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Nowadays, most medical entities and healthcare organizations depend on medical transcription services. Medical transcription has become a requisite for facilities that are struggling with patient care and back office work. Outsourcing the work helps them to focus better on patient care and other important tasks. The increase in demand for medical transcription services has led to a significant growth in the number of service providers. So when choosing a medical transcription company, it’s important to go by some tips.

Factors to consider in choosing a medical transcription company

If you are looking to outsource medical transcription tasks, consider the following points to choose the right company.

Experience: One of the important factors to consider is the experience of the firm. A company with several years of experience and a satisfied clientele is the best choice.

Quality of service: Even a single mistake in medical transcript can cost a life. So accuracy is a very important factor in medical documentation. Reliable firms have highly skilled medical transcriptionists who are well versed in medical terminology and different accents to provide accurate transcripts for various medical specialties. Stringent quality checks also help to ensure 99 percent accuracy in transcribed documents. They would also use advanced technology and software to ensure quality transcripts.

Confidentiality of records: Another major thing to worry is whether the medical records are kept in highly confidential and secure manner. Medical documents and records are of sensitive nature and meant for viewing only by the patient and the doctor. Disclosing these records to a third party may lead to misuse of these records. So it is necessary to partner with a service provider that adheres to HIPAA guidelines. That is the best way to make sure your files are handled in a secure and confidential manner.

Cost-effective: Another factor you have to be concerned about is pricing. Outsourcing must save you money. Reliable service providers offer services that can help you to save 30 to 40 percent on your costs.

Minimum turnaround time: Timely and accurate documentation is necessary for efficient treatment and prompt reimbursement. A competent medical transcription company can provide services in minimum or custom turnaround time.

Some of the important benefits gained by partnering with a reliable service provider are:

• 99 percent accuracy
• Confidentiality of medical records
• Flexible dictation methods - digital dictation and toll-free numbers
• Document management flow system
• Secure web-based file transfer
• Customized EMR solutions

Having all these points in mind can help you choose the right medical transcription company.

 
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Nowadays, healthcare is like any other business. To provide proper treatment and care, physicians need to ensure that they can compete effectively and meet growing needs. They have to deal with all kinds of pressures from different sides such as an increased flow of patients, the need to provide quality treatment and care, administrative tasks, and much more. Documentation work also continues to increase day by day and this is inducing them to seek the support of a medical transcription outsourcing company. Providing efficient and timely support to transcribe physician dictations, a reliable service provider can help a medical business grow.  

Here are some of the ways your practice can benefit by partnering with the right outsourcing company:

Revenue management

Medical transcription companies play an important in managing your capital investment.

- You do not have to invest in recruiting and training transcription staff. This reduces expenses on salaries, insurance benefits and other compensation packages

- Outsourcing transcription work rules out the investment in infrastructure, advanced software, technology, equipment, and more

- You can save 30-40% on your transcription costs by outsourcing. Established service providers outsource the work to offshore locations where quality service is available at lower rates. This allows them to offer you competitively priced solutions

Increased efficiency

You can concentrate on your core activities without worrying about getting your transcription done right. Reputable transcription companies can provide medical transcription services for almost all major specialties. Web-based documentation managed by a team of experienced professionals ensures that error-free reports are delivered within customized turnaround time. All this helps increase your efficiency quite significantly.

Reduced business risk and liability

A medical transcription company uses latest technologies and tools for smooth and efficient workflow. They also provide user-friendly options for digital dictation through digital recorders and toll-free number. They also have HIPAA-complaint safe file transfer options. The use of quality technology and software by the company’s expert team of medical transcriptionists allows them to provide error-free documents. All this ensures reduced business risks and liability for your practice. Many companies have solid risk management programs in place to help minimize client risks.

