Medical transcription outsourcing: Quality at low costs

There is a saying that goes something like this “You get what you pay for”. It implies that one can get quality products/services only if the price is high. But this is not the case with medical transcription; it is possible to get great quality at very low rates. Sounds counter intuitive but it is true.

These are times when healthcare facilities are tightening their belts as much as possible, it makes business sense to keep the organizational structure lean and avail of outsourcing services for non-core activities.

Medical transcription plays an important role in the delivery of quality healthcare. To this end it is important to source a medical transcription service provider, which can deliver both quality and reasonable prices.

What is quality of medical transcription?

Quality/ accuracy in medical transcription refers to the accuracy of the final transcript viz. a viz. the audio file.

How to evaluate methods used for ensuring quality?

• Careful selection of medical transcriptionists: Since medical transcription is a manpower-based process, the quality of medical transcriptionists has a direct impact on the accuracy of reports. It is important to focus on a company that selects its employees through a stringent screening process.
• Training methods used: Training plays an important role in preparing the medical transcriptionists to produce transcripts of the highest accuracy. A company, which focuses on training their medical transcriptionist in one or two specialties of medicine rather than generic training, would be preferable. This would ensure that the quality of transcripts produced would be high from the very beginning.
• Quality control process: Check the method used by the service provider to provide accurate transcripts. An intense process involving checks at every level would ensure that errors are minimized.
• In house medical transcription: To ensure that quality transcripts are delivered, it is vital to ensure that the service provider executes the work in-house not through vendors. This would ensure that the service provider has total control over the quality control process.

  What is low cost?

  Low cost of transcription means that the cost per line of transcription should be lower than the current cost. Cost per line should be defined clearly with no additional or hidden costs

  
  

  How can low cost be ensured?

  
  

  • Fair billing method: The billing method used by the service provider can have a direct impact on the cost per line. The definition of cost should be verifiable, definable, measurable, consistent, fair and honest.
  • Economies of scale: The service provider being specialist in medical transcription can pass on the benefits of economies of scale, which the healthcare facility may not have doing the medical transcription in-house.
  • Use of technology: The use of advanced technology by the service provider can cut down logistics cost making it possible for them to deliver excellent service at low costs.

    TransDyne is a medical transcription service provider, which believes in ensuring quality by recruiting the best talent through rigorous screening, training them to be domain specialists, applying a four level quality check process and executing all the medical transcription work in-house.

    
    

    TransDyne ensures low cost per line of transcription using a fair and easy method of billing, passing on the benefits of economies of scale to the customers and uses technology that makes the medical transcription process easy and cost effective.

    
    

    TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, done by expert medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time and 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 superior medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here

Medical transcription outsourcing : Pick a company that thinks like their customers

What gives TransDyne the edge over others in the field of medical transcription?

TransDyne is the new standard in medical transcription that provides excellent services by using their extensive background in software to develop systems which provide advanced technology with ease of use

Beyond that what sets TransDyne apart is the mindset of the company towards their customers. TransDyne has actually put itself into the shoes of their customers i.e. healthcare facilities to anticipate any questions, doubts or issues they may have with the outsourcing decision and addressed them all.

Typically the decision to outsource lies in the hands of the individual/team who looks after the administration of the healthcare facility. They would be responsible for the business end of the healthcare facility including medical transcription and record keeping among their many other responsibilities.

What questions/ doubts / issues would healthcare facility administrator/s have regarding medical transcription?

• How important is medical transcription to the running of the healthcare facility?

Medical transcription is vital for the smooth running of a healthcare facility. The finished transcripts are used for:

1. Patient treatment
2. Permanent Patient records
3. Referrals to other doctors
4. Evidence in case of malpractice suits
5. Coding, billing and insurance claims
6. Satisfaction of regulatory norms.

