Outsourced Home-Based Medical Transcriptionists Remake Themselves into "Virtual Assistants"

For decades, the health profession has depended on a legion of home-based medical transcriptionists to turn voice recordings into medical records and other documents. At the same time, the profession has been a boon to working mothers and others who need the flexibility to work from home. However, like so many other professions, medical transcription jobs are disappearing overseas. Medical transcriptionists, led by Diane Fusco, are now taking matters into their own hands by transforming themselves into Internet-based “Virtual Assistants.”

“I see red whenever I come across an ad promoting medical transcription as the ideal work-from-home profession,” says Fusco. A medical transcriptionist (or MT) for 19 years, she’s seen the field undergo drastic changes.

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The Challenges and Rewards of Medical Transcription

Although the field of medical transcription is very attractive to most people because it does allow the opportunity to work from home and make a decent to good income, most people who want to get into this field do not know what challenges they will face once they decide to pursue a career as a medical transcriptionist (MT).

Medical transcription work is not easy because doctors are rushed. Dictation and paperwork are low priority tasks for them. Treating patients is their number one priority. Even though doctors realize that paperwork and dictation are necessary tasks they must complete, how they do it leaves a lot to be desired. It can be difficult to understand what a doctor has said, let alone what he/she has written.

Consequently, medical transcriptionists....

....must be vigilant and alert when transcribing. An injury to the left leg can suddenly be dictated or written as the right leg and then once again changed back to the left. MTs act in the capacity of a quality control person and must catch such errors.

...are bonified medical language specialists. There are many medical words that sound similar: Oral and aural; abduction and adduction; and effusion and a fusion are good examples of such similar sounding medical terms. A good MT knows what words to use, or more accurately, what word or words the doctor meant to say when he/she was dictating.

...must also be very competent in English usage and grammar. Dictating on the fly, as doctors do, is not easy; and it is the transcriptionist's responsibility to make sure the meaning is conveyed in a concise and grammatically correct format. It takes time, usually years, to fully develop this technical skill.

...must have bulldogged determination to find out what the doctor is saying if it cannot be understood. Developing a network of like-minded people in the same field helps in this regard. There are times when it might take a few minutes just to decipher one or two words on a tape or what has been written in a medical record. This is done by medical transcriptionists because we are there not only to perform an important job but to perform it correctly and properly.

...must have the temperament to deal with pressure and people who do not fully understand or appreciate the challenges of what we do. Grace under fire is something that is developed over time as well.

With all that said, medical transcription is a wonderfully rewarding and challenging field. People who have a passion for the spoken and written word--who collect words and phrases like some people collect baseball cards-are drawn to this field. We have an innate sense of wanting to do and be our best in our profession and to help patients at the same time by creating accurate, quality medical reports. Making the entire process of transcribing medical reports look deceptively simple and easy is performed every day by devoted and dedicated medical transcriptionists.

Mary Ruff-King is a veteran MT. Medical transcription is a challenging and rewarding field. For more insights, resources, and tips regarding medical transcription, visit this author's blog: MT Mastery Center.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

What are some factors to consider in shopping for a Transcription provider?

Make sure the transcription service can meet your timeframe demands. If you need your information in a couple of days, then that is when they need to deliver.

Small errors can make a huge difference in how you receive the information. Make sure your transcription service can replicate the information accurately.

You need your information kept confidential. Talk to your transcription service provider about their regulations regarding security.

Search for a transcription service provider with experience and one which has worked in your industry before.

If you will be in need of transcription services frequently, you may request a team be assigned to your account. This way, the same people will be working with your information.
It is of high importance to receive multiple quotes for transcription service providers in order to find the right match for your business.

Source : http://www.vendorseek.com/

U.S. Legal/Medical Records Transcribed Offshore Pose Risks to Privacy and Information Security, NCRA Warns

A growing amount of legal and medical record transcribing is being offshored to foreign countries, posing a new risk of identity theft and disclosure of confidential information of U.S. citizens, the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) warned today.

