Medical transcription outsourcing: Meeting usability standards

Medical transcription services have aided the healthcare process by creating patient medical records - converting the narration of the patient – healthcare professional encounter into text format. Though there are numerous options available to healthcare professionals to document the patient encounter, medical transcription has proven to be the method that meets all the healthcare documentation criteria. Not only this medical transcription has also proven to be most preferred method of documentation considering the numerous advantages of documenting the patient encounter using this method.

To be effective medical transcription needs to meet the criteria of quality, compliance and usability.  As medical transcription is a specialized skill requiring quality inputs in the form of people, processes and technology and requires considerable investment of time, money and resources, the easy fix to ensure that medical transcription meets all the criteria is to outsource the entire process to a professional medical transcription service provider.

Meeting Usability criteria for medical transcription:

What is the usability criteria for medical transcription and how does outsourcing medical transcription help meet the usability criteria?

As in every service it is important to focus on the needs of the end user while defining standards of usability. Medical transcription is no exception, the focus of the services and the quality standards defining it are focused on the end users - healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities.

Usability has been defined as:

• More efficient to use
• Easier to learn
• More satisfying to use 

Outsourced medical transcription services have to meet all these standards to comply with the criteria of usability. The usability of medical transcription services can be further categorized into:

The content: There are certain content requirements for patient- healthcare professional encounter, which include:

• History, patient intake forms with basic information- chief complaints, history of complaints as narrated by the patient, subjective complaints or presenting complaints etc.
• Past and social history of the patient
• Review of symptoms
• Physical examination, re examination (objective findings)
• Laboratory findings
• X Ray
• Diagnostic tests, impressions and interpretations
• Prognosis notes – Prognosis motes justify care and establish medical necessity
• Document discharge MMI of the patient – reason, diagnosis, treatment, findings, condition of the patient at the time of discharge
• Any other records from past care under other healthcare professionals
• Any consultation
• Medical consent to treat, explained and signed. 

The process of documentation should be done being aware of the criteria of medical necessity and the need for treatment

The method of documentation: Medical transcription is a method of documentation that is not only the method most preferred by healthcare professionals, but it also strives to document in detail all the contents of the process of healthcare.

Medical transcription meets all the usability criteria of being:

• More efficient to use: Outsourced medical transcription services meet this criteria by using software and technology that not only provides security but also provides numerous benefits: 

1.     Easy to use: The technology used by the medical transcription service provider is aimed at easing the work life of healthcare professionals and the support staff by providing multiple benefits

2.     Multiple modes for document delivery: medical transcription service providers have technology that safely delivers transcripts to healthcare professionals through the modes specified by them

3.     HL7 Interface: Using HL7 interface, medical transcription service providers have enabled healthcare facilities to adopt EMR/EHR systems

• Easier to learn: Using medical transcription services is very simple, as it conforms to the usual style of working of healthcare professionals and can be smoothly integrated into the workflow of healthcare professionals. Outsourced medical transcription services enable healthcare professionals to concentrate on providing quality care and focus entirely on the patient by providing them flexible options for dictation

• More satisfying to use: As the process of documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter using the services of a professional medical transcription service providers means expert services, it brings satisfaction to healthcare professionals in terms of accuracy, turnaround time and cost effectiveness. 

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry provides medical transcription services with a deep understanding of the functioning of healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals. TransDyne has used their expertise in information technology and their experience in having served some of the leaders in the healthcare sector, to come up with medical transcription solutions that help save on money, time and efforts.

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 services: Helping improve the healthcare facility workflow

Like any other vital service, healthcare services need to have a structured workflow and are aided by quality inputs to produce desired results. In case of healthcare the desired results being providing quality care profitably while still meeting the regulatory norms that apply to the healthcare sector. There are many inputs that contribute to the healthcare process, one of the vital ones being information from patient medical records.

Patient medical records are a longitudinal record of the patient's medical history including all pertinent details regarding demographics, symptoms, diagnoses, tests/procedures, treatments and the progress made by the patient. A patient medical record is a valuable tool to make thorough diagnoses and act as the main source of information in case of emergency. Not only does the information in patient medical records provide valuable inputs for the process of care they also provide valuable support as evidence in case of litigation and the provide the base for coding and billing, which leads to reimbursement.

