Medical Transcription Security

Everyone realizes that medical transcription projects are being increasingly outsourced to low wage countries like India and the Philippines. This is mainly because these Asian countries are in a position to deliver the goods with good quality at a much lower rate than is made available within the US. But, what happens to the confidentiality of online personal / patient information? How safe is transmission over the Internet? What if someone with vested interests tries to access it? Without some assurance of the confidentiality of the data it would be futile to take the risk of outsourcing. Well HIPAA is here to take care.

So what is HIPAA? It stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. This act regulates the exchange of all patient information using electronic methods. Patients are protected from unlawful disclosure. Thus we see that companies must be HIPAA compliant. Only then will the doctors be sure that all their valuable patient data and dictations are safe and never get into wrong hands.

What are the different requirements of HIPAA compliance for any medical transcription company? Thes include,

• Maintain traceable trail of all personnel who handle specific data
• Password protection
• Encryption of data
• Compliance officers must be appointed

What is the purpose of encryption? Encryption and password protection is essential to protect patient data and one can be sure that no one will be able to access the sensitive information without an authorization. Data encryption makes sure that even if some one else happens to get access to the file he will no able to understand/ decipher whatever is written. Therefore, all digital voice recordings/dictations that are sent via the Internet for transcription must be encrypted. Thus the different requirements include,

• Secure FTP (file transfer)
• Physical protection /security
• Login codes for employees
• Filters
• Firewall
• Encrypted e-mail
• Monitor each desktop
• Backup of tapes
• Be prepared for natural disasters

Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers affordable services in medical billing, medical coding and medical transcription services for clients across the USA.

Medical Transcription Program Approval

Today medical transcription has become an established and essential process for the health care sector and a profession that is well accepted and respected with increasing demands. There are many colleges and universities that provide medical transcription education and training programs at various levels. When we refer to the medical transcription approval process we are mentioning about the approval of such MT educational programs by the concerned authorities.

It was the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) that instituted the medical transcription program approval process. The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) is the accreditation organization of AHIMA. The approval process was done to make sure that compliance with the AHDI Model Curriculum is maintained by different educational bodies so that it provides,

• Produce competent entry-level transcription professionals
• Good educational programming
• Good quality assurance
• Consistent education

Take a look at the Model Curriculum at,
http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/Downloads/ModelCurriculum.pdf

List of approved programs can be seen at, http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/mtapproved.cfm

The AHDI along with AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association) has established a certifying committee for the approval of medical transcription programs called the ACCP (Approval Committee for Certificate Programs). The ACCP approval is an ongoing process and must not be confused with a guarantee as there is no formal accreditation process for medical transcription programs.

More details are available at, http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/eduprogramapproval.cfm

Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is an Oklahoma based medical transcription company that offers professional outsourcing services in medical billing, medical coding and medical transcription to clients in the US and also globally.

Medical Transcription: How to Ensure Good Quality Recordings

If you are representing a hospital that produces voice/dictation recordings which are outsourced / offshored outside your premises for medical transcription and conversion into typed text, then you must be very wary of the quality of your audio material recordings because it can directly affects the costs.

The main fact to remember is that taking care of your audio quality will greatly enhance the cost affectivity of your outsourcing campaign. How? Let me explain. Did you know that all transcription material that comes in for transcription is first assessed? The time taken and charges for transcription will depend on the quality of the recordings. Obviously with bad recording, transcription takes more time and so more work hours and higher charges of transcription. Some of the factors that affects the time /cost of transcribing that are considered while assessing a transcription /dictation recording include,

• Background noise level
• Clarity of recording
• Speed of speech
• Clarity of voice
• Number of speakers
• Accents of speakers
• Technical language used
• Content
• Collect essential details of the material transcribed
• Get details of all participants/leaders

So how does one go about creating good quality audio recordings for your transcription outsourcing provider? Well, essentially one has to make sure that the recording is done as perfectly as possible by,

• Making a test recording
• Minimize tape "hiss"
• Use digital recording
• Minimize background noise
• Use more microphones if more than two people
• Plan all breaks beforehand
• Avoid speakers from speaking among themselves
• Get all details of the speaker/participant (Gender/ title/ representation etc)
• Note Words/minute

Outsource Strategies International (OSI ) is an Oklahoma based medical transcription company that offers professional outsourced solutions in medical coding, medical billing and medical transcription service for clients globally.

