Friday, October 31, 2008

Traits Of Quality Transcription Services

Various transcription services from a medical transcription company can help your healthcare organization improve internal workflow and data management, enabling physicians and doctors to obtain high quality reports in a short period of time. Today’s transcription services range from dictation capture to web data management, so that your healthcare organization can retrieve accurate, timely data at a touch of a button. Finding the right medical transcription company to work with may take some time, but there are some distinguishing qualities to look for during your search. Here are some key traits of quality transcription services:

1. Guarantee of HIPAA-compliance. Ensuring that all patient data is archived and stored in a secure place is an essential part of the medical coding process, but not all companies can guarantee that their service are HIPAA-compliant. All transcription services must comply with today’s healthcare laws and regulations that govern data management; find out if the prospective medical transcription company has made HIPAA-compliance a top priority.

2. Dedication to fast turnaround times. Today’s doctors and healthcare professionals need accurate information quickly; medical transcription software now makes it easier than ever for coding specialists to capture the data and convert into the appropriate format within a few short hours. Most transcription services can be complete within a 24-48 hour time frame, so learn more about anticipated turnaround times.

3. Customer service and support. A medical transcription company that offers customer service and technical support can provide you with dependable services and make it easier to keep up with your projects throughout the week. If you’re having technical difficulties with transmitting data to the company, or simply retrieving files after the reports are made available for download, the customer service and technical support centers can help you fix any issues that may arise; this results in improved efficiency overall.

4. Competitive rates. Some medical transcription companies charge per line, while others may charge by project depending on the types of services you need. Outsourcing transcription services overall can be a cost-effective way to manage your budget, and a transcription service provider should be able to extend a quote to you during the initial consultation.

5. 24/7 availability. When you are working with outsourced medical transcription company, you can count on immediate customer service. Since many doctors work around the clock, they may need help with specific documents and custom reports at a moment’s notice; outsourced medical transcription services provide more flexibility for the round-the-clock schedules you can receive quality, well-formatted reports quickly and easily.

6. Efficient downloading and document retrieval options. In most cases, the final reports can be downloaded immediately after completion through an e-mail client or dashboard interface set up for your healthcare organization. Some medical transcription companies also make it easy for doctors and healthcare professionals to receive transmissions of reports on a handheld device or directly to their computer station. Having different options available can help you find the right match for your organizations’ needs.

Transcription services available from a medical transcription company can make the entire dictation-to-reporting process smooth and efficient. Choosing a company with these six key traits can lead you to a dependable and reliable business to manage all your needs for the long-term.

Sphere: Related Content

Transcription - Making Your Life Easier

When it was first used and aired over the radio, the word transcription drew large attention and become the gist of the public’s conversation. Newspapers also have many data about and everybody who can read it become interested in getting into it.

Being a transcriptionist, working on transcriptions offers a different kind of job opportunity. It is a task that you can get fond of, aside from that you will also be earning more money as compared to other jobs.

However, does working as a transcriptionist present to you the greener pasture you are looking for?

Quality transcription generally means providing the client with the clearest and most comprehensive drafts that the clients look into. In order to achieve this goal, the company makes sure that they get highly experienced transcriptionists and the best audios that can be acquired.

The work somehow leads to pressure, aside from being a deadline-driven business; it also needs a full precision. All the information that you will be hearing over the audio, you must be able to transcribe it accurately. The clients always seek for an output that is both credible and reliable.

The companies also have to make it sure, that they will deliver the complete transcripts in the quickest time as possible. Aside from accuracy, deadline is another important consideration. Once the client has given a particular cut-off limit, by whatever means, it has to be delivered.

The value of a transcription will vary on how the clients assess the work that these transcriptionists accomplished. The increase or the decrease on the number of their clients will also depend upon the quality of output that the transcriptionist produced.

Most of the noted formats that are accepted by the transcriptionist are the following:

1. Court tapes- This will be comprise of the coverage of court hearings be it in higher or lower courts. It will also include testimonies from both of the parties involve in a particular case.

2. Interviews- This will also include the dialogue usually between the interviewer and the interviewee.

3. Board Meetings and Conferences- The important agenda of the meeting are necessary things to be discussed and taken into account.

4. Roundtable Discussions- this refers to either a formal or an informal manner of laying discussing things out by a group.

5. Medical Advisory Groups- Usually, this is one of the most in demand services in transcription at present.

6. Video and Film Time Coding- Clients who are in the field of movie editing are offered these services.
On the other hand, when it also deals with the transfer of your audio in various media types, you can do it on neither of the audiotape, Compact Disc, CD-ROM, DVDs, and some can be transmitted to videocassettes. There are several preferences so that it will be easier for you to transfer the data from the audio that you needed.