TransDyne offers quality medical transcription with accuracy of 99% or above by applying four level quality checks

• How much is the cost per line of medical transcription currently? Depending on whether an in-house employee or an independent contractor is doing the medical transcription work, it could cost anywhere between 18-35 cents. TransDyne offers prices as low as 10 cents for a 65-character line that is subject to verification from both ends through a transparent billing method.

• Is medical transcription a part of the healthcare facility’s core business? Medical transcription is not part of the core business but does play an important role in providing quality healthcare and improving the bottom line of the healthcare facility. TransDyne is a professional company whose core business is medical transcription

• What are the opportunity costs of medical transcription activity in-house? Apart from the direct costs involved in medical transcription in-house there are numerous opportunity costs lost like management resources, space allocated for medical transcription, information technology investment etc. By outsourcing the medical transcription needs of a healthcare facility to TransDyne one can not only save on cost per line of transcription but also save on opportunity costs like management, human resource development, space management etc.

• Are volume fluctuations in medical transcription due to holidays/staff shortage/weekends being met? Normally it is difficult to anticipate the fluctuations in the volumes of transcription and staffing fluctuations and thereby it is very difficult to plan medical transcription volumes accordingly. TransDyne can provide medical transcription according to the volume fluctuations and any holiday/weekend needs due to the availability of a large pool of trained medical transcriptionists.

• What are the concerns with regard to outsourcing medical transcription? The concerns for outsourcing are mainly the accuracy, turnaround time hidden costs and data security. TransDyne offers medical transcription with an accuracy of above 99%, turnaround time of 24 hours, with a 4-12 hours turnaround time for stat reports, with a fair and simple billing method and data transmission through secure channels to ensure HIPAA compliance.

• Is further investment in technology required to make the transition to outsourcing? No! There are no investments to be made in technology or software for outsourcing medical transcription to TransDyne

• Is the transition difficult for doctors in terms of dictation methods and equipments? The transition to outsourced medical transcription can be made simple by using the existing modes of dictation.  TransDyne believe that the doctors’ time is precious that is why they offer flexible modes of dictation. Healthcare professionals can dictate using their existing dictation devices, use digital reorders or even use mobile phones to record their dictation into their toll free number

• Will the medical transcription company be available at all times in case of doubts and clarifications? TransDyne believes in being available to the customer 24/7 so that any doubts/clarifications are sorted out at the earliest.

• What are the advantages of outsourcing medical transcription to TransDyne?

1. Pricing: TransDyne offer fair and verifiable pricing for the services rendered.
2. Zero investment: Medical transcription with TransDyne requires no investment.
3. No opportunity costs lost: TransDyne offers total solutions for the medical transcription process thereby no opportunity costs are lost.
4. Focus on core business: Once a professional company like TransDyne meets the medical transcription needs, it leaves the administrator of the healthcare facility free to focus on the core business of health care.
5. Turnaround time: TransDyne guarantees a turnaround time of 24 hours and 4-12 hours for STAT reports, hence the quality of care improves and the receivables cycle is reduced.
6. Fluctuation in volumes managed: TransDyne is geared to take on the fluctuating volumes of medical transcription needs by having huge pool of trained transcriptionists available at all times.
   

These are just a few advantages of outsourcing to a professional medical transcription company like TransDyne, to know more click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: Quality services

What makes the quality of a service great?

When the needs that lead to the purchase decision are fulfilled with the right service, with the desired quality, within the desired parameters, within the desired timeframe, with ease and with reasonable prices, it would be considered to be of the great quality.