Medical Transcription Rules for Preparing Reports

There are certain basic rules that must be followed by all the professionals in the medical transcription industry. The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) style guide is very popular and is in use around the globe. The style guide guides the medical transcription professional in all the different aspects of transcription that includes topics spacing during typing of text,numbering/ numerical typing, punctuation, hyphenation, drug terminology, capitalization rules, measurements, symbols to be used, classification rules, proofreading and more.

Let me now mention about some of the important rules that must be followed during the transcription/preparation of various medical reports.

• While writing the history of the present illness it is preferred to use the present tense or a mixed tense.
• Use past tense only while writing about a past medical history.
• Type all allergies in capital
• The Assessment/Diagnosis/Impression report must be entirely in capital letters without abbreviations for any medical terminology. However measurement units can be abbreviated.
• Use past tense in discharge summaries
• If no allergies found, type "No known drug allergies."
• All major physical examination reports to be in the present tense
• Use the correct verb tense to communicate the appropriate time of the action.(even if the dictation is wrongly tensed)
• The title "Doctor" is to be written in full
• Capitalize brand name medications. One must not capitalize generic medications.
• Use Latin drug abbreviations.
• Arabic numerals must be use when referring to strength, dosage and directions in medication.

Take a look at the basic style guide with the Courtesy of Global Medical Transcription and MT Daily at http://www.mtdaily.com/style.html

If you are looking for a professional medical transcription company that can offer outsourced medical transcription service along with medical coding/billing, just call the Oklahoma based OSI (Outsource Strategies International).

Medical Transcription Equipment and Technologies

As in many other fields, digital equipment technology forms the backbone of the modern medical transcription industry. The keyword here is "digital". Over the years most transcription equipment have evolved and digital technology has made it possible for finished medical transcripts to be delivered across the globe in minimal turnaround time. It has also enabled effective outsourcing /offshoring of medical transcription and enabled transcription professionals from other developing countries like India/Philippines to offer their services at competitive rates. Good transcription professionals around the globe can now work even from the comfort of their homes.

Some of the technology/software and gears commonly used in the medical transcription business include,

• Digital microphones
• PC based transcriber software
• Digital transcriber stations
• Speed typing software
• Telephone dictation equipment
• Dictation management software
• Transcription desk reference
• Medical spelling checker
• Micro-cassette voice recorder
• Transcription wrist gloves (fingerless)
• FTP software
• Audio file encryption software
• Conference recorders
• Universal foot pedals
• Stedman's electronic medical dictionary
• Phone-in dictation system
• Transcriber headset
• Speech mikes
• Storage memory stick
• Document counting/ invoicing software
• Voice recognition software

While a dictation system is the primary requirement from where the physician actually starts the audio recording process, a transcription tracking system can track transcription jobs from the time they are received until they are delivered back to the customer. The system keeps track of all details like the time/date the job was received, transcription date assigned to a transcriptionist, actual date the transcription, date printed, delivery date/time of the transcript, and the delivery mode. A very convenient statistical report lets us to track the propagation time, balance workloads, manage delivery commitments, and provide a multitude of detailed information to the customer - in both paper and electronic form. The most common form of dictation format used today is the .DSS File Extension.

Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers affordable outsourcing of medical transcription, medical coding and medical billing to clients globally and in all the US States and cities.