Other Valuable Benefits of Medical Transcription Outsourcing

Here are some other valuable benefits that an established medical transcription service can offer:

• Customized solutions
• Stringent quality assurance for 99% data accuracy in all transcribed reports
• Document flow management software for end-to-end tracking of data
• 128 bit encryption protocol and FTP for secure file transfer
• No long-term contracts
• 24/7/365 technical support
• Free trial for practical evaluation of service

Choosing the right medical transcription outsourcing company is important to ensure solutions to help your business grow. This is possible by doing some serious research online. Make a list of established companies in the field and compare their services. Go by the above-mentioned factors to make your choice.

 
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HIPAA is a massive set of rules and regulations that govern the privacy, security, and portability of your health information. Needless to say, confidentiality and security are highly important in healthcare services. So the government has made it mandatory for medical transcription companies to adhere to the standard set by the guidelines of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). HIPAA medical transcription is the standard form of electronic exchange of patient medical information in a secure and confidential manner.

HIPAA compliance is particularly important for insurance purposes. HIPAA authorization is a standard required by the insurance company to request medical information from your healthcare providers. Most carriers will not accept your insurance application if you have not complied with HIPAA authorization. You have to provide health information, treatment history, and a host of other details when you apply for health insurance. HIPAA guidelines protect you from the misuse of your health information by anyone. Adherence to HIPAA rules also add to the portability of your data form one doctor to another or from one hospital to another. Insurance companies require your health information as per HIPAA guidelines to determine term life eligibility and the offered health class.

Healthcare firms can ensure the confidentiality and security of medical reports by resorting to medical transcription outsourcing. A professional medical transcription company looks into everything concerning HIPAA compliance. Most transcription firms deliver HIPAA compliant medical transcription for various medical specialties such as pediatrics, cardiology, gastroenterology, internal medicine, radiology, podiatry, plastic surgery and many more.

How Medical Transcription Companies Maintain HIPAA Standards?

• HIPAA compliant firms will not employ home based medical transcriptionists
• Use firewall protection and file encryption software’s
• Password protect all computers
• Employ staffs fully trained in privacy matters, security measures, and HIPAA guidelines
• Regular windows update and monthly backups for the security of computer
• Screening of employees while entering and leaving the firm
• Minimum 128 bit encryption for transferring all medical records
• CD drives, USB and floppy disks are disabled on computers to prevent copying.
• Private hard disks are never allowed into their premises.

Advantages of HIPAA Compliant Medical Transcription Outsourcing


• Comprehensive transcription solutions: Most reliable medical transcription companies use state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled and trained professionals in HIPAA compliance.

• Ensures privacy and confidentiality in patient data: Professional transcription firms have their own in-house security systems to ensure privacy of your files.

• Data backup strategies to enforce additional security

• Quality and Accurate Solutions: All good firms maintain stringent three-level quality checks by expert professionals such as transcriptionists, proof readers and quality analysts to ensure 99 percent accuracy in the medical reports.

• Increases efficiency and productivity

• Avoids inviting fines and criminal penalties

• Streamlines workflow

 
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With more and more people opting for quality healthcare services, physicians and medical organizations are kept very busy. Medical entities devoting their time to provide better patient care need prompt medical transcription services to streamline their documentation tasks. Healthcare firms and physicians facing problems such as high overhead and high operational budgets choose to outsource medical transcription tasks to reliable and affordable medical transcription companies.

Medical transcription service is available for all major medical specialties such as pediatrics, orthopedics, pathology, gastroenterology, cardiology, radiology, internal medicine, podiatry, plastic surgery and many more.

Features that Distinguish a Competent Medical Transcription Firm

• Experienced staffs to carry out transcription
• 99 percent accuracy in the transcribed documents
• Three levels of quality checks to ensure excellent quality
• Guaranteed turnaround time as per the requirements of clients
• HIPAA compliant transcription process
• Files sent through FTP and browser-based 256 bit encryption protocols
• Digital dictation facility and toll-free numbers for the convenience of clients
• Allows physicians to modify dictation when transcription process is going on
• Delivers 24/7/365 days customer service
• Offers affordable service

How Medical Transcription Services become Affordable

Reliable transcription firms offer cost-effective medical transcription solutions. Here is how medical transcription outsourcing becomes affordable.

