Medical Transcription Outsourcing Benefits

Medical transcription is one of the most widely outsourced jobs in the healthcare industry and is adopted as a part of easing the tedious process of medical records documentation. Processing of medical transcription jobs in-house means medical care providers have to invest a lot in terms of time and money for selecting and training the right manpower, apart from installing and maintaining costly infrastructure such as dictation equipments and computers. To keep operating costs low, outsourcing of medical transcription is the preferred choice for most healthcare firms operating in the US and UK.

A key factor that persuades developed economies such as the US to outsource their medical transcription jobs to developing countries such as India and the Philippines is the availability of cheap and qualified labor in these countries. The medical transcription firms in these countries have better infrastructures with backups for labor and internet and are thus capable of providing round-the-clock uninterrupted transcription services. The skills of medical transcriptionists in these countries include a better understanding of the spoken English language. The majority of these professionals have excellent academic qualifications and in-depth awareness of the subject.

Experienced trainers including doctors and language experts serving in medical transcription firms ensure that all their professionals are well trained in understanding medical terminologies including foreign dialects and medical terms. The intensive training provided at these outsourcing companies guarantees quality and speed. To ensure maximum accuracy in transcription jobs, all these transcription facilities have experienced editors and proofreaders. These firms also take special effort to update the knowledge base of their employees so that they are aware of the latest advanced medical treatments and medicines available in the market.

Another major benefit of outsourcing these medical transcription jobs is that backup copies of patient records are always available at the servers of these outsourcing companies and hence it is easier to search and access patient records which are years old. Moreover, these documents can be sent across multiple destinations through the internet so that doctors, regardless of their location can keep in touch with their patients and their medical treatments.

With affordable services being provided in a time-bound manner, all healthcare firms including hospitals, outpatient clinics, long term care facilities, nursing facilities, and individual physicians can now rely on these firms for smooth functioning. Today, most medical transcription providers make available other related services such as medical coding and patient bill processing. Thus with these medical transcription service providers ensuring flexible, fast and economic transcription services, medical care providers can concentrate on their core services and serve the needs of patients much better.

About the Author:
Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is one among the most reputable medical transcription outsource companies in the USA. We offer a comprehensive suite of medical billing and coding outsourcing services along with medical transcription outsourcing services.

Source : http://www.articlesnatch.com

GotVoice Offers Automated Voicemail Transcription Service

GotVoice, a start-up based in Kirkland, Washington, has enhanced its web-based voicemail service with a new transcription capability that automatically checks voice messages from a user's mobile, home and office phones and then sends an SMS and/or email with the transcribed text. The transcribed message, along with the associated voicemail audio file, can be reviewed and searched via the service's web interface.

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Online Courses in Medical Transcription

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 good online medical transcription school will offer the same type of classes as a brick-and-mortar school. For example, 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 respected online medical transcription school will not make false claims as to how quickly you will be ready to work. It will focus on teaching you the job well.

A legitimate online medical school will allow you to talk to graduates for references. Make sure you don't skip this step. Medical transcription training requires 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 course 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 and be well on your way to a rewarding medical transcription career.

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

Medical Transcription Field Follows Military Spouse Moves

The Defense Department is partnering with the Department of Labor and private-sector health care associations to promote the medical transcription field as an ideal career choice for spouses who make frequent moves with their military mates.

“Collectively, we see medical transcription as an important career option for thousands of military spouses nationwide,” Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, told about 100 Florida-based military spouses and other attendees at a medical transcription association-hosted seminar held in Jacksonville, Fla., yesterday.

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Sample Medical Transcription Resume: Make Your Case And Get That Medical Transcription Job Now!

This 5-step blueprint and sample medical transcription resume shows you how to get that medical transcription job you want and get it now.

Many medical transcriptionists want a sample medical transcription resume to follow in order to know what should be included in a resume. For those who are established in the medical transcription profession and have credibility within the medical field, here are some points to consider, followed by a sample medical transcription resume that outlines the salient information that should be included.

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Medical Transcription Tips and Advice - Popular questions answered!

1. How do people learn all the medical terminology and is it difficult?
   
   All medical terminology is based on logic, for the most part, whether complex or not. A medical word can be broken down into several parts. For example, consider the following term:
   HEMATOLOGY
   HEMAT is the root of the word O is the combining vowel LOGY is the suffix.
   The root is the foundation of the word. All medical words have one or more roots. The root HEMAT means blood. The suffix is the word ending. All medical terms have a suffix. The suffix LOGY means “study of”. The combining vowel, usually “o”, links the root to the suffix or the root to another root. A combining vowel doesn’t have any meaning on its own. It is helpful to read the word backwards, starting with the suffix, to understand it more fully. Thus, the term hematology means the study of blood. Once you learn this method, you will in no time be able to understand what you are hearing orseeing. You must first learn how to dissect the words.
   