The entire task in transcription needs to be done precisely. The transcriptionists make it sure that they are able to make all the necessary omissions, corrections, formatting and other technical tasks that must be done before sending the outputs to the clients.

The companies also provide for several trainings and reviews for their transcription to keep track that the quality of their work is for the better.

Sphere: Related Content

What A Transcription Company Can Offer

Working with a medical transcription company offers many benefits, and can help you obtain accurate and reliable medical reports and information with ease. Today’s medical transcription service providers use innovative technology and software programs to communicate the data to clients such as physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations so that the entire process is simple and efficient.

Working with a transcription company means you can outsource your medical coding and billing needs, and reduce the costs of in-house transcriptionists that may require training and other investments.

Finding the Right Transcription Company

Getting ahead in today’s healthcare industry requires working with valuable outsourced providers and individuals, and choosing the right transcription company can help you meet your organizational goals. When you’re looking for a reliable and solutions-oriented transcription company to manage your data, you’ll need to look for an organization that can:

• Maintain a high level of quality assurance for all products and services
Comply with all HIPAA laws and regulations
• Offer professional data reports
• Extend competitive rates and fees
• Offer a variety of services and packages to meet your needs
• Make use of innovative technology to make finding reports easy
• Work with a strong team of experienced transcriptionists who have received formal training and certification

How a Transcription Company Works

A medical transcription company will take charge of all the medical billing and coding paperwork you need to document, and create electronic formats of all the information for easy review and reporting. Today’s innovative technologies enable transcriptionists to capture dictations with nearly 100% accuracy, and all representatives are trained to comply with HIPAA laws and regulations to maintain and secure the data.

Many transcription service providers can offer specific packages and tiered services to suit the needs of your business; this makes it easy to cut costs and improve workflow in your organization, and outsourcing these services may also reduce overhead costs. The well-trained transcriptionists will listen to the dictations and transcribe the information into the relevant forms. This information can then be prepared for processing, and is often used by health insurance providers, physicians, healthcare clinics, and other healthcare organizations.

Most transcription companies outsource their work to home based medical transcriptionists, and these individuals are often trained and certified by various national accrediting parties and agencies. This means you’ll be receiving a quality product with fast turnaround times, and reviewing materials that meet or exceed industry standards.

The transcription company may deliver your transcribed reports in a variety of formats including e-reporting, printed reports delivered to your facility, faxing, or custom-designed reports. This can help you manage all of your printing and reporting needs in one step, and makes the entire medical and coding process much more efficient.

Working with a reliable transcription company means all of your documentation adheres to HIPAA laws and regulations, and data will be compiled with high standards of accuracy. When you need medical and billing coding services, outsourced medical transcription services can be the easiest way to save on costs, reduce workflow inefficiencies, and manage large volumes of patient data.

Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Discussion Of A Medical Transcriptionist’s Love For Words And Medical References

There are two things in particular a Medical Transcriptionist is most known for. Those are:

•A love of words
•Their use of medical references

Unlike many years ago, today there are volumes of excellent reference books and software available for the Medical Transcriptionist, most of which can easily be found online, in software and in print. Some of the medical reference materials include:

•Medical dictionaries
•Medical specialty word and phrase references
Medical abbreviation references
•Medical style manuals

Each of these references fulfills a particular need for the Medical Transcriptionist. The medical dictionary provides definitions to know the difference between similar-sounding words. Medical dictionaries do not contain many of the specialty words, abbreviations, and surgical instruments.

Medical specialty word and phrase references contain terms from one medical specialty and include slang, surgical instruments, drugs, new and unusual terms, abbreviations, and laboratory tests for that particular specialty.

Medical abbreviation references contain common and unusual abbreviations and their definitions from all medical specialties.

Medical style manuals offer suggestions on how to format reports, punctuation, grammar and spelling medical reports.

A regular “word” dictionary is also a must and a staple of the Medical Transcriptionist’s library of reference materials. Physicians often have an extensive vocabulary and will dictate English words that are new to the Medical Transcriptionist.

The following is a list of medical references that should form the basics of a library for Medical Transcription students and practitioners:

•Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary
•Stedman’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary
Current Medical Terminology
•The Medical Word Book
•Medical Phrase Index
•Word and phrase reference books published by Health Professions Institute in the specialties of Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Orthopedics/Neurology, Pathology, Psychiatry, and Radiology
•A standard English dictionary such as Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary
•American Drug Index
•Physicians’ Desk Reference
•Saunders Pharmaceutical Word Book

If Medical Transcriptionists get stumped on a drug question and cannot locate the answer in her library of reference books, he or she can always seek help from a pharmacist. Pharmacists often have a wealth of information they rarely ever use and most are glad to help a Medical Transcriptionists with questions about drugs.