Save on operational costs: by outsourcing to a reliable firm, you can considerably save money spent on buying the latest software and investing in expensive technologies. You can also avoid hiring additional staffs to perform in-house transcription which helps to save money spent on salaries and training. It saves space also, as no extra space will be required for doing transcription within the office.

Enjoy cost savings: always select a transcription firm that offers at least 30 to 40 percent cost savings on transcription services. Reliable firms’ pricing system is based on 65 line character billing; always ask about the firm’s pricing structure before signing a service contract. Ask the firm their pricing factors for

• The volume of transcription needed
• Quality recordings
• Document management flow system
• Media receipt and delivery
• Disc backups and more

Many established transcription firms have onshore units in the U.S as well as offshore facilities in countries where labor is cheaper. This enables them to offer services at a lower rate without compromising on the quality of work.

Discover a Service Provider that Provides Affordable Transcription Service

In order to get cost-effective medical transcription services, it is necessary to team up with a reliable medical transcription company. Considering the wide range of benefits offered by medical transcription companies, we can say that medical transcription services are worth the price you pay for them. By considering feedbacks of former clients and by searching the internet you can find an affordable transcription service provider delivering quality transcription solutions.

Free trial: ask whether the firms you have shortlisted provide any free trial offer. If so, it will be an added advantage and worthwhile as you can send transcription work to two or more chosen companies and evaluate their quality. By doing so, you can:

• Make a cost comparison
• Evaluate the turnaround time
• Assess the time taken to respond
• Weigh up their customer service
• Ensure that they provide security and confidentiality

With the right service provider to assist you in transcription, you get to enjoy streamlined functioning of your medical office at affordable pricing.

 
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Medical transcription service enjoys great demand in this era as more and more healthcare organizations and medical professionals opt to outsource their transcription works to reliable medical transcription companies. Transcription service has become a crucial part of healthcare as it makes the documentation works easier for medical professionals and organizations. Busy medical professionals and healthcare organizations can avoid the hassles of in-house medical transcription when availing of medical transcription services from an outsourcing firm. Many transcription firms provide services at present, but it is not an easy task to select a competent provider. Here are some tips to choose the best transcription provider.

Established medical transcription firms provide services for all major medical specialties including neurology, cardiology, pediatrics, anesthesiology, pathology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, plastic surgery and many more.

Medical Transcription Services are Offered for

• History and physical examination reports
• Operative and progress notes
• Clinic notes and discharge summaries
• Follow-up and procedure notes
• Letters and narratives
• Laboratory reports and more

Points to Consider When Selecting

Credibility and Experience of the service provider: Credibility and experience are important factors when selecting a service provider. First of all, you need to make a list of medical transcription companies, compare them and select one which is most appropriate for your organization. While selecting you need to check their experience as only an experienced company can bring you quality solutions and handle all challenging situations efficiently. Moreover, only an established firm can provide customized medical transcription solutions. Next step is to consider the firm’s credibility by checking with some of the company’s former clients. This would give you the right opinion about the company.

Accuracy and Fast turnaround time: The second point to consider while outsourcing is the turnaround time the company takes and the accuracy of the transcribed medical reports. Quickly transcribed medical reports are essential. So, always choose a company offering quick turnaround times that may be within 24 hours. Some firms also offer their services within 4 to 6 hours. Accuracy should also be checked when the transcribed files are returned to you. Reliable firms offer 99 percent accuracy with stringent quality checks by experts.

Affordability: One of the major concerns while outsourcing is the affordability of the transcription services. Always consider the cost before contracting with a firm and make sure that there are no hidden charges for their transcription process. Reputable firms offer 30 to 40 percent cost savings and reasonable pricing. Selecting such a firm would really benefit you in terms of money and quality of service.