   
2. How do I back up my work?
   
   Keep back up CDs of your medical transcription in a fireproof box. Always ask the client how long they expect you to keep work for. I have everything I ever typed for my clients. My friend, Maryann only keeps her notes for one year. Always best to check with the client.
   
   
3. "How do I get hired as a newbie medical transcriptionist?"
   
   This depends on who you want to work for. If you want to work for a National company, they usually want experience unless you can pass their tests. There are
   some companies that will hire new transcriptionists however. They don't all require 2-3 years experience. Working for the national companies is not what I recommend however, and that's just my personal opinion. I'd rather have my own accounts and have more flexibility and earn twice as much.
   
   If you want to work doing medical transcription for a doctor's office or hospital, you may get hired a lot more easily than trying to get on with the national companies. A lot of people do this and make the transition to working at home, for these very same people. I personally got hired by a small local company which I found in my yellow pages, to begin with, and I only worked for them for a couple of months before I started my own business. While I worked for them, I also worked for Hospice at home. I started sending out letters, (not my resume, but a good sales type letter) to physicians in my area and got accounts that way. That was eleven years ago. You have to remember that once you get accounts for medical transcription, you generally don't have to keep "pounding the pavement", because they stay with you.
   
   
4. What should I include when faxing a client?
   
   When faxing a client, be sure to include a disclaimer such as:
   The information contained in this transmission accompanying this notice is confidential and protected by the physician-patient privilege. It is intended only for the use of the individual or entity mentioned above. If the reader of this facsimile is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or distribution of the accompanying communication is prohibited. If you have received this facsimile in error, please notify us immediately by telephone, collect, and return the original message to us at the above address. We appreciate your assistance in this matter.
   You can make up your own fax cover sheet, and include a disclaimer such as this one at the bottom. Remember to put how many pages, including the cover sheet that are being sent at the time of transmission. Also, stamp the word COPY on each sheet, so it is not mistaken as the original note.
   
   
5. What books do I need to do medical transcription?
   
   Over time you will collect a lot of "word books" for medical transcription. I have lots of them. I thought it might be good to give you a list of some of the ones you will need when you are just starting out. Remember, Ebay is a good place to pick up these kind of medical transcription specialty books, as well as Stedmans.com where I usually get my books. You will definitely need a medical dictionary. Get either a Stedman's or a Dorland's Medical Dictionary. You will need a drug/pharmaceutical guide book, such as The American Drug Index, published by Facts and Comparisons. 1-800-223-0554 or www.drugfacts.com It is an expensive book, and you will probably be better served by getting the previous year's book on Ebay if you are just starting out. A must have is The Medical Word Book by Sheila Sloane. That's printed by W.B. Saunders Co. If you can get it, you might also want to pick up The Surgical Word Book, by Tessier, printed by W.B. Saunders Co. as well. Apart from that, you will just need to add "specialty books" to your collection as you go. For instance, if you are typing for a neurologist, you would buy Stedman's Neurosurgery Words. As you type for more and more specialties, you will get more and more books! You don't need many books to get started however.
   
   
6. What is STAT work and how do you charge for it?
   
   Everybody’s idea of stat work for medical transcription is different. Some doctors consider “stat” getting the work back the same day. Others say “eight hour turnaround” equals stat work. Some say ten or twelve hour turnaround time is stat. This must be decided between you and the physician. My accounts think of stat as the same day, or as soon as possible.
   If you have to do stat work, you often will need to reprioritize your work schedule, so you must remember to charge a STAT rate, when this happens. I usually charge 1 1/2 times my line rate. For one account, I charge $2.50 per page PLUS the regular line count. It depends on you and your agreement with the physician. TAT – Turnaround time for regular medical transcription work, is also dependant on what the physician expects. Some still like 24 TAT, and some 48 hour TAT. I’m happy with 48 hour TAT whenever possible. I have had accounts over the years that only wanted a pick-up and delivery once a week or every few days.
   
   
7. A lot of people ask me if it's necessary to become certified. It's definitely a wonderful thing to be able to say you are a certified medical transcriptionist, but it's not necessary at all. In fact, of the many independent medical transcriptionists I know,
   not one of us is certified. We all run our own businesses too. If you are interested in becoming certified however, you can call AAMT at 1-800-982-2182 and they will send you information regarding certification through the American Association for
   Medical Transcription.
   
