Medical transcription has played an important role in the process of healthcare by helping document the patient-healthcare professional encounter. Medical transcription is also the first step in the process of reimbursement as it provides the basis for coding and billing.
In a time where healthcare facilities are struggling with shrinking incomes and galloping expenses, outsourcing medical transcription is an easy fix to curb costs of transcription. Apart from curbing costs outsourcing medical transcription can help the healthcare facility increase efficiency and improve services.
How does outsourcing medical transcription help increase efficiency?
Outsourcing medical transcription helps increase efficiency of the healthcare facilities in the following areas:
· Improving report accessibility: Outsourcing medical transcription reduces the burden of the healthcare facility support staff, by creating an orderly system for collection of audio files, uploading dictation, distribution of finished transcripts and providing additional features like electronic signature, remote printing & faxing etc. Outsourcing medical transcription also helps in tracing files through an efficient system, enabling the support staff to track the status of work in progress, at any given time. Access to patient records is also improved by use of an efficient archiving systems
· Saving on resources: Outsourcing medical transcription frees up valuable resources of the healthcare facility like real estate, capital expenditure on transcription equipment, office space, information technology staff, management resources and working capital. These resources can then be utilized towards the core business of the healthcare facility, thus improving efficiency
· One stop solution for medical transcription needs: Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that the service provider is a one stop for all the problems associated with medical transcription. This would include variation in transcription volumes, holiday & weekend transcription, addition of new specialties, inclusion of new report formats/templates, integration with EMR/EHR, and HIPAA & HITECH concerns for security of information during the medical transcription process
· Accelerating funds flow: Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that medical records are created on time. This ensures that the first step in the receivables cycle takes place on time. This in turn helps accelerate the reimbursement process. Quickening the receivables cycle helps the funds flow and enables the healthcare facility to perform efficiently
How does outsourcing medical transcription help improve services?
· Improved quality of reports: Outsourcing medical transcription has added benefits like medical transcriptionists trained in specialties, multiple quality checks and the past experience & proficiency of the service provider in serving diverse healthcare facilities helps improve the quality of reports. The improved quality of the information in the patient records helps the healthcare facility improve quality of services by helping healthcare professionals make informed decisions
· Improved turnaround time: Outsourcing medical transcription ensures that medical records are created on time. Having the right information on hand in a timely basis helps healthcare professionals improve quality of services to patients
It can be concluded that outsourcing medical transcription provides a variety of advantages to the healthcare facility. To benefit from the advantages of outsource medical transcription, it is important to analyze the specific needs of the healthcare facility and source a medical transcription company who can provide services accordingly.
The capabilities of the medical transcription service provider needs to be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Accuracy: This means the percentage of accuracy of the completed transcripts vis-à-vis what was dictated. A minimum of 99% and above would be acceptable.
- Turnaround time: Turnaround time refers to the time taken to revert the transcribed report to the healthcare facility. A Turnaround time of not more than 24 hours for normal reports and 4-12 hours for STAT reports would be considered ideal.
- Data security: The service provider being outsourced to should be HIPAA and HITECH compliant. The medical transcription service provider has to have adequate security measures to ensure that the confidential data transmitted back and forth is safe and secure.
- Pricing: Reduced costs are one of the main benefits that a healthcare facility hopes to have, from the outsourcing option. Pricing should be fair and reasonable for the services rendered. Pricing method should also be transparent and simple so that both parties can verify the same at any stage of the process
- Technology: The technology used by the medical transcription company should not only be secure but should also be easy to use, without having to require extensive training.
TransDyne offers quality medical transcription at reasonable prices, executed by experienced and qualified medical transcriptionists with a very quick turnaround time executed through secure HIPAA and HITECH compliant channels, with very high levels of accuracy and all this with technology that is advanced but easy to use!
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