Medical transcription is the process of creating patient medical records of the patient- healthcare professional encounter from the audio narration of the healthcare professional. As the process of medical transcription requires specialized inputs in the form of the right team, the right process and the right technology, outsourcing the entire medical transcription process has been found to be an effective solution.  Apart from producing patient medical records that meet the quality criteria of accuracy, speed, security and being cost effective, outsourced medical transcription services also provide valuable support by helping improve the workflow of the healthcare facility.

How do outsourced medical transcription services help improve the workflow of healthcare facilities?

Medical transcription service providers have an intuitive understanding of the working of healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals. This understanding combined with their experience in serving the needs of healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities and their expertise in meeting the changing demands of the healthcare documentation sector, puts medical transcription service providers in a unique position to help improve the workflow of healthcare facilities.

Outsourced medical transcription services help improve the workflow of healthcare facilities by providing services that aid in the following:

• Helping retain familiar working styles: In spite of many advances in technology leading to newer methods of documenting the patient encounter, healthcare professionals prefer the traditional method of dictation- transcription. Outsourced medical transcription service providers have facilitated the essence of this method documentation, while still enabling adoption of EMR/EHR. This method is not only cost effective it essentially enhances the productivity of healthcare professionals by allowing them to concentrate on the most important participant in the healthcare process – the patient!

• Coping with varying volumes without compromising quality: It is impossible to predict the inflow of patients at any given time, therefore the medical transcription needs are also impossible to predict. Allotting extra resources for excess medical transcription needs and planning for productive usage of these resources during slack times can affect the regular workflow adversely. Moreover issues like slow turnaround time, poor quality documentation can lead to further complications. Outsourcing medical transcription provides a solution to all these issues by providing a one-stop solution for these issues while still maintaining accuracy and turnaround time.

• Delivering transcripts through preferred modes: Outsourced medical transcription service providers specialize in customizing document delivery modes as per the preference and requirements of healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities, including HL7 interface to facilitate adoption of EMR/EHR

• Meeting turnaround time: Apart from the accuracy of the information in the patient medical record one of the critical factor that affects both the process of care as well the reimbursement process is the turnaround time. Medical transcription service providers provide flexible turnaround time options, which aid in improving the workflow of healthcare facilities

• Providing easy access to older transcripts: As the process of healthcare is a continuous one, it is important for outsourced medical transcription service providers to provide access of older transcripts to healthcare professionals and other support staff. This need is addressed by medical transcription service providers by providing archive facilities that are customized as per the needs of the healthcare professional for easy retrieval. 

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 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: Procedure for quality assessment

The healthcare process is dependent on various inputs to provide safe, effective and quality services. To this end every factor that contributes to the healthcare process has to meet the highest standard of quality.  One such contributor to the healthcare process is information from patient medical records. The information from the patient medical records act as a reference point for various activities, involving the healthcare, operational and commercial aspects of the healthcare facility. Medical transcription is the process of creating patient medical records from the narration of the healthcare professionals regarding the patient encounter.

As medical transcription has an important supporting role to play in the process of healthcare, a best practices guide titled “Healthcare Documentation Quality Assessment and Management Best Practices” has been jointly created by AHDI, MTIA and AHIMA. One of the highlights of this manual is alignment with the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.

Each stage of the process is vital to ensure that the process of healthcare is documented keeping in mind that maintaining the highest standards of quality is a continuous process. The goal of this quality assessment program is to ensure that healthcare documentation is clear, consistent, accurate, complete and timely.

Do: Providing training to all the personnel involved in the medical transcription process

This part is very important, as the quality of the transcripts is dependent to a large extent on the skill level and experience of the medical transcriptionists. The skill level of the medical transcriptionist team in turn is dependent on the recruitment policies and the training provided to medical transcriptionists based on their specific capacities.

This consists of the following steps:

• Sourcing the right talent: Medical transcription is a skill, which requires a combination of language skills, knowledge of medicine, adequate keyboarding skills, dexterity with computers, good listening skills and an attitude for perfectionism & discipline. It is important to source candidates with the right attitude and aptitude

• Selecting the candidates: This would involve testing the skill level of the potential medical transcriptionists subjecting them to tests and process of evaluation.