   
8. "How do you arrange for vacations when you do medical transcription at home?"
   
   This depends on the terms and agreements you maintain with your clients. They may expect you to arrange coverage for them, or they may be happy to make the
   necessary arrangements. If it's a short vacation, they may hold the work until you return. For me, this has always worked well, and it allows for long weekends
   etc. It will take some serious planning however if you are running a full-time business with many accounts. If you already have subcontractors, they should be able
   to take over while you are away, or, find someone you network with and make prior arrangements for coverage. It is possible, it just takes some planning.
   
   
9. Will Voice Recognition replace me?
   
   I remember being worried about this eleven years or so ago. I'm not concerned about it now though. The major companies are making their money selling digital dictation products, - VR has fallen by the wayside. Sure, some people use it, especially if they have a very basic format, but I wouldn't worry about it taking work away from you.
   
   
10. What's the best type of training for me and what company would you recommend?
    
    It’s hard to decide which company is best to go with if you are looking for the Home Study route for medical transcription. There are so many options it can be overwhelming and you want to make sure you use a legitimate company with up-to-date information and training. I am now including this information in every newsletter as we have many new subscribers every week. As I have said before, many people have written and told me how fantastic this company have been and how great the support is. I am personally in contact with this company on a regular basis and they have recently upgraded their medical transcription course, which is state of the art. So, I can safely say, if you are looking for a home study course, and one that has lots of options, try this company.

Source : http://www.medical-transcription-at-home.com/medical-transcription-tips.html

Dictation for Transcription - Top Ten Tips

1. Use a noise-cancelling microphone if available. These cut down any background noise and aim to record only the voices speaking near to them.
2. Dictate in a quiet room, preferably alone and with as little background noise as possible. Avoid shuffling papers or tapping a keyboard while dictating as this can obscure your voice.
3. Speak clearly and don’t rush, although there’s no need to deliberately slow down from your normal speaking voice
4. You may not need to give any punctuation at all, as the transcriptionist can put this in for you, but if you’re going to give punctuation make sure you give ALL the punctuation. It’s quite disconcerting for the transcriptionist if you read a couple of paragraphs, then throw in the odd comma and full stop and then stop punctuating again. You can give all punctuation or just give full stops, quote marks and paragraphs, and allow the transcriptionist to decide where to put in commas, semi colons etc.
5. If you want the work produced to a standard format, send your transcriptionist a template or a copy of a piece of work formatted in the say way that you want this transcript formatted. Your transcriptionist can work to a variety of different templates provided by you. Just state which one at the beginning. E.g. ‘This is an email’ will tell the transcriptionist to use your email template.
6. Spell all names (at least the first time) including people’s and place names. Remember even ‘obvious’ names might be spelt more than one way e.g. Stephen Brown or Steven Browne.
7. If you require capitalisation of words that are not names do say so. Try to say the capitalisation before the word (e.g. ‘The (capital R) Regulations state that …’ instead of ‘The Regulations (capital R) state that …’ If you have words that, in your context are always going to be capitalised, you can say so at the beginning. ‘In the transcription the word Act will always be spelt with a capital letter.’
8. State ‘new heading’ when you want a new heading put in, prior to giving the heading title. E.g. ‘New heading: Focus Groups. To transcribe focus groups you will need …’ The Transcriptionist will then understand that ‘Focus Groups’ is the heading, and continue the remainder in a new paragraph below this.
9. If you want numbered paragraphs or a numbered list, state this before starting the list. E.g. ‘Numbered list. One. The bride’s veil. Two, the groom’s buttonhole’ will be transcribed as:
   1. The bride's veil
   2. The groom's buttonhole
10. If you make a mistake you can rewind and speak over the error to correct it, but if it’s only a small error it may be easier and less time-consuming to simply correct it on the tape e.g ‘Focus Groupings, sorry, Focus GROUPS, are easier to control if you …’ will be understood as ‘Focus groups will be easier to control if you …’

Penguin Transcription (http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk), part of Penguin Office Services, offers an affordable transcription service by tailoring each quote to the exact requirements of the client. The more information the client can provide us with, and the better the quality of the recording for transcription, the more affordable the transcription service will be. Why not visit our site and fill in an enquiry form at http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk/PTS_enquiry_form.html to receive a quote for your transcription requirements.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Hickley

Medical Transcription, An Emerging Winner

There are distinct objectives to consider when trying to choose a career, including knowing yourself, knowing your options, knowing how you constitute decisions and addressing any barriers to your decision-making. Effective career decision-making requires an abundance of work and energy; this is necessary to establish some degree of satisfaction with your career choice. One such career that has emerged as fulfilling, provocative, well paying and in demand is medical transcription. The employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012. A growing and aging population will spur demand for medical transcription services.

