developments in their specialty ensuring that they meet all the quality standards.

TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, executed by experienced and qualified medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail complete medical transcription solutions from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: Enhancing healthcare using the right technology

26. August 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

Medical transcription is the process of creating patient records by converting the audio narration of the patient- healthcare professional encounter into text format. Though this is an accurate definition of medical transcription this definition does not cover the full scope of services provided by medical transcription. Though medical transcription plays an important role in the smooth running of healthcare facilities it is not part of the core business of the healthcare facility.

Moreover medical transcription requires a combination of the right ream, the right process and the right technology to be efficient and economical, which would require substantial investment, time and efforts. The easy fix to ensure that patient medical records are created with accuracy, within turnaround time, securely and in a cost effective manner is to outsource to a professional medical transcription service provider.

Medical transcription has evolved from being just a service of creating accurate, timely, cost effective and secure patient medical records to a service that aids healthcare using software and tools to ease the working life of healthcare professional and healthcare facilities administrators.

Outsourced medical transcription service providers have used technology to provide services that:

Helps improve quality of care: Software and technology used in medical transcription have improved the working life of healthcare professionals by helping them conserve on their limited time resources and allowing them to concentrate a major portion of their time towards providing quality healthcare, by providing the following benefits:

  1. Allowing them to retain familiar modes of dictation
  2. Creating a system for automating medical transcription
  3. Enabling different modes of document delivery as per the preference of the healthcare professional.
  4. Allowing healthcare professionals to retain the familiar mode of dictation- transcription for patient record creation, still enabling information to be interfaced with EMR through HL7 interface.

Curb wastage of resources: The technology used by outsourced medical transcription service provider helps curb wastage of time, money and resources towards managing medical transcription process

Better coordination of healthcare service: Technology used by the outsourced medical transcription service provider provides an organized system for medical transcription which helps keep track of dictation, work in progress and transcripts.

Helps with healthcare decision making: Outsourced medical transcription services create timely and accurate patient medical records which aid in decision making during the healthcare process.

Provide information for research and preventive medicine: Creation of detailed, accurate and timely patient transcripts leads to accumulation of data which helps in devising preventive health programs and also aids in research.

Curb costs and accelerate reimbursements: outsourcing medical transcription ensures that direct and indirect costs towards transcription are curbed and the reimbursement process is quickened. This helps improve the cashflow of the healthcare facility.

Outsourcing medical transcription to a medical transcription service provider using the right blend of software & tools and personnel can help healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals perform more efficiently.

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry has used their extensive background in information technology and their experience in serving the needs of the healthcare sector to provide total medical transcription solutions.

TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, executed by experienced and qualified medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail complete medical transcription solutions from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: Providing outstanding support

25. August 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

Healthcare is an essential service that draws support from various sources to be able to deliver services that meet quality standards. As healthcare is a business it is also important for healthcare to be profitable and meet statutory requirements. Keeping all these factors in mind it is essential for healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals to focus on providing quality services while still maintaining profitability by concentrating on essential activities and outsource all support activities.

One such support activity that facilitates the smooth running of healthcare facilities is medical transcription. Medical transcription is the process of creating patient medical records, converting the audio files of the patient- healthcare professional encounter into text form. Medical transcription is a specialized skill requiring a combination of the right team, the right technology and an optimum process to be accurate, complete, timely and easy to access.

Healthcare facilities have various options available to them to obtain medical transcription services. They could have an in-house team of medical transcriptionists, use independent contractors or outsource the entire process to a professional medical transcription service provider. As the healthcare process requires the total concentration of resources and time of the healthcare facility, outsourcing medical transcription has been found to the most viable solution.

Outsourcing medical transcription supports the healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals in numerous ways.

How does outsourced medical transcription services support healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals?

Reducing cost: Reduced cost of transcription is probably one of the main advantages of outsourcing medical transcription to a professional medical transcription service provider. Apart from considerable savings on cost of transcription, healthcare facilities can also reap the following cost benefits:

  1. Conversion of fixed cost of transcription to variable costs
  2. Savings on cost of weekend and holiday medical transcription requirements
  3. Savings on indirect costs like utilities, investment in transcription equipment, allotment of space, information technology expenses etc.