A Medical Transcriptionist or student should never be without up-to-date reference sources. Regardless of how much I find online or in software, I still like a shelf of books in print.

Sphere: Related Content

Medical Transcription Can Be A Great Internet Home Based Business

Description: Medical transcription is a booming business in itself these days. Most online businesses can pay big bucks for a few hours of work every day. So why not make this into a well-paying Internet home based business for yourself?

What it entails

An Internet home based business in medical transcription can reap rich dividends provided you’re willing to put in extra hours to learn the business well. Most companies who hire medical transcription professionals for an Internet home based business look for those who already have some form of experience working either in a hospital or clinic. By starting an Internet home based business in medical transcription you need to be prepared to be thorough with all aspects of using the keyboard. You also need to be very capable with English grammar and language usage to make this Internet home based business a success for yourself. The training in this field takes time and one must be prepared to devote a minimum of 4-6 weeks to learn the trade. You also need to have an ability to remember whatever you might have learnt during training.

How it works

Medical transcription is all about transcribing dictation between health care providers and the patient. Most of this dialogue gets recorded either in audio tapes or digital based voice processing mechanisms. To make this Internet home based business a success you need to have extensive and thorough practice in being able to transcribe this information using standard word processing systems.

How to look for an appropriate training program

A prerequisite to starting a medical transcription Internet home based business is to undergo training and in-house experience in a clinic. To start training you need to hunt for a program that provides not just excellent grammar skills in English but also one which provides a good background in human anatomy, physiology, pharmacology etc. Besides this to embark on a successful Internet home based business in medical transcription you also need to have loads of practice in transcribing dictation tapes from doctors. It helps to get tapes from genuine doctors, to get an idea of the real thing. You can also get opinions from friends and colleagues who have taken training from this institute. See if they were satisfied with the education, training material and support provided. This way you can ensure your Internet home based business is a sure success.

Why it’s so great

People who aren’t able to work from a regular office either due to personal issues or factors like disability etc., can use medical transcription as a successful Internet home based business. Sticking to deadlines is a very crucial requirement for this business to remain a success. Just like any Internet home based business in this one too a person needs to be disciplined and organized to succeed.

Sphere: Related Content

The Latest Medical Transcription Tools In The Year Of 2007

The USB foot pedal and transcriber software is the latest in medical transcription industry technology. This of course replaces the desktop transcriber and floor foot pedal that used a cassette tape for recording and playing physician dictation. Headset with earphones is still used.

The minimum system requirements most employers prefer home based medical transcribers to operate are:

•Desktop or laptop PC running Windows 2000, XP Home, XP Medial Center Edition, XP Pro or VISTA
•Most employers prefer PCs. Future work environments and MT products may not support Macs.
•CD-RW drive or CD-Rom drive that is able to read CD-RW disks or DVD drives
•128 RAM or higher
•Sound card – SoundBlaster compatible, 16-bit or higher
•Hard disk space – Minimum 250 MB hard disk space
•USB (Universal Serial Bus) port
•Single-prong headset (earphones)
•Computer with updated antivirus software is mandatory

The Medical Transcriptionist today will need to have a good understanding of MS word or Wordperfect word processing programs and basic computer skills.

Internet Access is required. Knowledge of email is required. An English dictionary is always a staple in the library of a Medical Transcriptionist.

Formal education either through distance and home study programs or on site Medical Transcription schools, business colleges and many Universities now offer full programs in Medical Transcription. Formal education is definitely an asset.

The basic admission requirements for most Medical Transcription Schools and programs include:

•High school diploma or equivalent
•Ability to work independently
•English comprehension
•Spelling and usage competency (spoken and written) equivalent to that of a high school graduate
•Intermediate word processing skills with ability to create, save, format, copy and paste documents
•Intermediate computer skills including ability to troubleshoot basic computer problems, install software, manage files, send and receive emails with attachments and utilize the Internet for research purposes
•Normal hearing acuity

Before you choose a school or home study program take note of whether or not they have a job placement program after graduation.

After formal training and throughout your career in Medical Transcription, you should continue your education through professional memberships and certifications. The Certified Medical Transcriptionist can be acquired through the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (formerly American Association for Medical Transcription or AAMT). Certification is achieved upon successful completion of their examination.

In addition to professional memberships and certification there is absolutely nothing like continuing to learn by actually “doing.” Everyday transcribing medical dictation is a new day of education in the field of Medical Transcription.

