Medical transcription outsourcing: Simple solutions

Running a healthcare facility, whether it is a single doctor clinic, or a huge hospital with multiple specialties is not easy. It is always a constant struggle to get the most, from limited resources. The main goal of a healthcare facility is to provide quality care, profitably. There could be many other goals like building a reputation for quality care, research and expansion plans.

It is therefore important for the management of the healthcare facility to concentrate all its resources towards their main goal. To achieve their core objective of providing quality care profitably, numerous inputs are required like skillful healthcare professionals, the right equipment, adequate infrastructure and accurate & timely information.

Medical transcription plays an important role in creating patient records by converting audio records of the patient –healthcare professional encounter into text format, thus providing healthcare professionals with accurate and timely information. Having accurate and timely information improves the quality of care. But having medical records created in-house can burden the healthcare facility with both direct and indirect costs.

Outsourcing medical transcription provides a simple solution to the documentation needs of the healthcare facility. Outsourcing medical transcription has advantages like:

• Limits cost of medical transcription to the cost per line of transcription: Outsourcing medical transcription helps the healthcare facility contain transcription costs. Direct costs like salary of medical transcriptionists, taxes and insurance are eliminated. Indirect costs like cost of capital equipment, cost of information technology, real estate and management resources are also eliminated. This helps the healthcare facility utilize its’ limited resources in an optimum manner

• Quickens the receivables cycle: Medical transcription is the first stage of the receivables cycle. Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that patient records are created on time. This ensures that the process of reimbursement can take place speedily

• Helps the healthcare facility focus on its’ core business: By outsourcing medical transcription, the healthcare facility gains from the experience of the service provider and the technology used by the medical transcription service provider. This eases the burden of the healthcare facility staff towards medical transcription related activities like collecting dictation, uploading audio files, downloading of finished transcripts, HIPAA compliance and archiving etc. This helps them increase focus on the core business of the healthcare facility. 

It can be concluded that outsourcing medical transcription provides the healthcare facility with a simple solution for their documentation needs. However while outsourcing medical transcription, the healthcare facility needs to ensure that the medical transcription service provider can meet their needs in the desired manner. To ensure a long-term partnership the medical transcription service provider needs to be evaluated 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.

• 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

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

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 simple medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here.