The Best Provider for the Best Transcription Service

By keeping these points in mind, you can easily locate a reliable transcription service provider. Some companies offer free trial for their medical transcription services. Availing such offers will help you evaluate the services provided by the company. Browsing the internet, checking yellow pages and considering the feedback of former clients will also help you in identifying a professional medical transcription company.

 
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You can benefit from quality pathology medical transcription by making the smart decision to outsource the process. Whether you are an individual doctor, part of a physician group, or belong to a big medical clinic, hospital or healthcare facility, you can avail of this service. The only thing you have to keep in mind is to make the right choice of transcription service provider. Once you know what the benefits of outsourcing are, you will be better able to choose a medical transcription company.

Medical Transcription Outsourcing– Benefits

  •  Comprehensive Range of Services – Owing to the wide-ranging experience of the transcriptionists, they are able to deliver transcripts of any of a wide range of audio recordings – basic diagnostics reports, forensic pathology reports, clinical reports, radiology reports, specimen description, referral letters, patient history and records, specimen description, specimen diagnosis, clinical notes, clinical resumes, operative reports and more.

  •  Amazing Accuracy – Leading medical transcription companies adopt a stringent recruitment process. Usually, their rigorous training ensures that all members of their team are fluent in English and have impressive knowledge of more than just basic medical terminology. You can go for a company that provides an accuracy level of 99 percent and above.

  • Strict Quality Control - A company that offers 99 percent accurate transcription most probably has strict quality control protocols in place such as a three-tiered process of quality auditing. The three-tiered process would involve the co-operation of experts such as medical editors and proofreaders.

  •  HIPAA Compliance – HIPAA compliance is a measure of the level of seriousness which the company attaches to the security and privacy of a patient’s medical information. Thus this is another advantage of pathology medical transcription outsourcing.The service provider would perform security procedures such as password protection of computers, ensuring that all computers are provided with firewalls and current anti-virus software, ensuring that all employees sign confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, minimum 128 bit encryption standards for transmitted files, random checking and disabling of floppy disk drives or other external drives.

  •  Wide Range of Supported Formats – The supported formats include AVI, MOV, WMV, ASX, ASF, SWF, DIC and RM and extended audio formats such as MP3 and WMA.

  •  Flexibility – You can select one of two dictation options – toll-free number and digital dictation machine and one of two options for file transfer – secure browser-based transfer and FTP.

  •  Convenient Turnaround – You can expect convenient turnaround times ranging from 24 hours to STAT based on your requirement.

  • Customer-oriented – The pathology medical transcription company would entrust a team of transcriptionists with experience and expertise in your particular medical specialty, namely pathology, to perform the transcription. As far as possible, they would retain the same team for all your projects. Formatting would also be done as per your specifications.

  •  Great Cost Savings – You can expect to cut your transcription expenses by a maximum of 40 percent.

  •  Free Trial – This is a great boon which you should take advantage of. Only then will you be able to assess whether the company’s accuracy level is really as high as it claims, the quality of transcription and other performance measures.

  •  Affordable Competitive Pricing

You Have Nothing to Lose

It can thus be concluded that you have nothing to lose but only loads of benefits to gain by outsourcing your pathology transcription service.


 
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Medical transcription outsourcing transcends most other online businesses today. Many medical professionals and medical firms now realize the advantages of outsourcing transcription to some reliable firms. Medical practitioners and healthcare organizations, by and large, believe that their valuable time can be better spent on patient care than doing transcription of records themselves. So, it is no wonder that they profusely outsource medical transcription tasks to professional outsourcing firms.

A professional medical transcription company can better attain results by utilizing their expertise and knowledge in the transcription field and employing latest dictation and file transmission technologies. They can well-manage the various and ever-changing requirements of doctors, specialists and healthcare organizations. In such transcription firms, skilled transcriptionists can work on any kind of medical records such as history and physical reports, operative reports, progress notes, clinic notes, discharge summaries, laboratory reports and more.