Where are the Employment Opportunities in Medical Transcription? They include:

•Hospitals and clinics
•Pharmaceutical companies
•Nursing homes
•Physician’s offices
•Visiting nurse services
•Home-based independents
•Surgical centers
•Hospice programs
•Rehabilitation centers
•Chiropractic centers
•Physical therapy groups
Transcription services
•HMOs & PROs
•Dental Offices

You can expect to earn anywhere from $25,000 upwards depending upon the area in which you live, the sector you work in, the method of compensation, and your unique skills. An accurate and speedy Medical Transcriptionist can expect to earn an excellent income and the outlook for this profession continues to look extremely positive.

Technology will continue to create easier and more effective ways to work, however, I do not believe the human behind the equipment will ever be replaced. Medical transcription is probably here to stay and is a secure career choice.

Sphere: Related Content

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Medical Transcription - Online Versus Classroom Training

If you've considered a career in medical transcription, you've probably already spent at least some time looking into the study options. And there are some serious decisions to be made when it comes to those training options. Should you study medical transcription in a classroom? Or would an online or correspondence course be better? It depends on your personality, your location and your needs.

Start by looking into schools in your area that offer medical transcription in a classroom setting. The sheer fact of your location in relation to any schools you'd be interested in attending may very well make the decision for you. While location is sometimes the deciding factor, don't let yourself be talked into taking what you consider to be second-rate medical transcription training just because it happens to be nearby. You can certainly get quality training from an online or correspondence school if there's nothing close to your location.

Your own personality - and limitations - should also play a role in your choice of training options. Do you work well without strict supervision and deadlines? Can you set goals for yourself and follow through? If your answer to those questions isn't a resounding "yes," you may not do well with online or correspondence training. There's a big difference between sitting in a classroom every day (or once a week) and being turned loose to do your own work. In a classroom, you're held responsible for keeping pace with the class. A correspondence class allows you to set your own pace. Some people simply need the structure of a classroom setting.

That's not to say that you have to attend classes in person to get that structure. Many distance learning programs allow students to "meet" with instructors and even classmates on a regular basis via computer. You simply set up a webcam at your location and you have the opportunity to interact with the teacher and even others taking the class. In some ways, this is the best of all possible worlds for the busy adult who still needs some structure to accomplish the goals of medical transcription training.

If you think the online "meeting" is a good idea for you, take a minute to look at your own computer and your connection. A dial-up connection with a slow computer may simply not be able to present the class in "real time." The lag can be annoying or even embarrassing, and you may find yourself losing out on some important points.

Regardless of what kind of training you choose, be wary of those offering claims that seem simply too good to be true. No one can guarantee that you'll find a job the week you complete your training and a school that offers those kinds of promises may very well be exaggerating other points of their training as well. Take time to be sure that any training facility you choose is reputable and that your hard work will end with training that will make you qualified to work in the medical transcription field.

Sphere: Related Content

Working With A Medical Transcription Company – What To Expect

Working with a medical transcription company offers several benefits for your healthcare organization, and you can look forward to a long-term relationship with qualified professionals to manage all of your dictation and transcription projects. Today’s innovative technologies in medical transcription make it easier to capture data and format it appropriately for reporting.

Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals can have easy access to all data within a few days, and your medical transcription company can offer a full suite of services to ensure smooth operations each and every week. If you’re looking for a way to maximize your resources and enjoy consistent, reliable services, here’s what you can expect from a medical transcription company:

1. Professional communications. Whether you are submitting new projects or speaking with the customer service department about technical issues, you can expect professional services that help you solve your most immediate problems. Professional communications make it easier to receive the services you need and address any issues that may arise with various projects.

2. Easy access to completed reports. Today’s transcription software is designed for compatibility with many web-based servers so that downloading and tracking files is a seamless and smooth process. Your doctors, physicians and other healthcare professionals can easily find the files they need at a touch of a button. In some cases, they may even be able to download reports and files onto a handheld device or their own computer.

3. Fast turnaround times. A medical transcription company that is equipped with a well-trained staff and quality equipment will be able to turnaround most projects within 24-48 hours. This means your doctors can submit a dictation and expect to receive a complete, accurate report within a few days. This can save both time and money on the entire dictation and reporting process to benefit your entire healthcare organization.

4. Formatting according to your documentation standards. All documents and reports from the medical transcription company can meet your specific organizations’ requirements for documentation. All you need to do is define your reporting formatting requirements so that the transcription team can send back all documents according to your guidelines and specifications.

5. Improved workflow processes. With the advances in e-mail communications and other web-based technologies, both your healthcare organization and the medical transcription company can speed up processing time from dictation to reporting. Doctors and healthcare professionals can enter their dictation through a phone or microphone and send the data immediately to the medical transcription company. After that, the data is turned into a transcription report and then made available on the web for easy downloading. This entire process can improve workflow and make it easier to handle large amounts of data.

