Selecting the Right Medical Transcription Services is an Important Business Decision
Outsourcing medical transcription services has become an increasing feature of health centers as they are faced with the rising costs of providing quality healthcare. One of the biggest financial drains is paying staff and therefore using outsourcing can be a very effective business move. It is important, however, to check that the medical transcription outsourcing companies meet certain criteria to ensure that you are receiving value and quality for your money.
Secure medical transcription services
Medical transcription services must comply with the standards set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) related to Electronic Transmission of Patient Information. To maximise security it is important that work is carried out on the premises and not sub-contracted. Some medical transcription companies employ security at entry and exit points, run twenty-four video surveillance, limit access to confidential data and reduce removable storage media. Staff should have received HIPAA training and signed privacy agreements so that they are aware of how to keep their medical transcription data secure. Encryption must be applied to all data transfers so that data cannot be intercepted. Files should also be password protected and automatically logged to record activity when being accessed. Servers should be firewall protected and have a virus protection program which is continuously updated to handle technological changes. All this seeks to preserve data integrity and confidentiality.
A variety of medical transcription services offered
Medical transcription services offer a variety of ways to record dictations. One of the easiest and quickest is to use a toll-free phone-in number. This gives medical transcriptionists immediate access to voice files. Healthcare practitioners can also use handheld digital recorders, PDA devices or in-house dictation systems. Some companies require the installation of software on their clients’ computers while others operate a secure web-based system. When medical transcribers receive the dictated files they are transcribed into word documents which can then be returned to the practitioners using a number of methods including sending a password protected electronic mail attachment, placing it on a storage server to be downloaded by a specific user or printed and mailed as a hard copy. A medical transcription services company should provide electronic storage for their clients’ documents to limit paperwork and offer the facility of accessing, editing and faxing online records.
Fast and accurate service
It is important that medical transcription services are accessible to clients by telephone twenty-four hours a day and that they can ensure fast turn-around-time. Medical records are essential for the welfare of patients and having a document readily available can sometimes mean the difference between life and death, and so companies need to be able to deliver quick and accurate work. Some medical transcription agencies return documents within twelve hours while others guarantee them in twenty four hours. There is also often the option of selecting four to six hour turn-around-time for urgent documents.
Competitive and verifiable billing
Most medical transcription agencies charge according to the number of lines transcribed, often with discounts for bulk orders. Therefore, you need to find competitive medical transcription rates. Medical transcription services are usually able to offer much better packages than paying in-house medical transcriptionists. Billing invoices should be clear and verifiable with the number of lines transcribed and the cost per line calculated so the client can easily check it.
Professional medical transcription services
Companies should be able to guarantee you professional medical transcription services with qualified, English-speaking medical transcriptionists transcribing your documents. There should also be quality control involving proofreading, editing and reviewing to ensure one hundred percent accurate documents. Some medical transcription services also employ medical transcriptionists who are specially trained in a certain part of the medical industry, for example, cardiology or oncology. Since each part of the medical field has its unique set of terminology, concepts and record formats, it is beneficial to find a company that compartmentalizes transcription to ensure that clients have their work transcribed by a team of specially trained medical transcriptionists.
Certainly, it is crucial to choose online medical transcription services carefully and perform due diligence before selecting their services since medical records are life saving aids and must be free from error. However, once you have found a reputable company that delivers prompt and accurate medical transcription services at competitive rates you will have better workflow and good returns on your investment.
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