Basically, a medical transcriptionist listens to dictated recordings made by a healthcare professional, and transcribes them into medical reports, correspondence, and other administrative info. While listening to the recordings, using pause techniques, sentences are keyed into a word processor, editing as necessary for grammar and clarity. Documents produced include discharge summaries, history and physical examination reports, operative reports, consultation reports, autopsy reports, diagnostic imaging studies, progress notes, and referral letters. These are returned to the health care provider
for review, signature, or correction. These documents eventually become part of the patients' permanent files, in addition to required insurance documentation.

To understand and accurately transcribe dictated reports into a format that is clear and intelligible for the reader, medical transcriptionists must understand medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, diagnostic procedures, pharmacology, and treatment assessments. As a result, medical transcriptionists should have completed postsecondary training in medical transcription, offered by many vocational schools, community colleges, and distance-learning programs. Completion of a 2-year associate degree or 1-year certificate program, including coursework in anatomy, medical terminology, legal issues relating to healthcare documentation, and English grammar and punctuation, is highly recommended, but not always required.

Working conditions are generally comfortable settings, such as hospitals, physicians' offices, transcription service offices, clinics, laboratories, medical libraries, government medical facilities, or at home. Many medical transcriptionists work from home as employees for hospitals, and transcription services or as self-employed, independent contractors. The average salary for a medical transcriptionist is between $10.87 and $15.63. With experience, medical transcriptionists can advance to supervisory positions, home-based work, editing, consulting, or teaching.

With the increased demand for standardized records, there will be rapid employment growth in offices of physicians or other health practitioners, especially in large group practices. Medical transcription is a career that should fit your lifestyle, and bring you prosperity, and fulfillment.

Article Source: http://onlinejer.com

Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for Online Medical Transcription Services Visit theonline-medical-transcription-services.com/ for more information.

MDIT Acquires ProMed Transcription

MD-IT, an industry leader in developing automated tools to assist physicians in documentation of medical care, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of ProMed Transcription, a Colorado-based company providing medical transcription services to physician practices. Under terms of the agreement, ProMed owners will receive a combination of cash and shares and will join the management team of MD-IT.

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US’s MXSecure Optimistic in Philippines’ MT Industry

US medical transcription services provider MXSecure is optimistic of the Philippines’ potential contribution in the global dollar medical transcription industry.The company, which is strengthening its presence in the Philippines, already has 15 Philippine transcription firms that provide services to American clients. However, its main concern now is to increase the performance level requirements that would place the country in the medical transcription outsourcing map.

MXSecure Global Operations Director Arlene Dicks said the Philippines still has to take some time to develop its transcription skills, particularly in the area of listening to voice records, typing and most importantly, language.

“There are some terms that a medical transcriptionist misses to spell out correctly but mainly because of the way some doctors dictate through their recorders,” Dicks said.

In addition, some of the production quality in the Philippines is still below the required 100 percent by medical institutions in the US. Dicks said the average level of the Philippines is around 92 percent and above.

“You have to be way higher than that to assure clients that their records are accurate,” he said.

Dicks said that MXSecure’s presence in the Philippines is intended not just to bring business to the fledgling industry but also to transfer quality of performance of their US counterparts. For instance, a US based transcriptionist can type as fast as 80 words per minute compared to an average FIlipino transcriptionist of 35 words per minute.

Source: http://www.transcription.mixph.com/

Basic Tips For Repeated Medical Transcription Errors

Medical Transcription is acquiring a new skill. This new skill requires the coordination of your eyes, ears, fingers, and foot (if you use a foot pedal). If you are already an accomplished typist you start medical transcription with an advantage. You should have a copy type speed of at least 45 words per minute before attempting to transcribe medical dictation. You should expect to start out slow in the beginning of medical transcription. Do not try to type fast at first. Strive first for accuracy of medical words, grammar, punctuation, and format.

Accurately transcribing medical words, a good grasp of grammar, punctuation and format create another group of skills you must continually consider, evaluate and take time to master. Diligence and patience are key components when you first start medical transcription. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first. However, as the days pass on, your diligence will be rewarded later with added speed and accuracy.