6. Automated delivery. When you are submitting volumes of data on a regular basis, making sure your doctors and other healthcare professionals are receiving reports regularly can be a challenge. Automated delivery systems make use of e-mail notifications for quick an easy access to reports so there is never a delay in getting back critical information.

Sphere: Related Content

Specialty Services Available From A Medical Transcription Company

When you’re looking for accurate data reporting for your healthcare organization, working with a medical transcription company means you can keep up with all your dictation-to-reporting needs with ease. A medical transcription company can provide a full suite of services for your healthcare business so that your physicians and other healthcare professionals can obtain high quality data whenever they need it. Outsourced medical transcription services can also help you save on costs overall.

How a Medical Transcription Company Works

A medical transcription company handles all of the data capturing, report compilation and report distribution, and each report goes through a comprehensive quality control process. This means your healthcare professionals can count on error-free reports after every dictation submission, and with today’s innovative technologies and software, the entire process is seamless and smooth.

Many medical transcription companies offer specialized services within their project scope as well; this means you can count on several services for each department and look forward to accurate data that follows each department’s guidelines and requirements.

Specialty Services from a Medical Transcription Company

A medical transcription company can help with departments including radiology, plastic surgery, physical medicine, cardiology and maxillofacial surgery amongst others. Doctors that specialize in internal medicine, general surgery and emergency room services can also benefit from medical transcription services, but not every organization has the staff or resources to obtain quality reports on a consistent basis.

Specialties that require transcription services require varying levels of detail and report structures; a medical transcription company can help with several specialties and departments so that the dictation-to-reporting process is efficient and smooth.

The Specialty Service Reporting Process

Chiropractors, plastic surgeons and gastroenterologists can all make use of the service and options available from a medical transcription company. After the doctor delivers their dictation via phone or other recording device, the medical transcription company captures the data and transcribes it into the appropriate reporting format. The report is then electronically sent to quality control for review; this ensures that all HIPAA guidelines are followed, and that the data is as accurate as possible. Since accuracy is critical to the success of any transcription, the software and dictation devices available today are designed to capture data efficiently and effectively. In some cases, the doctor can submit a dictation directly over the web.

After quality control has reviewed the documents, the final reports are made available to your healthcare professional and organization. Reporting typically takes the form of electronic files which can be downloaded to a physicians’ computer or other portable device. This makes it easier than ever to retrieve important data for review at a moments’ notice; in most situations, the transcription process takes just 24-48 hours.

Several healthcare specialty departments can maximize the options available from a medical transcription company. With its efficient quality control system in place, a transcription company can be a very valuable resource for your organization. Accurate medical reports available with a fast turnaround can help improve your organization’s workflow and help you maintain quality, HIPAA-compliant reports on a regular basis.

Sphere: Related Content

Friday, October 24, 2008

Medical Transcription: How Does It Save Time For Your Practitioners?

Today’s world is a world of competition. You will find tough competition in almost all business industries. Nowadays medical transcription industry is growing as fast as anyone. Therefore healthcare professionals want their medical reports to be translated into text format in order to save time and money. Here, Medical transcription process comes into play.

In every hospital setting, accurate records must be kept by every department for every patient. Specialists - orthopedic surgeons, oncologists - must create accurate records by documenting all that they have done for a patient so that the general practitioners and nursing staff are able to provide quality care to the patients on their floors. The nursing staff and general practitioners need to be able to create an accurate record of what they do so that the administrative and billing departments are able to create accurate bills for services rendered.

Medical transcription is the basic process that takes these details and turns them into a written record; after all, using a voice recorder and speaking notes typically takes less time for the attending physician - whether a specialist, a general practitioner or an emergency room physician - than writing out his or her notes would take. However, in order for the information to be usable for everyone who needs it, recorded dictation is simply not adequate or functional. Someone needs to take the time to listen to the dictation and transcribe it into written text that can then be stored either in printed files or as electronic data.

What many hospitals have discovered is that outsourced medical transcription - sending the files to a transcription company for processing - is often the most efficient and cost-effective solution for their medical transcription needs. After all, medical professionals are at their best when they are focusing on providing patient care; by placing the demand of creating typed notes on them, hospitals and medical centers are limiting the amount of time that they have for caring for patients, for diagnostics and for administering treatments.

Not all transcription companies offer the same benefit to practitioners, however. Those that use a voice recognition system, for example, require that each doctor become familiar with the system and speak in the same tone at the same pace throughout the dictation. If mistakes are made during the dictation, they can be difficult to correct. In order to provide the greatest benefit to practitioners , hospitals should look for a transcription company like Transdyne.

With Transdyne, practitioners will be able to use the same voice recorders that they have been using, digital voice recorders or even by phone: hospitals and medical centers, in this way, enable physicians and health care providers to record their notes in a way that is comfortable for them rather than a new system that must be learned. Within 4 hours to 24 hours of receiving the dictation, when Transdyne is your transcription company, you'll receive the text reports; it's as simple as that.

