Outsourcing medical transcription is an important decision and needs careful consideration of the healthcare facility’s specific needs and the right “fit” from the medical transcription service provider. Medical transcription is a vital link in the chain leading to the delivery of quality healthcare. Medical transcription is the process by which patient records are created, and these records are used by healthcare professionals as well as other support staff.
While outsourcing medical transcription it is natural for healthcare professionals and the support staff to have some doubts regarding the outsourcing decision. Some frequently expressed questions/concerns are answered below:
- Do I need to change my mode/style of dictation?
This is a genuine concern among healthcare professionals who are qualified professionals for whom time is a scarce commodity. It is important for the medical transcription service provider to accommodate flexible and familiar modes of dictation to enable healthcare professionals to make optimum use of their time.
- Do I need to get involved in the actual upload of dictation?
Healthcare professionals are qualified in the field of medicine and may not necessarily want to get involved in the technicalities of uploading audio files for transcription. It is important for the medical transcription service provider to have a system in place that enables automatic upload of audio files at frequent intervals.
- Do I need to get involved in the actual download of transcripts?
Once the dictation of the patient-healthcare professional encounter is done the healthcare professional would like that the patient record be made available to him/her automatically. The outsourced medical transcription service provider needs to have a system to enable delivery of transcripts.
- Is there a provision of faxing/printing the transcripts from the medical transcription service provider’s office?
In certain cases it would be necessary for the transcript to be made available to the healthcare professional by fax/printed form. The outsourced medical transcription service provider should have provisions in their system to enable this.
- What is the turnaround time? What is the turnaround time for STAT files?
The information in the patient medical records is vital for the continuity of care. It is important that the patient records are made available on time. In some cases the turnaround time would have to be very quick. The medical transcription service provider should have the team and technology in place to enable this.
- What is the level of accuracy?
Patient records are not only important for continued patient care they also form the basis for coding and billing leading to reimbursements. Patient records also provide evidence in case of litigation. It is important for the data to be captured accurately. The outsourced medical transcription service provider needs to have the right team in place with the requisite training to enable this.
- Does outsourcing medical transcription mean that I have to get tech-savvy?
Healthcare professionals are starved for time; they may not want to use very complicated technology requiring a lengthy learning process. The medical transcription service provider needs to use technology that not only provides all functions, but also easy to use.
- What is the cost per line of transcription?
One of the main benefits expected from the outsourcing is reduced cost of transcription. It is important for the medical transcription service provider to define costs clearly using a billing method that is definable, verifiable, measurable, consistent, fair and honest.
- Is the cost per line of transcription less than our existing costs?
It is important to determine whether there are any hidden costs while outsourcing medical transcription.
- How about integration with EMR?
The EMR system requires a substantial amount of investment. It is important to determine whether the medical transcription service provider will be able to integrate with existing EMR via HL7 interface protecting existing investments.
- What is the system for tracing dictation, transcribed files etc?
Most healthcare facilities would have a huge number of files in every stage of transcription. It is important for the medical transcription service provider to have an archival system to enable tracing of files at every stage of transcription.
- What if I have any doubts regarding the medical transcription process?
The medical transcription service provider needs to have open channels of communication to enable the healthcare facility personnel to clarify any doubts regarding the medical transcription process.
- What about HIPAA/HITECH concerns?
The protection of confidential patient information is one of the concerns of healthcare professionals and other staff. It is important for the service provider to be HIPAA/HITECH compliant at every level.
- What is the experience of the medical transcription service provider in providing similar services?
This can be ascertained by checking on the references provided by the medical transcription service provider for their existing clients.
TransDyne, a leader in the medical transcription industry provides customized solutions to suit the needs 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!
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