Accurate services: Outsourcing medical transcription also helps healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities by maintaining high levels of accuracy. In context to vital services like healthcare accuracy of information is essential to ensure:

  1. Quality care
  2. Meet statutory requirements
  3. As evidence in case of litigation
  4. To ensure proper coding and billing leading to reimbursements

Timely services: To ensure timely care, it is important that vital information in the patient medical records is available to healthcare professionals promptly. Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that patient medical records are created on time using the right team & processes and transmitted to the healthcare professionals in a secure and speedy manner using the right technology.

Secure services: The information provided by the patient to the healthcare professional is privileged and needs to be protected. Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that this confidential information is protected throughout the medical transcription process by securing technology, infrastructure, processes and the team.

Improve efficiency of healthcare professionals: Outsourced medical transcription services help improve the efficiency of healthcare professional by offering them services with added benefits like:

  1. Flexible turnaround time options
  2. Retaining familiar modes of dictation
  3. Document delivery modes as preferred and specified by the healthcare professional
  4. HL7 interface
  5. Speech recognition editing
  6. Choice to specify formats/templates
  7. Software and tools for transcription to enable automatic upload of dictation and down load of transcripts, reducing delays.

Reduce the administrative burden: Having medical transcription in-house would involve dilution of focus of the administrative staff into activities like:

  1. Recruiting, training and retaining medical transcriptionists
  2. Work allocation, follow-up and quality assessment
  3. Collection of dictation and distribution of transcripts

Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that the administrative staff is relieved of the burden of these medical transcription related activities.

Accelerate reimbursements: Timely and accurate documentation of the patient- healthcare professional encounter is essential as a foundation to start the reimbursement process. By outsourcing medical transcription the healthcare facility would be ensured that quality patient medical records are created on time, thus leading to acceleration of the reimbursement process.

Outsourced medical transcription services provide vital support to healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities in various aspects. However while outsourcing medical transcription it is important to source a service provider that can provide services that are accurate, speedy, secure, cost effective and using technology that provides numerous benefits.

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry has utilized their extensive background in information technology and their experience in providing medical transcription services to come up with medical transcription solutions that support the smooth running of healthcare facilities . TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, done by expert medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail complete outsourced medical transcription solutions from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: Creating accurate and compliant medical records

24. August 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

Healthcare services by their very nature are complex and require inputs from various sources to be effective and meet the stringent standards of quality required by them. One of the main inputs that healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities depend on for providing quality healthcare and for the smooth running of the healthcare facility is information from patient records. Information can be defined as the fundamental input that keeps the healthcare facility efficient both in terms of providing quality healthcare and accelerating reimbursements.

Medical transcription is the process of creating patient medical record transcribing the audio files of the patient- healthcare professional encounter into text format. These patient medical records form the basis for the smooth running of the healthcare facility.

What is a patient medical record?

The medical record can be defined as a document containing comprehensive and factual information regarding the patient’s health status, the diagnoses based on the information and the treatment provided. The medical records would also reflect the response to treatment, subsequent visits and treatment provided. Medical records also provide information regarding tests, X-rays, laboratory work etc along with communication and findings from other healthcare professionals.

What is the purpose of maintaining medical records?
Medical records are valuable as a source of information and provide support in the following:

  • Patient medical records provide information regarding the treatment process, which can then be used to communicate with the various parties involved in providing care including healthcare professionals, employers, insurance companies and the patients themselves.
  • Patient records provide information that help evaluate the adequacy and appropriateness of care.
  • Patient medical records are important for planning the course of care in case of prolonged illness requiring long term treatment
  • Patient medical records provide evidence in case of litigation
  • The information in patient medical records can be used for research and education purposes.

It can be seen that patient medical records provide vital support to the smooth running of healthcare facilities aiding the healthcare process and accelerating the reimbursement process. Outsourcing medical transcription has been found to be an effective and economical solution for healthcare facilities looking to ensure accurate, timely, secure and cost effective creation of patient medical records.

However while outsourcing medical transcription, healthcare facilities have to evaluate the medical transcription service provider based on the following criteria:

Accuracy: This means the percentage of accuracy of the completed transcripts vis-à-vis what was dictated. A minimum of 99% and above would be acceptable. It is important to choose a medical transcription service provider that executes all the medical transcription work in-house using skilled and trained medical transcriptionists and having a quality assurance process involving several checks

Turnaround time: Turnaround time refers to the time taken to revert the transcribed report to the healthcare facility. The medical transcription service provider needs to offer options for turnaround time that can be tailored to meet the needs of the healthcare facility. The acceptable turnaround time option is 24 hours for normal reports and 4-12 hours for STAT reports.