Working with Transdyne, therefore, not only provides the benefit of using dictation systems that providers are familiar with; the choice also enables your facility to have the reports quickly - far more quickly that they would be completed by an in-house transcription or transcription team.

As a result, outsourced medical transcription to Transdyne enables your facility to function more efficiently: each department will have ready access to the reports and information that they need when they need it.

Sphere: Related Content

Medical Transcription Tips For Word Searching

Word searching is locating the medical word that is correct both in spelling and meaning. This is a Medical Transcription skill that takes time and practice to develop.

Tip #1:

If you find yourself unable to locate a medical word in your reference books, it might be the word has an initial letter different than the sound or initial letter you hear. For example, the v sounds very much like that of f, the letter m may actually be an x (xiphoid) and the k might be ch (ischemic).

In addition, medical terms that contain silent letters such as euthyroid, herniorrhaphy, pneumonia or words frequently mispronounced such as menstruation present a unique challenge for the Medical Transcriptionist.

Experience is often more the teacher in using available resources. The longer you remain a Medical Transcriptionist, the more proficient you will become in determining sound-alikes and locating terms with silent letters.

Tip #2:

When you are unable to locate a phrase under a particular entry, look under a related entry.

Tip #3:

When you hear a phrase you cannot understand, look first under the noun and not the adjective. Nouns usually follow adjectives. An example: If you are looking for bullous emphysema, look under emphysema (the noun) and not bullous. To find particular diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, look under disease.

An exception to the above tip is that in Latin phrases, the noun is followed by the adjective such as “fascia lata,” and “ligamentum flavum.” You would look under the first word with Latin phrases. Bacterial names are another exception in that the genus is given first, followed by the species: Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

If you exhaust all you know to do when word searching on the job, a Medical Transcriptionist should:

1.seek another transcriptionist’s opinion
2.refer to the patient’s chart
3.contact the dictating physician for clarification
4.leave a blank in the report and attach a note so that the dictator may insert the correct word

If you leave a blank in the report, you should flag the report by attaching a note with a paperclip. The note should list all blanks left in the report, and giving as many details as possible for ease of identification such as page and line number. The Medical Transcriptionist may also give a phonetic spelling of what the word or words sounded like to assist the dictator in filling in the blank or blanks.

The main thing to remember about word searching is to never guess at a word. A blank in the medical report does not reflect poorly on the Medical Transcriptionist who thoroughly researched for the words and exhausted all else before leaving the blank. Leaving a blank is the correct thing to do. Integrity and accuracy of the medical report is much more important than presenting documents that never leave blanks.

Sphere: Related Content

Steps On Applying For A Medical Transcription Job

Medical transcription the industry that renders doctors dictated reports, procedures and notes into an electronic or paper format in order to create files representing the treatment history of patients. Usually health practitioners dictate what they have done after performing procedures on patients.

Nature of the work

A medical transcriptionist listens to recordings made by doctors and other health care professionals and transcribes them into reports, letters and other administrative material. They usually listen to recordings through headphones, using both hands to type while pausing the recording as necessary with a foot pedal. The recordings will cover a variety of medical areas, including patient histories, exam reports, consultations, autopsies and discharges. After the information is transcribed, the documents are sent back to the physician or other health professional who dictated them for review, signature and corrections. The transcribed documents are then part of the patient’s permanent record.

A medical transcriptionist must know medical terminology relating to anatomy and physiology, diagnostic procedures, pharmacology and treatment assessments. They should also know what medical jargon and abbreviations mean. To help with this, there are standard medical reference materials in either printed and electronic forms that transcriptionists use to identify medical terms; some of these reference materials may be found online.

Earnings

The compensation methods for medical transcriptionists vary depending on the company. Some are paid based on the number of hours they work or on the number of lines they transcribe, while others receive a base pay per hour with incentives for extra production. Employees of transcription services, as well as independent contractors, usually receive production-based pay. Independent contractors earn more than the employed transcriptionists, but independent contractors incur higher expenses, receive no benefits, and have a greater chance of being terminated. While medical transcriptionists employed by others receive lower compensation, they do receive medical benefits and are protected by labor laws, providing them with more job security.

There are two ways to search for medical transcription jobs – online or through a subcontracted transcription services. If you apply online, you become an independent contractor, while through a subcontracted transcription services you become an employee – either way, your job will be entirely the same.