Common Services Available with Transcription Firms

Competent firms provide transcription services for all major specialties including:

• Cardiology
• Pediatrics
• Pathology
• Gastroenterology
• Orthopedics
• Internal medicine
• Radiology
• Chiropractic
• Podiatry
• Plastic surgery and more

Advantages of Medical Transcription Outsourcing

Outsourcing brings many advantages to the clients. Here is an overview of them:

Helps to reduce file backlog: Medical professionals often need to deal with lots of documents in a short time. By outsourcing they can reduce file backlog.

Error-free transcription: Transcription companies have highly skilled and professionally trained transcriptionists who are well versed in medical terminologies. They are capable of producing 99 percent accurate medical reports in a minimum turnaround time.

Quality Assurance: Most professional transcription firms have three levels of quality checks by experts such as transcriptionists, proof readers and quality analysts to ensure utmost quality to the transcribed documents.

HIPAA Compliance: confidentiality is very important in the case of medical reports. Reliable companies adhere to HIPAA guidelines. They employ various security measures for keeping the medical reports in utmost confidentiality and security. They use FTP and browser based 256 bit encryption for safe transfer of files. Moreover staffs are screened and computers are password protected to avoid unauthorized access.

Support any file formats: A good many number of professional transcription companies accept files for transcription in any formats including WMV, MPG, AVI, MOV, ASF, ASX, RM, SWF, DIC and many more.

Availability of latest technologies and software: By outsourcing you will get the transcription work done with latest technologies and new software’s such as Stedman’s electronic medical dictionary and American drug index.

Cost-effectiveness: This is one of the main advantages of outsourcing. Business-like medical transcription companies offer 30 to 40 percent cost saving.

 
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Medical transcription service is becoming an inevitable part of the healthcare industry. More and more medical institutions and medical professionals are taking the help of professional medical transcription service providers to benefit from flawless transcription service. With the introduction of the internet and other advanced technologies, now outsourcing of this service to experienced and professional medical transcription companies is much easier. However, before you choose the right medical transcription service provider, you must keep some basic points in mind. Here are some important tips for healthcare professionals that will help them locate a reliable service provider in the transcription field.

• The first thing to be checked is the billing method and the pricing of the medical transcription company. You need to know that different types of billing methods are used by different medical transcription companies. So you need to ensure the type of billing method your service provider will be using, and how they will charge you for this service. You must be sure that there is no hidden cost involved.

• Once you are comfortable with the billing method and pricing, you need to check the accuracy level of their work. You need to be sure that you are hiring a company that is able to provide quality medical transcription services. Some of the top class firms assure high quality service with guaranteed accuracy.

• Apart from billing method and accuracy, you need to make sure that the outsourcing firm can meet your turnaround time requirements. Speed is one of the important factors as far as transcription is concerned. You should always go for a company that can offer you speedy delivery of work with complete accuracy.

Medical transcription outsourcing can be a troublesome task if you are not aware about the industry completely. So before you start searching for a competent provider, make sure you know the level of “best service” of this field. Keeping the above mentioned points in mind will help any medical entity to identify an efficient, professional, skilled and cost-effective medical transcription service provider. Though internet makes the searching easier than before, since the job is one involving high responsibility, you cannot compromise on the service provider. Partner with a medical transcription firm that can act as a virtual extension of your office providing value-added, timely service. Reputable medical transcription companies provide a free trial for their services, utilizing which you can check out their quality, turnaround time, and other details. Compare various providers and settle for a firm that offers customized services.

 
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Nowadays, healthcare entities prefer to avail of flawless and reliable medical transcription service from skilled professionals. Error-free transcription is important from the point of view of maintaining an up to date record of details regarding the diagnosis and treatment of patients. There are a number of transcription companies that are ready to provide this service to medical professionals, several hospitals and medical institutes. But finding an experienced and professional medical transcription service provider is not an easy task. You need to be careful about a number of things while opting for the same.

There are a number of ways to locate a professional service provider for transcription service. You can choose any of these methods or try all of them to get quicker and better results.