As you transcribe each medical dictation, transcribe carefully, stop as often as necessary to word search. Word searching time is never time wasted. It strengthens and builds one of the most important skills for medical transcription.

Start slowly, take advantage of every opportunity to learn, memorize, and understand this new language of medical materials. Speed comes naturally as you acquire knowledge and experience. The fruit of all your labor will be a Medical Transcriptionist able to transcribe new reports accurately, quickly and with confidence.

There are six common categories of errors which include:

1. Omitted dictated word;
2. Wrong word;
3. Misspelled word;
4. Typographical error;
5. Grammatical error; and
6. Punctuation error.

Omitted dictated word: If you find yourself repeatedly omitting dictated words, do the following:

• Listen carefully to the dictation
• Slow your pace
• Do not increase your speed until these errors are minimized

Wrong word: If you repeatedly type the wrong word, do the following:

• Take more care in checking word definitions. The definition must match the context of the report.

Misspelled word: If you repeatedly misspell words, do the following:

• Mentally spell the corrected word several times
• Highlight the word in your dictionary
• Write the word in your personal notebook

Typographical error: If you have repeated typographical errors, do the following:

• Proofread carefully
• Allow time to elapse between the time you transcribe the report and the time you proofread it.

Grammatical error: If you have repeated grammatical errors, do the following:

• When physicians make grammatical errors in their dictation, the Medical Transcriptionist is expected to correct them.
• If your transcription contains a significant number of grammatical errors, a basic review of English is in order for the Medical Transcriptionist, and unfortunately, not the physician

Punctuation error: If you have repeated punctuation errors, do the following:

• The most erious punctuation errors are those that alter medical meaning.
• A significant number of punctuation errors require a basic review of punctuation.

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Connie Limon, Medical Transcriptionist. Visit us at www.aboutmedicaltranscription.info for more information about the unique and rewarding career choice of Medical Transcription. Visit Camelot Articles www.camelotarticles.com for a variety of FREE reprint articles for your newsletter, web sites or blogs.

Medical Transcription and Voice Recognition

How will voice recognition affect the future of medical transcription?

No doubt, you’ve heard different opinions and views on this subject. If you’re a medical transcriptionist you probably can’t understand how voice recognition can take over for a trained qualified medical transcriptionist. And you’re not alone.

Let’s dig a bit deeper into voice recognition and medical transcription.

As you already know, doctors are busy people. This is never more obvious then when they’re dictating their notes. It’s understandable they’re busy, and as their MT, I can surely forgive them but will the latest voice recognition software be as forgiving as me?

Not likely.

As a transcriptionist you will have typed through background noise, patients moaning, doctors eating their lunch, personal conversations (oops they forgot the recorder was on) and other incomprehensible noise. Not to mention, ESL doctors with heavy accents and very tired ER doctors after a long shift!

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?

I wouldn’t worry about voice recognition. Rumors of MTs beign 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. Yes, it is possible.

Will the document be 100% accurate? No.

Remember medical records have to be in compliance with a number of very strict regulations. Most doctors, will not trust voice recognition enough to send these records through without at least a quick glance through.

Even under the best dictating circumstances the report will still need to be proofread and edited. So, yes under the “perfect” circumstances, voice recognition can replace a transcriptionist.

Is it likely? 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.

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?

As with any business to stay ahead of the game you have to adapt to change and technology. Learn how to use it to your advantage instead of being frightened by it. That’s the only way to stay ahead of the competition…. Voice recognition or otherwise.

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

Medical Transcription Schools – Avoiding Online Scams

Medical transcription is a lucrative profession which allows you the flexibility to work from home. Unfortunately, it’s this appeal that has opened the doors for less than honest online medical transcription schools.

If you don’t know a lot about MT, then I will assure you it is a real profession and a real possibility. It is not a get rich quick scheme or overnight money maker.

If you’re shopping around for an online medical transcription course, here are a few things to keep in mind.

How to choose the right course and avoid scams

Make sure the company offering the course is reputable and has been around for a long time. You can do this by checking with the Better Business Bureau. Here are a few other things to look for.

Send the school an email asking a question about their course. If they respond promptly in a professional matter that’s a good sign. If they seem overly pushy be a bit weary.

Look at their website. Is it professional? Do they give you statistics about their success rates, student testimonials, Q and A section?

Do they have an online student log in area or online support if you have questions?

Are their company details listed on their website? Such as how long they’ve been in business, contact details (mailing address and phone number).