Here are some steps to applying online:

1.Read the form and instructions carefully before filling it out.
2.Make sure that you understand all the questions.
3.Take note of the company’s layout preference – like the order in which the ask for names and dates.
4.Print a copy of the form and file it for future reference
5.Never leave blank boxes – your application may be rejected if it looks incomplete.
6. If there are sections that do not apply to you, insert N/A in the box.
7.Refrain from including any information that's not specifically requested.
8.You may be required to submit an online curriculum vitae via email. This should be a condensed version of the CV you have designed.

The steps for applying for jobs in transcription services is similar to applying for any type of job. The only difference is that you're required to have good typing listening skills. There are tests given when applying for transcription positions to test your listening and typing skills. Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Medical Transcription Home Study Courses

If you are interested in medical transcription training but have a busy schedule, there are options to brick-and-mortar vocational schools. You might want to consider medical transcription training at home.

Demand for medical transcriptionists will increase by nearly 30% through 2010 due to a growing and aging population. Start your own business in medical transcription and have the career independence you’ve always desired or prepare yourself for a career in a doctor’s office, hospital, or clinic. However, there are certain skills you need to become a Medical Transcriptionist. Our Medical Transcriptionist course will help you learn required skills and gain important industry knowledge quickly and conveniently. You’ll get hands–on training in:

  • Medical Terminology
  • Creating and maintaining medical records
  • Advanced Medical Terminology and Pharmacology
  • Keyboarding and Word Processing

You'll learn the transcription techniques that are applicable in doctors’ and dentists’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and transcription services. And best of all you can learn it all from the comfort of your own home. So get started today be request a free medical transcription course information package.

MT home study courses work well for students who are independent. Self-discipline is essential for successful medical transcription training at home. It's a good option for students who do not have a vocational school nearby or who cannot physically attend classes for a variety of reasons. At home training can be the option of choice for those who learn best on their own.

Medical transcription training at home offers several advantages. One of these, of course, is the ability to work at your own pace. You can take the time you need in more difficult areas, but move quickly through coursework that you find easier. You don't have to pace yourself with your teacher and classmates. Another advantage is the ability to schedule coursework around other commitments, such as your job. You don't have to worry about following the class schedule.

Of course, the most obvious advantage of MT training at home is the ability to work in comfort. You don't have to commute. You don't have to look for parking. If you have a hectic schedule, you don't have to worry about showing up late for class. Homework gets done when you have time, and you can take tests when you feel you are ready for them instead of cramming to meet the teacher's deadline.

Some medical transcription schools offer video instructional videos. This gives you the opportunity to hear the terminology, an important part of medical transcription training. The ability to replay the videos as often as necessary to understand the terminology is another advantage to medical transcription training at home.

Medical transcription training at home is not for everyone. For those who are disciplined and don't need supervision, though, a home study course can be rewarding.

Sphere: Related Content

Different Types Of Medical Transcription Services

The field of medical transcription has been on the rise in recent years, providing high-quality health records to hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities. There are several accredited service providers in existence that aid medical organizations in maintaining and creating their health records.

Before searching for the best medical transcription service, companies or individuals need to make sure that the service is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA was established in 1996 to set a national standard for anyone involved in with health records. The act also promotes security and privacy of all health data and strives to improve the proper use of electronic data. It is extremely important that any medical transcription service provider is compliant with HIPAA standards, which is required through the Department of Health and Human Services.

There are a variety of services available, which all offer unique skills and expertise for medical transcription. Transdyne has been a leading service provider of medical transcription since its small start in 1999. With offices in New York and India, Transdyne has been able to establish a system that allows for speedy turnaround and high-quality service. Transdyne employs well-trained medical transcriptionists (MTs) and systems professionals who work seven days a week and are all well-trained and highly proficient in the medical transcription industry. Transdyne is HIPAA compliant and employs over 300 transcriptionists all over the U.S. According to Transdyne website, the company meets any transcription needs imaginable and customizes each job according to the individual’s needs. The company claims that it is one of the most cost effective providers, mostly due to the quick turnaround. Transdyne MTs work with the most modern technology that includes dictation systems, HL-7 interfaces, automated printing and organizing services, and much more.

VIVA is another HIPAA compliant medical transcription service provider that is based in California and caters to medical professionals in the U.S. and Canada. Some of the services offered by VIVA are quality transcriptions delivered in one business day, strict compliance with HIPAA, and high-tech security provided by GeoTrust, which protects over 100,000 companies all over the world. Since VIVA is a web-based company, clients can access their files from virtually anywhere. VIVA boasts a state-of-the-art online filing system that opens up office space and allows for all files to be accessed from a computer through a system called VIVA-Locate, which allows individuals to search their records in a fraction of the time.