Medical Billing Rules

Medical billing procedures are governed by certain laws. Those who work in this field and are directly involved in collecting the medical fees have especially to be aware of these basic rules and regulations. What is the main purpose of medical billing? Well it is just to make sure that the service provider receives fair payment for services provided and also that payment is received in time. What are main laws that govern medical billing? They include,

• Fair debt Collection Act
• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
• The Privacy Rule

The Fair debt collection Act is a federal law that dictates how and when should a debt is to be collected. This act is for protection of the patients and consumers from unlawful threats.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 which is better known as the HIPAA was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. HIPAA has two titles.

Title I of HIPAA regulates the availability and breadth of group and individual health insurance plans. It amends both the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the Public Health Service Act. This act also prohibits any group health plan from creating eligibility rules or deciding of insurance premiums for individuals in the plan based on health status, medical history, genetic information, or disability.

The second title of HIPAA contains a portion that increases the efficiency of data exchange for healthcare financial transactions and protects the privacy of electronic data transmission and the confidentiality of patient records. If the HIPPA rules are violated, penalties can be imposed. Title II of HIPAA defines numerous offenses relating to health care and sets civil and criminal penalties for them. It also creates several programs to control fraud and abuse within the health care system.

The privacy rule regulates the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI). PHI is any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to an individual. Any person who believes that the Privacy Rule is not being upheld can file a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers highly professional outsourced services in medical coding, medical billing and medical transcription.

Medical Transcription: Faster Than Average Growth Predicted for Coming Decade

The U.S. Department of Labor has projected that jobs in the medical transcription field will increase faster than average in the coming decade as the health care industry will continue to grow. See details at, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos271.htm#projections_data

What are the main reasons for this expected growth?

• Aging population is on the rise
• More medical tests /treatment
• More medical procedures

Many people within the US are expected to get trained and certified to join the medical transcription industry. Also an increase in domestic as well as offshore outsourcing of the medical transcription projects can be predicted. Getting good quality transcription work done at highly competitive rates from Asian countries like India and the Philippines has been a good method to reduce the overall health care expenses. To ensure good quality services from Asian countries International certifications are being made available to the medical transcription, coding and billing professionals in India. So that medical outsourcing can get better. For more details, go here.

Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers highly cost effective and professional services in medical billing, medical coding and medical transcription.

Outsourcing Medical Work

Outsourcing is the process where a third party (who may be located domestically or in a offshore country) is used to perform a company’s in-house work. Outsourcing has many benefits and may involve many different types of activities.

Medical outsourcing of health sector back office processes like transcription, coding, and billing is growing by the day. Medical outsourcing work groups in offshore Asian countries like India and the Philippines are constantly trained to be conversant in US guidelines and standards and services like medical transcription is delivered on a daily or even a few hours turnaround basis.

In recent years medical outsourcing has taken a different path where people are seen taking flights out of the US to get surgeries done. Expensive heart or spine surgeries from cheaper countries mean savings in tens of thousands of dollars. Look at this 2006 Time magazine article titled “Outsourcing Your Heart” at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1196429,00.html

One of the main reasons for the high cost of medical expenses in the US has been due to the lack of competition. Countries like India are planning and focusing on their medical tourism industry where patients from around the world will come for getting high quality health services at competitive rates. As India is a developing country development growth in this type of surgery outsourcing has to develop gradually. But when it comes to processes like medical transcription or medical billing India and the Philippines have already become the world’s favorite destinations.

Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers total outsourcing solutions in medical transcription, medical billing, and medical coding.

The Growing Need for Medical Transcription Outsourcing

Why it is that medical transcription outsourcing has become a big business today? Well it is just because one thing leads to other. In the earlier days medical secretaries just had to type out the reports dictated by the doctor after the rush time. Now it is different. For one so much more documentation is required and that too in such less time that a secretary will have time for nothing else. It has become mandatory for hospitals to keep digital records of all the patient details. Why?