Do they make exaggerated promises about their course? If they are promising you will make a lot of money in a short time, then be careful. No one can really predict how much you will make or how long it will take you. They should give general statistics and figures in an unbiased way.

Do they provide financial aid or payment assistance?

Do they have a list of graduates or companies which have hired their graduates?

Do they give you updates of students who have graduated from their school?

Do they have a student message board, a newsletter or information which will make you feel part of a community?

Studying from home can be lonely at times, a reputable course will offer you assistance from the very beginning until you find a job.

About Author:
Mila Sidman is an experienced MT and owner of http://www.askthemt.com/ - an informative website dedicated to answering all your medical transcription questions.

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

Recording for Transcription - Digital Versus Analog

Firstly it is useful to understand the differences between digital and analog audio. This applies to any recordings, not just to recordings of voice for transcription. Analog machines, such as tape cassette recorders, record sounds as wave forms, the way that the sound occurs in nature. Digital machines record sound by taking samples of the signal and storing them as bits of data, in the same way as a computer stores information. Because of the way the sounds are recorded digital recordings have a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Noise here refers to any background noise but when comparing analog to digital recordings it really refers to recorder-induced noise such as ‘tape hiss’. So the quality of the digital recording is better. That alone is a good reason to consider using digital recording rather than analogue tapes!

There are other good reasons though. Not least of these is the fact that copies of analog recordings deteriorate in quality, so sending a copy of your master tape to a transcriptionist can result in a poor quality transcription, because the quality of the audio is poor. Digital recordings can be copied again and again with no deterioration in quality because all that’s being copied is a series of bits of data.

Of course when using digital recordings you do need to check that your transcriptionist can transcribe from the file type you are using, or convert it. Most transcriptionists will be able to transcribe from any standard analog cassette and many can transcribe from micro and mini cassettes and video. So long as they have the relevant tape transcription machine they can transcribe the tape. Not so, unfortunately, with digital.

Most digital audio file types are compressed and a codec (the algorithm used to reduce the number of bites contained in large files by eliminating redundant data) and the transcriptionist or transcription software will need access to the codec that has produced the compressed file. However, this is often not an issue as PCs and many types of transcription software come with a variety of codecs already installed. It is certainly important to check with your transcriptionist though that they can work with your file type. Please see my separate article on digital file types for transcription for more information on this.

Digital file types are also easily manipulated and this can be useful when recording for transcription. If there are parts of the file you do not want transcribed it is a fairly simple matter to remove those parts and only send the transcriptionist the parts that should be transcribed. Alternatively, because a digital recording indicates where you are in it second by second, you can send the transcriptionist instructions such as ‘transcribe between 3 minutes 20 seconds and 60 minutes 10 seconds.’ This does not work on analog media as, even if you and your transcriptionist both have tape players with minute counters, the level of accuracy is quite poor.

Another huge benefit from the point of view of the transcription itself is that in a transcription from a digital recording your transcriptionist can mark the precise time that an inaudible word occurs. If that time is 3 minutes and 22 seconds then you can go back to your copy of the recording and almost instantly find 3 minutes and 22 seconds, play the word, and hopefully fill in the blank. With an analog recording on tape the transcriptionist can mark an inaudible word but it's not possible to note the time with any degree of accuracy and you will either need to flick back and forth through the tape to find it or listen through the whole recording.

There are various ways to make a digital recording. Perhaps the commonest when recording for transcription is onto a card, in much the same way as a digital camera records pictures onto a card. The recorded files can then be transferred onto your computer and sent to your transcriptionist via email (if compressed), FTP, file sharing sites or, in some cases, a file-sending box located on the transcriptionist’s website.

Minidiscs have an excellent sound quality but many transcriptionists are unable to transcribe from them as the data needs to be transferred to PC first and then usually converted for use in transcription programmes.

DVDs and CDs also need to be converted before use in transcription software.
Recording can also be done directly onto a computer hard-drive using various types of software and an external microphone. However, when conducting interviews the presence of a laptop and large microphone might be rather intrusive.

However the recording is made and stored, it should be possible, with the right equipment and software, to convert the file into something you can download onto your PC and send to your transcriptionist by one of the methods mentioned above. So digital recordings not only improve on quality but can save you time and money. Recordings can be ‘instantly’ transferred to the transcriptionist instead of posting audio cassettes, you save money on postage costs to and from your transcriptionist and a better quality transcription will cost less to transcribe as it will take less time.

All in all, in a comparison between digital and analogue recording for transcription, digital recordings come out well ahead.