MxSecure is another popular provider. According to the website, MxSecure is the number one medical transcription service in the U.S. The company works with over 500 organizations nationwide to provide the best medical transcription services to clinics, physicians, and hospitals and offers two different options for service to comply with nearly any group. MxTranscribe Express offers digital dictation, easily downloaded software, access to files 24/7, and unlimited customer support. MxTranscribe EHR offers everything from Express with the additional perks of EMR integration, STAT capabilities, unlimited file storage and backup, and HIPAA compliant e-mail. There are also no long-term contracts required for either service. TransHealth is a good option for someone looking for a smaller and more personal organization. The Nashville-based company is one of the fastest growing providers of medical transcription, specializing in serving hospitals and outpatient clinics. TransHealth prides itself on the ability to establish long-term relationships with clients. The company’s most well-known clients are Community Health Systems, Inc., Health Management Associates, and VHA Southwest. TransHealth requires a minimum of three years experience in the medical transcription field for all employees, securing high-quality work. Although these services are the most popular and well-known, there are many others that provide the same services, often for less money. There are websites available that offer free searches and price quotes for medical transcription service providers. BuyerZone is a popular site that offers searches in a variety of medical transcription areas such as primary care, hospitals, and clinics.

There are so many different types of service relationships that can be established through these various organizations, and it is easy to find one that fits any organization. Each service offers different perks and benefits, but all of them offer high-quality medical transcription. Not only are these services helping medical professionals build a more efficient and productive business, but they are also working hard to establish safer and more secure health records all over the world.

Sphere: Related Content

Medical Transcription Proofreading Tips

The correct attitude for a Medical Transcriptionist should be one of independence and responsibility for his or her work. Medical Transcriptionists function with a minimum of direct supervision. The majority do have an immediate supervisor “somewhere” responsible for quality control. Working as a professional Medical Transcriptionist means to take pride in the accuracy and completeness of your work. A professional gains satisfaction from a job well done.

Excellent proofreading skills are critical for a Medical Transcriptionist. Proofreading is looking for mistakes of all types in a transcribed document and correcting them. The most common errors a Medical Transcriptionist will be looking for include:

• Omission of important dictated words
• Selecting the wrong English or medical word
• Misspelling words
• Typographical errors
• Grammatical errors
• Punctuation errors

Proofreading skills will improve with practice. You will know what your areas of weaknesses are as you proofread and find your errors. If you find that you miss few medical words, but misspell many English words, you can improve by paying particular interest in English words as you transcribe and proofread dictation.

Consider the following four-step method to help you achieve the best results from your proofreading:

1. Look words up in reference books as you encounter them. Don’t wait until the end of the report. You will have forgotten how some of the words sounded. Search until you find and don’t go any further in your medical transcribing until you find the words you get stumped on. Leave a blank if you exhaust all resources and still cannot find your word.

2. Briefly proofread what you transcribe as it appears on the screen of your word processor or the paper you are typing on. This will help you catch missed words and typographical errors as they occur. Print out your reports on paper if you are using a word processor. It is easier to proofread the printed report on paper than it is on the screen.

3. If you just cannot find a word, leave a blank of an appropriate length, according to how long or short the word sounds. Attach a flag (a flag is a sheet of paper clipped to the report or a sticky note placed on the report which identifies all blanks, which lines of the report they are located on, and what the dictated word sounded like to you.

4. Use a medical or English spellchecker as the final step in proofreading. Spellcheckers will not catch errors such as transcribing no instead of not or transcribing ilium instead of ileum.

Excellent proofreading skills come only after continual practice to perfect. Consider the following tips:

• To avoid omitting important dictated words adjust the speed control on the transcriber unit and transcribe slowly to assure no dictated words are overlooked. Slowly increase your speed of the tape, which will increase transcription speed as you learn to keep up with the dictator.

• The tape recording (if you are transcribing from a tape) does not perfectly reproduce the human voice. Sometimes the words and phrases sound garbled or something quite different from what they really are. A Medical Transcriptionist should never transcribe what he or she “thinks” they hear. You should transcribe only what makes sense in the context of the report. Careful word searching and careful attention to word definitions help the Medical Transcriptionist to avoid selecting the wrong English or medical word. The wrong medical word can convey a wrong diagnosis for a patient. The error can be carried in the patient’s permanent medical record and cause extreme havoc and chaos. The professional Medical Transcriptionist NEVER transcribes anything that does not make sense and/or cannot be verified in a reference book. In other words, don’t just make up a word either just to fill in all the blanks. It is better to leave a blank.

• Misspelling of medical and English words can be avoided by careful proofreading and using a spellchecker.

• Typographical errors are usually the result of carelessness or attempts to type too fast rather than focusing on accuracy. Careful proofreading will eliminate typographical errors.

• Grammatical errors are hard to catch while transcribing and must be identified through careful proofreading.

• Punctuation errors can actually change the medical meaning of a sentence. Keep your punctuation references within easy reach.

Sphere: Related Content