• Segregating the candidates as per skill level: Based on the level of skills displayed by the potential medical transcriptionists, they could be segregated based on specialties and as proofreaders & editors

• Training process: The training process will provide the medical transcriptionists with the knowledge base required for optimum transcription and hone their existing skills to perfection. This part of the process is a continuous process involving keeping the medical transcriptionists updated regarding the latest developments in medicine and empowering them with the right reference resources to enable accurate transcription.

• Assessment and feedback: One important aspect of the training exercise is to put medical transcriptionists through the actual process of transcription and then providing them with assessment of their work. The feedback provided enables medical transcriptionists to focus on honing their skills. 

TransDyne, a leader in the medical transcription industry has processes in place to facilitate the recruitment of the right talent. The next step involves segregating medical transcriptionists into teams that specialize in one or two specialties. Extensive training is provided by TransDyne to the medical transcriptionists on the specialty making them domain experts in that specialty ensuring quality from the very start.

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 meaningful context

The world of healthcare has evolved so much with the advent of new remedies, new inventions and the discovery of numerous methods for improving the health of those seeking healthcare services. Considering that the number of people seeking healthcare services have increased, the demand for these services has also increased. In such a scenario it is important for healthcare professionals to maximize their productivity in such a way as to focus on providing quality care consistently. In such a situation it is important that the healthcare professional – patient encounter be documented in its entirety.

While the importance of documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter is undeniable as it provides support in numerous ways including, providing the base for planning care, keeping track of progress, the basis for coding & billing, and forming an important component of risk management among many other numerous purposes, it is important to choose the right means of documenting the process.

Out of the many options available to healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities for documenting the patient encounter, outsourced medical transcription services have proven to be one of the most convenient and cost effective solutions.

Why are outsourced medical transcription services the most convenient and cost-effective method of documenting the patient encounter?

Medical transcription service providers have added value to the process of documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter by taking the data provided by healthcare professionals and support staff by converting it into meaningful information applying their considerable expertise. Medical transcription services have provided value to the process of documentation by applying context to reduce inconsistencies, to make documentation useful and meaningful.  Medical transcription service providers are able to provide meaningful context to the process of documentation using:

• An inherent understanding of the working of healthcare professionals/ healthcare facilities: Medical transcription services have worked with the healthcare sector for such a long time that they have an inherent understanding of the needs of healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities with regard to documenting the healthcare process. This inherent understanding combined with their expertise in terms of people skills and technology enables them to provide services that match the needs of the healthcare professional without hindering the healthcare process. Some of the notable ways that outsourced medical transcription services ease the working life of healthcare professionals are: 

1.     Enabling healthcare professionals to retain the familiar methods of dictation to transcription without compromising on quality or turnaround time

2.     Enabling healthcare professionals to retain their preferred mode of dictation to optimize their time productively

3.     Providing a system for transcription that enables all functions required for effective functioning while still being easy to use.

4.     Providing modes of document delivery as per the preference of the healthcare professional

5.     Providing healthcare professionals with medical transcriptionists who are trained in their specialty to enable immaculate services from the beginning

• Understanding the importance of HIPAA compliance in the documentation process: Outsourced medical transcription service providers understand not only the security norms laid down by HIPAA/ HITECH, but they also have a deeper understanding of the need for these norms. Outsourced medical transcription service providers have stylized their working processes, premises and technology to allow for HIPAA compliance.

• The ability to customize services as per the need of the healthcare professionals: Medical transcription is a dynamic field and there are new innovations in the way the patient- healthcare professional encounter is documented. Healthcare professionals have adopted technology like speech recognition software for their transcription needs. However transcription using this software requires further editing and proofreading services. Outsourced medical transcription service providers have stepped into the breach providing editing services for these transcripts, allowing healthcare professionals to maximize their productivity and concentrate on their core task of providing healthcare services. Outsourced medical transcription service providers have also enabled HL7 interface to allow for transmission of data to the EHR/EMR. 

It can be seen that outsourcing medical transcription to the right service provider can convert the data from the patient- healthcare professional encounter into meaningful information that provides the right context to the treatment process.

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 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: Integrating naturally into the workflow of healthcare facilities

Medical transcription services have aided the process of providing healthcare by documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter, converting audio to text in an accurate, timely, secure and cost effective manner. As medical transcription services require the right team, the right process and the right technology to be able to meet all these criteria, the prudent and practical solution for healthcare facilities to maintain focus on their core business is to outsource the entire process to a professional medical transcription service provider.