When it comes to a service like medical transcription, which is a critical part of the total healthcare process, the components of great quality would be defined as:

• Accuracy: Accuracy in medical transcription refers to the integrity of the data in the text report in comparison to the audio recording. Accuracy is one of the most important criteria while assessing medical transcription services as the data in the medical record forms the basis of patient records, future treatment, referrals and in case of litigation.
• Turnaround time: Apart from the accuracy of the data recorded, the turnaround time of the reports is important for the ability to provide quality care. Having the right information at the right time can help improve the quality of care and accelerate the receivables cycle.
• Security of data: The information collected during the patient-healthcare professional encounter is private and confidential. It is important to protect the confidentiality of the data during transmission, as this data is vulnerable to misuse.
• Right technology: Technology plays an important role in both protecting the confidentiality of the data as well as the turnaround time. Not only this, technology also plays a major role in providing busy and time-starved healthcare professionals ease of use allowing them to make optimum use of their time.
• Reasonable prices: Though medical transcription is critical to the provision of quality care and the acceleration of the receivables cycle, it does not directly contribute to the income, therefore the cost per line of transcription should be fair and reasonable.
• Flexibility: For medical transcription services to be great, the service has to have the flexibility to adjust and provide services as per the needs of the healthcare facility. Special requirements like reports in specific formats, holiday & weekend transcription, STAT reports etc. need to be accommodated.

What are the factors that help achieve quality medical transcription?

• The right people: The quality of medical transcription is totally dependent on the quality of medical transcriptionists. Quality of medical transcriptionists is again dependent on the recruitment and training methods used by the medical transcription service provider. Care has to be taken to have a foolproof selection process and medical transcriptionists have to be trained in specific specialties instead of generic training. This helps them become domain experts who can produce quality work within specified turnaround time from the very beginning.
• The right process: To achieve quality medical transcription, there needs to be a process in place, which will ensure that the data is captured accurately and errors are minimized. Moreover having the right process also ensures that turnaround time is met and security of data is not compromised.
• The right technology: Technology plays varied roles like:

  1. Easy and flexible modes of dictation
  2. Easy & automatic uploads and downloads
  3. Help secure the data during transmission with features like encryption, firewalls etc
  4. Powerful archival facility
  5. HL7 transmission for easy transition to EMR/EHR

     • The right customer support: The process of outsourcing medical transcription can be easy and simple when backed up by the right kind of customer support, which actively finds out the specific requirements of the healthcare facility and tailors the solutions accordingly. Even after the services have begun, a good customer support system in place can iron out any hiccups and solve minor issues immediately.

       TransDyne provides flexible and quality medical transcription services with an assured accuracy level of above 99%, guaranteed turnaround time of 24 hours and an option of 4-12 hours for STAT reports, through secure channels, at reasonable prices and with technology that is advanced but easy to use. TransDyne has the right people, the right process, the right technology and the right customer support to provide quality medical transcription.

       
        

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

Medical transcription: Code of ethics

Healthcare is an essential service along with the other basic necessities like air, water, food, clothing and housing. Therefore the practice of healthcare requires that healthcare professionals and other entities associated with healthcare come under a strict code of ethics.

Medical transcription is a profession closely associated with the healthcare industry in both the commercial and operational aspects by documenting the patient-healthcare professional encounter.

The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) has come up with the guidelines for code of conduct for healthcare documentation professionals. The code of ethics for medical transcription professionals are as follows:

1. Maintain confidentiality of all patient information including but not limited to peer reviews, quality improvement and risk management protocols with special effort to maintain data security in electronic communications.
2. Implement and maintain standards of professional transcription practice. Respect the rights and dignity of all individuals.
3. Continue professional growth enhancing knowledge and skills, including continuing education, networking with colleagues, professional reading and certification.
4. Strive to provide accurate and timely information
5. Exercise integrity in professional practices including work or professional experience, credentials, affiliations, productivity reporting, billing charges and payment practices.
6. Comply with all laws, regulations and standards governing the practice of patient documentation.
7. Foster environments of emplyment that facilitate integrity, professionalism and protection of patient information.
8. Strive to advance the goals and purposes of the Association and work for the advancement and good of the profession.

   These are code of ethics laid by the AHDI for the members of the association as guidelines. But these code of ethics can be used as guidelines by all entities who are in the business of medical transcription.