Security: The service provider being outsourced to should be HIPAA and HITECH compliant. The medical transcription service provider has to have adequate security measures to ensure that the confidential data transmitted back and forth is safe and secure.

Pricing: Reduced cost of transcription is one of the main benefits that a healthcare facility hopes to have, from the outsourcing option. Pricing should be fair and reasonable for the services rendered. Billing methods used by medical transcription service providers are varied and should meet the criteria of being measurable, verifiable, definable, consistent and fair & honest.

Technology: The technology used by the medical transcription service provider should not only secure but should also be easy to use, without having to require extensive training.

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry provides complete medical transcription solutions. TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, done by expert medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail complete medical transcription solutions from TransDyne, click here

Medical transcription outsourcing: Transition made easy by having the right customer support

22. August 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

Medical transcription is a service that is vital for the smooth running of healthcare facilities, having an effect on both the operational and commercial aspects by creating accurate, timely and secure patient records. Though medical transcription plays a vital role in the smooth running of healthcare facilities it is not part of the core competencies of the healthcare facility. The best solution to ensure efficient and economic creation of patient records is to outsource medical transcription to a professional medical transcription service provider.

Outsourcing medical transcription not only ensures accurate, timely and secure creation of patient transcripts it also ensures substantial cost savings to the healthcare facility in terms of direct as well as indirect costs. The process of outsourcing medical transcription would essentially involve the following steps:

Defining the objectives of outsourcing medical transcription: The first step would involve clearly defining the desired outcome/s from the outsourcing decision. The objectives for outsourcing medical transcription could consist of factors like reducing cost of transcription, improving quality of services, shortening the turnaround time, reducing indirect expenses incurred for transcription or a combination of any of the above objectives.

Sourcing medical transcription service providers: Once the objective of outsourcing medical transcription has been clearly defined the next step would involve sourcing service providers based on these criteria. This stage would essentially involve eliminating those service providers who do not meet the qualifying criteria defined by the healthcare facility.

Obtaining proposals from the medical transcription service providers including:

  1. Pricing and billing methodology
  2. Assured levels of accuracy
  3. Turnaround time options
  4. Details of technology platform used for transcription
  5. Security measures to ensure HIPAA and HITECH compliance

Evaluating the medical transcription proposals: It is important to evaluate not only the parameters of services as provided by the medical transcription service provider but also their capability to deliver these services as defined.

  1. Pricing in medical transcription needs to be carefully evaluated by studying the billing method used by the service provider
  2. The capability of the service provider to deliver accurate medical transcription services can be assessed by evaluating their training methods and the quality control method.
  3. The capability of the service provider to meet turnaround time commitment can be evaluated by evaluating the technology used by them along with their methods for achieving accuracy.
  4. The criteria of evaluating the technology used by the service provider should be that the healthcare facility should not require further investments and the technology used for medical transcription should provide multiple benefits while still being easy to use.
  5. HIPAA and HITECH compliance can be evaluated by checking the measures taken by the medical transcription service provider to secure technology, processes, infrastructure and people

Checking for references: The experience and expertise of the medical transcription service provider can be evaluated by checking on the references of customers who have already availed outsourced medical transcription services from them

Availing free trial: Availing a free trial would enable the healthcare facility to test the service capabilities of the service provider and compatibility first hand

Signing the contract: This would involve formalizing and agreeing upon the specifics of the service required from the medical transcription service provider.

Using the services: Integrating the transcription system and actually start utilizing the outsourced medical transcription services.

Checking for customer service channels: Throughout the process of outsourcing from the stage of sourcing medical transcription service providers to the stage where the healthcare facility starts availing outsourced medical transcription services the channels available to the healthcare facility for communicating with the medical transcription service provider play a vital role. The role of having multiple channels of communication for customer service and feedback is even more vital once the actual outsourcing process begins.

It is important for healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals to evaluate the channels of communication and customer services available to ensure smooth transition to outsourced services. The advantages of having multiple channels for customer service support include:

  • Instant solution to any technical problems
  • Instant customization of services
  • Instant feedback and improvement in quality
  • Instant clarification regarding billing
  • Two way communication for improvement of services

Evaluating the medical transcription service provider based on all criteria including availability of customer service channels can help smooth transition to outsourced medical transcription services.

