Medical transcription outsourcing: Enhancing healthcare using the right technology

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 lead 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 cash flow 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 services from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: Providing outstanding support

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.      Archives

5.     HL7 interface

6.     Speech recognition editing

7.     Choice to specify formats/templates

8.     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, 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 outsourced medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: Creating accurate and compliant medical records

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, 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.

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

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

Ø      TransDyne offers medical transcription with an accuracy of above 99%

Ø      TransDyne assures a turnaround time of 24 hours with an option of 4-12 hours for STAT reports.

Ø      TransDyne ensures security of data by securing technology, processes and people.

Ø      TransDyne offers a reasonable and fair price by charging 10 cents per line, which is calculated by using the character line pricing method.

Ø      TransDyne maintains a large, well-trained team of medical transcriptionists, which enables them to cope with varying volumes

Ø      TransDyne offers medical transcription services by using the latest technology that is advanced and easy to use.

Ø      TransDyne uses the character line billing method that is verifiable, definable, measurable, consistent and fair & honest

Ø      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 please click here

Medical transcription outsourcing: Maintaining quality standards

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:

a)     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.

b)     Use of dictation equipment: The healthcare professional needs to be familiar and comfortable with the mode of dictation

c)      Dictated content: The content in the audio file needs to be clear, comprehensive and concise

d)     Confidentiality and security: Healthcare professionals should dictate in an environment that protects the security of confidential patient information

e)     Education of dictators: Healthcare professionals need to be instructed on best practices for dictation.

The transcription process:

a)     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 is accurate and meet turnaround time requirements

b)     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

c)      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.

d)     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:

a)     Follow through on HIPAA and HITECH compliance

b)     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, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry provides complete 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 outsourced medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: What to look for in the service provider?

While outsourcing medical transcription a healthcare facility has to analyze in detail what they hope to gain from the outsourcing decision and match their requirements with the services offered by the medical transcription service provider.  Some of the main criteria for evaluating a potential service provider are:

• Quality: Though cost savings is one of the main driving forces behind outsourcing medical transcription, quality should be the main criteria for assessing the suitability of the service provider. To ensure that the service provider can meet quality standards it is important to assess the capability of the medical transcription service provider to meet quality standards by focusing on the following areas:

1.     Promised accuracy levels: The accuracy levels promised by the medical transcription service provider should not be below the accepted industry norm of 98%. Moreover it is also important to ascertain the Quality Guidelines used by the service provider to arrive at the percentage of accuracy

2.     Quality processes: The medical transcription service provider should have an effective method/ process in place to ensure that the accuracy levels promised can be achieved. The capability of the service provider to deliver quality is dependent on the recruitment & training policies, the number of quality check levels the transcripts are put through and a policy of not diluting quality by using subcontractors

• Turnaround time: The inputs from the patient records play an important role in supporting the healthcare decision making process and the reimbursement process. It is important to ascertain the capability of the outsourced medical transcription service provider to meet turnaround time commitment by checking on the manpower availability and the technology used.

• Experience, background and references: Medical transcription is a service that requires the right blend of human expertise and technology to meet quality requirements. Therefore while outsourcing medical transcription it is important to ascertain the experience and background of the service provider. Checking on references of their customers is an essential part of evaluating the service provider.

• Contracts: The contract agreement between the healthcare facility and the service provider formalizes the scope of services are defined and the expected quality levels. It is important to ensure that the contract is not one sided and covers all the salient points

• Cost per line and the billing methodology: Cost reduction is one of the main benefits of outsourcing medical transcription; it is important to ascertain that the price quoted by the medical transcription service provider is clearly explained. It is important to understand the method of billing used by the service provider to ensure that there are no hidden costs

• Capacity to integrate with EMR/ EHR: It is important to ascertain whether the medical transcription service provider has HL7 capabilities to integrate with EMR. Adoption of EMR helps improve the healthcare process and is also mandatory by law.

• Modes of dictation: The medical transcription service provider has to be able to configure the existing modes of dictation with their system. This would enable the healthcare professionals to retain their familiar mode of dictation, helping them optimize their time.

• Systems for managing transcription: The process of medical transcription needs to be supported by technology to ensure accessibility and safety. It is important to evaluate the software and tools used by the medical transcription service provider to ensure that the service provider has an efficient and effective system for managing transcription, which can be integrated into the existing systems of the healthcare facility. Features like archives, job summaries, electronic signature can ease the working life of healthcare professionals and support staff.

• Document delivery modes: The medical transcription service provider needs to facilitate various options for document delivery depending on the type of document, the urgency of the information required and the preference of the healthcare professional. It is important to assess the modes of document delivery offered by the service provider.

• Templates/ macros etc: The medical transcription service provider needs to be in a position to accommodate the requirements of the healthcare professionals with regard to the template/formats/macros as required by them.

• HIPAA / HITECH compliance: Protecting confidential patient information is a legal and moral obligation. It is important for the outsourced medical transcription service provider to be HIPAA / HITECH compliant.

Assessing a medical transcription service provider based on all these factors would ensure smooth transition to outsourced medical transcription services.

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, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry provides complete 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 outsourced medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here.