   
   

   TransDyne a leading name in the medical transcription industry has based the process of transcription based on the code of ethics, which covers all aspects.

   • Maintaining confidentiality of patient information: TransDyne believes in maintaining the confidentiality of patient information at all levels. The confidentiality of the data is maintained at all the stages, during transmission, during usage and during storage using the following means.

   1. The use of 128-bit data encryption, multi-tiered application architecture, design level security safeguards, firewall protected networks, sterilized e-mail servers, denial of access procedures and multi-modal alerts safeguards data when it is at rest and when data is in motion.
   2. Use of processes like company owned & managed facilities, not engaging any sub-contractors, employing manned security at the entry/exit points, round-the-clock video surveillance and the lack of removable storage media protect the data in use. The other measures taken for ensuring security of data in use are limiting the access to the application by User ID and an encrypted password.
   3. Educating people on the importance and procedures for HIPAA/ HITECH compliance gives them a professional outlook. Having them give a commitment in writing further ensures HIPAA/ HITECH compliance. This protects the data in all stages.

      • Implementing and maintaining professional standards of transcription: TransDyne maintains and implements professional standards of transcription by training the medical transcriptionists rigorously in one or two specialities enabling them to meet standards of accuracy and turnaround time .
      • Continuously enhancing the skills of medical transcriptionists through education: TransDyne educates all its’ team of medical transcriptionists constantly updating their knowledge base on the latest developments in the field of medicine.
      • Provide timely information: Timely information is provided by TransDyne whenever required.
      • Exercising integrity in billing practices: TransDyne uses the character method of billing which fulfills all the billing method principles of being verifiable, measurable, definable, consistent and fair & honest.
      • Complying with the laws of patient documentation: TransDyne complies with all the laws that apply to patient documentation.
      • Foster the right atmosphere for professionalism and ethics: TransDyne creates an atmosphere which enables an atmosphere of professionalism.

        TransDyne offers 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 medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription: Role played in healthcare

Medical transcription is a very important part of the healthcare cycle and plays an important role in both the operational and commercial aspects of healthcare.

• Role of medical transcription in the operational aspect of healthcare: When a patient visits a healthcare professional, it could be for various reasons like an emergency, sudden illness, regular visit or continuation of an ongoing treatment plan. These visits need to be documented as part of the patient’s records.

Not only does this information form a permanent part of the patient’s health record, it forms a foundation for future encounters. Factors like demographics, lifestyle of the patient, past medical history, past treatment/procedures availed, past medications, allergies etc., have an effect on the future treatment plan.

In case the patient is availing a new mode of treatment, which is in the experimental stages, this information needs to be captured for record and research purposes. In case of any findings from the tests conducted require further treatment, the record forms the basis of referral to a specialist. Medical transcription enables the healthcare professional to take informed decisions instead of relying on memory or guesswork by creating accurate and timely records.

• Role of medical transcription in the commercial aspect of healthcare: The secondary, but equally important role played by medical transcription is the commercial aspect. Medical transcription forms the basis of claiming payment from the insurance company. The information from the record created by the medical transcription process is used as the basis of coding, billing and insurance claims. Any delays in the medical transcription process could adversely affect the receivables cycle.

Medical records also provide evidence in case of any litigation issues and it is also a statutory requirement to maintain patient records for a certain period of time. Medical transcription plays an important part in record creation by capturing all the information of the patient-healthcare professional encounter.

• Where does medical transcription process begin?

The process of medical transcription begins when the patient enters the healthcare facility for availing treatment. The front office collects details like date of birth, gender, Social security no., employer details and details of the policy name and number etc. The patient meets the healthcare professional for consultation and treatment. This total encounter is dictated into a recording device by the healthcare professional. The audio recordings are then transmitted to the medical transcription service provider for transcription.

• What are the various stages of the medical transcription process?

