Voice Recognition And Medical Transcription

Yes, voice recognition in the medical transcription field has indeed become a reality. Doctors sputter and mangle their dictation into the phones as usual, but software now translates this into English words.You’ve probably heard different opinions and views on this subject. If you’re a medical transcriptionist you may even be concerned about voice recognition taking over your career… and you’re not alone.

Sure, human beings are still needed. You see, when the doctor corrects himself or asks the transcriber to go back to a previous section and insert more text, software doesn't know how to do that. A person does.Presumably this is because editing is easier and faster than transcribing. Well, it can be, but there is still a lot of correcting to do. A 20% to 30% pay cut is hard to swallow when nearly as much time is spent on the job.

At this time there is no voice recognition software which can handle this type of voice recognition. It is impossible for the software to determine actual speech from mistakes in conversation, background noise, heavy accents, etc.

So what does this mean for our future?

Rumors of MTs being out of r a job have been around long before I became an MT. Eight years later, there are still no real advances in this field.

Can voice recognition ever replace transcriptionists?

Sure it can.

If a doctor is willing to sit down and take the sufficient time to train his voice recognition software to recognize his voice and speech patterns (this takes time and is not done automatically), yes it is possible.If the doctor thereafter dictates very clearly, using proper punctuation in his speech (stopping for periods, pausing for commas) without any background noise or interruptions.

Not unless every physician out there is willing to take the time, energy and ongoing effort to train their voice recognition software and maintain a certain standard of dictation.This being said, it is important to keep in mind that this is not and will probably never be the case for ALL physicians.

I don’t see that happening any time soon. Doctors are busy people, remember?

If anything, us MTs should embrace voice recognition and use it as a tool to help us in our MT careers. If applied properly, it can be a time-saving tool. So why not use it for our purposes? Another emerging trend is the implementation of speech recognition technology, which electronically translates sound into text and creates drafts of reports. Reports are then formatted; edited for mistakes in translation, punctuation, or grammar; and checked for consistency and possible medical errors.

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Medical Office Assistant Or Medical Transcription: Which Is Right For You?

Both of these careers have a lot to offer, and both require a similar level of training and experience… but which is right for you? Before choosing your career path, the first thing you must do is determine which path is right for you. Sometimes, though, two careers may be similar enough that it can be difficult to sort out their pros and cons. Well for any career try to check out the future growth of that industry. Also keep an eye on the positions you are looking for when you entered into the medical transcriptions. Try to evaluate yourself and think how to grow big in this medical transcription field. Well you have plenty of opportunities in this medical field around the globe, you should not fear about the industry but try to grow in shorter time within in a organization which you choose.

Medical Office Assistance

A Medical Office Assistant works in a hospital or physician’s office in a secretarial or administrative assistance capacity. Working with physicians and health care providers is a demanding and detail-oriented position-- in order to successfully work as a Medical Office Assistant, you must have good communications skills, some experience as an Administrative Assistant or Secretary, and the proper training.

Training: In addition to applying the usual office-related tasks to the health care field, some of the more complicated things a Medical Office Assistant must undertake are medical billing, completing clinical procedures, and applying medical terminology. Most Medical Office Assistants take certificate programs, either online or at a community college or university.

Pay and Work Conditions: Medical Office Assistants generally make from $20,000 to $30,000 per year, depending on location. This salary is in addition to regular health and vacation benefits provided by the employer. Medical Office Assistants generally work from a physician’s office or hospital, and have very few opportunities to telecommute.

Medical Transcription

The job of a Medical Transcriptionist is to listen to recordings dictated by health care professionals, transcribing them into reports, correspondence, etc. They generally use set types of equipment, including digital/analog recorders, headphones, and foot pedals (for pausing and playing recordings). A quality Medical Transcriptionist does more than transcribe recordings-- he/she must be able to spot inconsistencies or mistakes in terminology and correct them in written reports. This is of key importance, as accuracy of reporting can affect patient care.

Training and Requirements: As Medical Transcription is in-depth, detailed work, most employers will only hire Transcriptionists who have completed an appropriate training certificate program. Though it’s not always required, the completion of an Associates Degree is recommended. This work also requires good English language skills, including an in-depth knowledge of grammar and punctuation.

Pay and Work Conditions: Though the earnings of a Medical Transcriptionist vary widely according to experience and industry, the median salary for a Medical Transcriptionist is $34,400 yearly. Though Medical Transcription is generally done from a hospital, medical library, etc., many Medical Transcriptionists (about a third) telecommute, receiving dictation via the internet and working from home.

Which is Right?

The most important thing to keep in mind when deciding between these two careers is your own priorities. For instance, Medical Transcription may pay a bit more and provide tons of personal freedom for telecommuters, including working from home and choosing your own hours, those that telecommute generally receive no health or vacation benefits, simply working as independent contractors. On the other hand, while a position as a Medical Office Assistant comes with the benefits you would expect from any full-time job, it gives you very little freedom-- no more than any administrative position would.

For those out there looking for the freedom of a work-from-home position, Medical Transcription might be just the thing you’re looking for. However, if you’re seeking the stability of a 9-to-5 job, Medical Office Assistance might be right for you.

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Is Your Medical Transcription Service Helpful?

How helpful is your medical transcription service? What happens if you run into a problem and need some help resolving it, if you have a question about their service, or just need to know how much longer your transcription will take?

The support provided by medical transcription service is something that you will want to test out ahead of time. Write them an email asking a question that cannot be answered by anything on the website or try the live chat. In general, the more options the medical transcription service gives you for contacting them, the better.

It´s impossible to know just what situations might occur that you will need to talk to the medical transcription service, but it is an area that you definitely need to consider when making a decision. Often a frustration or misunderstanding can easily be cleared up with just a quick phone call. However, if you are put on hold for an hour or don´t get a reasonable response to your email, you will find that you end up more frustrated than you started out!

Check the support system that your medical transcription service has in place and be sure that it is one you will be happy to use. If you hate talking on the phone, be sure that they offer email support and if you just can´t wait for an email, then look for a company that will also provide live chat.

Transdyne offers Transcription Help to Private Physicians, Clinics and Transcription Vendors and our Transcription Partner program page outlines our method of alliances with Transcription Vendors. Sirius BPO Services accepts Medical dictations in various formats such as .dss, .wav, .dvf etc from Digital Recorders and from Dial-in Telephone dictations. Dictations from Digital recorders are generally of better quality audio to decipher and which results in better quality of Medical transcription. When physicians use Phone-in dictations, they can continue to use their provider and give access to the Phone-in server from where we can download the dictations for Medical transcription services. Otherwise they can opt to use our Phone-in service to deliver the dictations.

The advantages of medical transcription outsourcing are numerous. The primary advantage is the time gained. In hospitals and clinics, the patients' physical reports, operative reports, consultation notes, laboratory reports, discharge summaries, and many more are outsourced to medical transcription service providers. These files are usually voice files dictated by doctors and other healthcare professionals. Medical transcriptionists transcribe these files and send them back via secure e-mail. Medical transcription outsourcing allows hospitals, clinics and healthcare personnel to focus more on their core activities.

Medical transcriptionists are highly skilled in advanced medical terminology and have a thorough understanding of the procedures, policies, and documentation rules required for the production of medical records. Majority of the transcriptionists working in medical transcription companies are graduates in biological sciences. This allows them to understand the terminologies and vocabulary used by a doctor. Thus error free reports can be prepared maintaining high accuracy. Many companies offer medical transcription outsourcing in lower cost.

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