In a "State of Court Reporting" interview, NCRA Executive Director Mark Golden said the practice of transcribing court and medical information overseas is growing, with stringent American privacy and information security rules often sacrificed in an effort to find the cheapest transcribing vendors.

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Philips redefines transcription with outstanding ergonomics of new foot control range

Royal Philips Electronics (AEX: PHI, NYSE: PHG) announced today the launch of its foot control range featuring best-in-class ergonomics for dictation and transcription systems. Developed in close cooperation with ergonomists and professional end users, the design sets new standards in terms of usability and user comfort. Transcriptionists can stop and start dictations with only a slight movement of the heel, without lifting the foot unnecessarily, which reduces strain, increases efficiency and optimizes the transcription workflow. The new foot control range consists of four different models, allowing users to choose the device that best suits their working practices. They provide full backwards compatibility for an easy upgrade from existing Philips foot control models.

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FTP Hosting – an overview

The term FTP stands for ‘File Transfer Protocol’. In this era of Internet technology transferring files over the Internet is a common phenomenon. FTP hosting service allows us to upload as well as download large amount of files by keeping necessary security measures. If you are unaware about FTP – you are missing something that can simplify the file exchange process of your business.

FTP hosting service comes with storage system where you can upload the copy of a file, irrespective of the size and content. This storage acts as FTP server or FTP Site. You can transfer the files efficiently from one location to another through this FTP server. People who are authorized to access your FTP server can download or delete the files.

Be it a small firm or large organization, companies are taking complete advantage of Internet technology in their business process. In general people are familiar with HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), which comes with a set of rules for transferring files, irrespective of the content (text, image, video, audio, multimedia etc.). With the pace of time, people started realizing the importance of File Transfer Protocol in business process.

FTP hosting for business process

How can you think about transferring files in a secure mode without FTP? In a business process you need to exchange information from one node to another. That information may be simple text, image or a huge multimedia. In a business process you need to exchange files with vendors as well as clients and there is nothing better than FTP hosting service that takes complete care of your objectives. Be it a heavy engineering sector or a busy law firm, you can efficiently exchange the files through FTP hosting service.

FTP hosting works like blessing in Transcription business. Compared to other business processes, the size of each file is large in transcription business. Moreover, you need to exchange files efficiently with clients and transcriptionists. In a transcription business you need to maintain several accounts for the transcriptionists and clients. With FTP hosting service you can easily take manage the distribution of files between them. FTP hosting service not only allows you to exchange large files over the Internet but also provides the facility of creating multiple accounts to simplify the business process.

Internet based Transcription Business

The nature of transcription business has changed with the introduction of BPO (business Process Outsourcing) or KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) in the business sector. Today transcription business services are done over the Internet to increase the pace of business process.

In general, we can categorize transcription services in five different sectors – Medical (Medical Transcription Services), Legal (Legal Transcription Services), General Business (Business Transcription Services), Digital (Digital Transcription Services) and Word Processing (Word Processing Services).

In Medical Transcription Service you have to transcribe medical reports, patient progress reports, reviews for the clients. Legal Transcription Services, on the other hand transcribes comprehensive legal reports and general correspondences. Digital Transcription Services create transcribed documents from audio files. In Word Processing Services you have to create research papers, manuals, database, desktop publishing and other types of documents. Therefore, FTP hosting service is necessary to exchange files and transcribed files between clients and transcriptionists.

Security feature in Transcription Business

Security is an important issue in Internet based transcription business. You need to maintain separate accounts for the transcriptionists to interact with the clients. FTP hosting services comes with the facility of separate FTP account. You can create as many accounts as you want for the transcriptionists. Each transcriptionist will interact with the client through his/her own account. Since passwords are unique for FTP accounts, therefore you can easily restrict transcriptionists to access the files from others’ FTP account. Moreover, a user cannot delete any file from FTP site without proper username and password.