The audio records are downloaded at the medical transcription service provider’s site and distributed for transcribing among the medical transcriptionists based on their expertise. Once the transcription process is over, the proofreader goes through the record to ensure accuracy and fill any gaps, which are left blank. Then the files are passed on the Unit in charge who goes through the record once more to ensure accuracy. Before finally transmitting to the client the quality assurance does random checks to ensure total quality and the final corrections are made if required.

• What are the attributes that define quality medical transcription?

The attributes that define the quality of medical transcription are:

1. Accuracy: Needs to be above 99%
2. Turnaround time: Needs to be within 24 hours
3. Price: Needs to be reasonable and fair
4. Security: Has to cover all aspects that is, technology, infrastructure, people and processes.
5. Technology: Needs to be easy to use and provide maximum benefits.

It is important to have medical transcription support for both the operational and commercial aspects of healthcare. At the same time one needs to have the right provider to have benefits like accuracy, turnaround time, price, security and the right technology for ease of use.

TransDyne offers 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.

Medical transcription: The myths and truths

In recent times there have been many myths and misconceptions regarding medical transcription, giving it a bad press. Given below are a few myths about medical transcription:

• Medical transcription is easy and anybody can be a medical transcriptionist: This is a common myth about medical transcription, given that entry into this profession is relatively easy. No formal qualifications are required except for an aptitude for the English language, good keyboard skills and a keen ear. In spite of the easy entry to qualify as a medical transcriptionist, a person has to go through extensive training in medical terminology, procedures and drugs. This profession also requires a person to constantly educate themselves on the latest developments in the medical field.

Over and above all a medical transcriptionist trained in a particular specialty of medicine adds value to the work done by being a domain specialist increasing accuracy and turnaround time.

• Medical transcription is just a data entry service: Medical transcription is a service, which requires attributes like good listening, applying context when in doubt and an extensive knowledge base to draw from unlike data entry. Moreover medical transcription goes beyond just a data entry service by having additional benefits like effective report distribution, archiving and adding value to the healthcare facility in terms of reducing staff burden, reducing capital investment in medical transcription, and freeing up resources like utilities and real estate.

• Medical transcription can be replaced with voice recognition software: Voice recognition software is software that automatically converts the dictation of the healthcare professional into a typed text. On the face of this, it sounds like the answer to the medical transcription needs of a healthcare facility.

But this software is not easy to use due to the following reasons:

1. The software has to be “taught” to recognize the voice of the user and terminology used
2. A healthcare professional has to dramatically slow down his usual way of dictation and speak in a structured way, including punctuation etc., resulting in loss of productivity of the healthcare professional.
3. In spite of all these preparations the accuracy of the voice recognition software has been found to be only 60%-80%.

Because of such low accuracy levels the need for medical transcriptionists arises to proof read the reports and edit them to bring them up to the desired level of accuracy.

• Outsourcing medical transcription is time consuming: Outsourcing medical transcription can be made easy and quick by analyzing the specific needs of the healthcare facility and evaluating a prospective service provider by these attributes. A quick way to assess the medical transcription company is through:

1. Methods of quality assessment
2. Billing method used
3. Technology used
4. Measures for ensuring HIPAA compliance
5. Training methods used
6. Assessing if all the work in done in-house or through the use of sub-contractors.
7. Testimonials
8. Free trial

All these information can be accessed through the service provider’s website

• Outsourcing medical transcription affects the turnaround time negatively: Outsourcing medical transcription actually fine tunes the turnaround time and regularizes any overflow needs due to rise in patient visits. Outsourcing also takes care of weekend and holiday transcription needs, thus lessening the turnaround time.

• Outsourcing medical transcription will adversely affect the quality of reports: Outsourcing actually improves the accuracy level of the reports transcribed, when done right. The healthcare facility needs to look a service provider who has a thorough method for attaining accuracy, specialty based training methods and executes all medical transcription work in-house.