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry provides services with the following benefits:

  • TransDyne offers medical transcription with an accuracy of above 99%
  • TransDyne assures a turnaround time of 24 hours with an option of 4-12 hours for STAT reports.
  • TransDyne ensures security of data by securing technology, processes and people.
  • TransDyne offers a reasonable and fair price by charging 10 cents per line, which is calculated by using the character line pricing method.
  • TransDyne maintains a large, well-trained team of medical transcriptionists, which enables them to cope with varying volumes
  • TransDyne offers medical transcription services by using the latest technology that is advanced and easy to use.
  • TransDyne uses the character line billing method that is verifiable, definable, measurable, consistent and fair & honest
  • TransDyne has the testimonials of their success stories available for viewing on their website.

To know more details on how TransDyne can ease the medical transcription process, click here

Medical transcription outsourcing : Maintaining quality standards

20. August 2010 Catagory Medical Transcription | 0 comment »

Medical transcription is basically the process of converting audio records of the patient- healthcare professional encounter into text format. Medical transcription services need to meet the quality standards of being accurate, timely, secure and cost effective. Components of quality medical transcription can be understood by understanding the process of medical transcription from the beginning to end.

Medical transcription starts when the patient visits the healthcare facility for availing healthcare services. Once the visit is concluded the healthcare professional dictates details of the encounter into a recording device of his choice. These audio files are then transcribed by a medical transcriptionist into text format. An easy fix for healthcare facilities to ensure quality medical transcription is to outsource the entire transcription process to an outsourced medical transcription service provider.

The quality of the information captured in patient records is also dependent on the quality of voice capture along with the skill of the medical transcriptionist team working on it. Quality standards in medical transcription are maintained by maintaining the quality standards at every step of medical transcription including voice capture and the medical transcription process.

Voice capture: Capturing the inputs provided by the healthcare professional and support staff after the patient- healthcare professional encounter is vital to ensure that the patient records accurately and comprehensively reflect all the details. Patient records are valuable resources to ensure continuity of care and to start the reimbursement process.

To ensure that narration of the healthcare professional is captured comprehensively it is important to cover the following aspects:

  1. Identifying the document type: The healthcare professional needs to identify the type of document he/she wants transcribed to enable the medical transcriptionist to use the requisite template/format.
  2. Use of dictation equipment: The healthcare professional needs to be familiar and comfortable with the mode of dictation
  3. Dictated content: The content in the audio file needs to be clear, comprehensive and concise
  4. Confidentiality and security: Healthcare professionals should dictate in an environment that protects the security of confidential patient information
  5. Education of dictators: healthcare professionals need to be instructed on best practices for dictation.

The transcription process:

  1. Efficient processes: The medical transcriptionists working on the medical transcription process need to provide accurate and timely services. To enable this the medical transcription service provider has to have the right training program in place to train medical transcriptionists in one or two specialties making them domain experts. This ensures medical transcription that are accurate and meet turnaround time requirements
  2. Secure: Security during the process of medical transcription including ensuring secure transfer of audio files for transcription and transcripts, secure processes and infrastructure needs to be ensured. The medical transcription service provider needs to secure technology, processes,infrastructure and educate the team to ensure HIPAA and HITECH compliance
  3. Management of transcription process: To ensure turnaround time of medical transcription it is important that the audio files are transferred to the medical transcription service provider at the earliest, the work is allocated to medical transcriptionists according to their specialty. To ensure quality transcription it is also essential to put the transcripts through a stringent quality process.
  4. Interfacing to enable transmission of audio files and transcripts: The technology used by the medical transcription service provider needs to ensure an automatic system, which checks for audio files and transmits to the medical transcription service provider for transcription. Document delivery modes to ensure secure, convenient and customized delivery of transcripts to healthcare professionals.

For seamless transition to outsourced medical transcription services it is also important to have the management support in the following areas:

  • Follow through on HIPAA and HITECH compliance
  • Timely problem resolution

While outsourcing medical transcription it is important to source a medical transcription service provider who has a comprehensive quality process.

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry has used their extensive background in information technology to come up with medical transcription services that provide easy to use solutions for the needs of healthcare professionals and other staff of the healthcare facilities. TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, done by expert medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!

To avail outsourced medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here.