Advantages of FTP Hosting in Transcription Business

By implementing FTP hosting service in the business, you can efficiently manage transcription services and improve the speed of the business process by maintaining required security. Other than transferring large files from one computer to another through FTP site, you can also send Emails with large attachments. Some common features are – Sending mail with attachment to several people (clients and transcriptionists). FTP service acts like magic for people who are using slow dial up links. They can efficiently download large files from FTP site irrespective of the dial up speed.

Finally, FTP hosting services comes with a web based interface through which you can administer all the FTP accounts in your business process. You have to provide separate FTP user account and password to each client to upload or download files from the FTP server. By this one client will never view the transcribed documents, which are uploaded in FTP site for other clients.

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Article keywords: SSL, TLS, SSH, FTP, FTP storage, FTP space, FTP Hosting, FTP Host, Transcription, FTP website hosting

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Mike Jewson is a Network Engineer with "InstantFTPsites.com". You can learn more about "FTP Hosting" services online at www.InstantFTPsites.com

Starting Your Own Medical Transcription Home Business

According to the predictions of the United States Department of Labor, the MT industry will expand at a greater than average rate through the year 2012. The health care industry will need 158,000 more professionals in this field to keep up with baby boomers that are becoming senior citizens and will require more medical care. In this profession, there is great demand for qualified personnel, and much job security for those who meet the need and produce quality work. Medical transcription is one of the few legitimate work at home jobs.

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Texas Nurses Choose Braille Transcription

Nurses looking for a change in career, extra income, or a retirement job they can do from home may want to take a look at the new online Braille Textbook Transcriber Certification program offered at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio.

The school is the first college in the nation to offer a program like this, according to Melanie Marchand, coordinator of the program. The program was developed from a partnership between Northwest Vista, the Texas Education Agency, and the American Foundation for the Blind. The college received a $45,000 grant from AFB to launch the program.

The curriculum for the Braille translation program is the first college-level study of its kind in the nation. Previously, Braille transcription training was done through self-study or learning on the job.

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Medical Transcription Needs Quality Checking

Medical transcription is a rapidly changing job. A reliable workload is always available where you can tell us how much you want. A highly secure and encrypted server should be used to protect patient confidentiality. A highly visible 3-digit indication of tape position is required for locating specific dictation. A growing aging population might result in an increased requirement for medical transcription services. The medical version of dragon naturally speaking is an excellent tool for medical transcription.

Medical transcription is predominately performed by individuals working from their homes. Accuracy in the business requires that transcribed reports are reviewed before being returned. For example a diagnosis inconsistent with the patients history and symptoms may be mistakenly dictated. Many of the basic anatomy and physiology pages can be quite detailed.

This is a complete and comprehensive online medical transcription course that takes six months to complete. A computer hard drive needs to be large enough to store compact voice files. A growing field that should provide steady employment while working at home or at a medical facility. A computer Transcriptionists edit information for grammar and proper medical terms used in sentences. A extremely skilled medical transcriptionist needs to be self-motivating. The medical records are created from doctor's daily dictation tapes. Medical transcription is also known as a medical transcriptionist or less frequently a medical transcriber.

The person who either can't spell perfectly 100% of the time or wants to increase his/her eye terminology must use a software product for assistance. Many of the recorders come with easy controls so that you can start, stop, pause and fast forward. Accuracy in any medical specialty environment will be an added bonus to you. Once the computer translates the data the draft is read and corrected by the medical transcriptionist. Though not required, training is highly recommended as certified medical Transcriptionists fair better in the workplace.

Since the medical records are the key evidence used in a lot of malpractice cases they are often needed to have with no mistakes. This process is significantly faster and less expensive than typed transcription. Each and every tiny detail of the clients requirements and work needs to be finished every day before you return their reports. For example some medical transcriptionist make more than $20 an hour.

About the Author:

Studyed Medical Transcriptions. http://www.medical-transcription-online-courses.info

Medical Transcription Needs Quality Checking

Medical transcription is a rapidly changing job. A reliable workload is always available where you can tell us how much you want. A highly secure and encrypted server should be used to protect patient confidentiality. A highly visible 3-digit indication of tape position is required for locating specific dictation. A growing aging population might result in an increased requirement for medical transcription services. The medical version of dragon naturally speaking is an excellent tool for medical transcription.