• Outsourcing medical transcription has hidden costs that will increase the cost per line: The cost per line of medical transcription is largely determined by the billing method used. Picking a medical transcription service provider that uses a fair and simple method of billing will ensure that there are no hidden costs, and help keep costs down.

• Outsourcing medical transcription is not safe: This is one of the main myths perpetuated due to a few unfortunate incidents in the past. The security measures used by the medical transcription service provider need to be assessed in detail to ensure security breaches are prevented. The service provider needs to be assessed for security on the basis of:

1. Technology
2. Facilities and infrastructure
3. People and processes

• Outsourcing medical transcription would require an entirely new Information Technology (IT) infrastructure: Outsourcing to the right service provider would ensure this does not happen. Care needs to be taken to choose a service provider who understands the special needs of the healthcare professionals and ensures that the technology takes care of all the needs and at the same time is very simple to use. Features like a flexible mode of dictation, easy uploads & downloads and archiving facilities need to be considered in the assessment process.

TransDyne is a medical transcription service provider that busts all these myths and provides 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 know more about the advantages of outsourcing medical transcription to TransDyne, click here.

Medical transcription outsourcing: Easy access to archives

The field of medicine is constantly evolving at all levels. There have been advances in the methods of diagnosis, the techniques used for testing as well as the drugs and treatment prescribed. One thing that has not changed over time is the need for accurate and timely information by healthcare professionals to provide quality healthcare.

Along with the evolution of healthcare field medical transcription has also evolved a long way from hand written notes to creation of medical records in an electronic form that can be accessed at the click of a button.

Outsourcing medical transcription needs can go a long way in easing the burden of making accurate information available to a healthcare professional on a timely manner.

What role does technology play in medical transcription?

Technology plays an important role in the process of medical transcription. Technology helps speed up the process at every level.

• Dictation: Technology plays a major role in providing healthcare professionals flexible options like digital recorders, mobile phones or any other method with which they are familiar with for recording their dictation, which allows them to make the best use of their time.
• Upload of audio files: Upload of audio files, which have been stored in the system, can be done automatically by having a system, which uploads these files at pre-determined intervals automatically
• Transmission of data: Technology plays an important part in making sure that the data remains secure during transmission by use of encryption and firewalls.
• Transcription: The actual transcription process also required technology like word documents, formats etc.
• Downloading transcribed files at the healthcare facility: Once the files have been transcribed these need to downloaded at the healthcare facility end. These files are then distributed, saved and printed as per requirement.
• Archives: Archiving of records and easy access to these records is probably one of the most important use of technology. This makes the process of following up dictated files, finished files and access to archived reports very easy and timely.

Before outsourcing the medical transcription needs the medical transcription service provider also needs to be assessed on various factors like:

• 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.
  
• Turnaround time: Turnaround time refers to the time taken to revert the transcribed report to the healthcare facility. A turnaround time of not more than 24 hours for normal reports and 4-12 hours for STAT reports would be considered ideal.


• Data security: The service provider being outsourced to should be HIPAA 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: This 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. Pricing method should also be transparent and simple so that both parties can verify the same at any stage of the process

  TransDyne has a Web Delivery System that addresses all problems associated with tracking dictations, receiving documents, and accessing old records. Some of the features offered by this system are:
  

  • User profile: Multiple users can access this system. Access can be limited according to requirements. A single user may have access to documents of multiple providers.
  • Inbox: This shows the list of documents that have been newly delivered. User may save or print these documents. Once this has been done the documents are not longer displayed here.
  • QC hold: This holds the documents where some blanks have been left due to various reasons. The concerned healthcare professional may view the documents here and make the necessary changes.
  • Powerful archival and search options: Once logged into the Web Delivery System the user can search for documents based on different criteria like Date of service, Date of dictation, patient name or healthcare professional name ore a combination of any these criteria. This system makes it easy to access data, which are several months old within seconds.

    To know more about TransDyne superior medical transcription services, click here.