Medical transcription outsourcing: Supporting information collection

With the introduction of  the healthcare reform laws encouraging the adoption of a nationwide healthcare system there has been a lot of discussion regarding the mode of doing this. Undoubtedly having a nationwide electronic healthcare system can bring about a lot of positive changes including reducing costs, increasing patient participation & safety, easing exchange of healthcare information, improving quality of care and dramatically reducing response time. However this move towards a nationalized electronic healthcare system needs a dramatic change in terms of working style and  mindset. To ease the transition to a nationwide electronic healthcare system , this process needs to broken into the basic essentials. A nationalized healthcare system will essentially consist of changes in the way information is collected and the way information is reviewed. The review of information in EMRs/EHRs has to be customized as per the specific needs of healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals on factors like the type of the healthcare facility, the size of the healthcare facility, the number of healthcare professionals practicing, the specialties, the technological expertise of the healthcare professionals and support staff in using the systems etc.

However the process for collecting information can be eased by using the already existing valuable resources available to the healthcare sector. One such expert service that has been aiding the healthcare sector in this aspect is medical transcription. Medical transcription is the process of creating patient medical records from the dictation of healthcare professionals' encounter with patient. This service becomes more efficient and cost effective when outsourced to a professional medical transcription company. Outsourcing medical transcription not only ensures accuracy, turnaround time, and savings on cost but also ensures various other benefits that aid in the process of collecting information. Some of the aspects of medical transcription services that provide support to the process of information collection are:

• Flexibility: One of the main advantages of availing the services of an outsourced medical transcription service provider is to aid directly in the process of creating patient medical records and indirectly in adoption of EMR, is the flexibility of services offered by the service provider. This include:

1.     Options for using various modes of dictation

2.     Editing and proofreading services for speech recognition software

3.     Varied options for document delivery modes

4.     Transcription in specified format/ templates

• Verification and validation: The information in patient medical records play a crucial role in various aspects of the healthcare process; both present and future. Moreover this information is also critical for other factors like coding & billing, meeting statutory obligations and certain aspects of risk management. It is important that the information in the patient medical record is verified and validated. Outsourced medical transcription services ensures that this information is verified and validated by not only the primary medical transcriptionist but also put through multi level quality assurance process ensuring maximum accuracy possible

• Speed: Apart from being verified and validated to reflect accuracy, it is equally important for the data in patient medical records to be available on time. As medical transcription is the core activity of the medical transcription service provider, outsourcing to a professional service provider ensures speedy transcription and secure delivery of patient medical records

• Expertise: Transcribing the dictation of the patient- healthcare professional encounter to ensure accuracy and turnaround time requires a certain expertise. Outsourcing medical transcription provides the healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals access to the experience and expertise of the medical transcription service provider in this regard.

• Decreasing costs and increasing productivity: Another important aspect of outsourcing medical transcription is that of decreasing direct and indirect cost of medical transcription and ensuring that the productivity & focus of the healthcare professional is hindered by ensuring a seamless workflow.

It can be concluded that teaming with a technologically savvy and professional medical transcription service provider not only ensures quality medical transcription but can also help in adopting EMR/ EHR using HL7 interface.

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 affordable and integrated 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 services from TransDyne, click here.