Medical transcription is predominately performed by individuals working from their homes. Accuracy in the business requires that transcribed reports are reviewed before being returned. For example a diagnosis inconsistent with the patients history and symptoms may be mistakenly dictated. Many of the basic anatomy and physiology pages can be quite detailed.

This is a complete and comprehensive online medical transcription course that takes six months to complete. A computer hard drive needs to be large enough to store compact voice files. A growing field that should provide steady employment while working at home or at a medical facility. A computer Transcriptionists edit information for grammar and proper medical terms used in sentences. A extremely skilled medical transcriptionist needs to be self-motivating. The medical records are created from doctor's daily dictation tapes. Medical transcription is also known as a medical transcriptionist or less frequently a medical transcriber.

The person who either can't spell perfectly 100% of the time or wants to increase his/her eye terminology must use a software product for assistance. Many of the recorders come with easy controls so that you can start, stop, pause and fast forward. Accuracy in any medical specialty environment will be an added bonus to you. Once the computer translates the data the draft is read and corrected by the medical transcriptionist. Though not required, training is highly recommended as certified medical Transcriptionists fair better in the workplace.

Since the medical records are the key evidence used in a lot of malpractice cases they are often needed to have with no mistakes. This process is significantly faster and less expensive than typed transcription. Each and every tiny detail of the clients requirements and work needs to be finished every day before you return their reports. For example some medical transcriptionist make more than $20 an hour.

About the Author:

Studyed Medical Transcriptions. http://www.medical-transcription-online-courses.info

How Can I Make Money Now?

So you’re taking a medical transcription course but really need to make money now. There may be a few things you can start doing to make extra money until you finish your course.

If you really want to work from home, then consider general transcribing until you finish your MT course. This will give you lots of typing practice and listening skills while making extra money.

The first step is to find a few clients. You can use inexpensive advertising strategies to do this. Make out some simple flyers on your computer and pass them around. Good places are Universities, schools, legal and insurance offices, social work offices, and government offices.

The more services you offer the better your chances of finding work. You can offer services like resume writing, general transcribing, administrative help, and answering emails. Think of the skills you possess to help you expand the number of services you offer.

Take on a little work at a time so you still have free time to work on your MT course.

You can also try to find work online. There are a few sites you can go to and bid on projects, www.elance.com has everything from administrative work to software design.

It's pretty straightforward to bid on projects and once you have a happy client or two you will have the recommendation and experience to find more.

Finding a few side projects may be the perfect solution until you find work as a medical transcriptionist. It can also give you valuable experience while helping you build your network.

Legitimate Online Medical Transcription School

If you're thinking about enrolling in a medical transcription school but can't fit classes into your schedule, you might want to consider learning from an online school. To do this you need to know how to find a legitimate online medical transcription school.

A legitimate online medical transcription school will offer the same type of classes as a brick-and-mortar school. For example, a legitimate online medical transcription school will offer courses in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and ethics. Other courses a legitimate online medical transcription school will offer will include laboratory tests, medical procedures, and transcription formatting.

You will find some online schools in any field that will give a diploma or certificate for very little effort. Medical transcription takes a lot of memorization, which takes time. You must also get used to medical terminology. A legitimate online medical transcription school will not advertise how quickly you will be ready to work. It will focus on teaching you the job well.

A legitimate online medical school will also allow you to talk to graduates for references. Make sure you don't skip this step. A legitimate online medical transcription school will require extensive transcription practice, and graduates can tell you if this is really what happened.

Don't choose to learn online because you think it will be easier than learning at a traditional school. A legitimate online medical school will be just as tough as any other school. The goal is to learn how to do your job right. A legitimate online medical school has to teach you what any other school teaches to prepare you for a job.

It is easier than ever to learn medical transcription through online courses. Just make sure you pick a school that offers the courses you need, and follow through with references. If you are certain that the coursework is comprehensive and the course will last at least a year, you are probably looking at a legitimate online medical school. Though the work will be tough, you will probably be glad you learned this way.