While transcribing audio to text is the essence of the services provided by medical transcription service providers, medical transcription has risen above being just a typing service by seamlessly integrating into the workflow of healthcare facilities. To examine how medical transcription has blended seamlessly into the working of healthcare facilities it is essential to take a look at the changing face of clinical documentation.

With the introduction of ARRA and the announcement of incentives for the meaningful use of certified EHR/EMR systems, the entire healthcare documentation scenario is going through major changes. However as adoption of this new technology involves time- starved healthcare professionals there have been a few barriers to adopting this technology, namely:

• Lack of time: One of the barrier to adopting new technology is the lack of time; healthcare professionals lack the time to acquaint themselves with the technology and moreover using this new technology can adversely affect their productivity

• Need for new infrastructure: Using point and click templates to feed information into the EHR at the point of care needs new infrastructure which could affect the dynamics of the process of healthcare

• Extensive training: Use of technology to be used by the healthcare professional at the point of care could require extensive training to produce the required results

• Requiring major changes in the workflow: The introduction of new technology would require in the workflow of the healthcare professional and the healthcare facility. 

Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that healthcare professionals can retain their tried and trusted method of capturing information and still enable adoption of EMR/EHR by using HL7 interface.

Some of the advantages of outsourcing medical transcription to a technologically savvy and professional medical transcription service provider are:

• Familiar method of documenting the patient- healthcare professional encounter: Outsourcing medical transcription enables healthcare professionals to retain not only their familiar method of documenting the patient encounter, but also allows them to use dictation devices of their choice. This enables healthcare professionals to optimize their limited time in the best way possible.

• Quality creation of patient medical records: Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that the quality of patient medical records is maintained due to the following: 

1.     Medical transcriptionists trained in the specialty they are transcribing in, ensure that errors are minimized

2.     Quality processes involving checks at several levels ensure that quality levels are high

3.     Turnaround time is ensured due to availability of skilled medical transcriptionists and the right technology

• Flexible services: Outsourced medical transcription services afford healthcare facilities flexibility with regard to all aspects of transcription including specialty, volume, turnaround time, formats/templates and even editing/proofreading services for speech recognition software transcription. 

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 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: Know your service provider

Medical transcription is the process of creating records of the patient-healthcare professional encounter. Medical transcription aids healthcare professionals by providing access to relevant information about the patient’s health history. Having detailed patient records aids the healthcare professionals provide quality healthcare without having to rely on repetitive inputs from patients, handwritten notes or relying on their memory. Patient records help healthcare facilities in starting the coding and billing process leading to claims. It can be said that medical transcription is vital for both patient care as well as to ensure efficient fund flow management.

Outsourcing medical transcription has been found to be an effective solution for the documentation needs of healthcare facilities. Outsourcing medical transcription enables creation of patient records in a timely, accurate, secure and cost effective manner. By outsourcing medical transcription, the healthcare facility is essential gaining a long-term partner.

Considering that medical transcription is an important link in the chain leading to quality healthcare, it is very important to choose the right service provider. Given below are some of the details that play an important part in choosing the right medical transcription service provider:

• Experience:

How long has the service provider been in the business of providing outsourced medical transcription service?

While outsourcing medical transcription it is important to source a service provider who has experience in the medical transcription business. Outsourcing to a fly-by-night operator can, not only be very costly but could also be dangerous.

• Versatility:

Does the service provider have experience servicing healthcare facilities of all types?

While outsourcing it is important not only to ascertain how long the medical transcription service provider has been in business, but also whether the service provider has experience in serving the varied needs of healthcare facilities of all types

• Check references:

Can the service provider provide testimonials?

While outsourcing it is important to check the experience of the service provider in providing similar services, by verifying the testimonials of customers who have already availed similar services.

• Commitment to quality

What are the measures used by the service provider to ensure accuracy?

Accuracy of information captured in the patient record is vital as it affects both the quality of healthcare as well as reimbursements. It is important to assess the service provider on the basis of their training methods and quality checks in place to gauge their ability to provide quality medical transcription.

• Confidentiality:

What are the measures used by the service provider to protect patient data?