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_200047_15.html

Anne Hickley has many years experience in a wide variety of administrative posts. Roles have included provision of secretarial services, PA work (including PA to the Provost at King's College, Cambridge), project management and administration, academic and business report writing and editing, and recruitment. http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk

Medical Transcription Course Outline

In case you’re planning to take the medical transcription course, at least the following course outline should be expected to get your tuitions worth.

1. English Language for Medical Transcription
   This module is designed for aspiring medical transcriptionists in mind. It teaches the basic rules in English language, grammar, punctuation, etc… and its application in medical transcription.
   
   
2. Computing and Keyboarding Skills for MT
   An instructional manual for computer operations. Its objective is to introduce computers even to those who have very limited or no computer education. It has extensive discussions and step-by-step instructions on how to use MS Word, MS Office, and audio players such as Express Scribe, Windows Media Player, and the like. It also introduces the student to software installation and the use of internet. Incorporated in the module are instructions on improving keyboarding skills through the use of typing tutor software.
   
   
3. Medical Terminology for Medical Transcription
   Here you will understand how a medical word is formed. You do not need to memorize all the words you will encounter.
   
   
4. Anatomy for Medical Transcription
   Here you will understand and identify the parts of the human body. It is arranged by body system, so that understanding and retention will be enhanced. This comes with a CD containing audio pronunciation of terms.
   
   
5. Pharmacology and Laboratory Medicine for MT
   This module teaches you the basics of laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures in medicine. It also teaches you the basics of pharmacology: generic vs. brand names, routes of administration, etc. This module also introduces you to the use of drug reference materials.
   
   
6. HIPAA for Medical Transcription
   Every medical transcriptionist should know HIPAA by heart, and comply with the rules and regulations it imposes. HIPAA is a complicated law. This module discusses HIPAA and how it affects medical transcriptionists, in layman’s language. This is a must read for all medical transcriptionists, and those aspiring to be one.
   
   
7. Style Guide for Medical Transcription
   This detailed module introduces the aspiring medical transcriptionist to report formats and styles, do’s and don’ts in medical transcription. This module was designed and patterned after the AAMT Book of Style.
   
   After going through all the seven modules, you are now ready for your transcription modules. This will be the order of your transcription modules.
   
   
8. Obstetrics and Gynecology
   
9. Genitourinary Medicine
   
10. Gastroenterology
    
11. Cardiology
    
12. Orthopedics
    
13. Neurology
    
14. Pathology

These seven additional modules are very essential in medical transcription training. It first introduces you to the basic anatomy involved in each specialty, and then discusses the common diseases, common drugs, common procedures, and words and phrases related to each discipline. These modules come with actual doctors’ dictations arranged per report type. Each module exposes you to not less than 30 dictations of various report types.

Source: http://www.transcription.mixph.com/?p=32

Pakistani transcriber threatens UCSF over back pay

"Your patient records are out in the open... so you better track that person and make him pay my dues."

A woman in Pakistan doing cut-rate clerical work for UCSF Medical Center threatened to post patients' confidential files on the Internet unless she was paid more money.To show she was serious, the woman sent UCSF an e-mail earlier this month with actual patients' records attached.

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Transcription Tips & Tricks

Make sure your transcriber is in good repair

Clean and service your transcriber or computer regularly according to the owner's manual or have it serviced regularly at the dealer. Having your machine(s) serviced around the time of your birthday or some other easily remembered annual event is a good way to ensure you don't forget to get the servicing done.

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Benefits of outsourcing transcription services

Transcription services outsourcing has many benefits, including cost savings. Outsourcing transcription services provides lower overhead, reduced payroll and benefits expenses, and fewer capital investments. The costs a transcription company will have to undergo in keeping a full-fledged department to meet its requirements will be much more expensive than outsourcing the same task.

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Outsourcing Audio Transcription - Why It Works

Outsourcing transcription works for many reasons, but the nub of the matter is that although anyone can set themselves up as a transcriptionist, a good transcriptionist is much more than just someone who can type; transcription is a specialised business. That is why if your administrative/secretarial staff are not specially trained in transcription, or if they are simply overloaded, outsourcing can be the answer.

What does a transcriptionist do?

A transcriptionist takes audio recordings, whether they be on tape or digitally recorded, and creates a typed transcript of the recording. Such recordings may be dictation (one person speaking), interviews (one or two people being interviewed), focus groups (a group of people under guided discussion), meeting recordings etc.

What's so special about that?