Source : http://www.askthemt.com/

The Myths and Facts of Medical Transcription Opportunities

Are there really good opportunities in MT?

The demand for medical transcription will continue to increase as the demand for health-care rises. Medical transcripts are the source documents and “proofs of work done” to meet US federal and state requirements by medical practitioners, and the basis of patient medical management.

India, Philippines, Pakistan and other countries continue to service US health-care facilities as the demand for electronic conversion of medical records increases by 15 percent to 20 percent every year. The Philippines has, in fact, recognized its potentials by leveraging on the people skills and sophisticated IT infrastructure. There is an apparent dearth in the number of qualified people to do the job. Currently estimated at 6,000 to 7,000, the number of medical transcriptionists needed by the country is forecasted at 100,000 by year 2010.

Is training required to be an MT?

Those who have relegated medical transcription to the “clerical” classification have a basic misunderstanding of the knowledge and skills required for this profession. Although medical transcription is performed using a keyboard—it is not a keyboarding skill. It is a language skill. In order to properly translate and document patient care records, the MT must employ the knowledge of English grammar and usage, understanding of basic anatomy and physiology, disease processes, laboratory medicine, and pharmacology in order to select and use appropriate terminology, since there are many sound-alike words in the medical language. Knowledge of business technology and computer operation is also important. Listening and researching skills are also critical components in the learning process.

The above are the competencies required of a medical transcriptionist.

Big bucks . . . are they real?

Having the right knowledge, skills and attitude is really important especially when a person is starting in the medical transcription field. Attitude makes a lot of difference. Aiming for the gold mine is not bad if you have all that it takes to deserve it. It is true that medical transcrip­tionists may earn around P20,000 to P30,000 a month, maybe more, but I am quite sure these people did not achieve this overnight. All jobs begin as difficult until such time that the ears are used to deciphering difficult accents before considering the work easy to average. Becoming productive in doing such accounts requires a significant amount of discipline, patience, practice, practice and practice. Quality precedes quantity as they say.

Is there an age limit?

While it is true that some medical transcription companies would prefer younger professionals, medical transcription does not prescribe any age limit for as long as the minimum skills are met. One advantage of a younger age group is having a better proficiency in computer operation. On the other hand, the older generation has a better grasp of the English skills compared to the younger age group. Some retired professionals train as medical transcriptionists not to be employed, but to learn the technicalities of how to set up or market the business.

Medical transcription is a difficult, stressful work, but is challenging and fascinating. The income possibilities are good, but only after a significant investment in training and experience. Of course, add the fact that career advancement is indeed fast paced in this industry. My advice to all frustrated graduates is to keep on practicing transcription and never lose the skills you have learned during training.

Source : http://www.transcription.mixph.com/?p=173

Choosing The Right Transcriptionist

Converting a physician’s digital recordings into electronic documents isn’t easy. With so many medical terms and industry abbreviations to know, you need a reliable transcriptionist who is familiar with these terms and can accurately document the information.

A well-trained transcriptionist can handle multiple projects from a simple one-page diagnosis to a complex multi-page consultation recap. Medical transcription services can take a close look at what your practice does, and assign the right transcriptionist to help document all of your discharges, diagnoses, prescription data, consultations, and more.

BuyerZone can help you find the right transcriptionist for your practice. Simply complete an easy form to receive a free request for medical transcriptionist quotes, and we’ll have several top providers contact you to find the best fit. Once you start receiving quotes from multiple companies, it’s time to select the one you want to work with.

Transcriptionist traits to look for
To make it easier to hone in on your decision, here are some of the things you should look for in a transcriptionist:

• Turnaround time – Whether you need a document within 1 to 2 days, or 2 to 4 hours, the transcriptionist should be able to adhere to the promised timeframe. Find out when they need to receive a project to get the quickest service and if they offer some sort of guarantee if they don’t finish the project in the expected timeframe.