• Go Online:

You can search on the internet for this service. There are many reliable transcription companies that offer medical transcription services customized to meet client needs. However, choosing a local company is the best idea. Search on the internet to get the name of the most reputable and experienced transcription service providers in your locality. When you get the top 3 or 4 names, visit their websites and find out all details regarding their services. Make sure they are ready to provide you with the solution that will exactly match your requirements.

• Check out Medical Magazines:

There are reputable medical magazines that often publish advertisements of different services and products related to this field. You can get the names of some topmost transcription service providers. You can get their contact details from that ad, but again you need to contact them personally and get full information about the medical transcription company, before you actually hire their services.

• Ask Your Friends:

When you are opting for a professional medical transcription service provider, you can ask your friends and colleagues to recommend a firm they are familiar with. Your friends who are also in the same medical profession may need the help of such service providers on time; hence they can guide you to choose the right company.

Medical transcription outsourcing is not a new idea in the medical field. However, with the advent of advanced technologies and the internet, the concept is receiving more popularity. Now with the help of encrypted emails, the job becomes easier for the transcription companies to provide the help required to their clients in any part of the world. When signing up for the service of a transcription company, you just need to make sure that the company you have chosen can provide the kind of services you are looking for.


 
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Medical transcription outsourcing companies provide their clients with comprehensive transcription solutions. Health care providers and physicians make use of this service the most. However, before you outsource medical transcription tasks, important factors have to be considered. Can the medical transcription company provide quality service in quick turnaround time? Does the technology they use serve your needs? A lot of such factors that could affect your reputation should be taken into account.

Factors to Consider when Outsourcing Medical Transcription

Outsourcing medical transcription is feasible as it helps physicians and health facilities reduce their work load and get more time for patient care. It benefits busy healthcare providers such as hospitals, single practitioners, multi-specialty clinics, and more. Considering the following factors can help you choose the right outsourcing partner:

Team power: Confirm that medical transcription company that you choose has a highly talented and dedicated team of medical transcriptionists and support personnel to meet your requirements.

Quality Assurance (QA): QA is an important factor. A reliable company will provide three levels of quality checks for transcripts proofreaders and medical editors to ensure up to 99% accuracy.

Transcription service for various medical specialties: If your healthcare facility has many specialties, make sure that you would receive customized medical transcription service to meet the needs of each specialty. Most established companies can serve different medical branches such as Radiology, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Pathology, Pain Management, Ophthalmology, Urology, Neurosurgery, and more.

EHR and EMR: Transcription services that provide EMR (electronic medical record) and EHR (Electronic Health Record) feeds are necessary as these systems have become mandatory for medical practices.

Flexible options for dictation: Look for convenient dictation options through a toll-free number as well as digital dictation.

Turnaround time: Most renowned medical transcription companies provide services in a quick turnaround time (TAT) with options such as 24-hour TAT, short TAT (2hours, 4hours and 6hours), and so on.

Technology: Confirm that your current medical settings cope with the services of the outsourcing firm. Major medical transcription companies provide a user-friendly technological platform for their clients. Accurate transcription requires usage of latest software that includes electronic medical dictionaries such as Stedman’s medical dictionary and American Drug Index. Latest file transfer methods like FTP are used for smooth and safe file transfer.

HIPAA compliant procedures: Ensure that your preferred firm strictly abides to HIPAA norms and procedures. Only this will ensure security and confidentiality of your medical records.

Affordable rates and free trial offers: Always choose an outsourcing company that can offer timely medical transcription services at affordable rates. An established outsourcing firm would be able to offer competitive pricing of up to 40% lower than the market rates. Free trial offers are an added advantage as they help you analyze the firm’s competence. Another thing to look for is a company that can offer services without a long-term yearly contract.  

Always make sure that the customized packages and document management system are offered are powerful enough to meet your transcription needs. Medical transcription outsourcing to the right company can improve your bottom line.