A transcriptionist is more than 'just' a typist because s/he is doing more than just typing what's on a written page. The transcriptionist has to understand the content of the recording in order to be able to punctuate it correctly and correctly spell homophones (words that sound the same but are spelt differently). The transcriptionist may also need knowledge of a particular vocabulary (e.g. for medical or legal transcription) and a general transcriptionist still needs a better than average vocabulary and general knowledge, in order to correctly pick up on things like place names, names of events, technical details etc. A transcriptionist these days is probably also an expert researcher on Google - a great way to fill those general knowledge gaps provided you know how to do it properly! Of course this person is also an expert typist with a fast typing speed - audio typing takes longer than copy typing for precisely the reasons listed above, but the industry standard for a fully experienced transcriptionist is that it takes about an hour to transcribe fifteen minutes of good quality interview recording (a bit less for dictation and more for groups or for recordings with 'issues' as indicated below.) Even someone who touch types may find that without transcription experience it takes much, much longer. Finally the transcriptionist also needs to have excellent attention to detail in order to proofread the work thoroughly before handing it over to the client.

Why outsource?

If your staff are not trained transcriptionists and you have transcription required on an ad hoc basis, then the reasons listed above should make the answer obvious. A meeting transcription might take a trained transcriptionist a full day to transcribe, so a non-trained member of staff could easily take two days - two days when they are unable to complete their normal day-to-day functions. The results may also be disappointing if their grammar and ability to punctuate is not up to scratch. The outsourced transcriptionist will complete you work without taking anyone away from their normal duties.

It is also useful where company politics might come into play! I have recently transcribed a number of disciplinary interviews etc. for a variety of clients who preferred that their secretarial staff were not party to the contents of the meetings.

Also if you do not require transcription on a regular basis you may not have the relevant equipment, and this can be quite costly. If recording on to digital formats there is freely available software that will allow your staff to listen to the recording, rewind, play it back at varying speeds etc. but without a transcription foot pedal the time taken to transcribe is increased even further.

Finding a good transcription company to outsource your work to

Anyone can call themselves a transcriptionist so how do you know if you're going to get a decent service? There are a number of things you can do - and some you shouldn't! One of the don'ts is asking for a CV. Why not? Because a transcription service is a business, not your potential employee. You wouldn't ask a solicitor, estate agent, builder or chiropodist for a CV, so why ask a transcriptionist? Instead go by recommendation, just as you would do for another business, or if you don't know anyone who can recommend a good transcriptionist look for testimonials. Many transcription services show these on their websites.

Another don't is to ask for the transcriptionist to take a test - frankly, if they have time and inclination to do this they're probably not very busy - and while that might be because they've just started up a business but have years of excellent experience (if you're lucky!) it might also be that they're simply not very good. If you do require a test then you should expect to pay for it at the normal rate.

If you have a significant number of recordings that are going to need transcribing in a short period of time then you might want to ask what procedures the service has in place to project manage large jobs like this, whether they employ people directly, subcontract etc. If they subcontract, you might need to check their confidentially procedures to ensure that this won't be an issue. If all your questions are answered quickly and positively then the chances are you're talking to someone who is familiar with working with such projects!

Other things you should be asking are price (obviously) and turnaround time (when they can get the recordings back to you). Do bear in mind that a good service might well be a busy service so if you can book in advance of wanting to send your recordings, so much the better.

Questions your potential transcription service should be asking you include: what kind of transcription is it (interview, focus group etc.), how long is your recording, what kind of recording (e.g. standard cassette tape, digital recording in .wma format), what's the recording quality like, is the speech clear, do you need a verbatim transcription and when do you need your transcription returned?

If you have a specific requirement regarding formatting now is the time to say so, as most services have their own standard formats which will be used unless you state otherwise, although they're very happy to format in any way you require.

About the Author

Anne Hickley has many years experience in a wide variety of administrative posts. Roles have included provision of secretarial services, PA work, project management and administration, academic and business report writing and editing, and recruitment. She runs Penguin Office Services(http://www.penguinofficeservices.co.uk) and Penguin Transcription

(http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk)

Medical Transcription Ideal Career for Military Spouses, Navy Vet Says

When Leslie Slusarski got out of the Navy in 1979, her fast-paced military lifestyle didn’t change. Her husband, Walter, was a weapons officer for submarines, so her family still had to move every 18 months or so.
Slusarski was able to find a rewarding career that meshed well with her lifestyle -- medical transcription, which she says other military spouses should consider.

Medical transcription is an in-demand, technically oriented career field that can be done from almost anywhere, said Slusarski, who has worked in the career field for 28 years.

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