• Accuracy – The medical world is one where a seemingly small error can have big consequences. You can’t afford for a transcriptionist to make a mistake with a patient diagnosis or prescription information. Always look for a transcription service that emphasizes accuracy and reviews work before submitting finished projects.
  
  
• Security – You need to protect patient data from falling into the wrong hands. Any transcriptionist you use must adhere to HIPAA regulations and uphold patient confidentiality. Make sure they send completed documents over secured web sites and learn how they protect your information on their premises.
  
  
• Audit trails – To keep track of everyone with access to your information, a medical transcription service should be able to track who opens a document, who made changes, and when. This way, you know who to approach if you have questions.
  
  
• Experience – Many medical transcription services require transcriptionists who completed a postsecondary training program at a vocational school or community college. Others may have some form of medical experience, either from a previous job or to earn extra income while in school. This ensures you have reliable personnel that will do the job right.
  
  
• Certification - Look for medical transcription companies that employ Certified Medical Transcriptionsts (CMT). The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) makes sure its members adhere to certain standards and stay on top of industry changes.
  
  
• Consider offshore – Many transcription services hire workers outside the country. Offshore transcriptionists are less expensive, well trained, and because they live in different time zones, are available to turn around a project when a U.S. transcriptionist isn’t.
  
  
• Industry specifics – If you have frequent transcription needs for your practice, or need a transcriptionist that specializes in your area of expertise, a medical transcription service can assign a team to your business. That way, they’re familiar with your practice and notetaking techniques so they can complete jobs faster.
  
  
• Transcription methods – You’ll typically record notes onto a digital recorder or dial into a special 800 number. The transcriptionist then listens to the recording by opening an MP3 file, accessing an FTP server, or calling into the 800 number. Find out which methods the transcriptionist is most familiar with and choose the most convenient one.
  
  
• More than transcriptions – Some certified transcriptionists may also perform other medical office duties such as admit patience, schedule appointments, and other clerical responsibilies. This gives you more options if you need other services for your practice.
  

Source : http://www.buyerzone.com/

Medical Office Coding & Transcription Certificate

New program at Navarro proving itself!

The Business Information Technology department at Navarro College offers a certificate in Medical Office Coding and Transcription. Many students have earned this certificate and have gone on to work in the medical field in these roles. Navarro College has an excellent staff to prepare students for this popular field.

Medical transcriptionists work for physicians/dentists, hospitals, lawyers, insurance companies, and medical associations. They transcribe medical reports either from a cassette tape or from what is known as a digital system, and some transcriptionists transcribe reports provided over a secured Internet connection.

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Medical Transcription In The Computer Age

Since then the profession has morphed into something we do on computers, from home, often in PJ’s and fluffy slippers. Corrections are a breeze now - even the ones "back up there in the part where I said...blah, blah, blah." Now-a-days, via the Internet, we can work for medical transcription services who are service providers for hospitals and clinics that do not even need to be in our neck of the woods...and are often not even in the region of the country where we live OR even the same country in some cases.

The abbreviation "cc" now means "courtesy copy" - however, we have nothing to do with getting it printed, except for the fact that we make the notation on the report and send the electronic file to the virtual office where THEY take care of the printing and distributing of the reports - assuming they have a paper copy. The electronic medical record is now gaining ground with the goal of eventually replacing the paper record - again, thanks to the computer age. Typewriters, White Out and Correction tape are now relics and collectibles for history buffs.

But - what about voice recognition technology? Seems like eventually even the MTs will be replaced by that, right? Well...maybe. Maybe they will get it to the point where a heavily accented physician, who likes to use words like "um" while he's thinking, and who goes back to "that part up there where I said...blah, blah, blah" will be an easy thing for it to catch/fix - but I have a feeling we will just go from being called "medical transcriptionists" to "medical editors" or whatever the current term for such a position may be by then...I think "medical language engineer" has a nice ring to it!