One of the major concerns while outsourcing medical transcription is the security of confidential patient data. It is important to ensure that the service provider is not just using standard FTP and Email for transferring data, as this does not support encryption. It is important to assess whether the service provider has inbuilt security measures to secure technology. The security measures used by the service provider to secure processes and people also needs to be assessed.

• Prompt Services:

What is turnaround time guaranteed by the service provider?

Turnaround time of finished transcripts is another important factor to be assessed while outsourcing medical transcription. This can be evaluated based on the availability of the right team (well trained medical transcriptionists) and the right processes with the service provider.

• Pricing and Pricing methods

What is pricing method used by the service provider?

Lowered cost of transcription is one of the main benefits healthcare facilities hope to gain from the outsourcing process. It is important to not only get a quote from the service provider for medical transcription services, it is equally important to find out the components of pricing and the billing method used by the service provider.

• Technology:

What is the technology used by the service provider?

The technology used by the service provider plays an important part in security, easy to use features and other benefits like interface with EMR, remote printing & faxing, archive facilities etc.

• Sample of services:

Does the service provider offer a free trial?

A free trial of services provided by the medical transcription service provider gives the healthcare facility an opportunity to assess whether the service provider can deliver services as promised.

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry has been providing outsourced medical transcription services for over a decade with the following benefits:

• Medical transcription with an accuracy of above 99% using a team of well trained specialty medical transcriptionists and having a stringent four-level quality check method
• Meets turnaround time requirements of healthcare facilities using the right people, right processes and the right technology
• Uses the character line method of billing, which is explained to the customers in advance, so that all the components of cost are understood
• Has security measures to protect confidential information that not only meet HIPAA/HITECH standards, but exceed them
• Uses technology that is not only advanced but easy to use
• Has been providing outsourced medical transcription solutions for over a decade and has the testimonials of satisfied customers
• Has multiple channels of interaction for customer service to ensure quick resolution of any issues
• Offers free trial of services for a limited period 

To avail outsourced medical transcription services from TransDyne, click here

Medical transcription outsourcing: Maintaining standards of quality

Documenting the healthcare process is an important aspect of healthcare services; as this aids in several areas including meeting statutory requirements, providing continuing care, preparing for coding & billing and as evidence in case of malpractice litigation. Though healthcare facilities have several options available to them for creation of medical records like point and click entry into an EMR/EHR, speech recognition, using the services of an in-house transcription team etc, one of the most preferred and cost effective method is to outsource the entire process to a professional medical transcription service provider.

Outsourcing medical transcription to a professional medical transcription service provider provides support to the healthcare facility and healthcare professionals in several aspects. Not only do outsourced medical transcription service providers provide accurate, timely, secure and cost effective services they also provide numerous benefits by virtue of the software and tools used by them for medical transcription.

Outsourced medical transcription service providers create patient medical records adhering to a strict code of ethics. The standards for the services provided include:

• Healthcare documentation that meet quality standards: Outsourcing medical transcription to a professional medical transcription service provider ensures that patient medical records are created with maximum accuracy. The medical transcription service provider uses specialty trained medical transcriptionists and a multiple level quality check method to ensure that the quality and integrity of the data is maintained.

• Securing data: Protecting the confidentiality of patient data is not only a legal obligation under HIPAA it is also a moral obligation. Outsourced medical transcription service providers understand the need for this and have measures in place to ensure HIPAA and HITECH compliance by securing people, processes, infrastructure and technology.

• Meeting turnaround time commitment: The provision of quality healthcare and to ensure quicker receivables cycle requires the patient medical records to not only be created with maximum accuracy but also on time. Outsourced medical transcription service providers ensure tight turnaround time by using a combination of well-trained teams of medical transcriptionists, diligent processes and the right technology.

• Billing methods: Reducing the cost of transcription is one of the prime reasons for outsourcing medical transcription. Outsourced medical transcription service providers ensure that the pricing methods used by them are verifiable, measurable, definable, consistent, fair and honest. This ensures that the healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals understand the components of cost and are comfortable with the method of billing used by the medical transcription service provider. 

While outsourcing medical transcription it is important to source a medical transcription service provider who can provide medical transcription services while adhering to the above given standards

TransDyne, a leader in the outsourced medical transcription industry has been providing medical transcription services for over a decade. TransDyne has used their extensive background in information technology to create systems that provide maximum benefits and save on efforts.

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