Source: http://myers.blog-city.com/

Medical Transcription Certification For A Better Paying Job

Medical transcription certification is not requisite; however, it certainly may lead to a better paying job. The reason behind this is simple: A medical transcriptionist, or MT, must undergo rigorous examination in order to become a certified medical transcriptionist, or CMT. This gives a CMT an advantage over an MT when interviewing and definitely gives the certified medical transcriptionist leverage when negotiating the acceptable salary for any medical transcription job when one is offered.

A medical transcriptionist must invest two things, time and money, in order to pass this examination which is overseen by the Association of Medical Transcriptionists, the professional organization to which every medical transcriptionist should belong.

The medical transcription certification testing is given in two separate parts. The first part is a multiple-choice written examination in which the medical transcriptionist demonstrates his or her knowledge of various medical-related topics such as medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, disease processes, medical records, ethics, and English language usage. There are a total of 120 questions in six different categories, and each category is weighted differently. The MT is allowed three hours to complete this portion of the test and must pass it before being allowed to take the second part. The examination fee for this test is $150 as of this writing.

The second part of the medical transcription certification test consists of a hands-on medical transcription examination. A medical transcriptionist must demonstrate his or her ability to transcribe dictation of doctors whose voices he or she has never heard before and put that dictation into properly formatted reports, such as History and Physical Reports, Operative Reports, Discharge Summaries, Consultation Reports, and Progress Reports. This is a two-hour examination which costs $100 for AAMT members and $150 for non-members of the AAMT in the United States.

The medical transcription certification examination requires preparation and on-the-job practical experience. Practice MT certification tests can be obtained from the AAMT which will help any medical transcriptionist gain confidence and preparation.

Even though certification is not mandatory in the medical transcription field, most MTs aspire to show their commitment to the field by preparing and taking this test.

In closing, does having the CMT behind one's name ensure a medical transcriptionist a better paying job? In most cases, yes. However, the real benefit comes from knowing that you have demonstrated a true dedication to the medical transcription profession by getting your medical transcription certification.

About the Author

Medical Transcription Certification can accelerate your MT career. Other interesting articles and resources regarding medical transcription can be found at Medical Transcription Mastery Center. Mary Ruff-King, author of this article, is a 14-year veteran medical transcriptionist.

Study Reveals Medical Transcription Services Organization Ratings

In the latest KLAS Medical Transcription Services Organization (MTSO) study, 3 years of provider ratings and commentary have come together to shed light on the current trends in transcription outsourcing. In the ever-changing world of transcription, the most recent MTSO study found an increase in provider satisfaction, adjustments in offshore vs. onshore attitudes and even more changes in transcription needs and pricing. In addition, providers shared best practices to help others navigate the quickly changing world of outsourced medical transcription.

Improved MTSO Performance
While providers have been satisfied with outsourced transcription in the past, scores rose 4.5 points this year, from 77.2 to 81.7 out of 100. Vendors showing the strongest improvement were CBay and StenTel. Only one vendor, SPi CyMed, experienced a decrease in provider scoring this year.

Overall, Encompass, Focus and StenTel had the highest performance scores of the 13 MTSOs that qualified for inclusion in the main body of this report. Vendor scores ranged from a low of 73.7 to a high of 88.3. See Table 1.

It is interesting to note the changes in vendor scoring between 2006 and 2007. Table 2 shows the shift in performance scores, ranks and commentary since the 2006 MTSO report. Encompass, Heartland, MedScribe, Superior and TransTech did not have sufficient 2006 data and were therefore excluded.

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City dad to push med transcript jobs

TO FURTHER push and sustain the gains of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental as part of the Philippine Cyber Corridor, Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue will push this year for more job opportunities particularly in the area of medical transcription course.

Sigue announced over the weekend that this move is in line with the thrust of the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communication Technology (BNEFIT) which she convened last November 15 and 16, 2007, and formally organized last December 21, 2007.

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Medical transcription open house

UTICA - Mohawk Valley Community College’s Center for Community and Economic Development will host an open house for the Medical Transcription Program from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 216 of the Information Technology Building, 1101 Sherman Drive.

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