Because every time a medical bill is being made there is the possibility that some insurance company is actually paying the bill. So unless we have perfect documentation of the disease the process of diagnosis medicines etc how can the billing be done? And with so much of growth in the volume of health care clients and hospitals /specialties, either a full time transcription team has to be arranged within the hospital premise or the transcription work has to be outsourced. Work is being sent to offshore locations for purely economic and turnaround time reasons. Thus today we have the fully evolved transcription outsourcing industry.

According the United States department of Labor, the world wide demand for medical transcription is set to reach 20 billion dollars. So if looking out for a career in Medical transcription now is a good time. What are basic requirements to become a good medical transcription professional? It is actually quite simple. One must have,

• A good knowledge of basic to advanced medical terminologies
• Good verbal communication and memory skills
• Ability to be accurate with numbers
• Skill in office equipment/computer
• Good listening skills
• Good verbal and written comprehension
• Ability to maintain records
• Above-average typing skills
• Good grammar/punctuation skill
• Proficiency in certain or multiple medical specialties

For availing of cost effective and highly professional medical transcription outsourcing services, do contact Outsource Strategies International (OSI) a US based company and BPO leader offering services in medical transcription, medical billing and coding.

Texas Medical Transcription Institute Attracts Students With Online Training

As demand for medical transcriptionists keeps rising across the country, the Texas Medical Transcription Institute is rolling out an online education program to train even more medical transcriptionists -- one of the country's fastest-growing home-based careers.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment of medical transcriptionists, compared with other occupations, will rise between 18 percent and 26 percent through 2014.

For seven years, what is now known as the Texas Medical Transcription Institute has operated an on-site school for training medical transcriptionists, with 20 students in each 10-month class. Once the online program kicks off in 2008, the institute will be able to accommodate as many as 60 students a year. The institute plans to accept five students a month starting January 1, 2008. Students will finish the online training at their own pace.

While some medical transcriptionists do work in traditional office settings, many of them telecommute from home-based offices as employees or subcontractors for hospitals and transcription services or as self-employed, independent contractors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The training program at the Texas Medical Transcription Institute costs $2,000, compared with $3,000 to $5,000 for similar programs, Tunnicliffe says. Each student's tuition includes books, practice CDs, software, a foot pedal and a headset, as well as the RMT credentialing exam. Software required for the post-graduate internship will be provided once a student graduates.

Medical Billing Outsourcing to India

Outsourcing Medical Billing to Offshore Centers is a popular option in today's highly competitive healthcare industry. With the advent of globalization, more and more medical billing and medical transcription jobs are being outsourced to India. Outsourcing your medical billing to India can result in high quality and cost benefits. Indian Service Providers are trained in regulations pertinent to Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Products, Managed Care, Third Party Liability, Workers Compensation, Preferred Provider Organizations, and Indemnity Insurers and have a complete understanding of CPT, HCPCS, ICD-9 Coding Level I, II, III. They also have the ability to identify data as relates to submitting a clean insurance claim for reimbursement by insurers.

A 100% quality control program is instituted on the start up of a new client contract. This is to assure the accuracy of the data entry matches the specifications initially outlined. After this a random program is maintained as a mechanism to monitor staff and for ongoing personnel training.

Productivity statistics are compiled and communicated with the client as a tool for measuring the outsourcing arrangement. Indian medical transcription compaies are experienced and the outcome will provide the client with a higher quality product at a reduced cost.

HIPAA Compliant Medical Transcription Service

Medical transcription is a healthcare documentation specialty. Using this method, the medical records of the patients are transferred into electronic form. Whether it is clinical note, surgery report, consultation note, X-ray report, referral letter, laboratory report, discharge summary, or psychiatric evaluation note, qualified medical transcriptionists will take care of it.

With the growing popularity of medical transcription services, many big and small companies have emerged in the field. Organizations dealing with electronic healthcare records should not only protect the electronic data, but the printed and oral versions of the document as well. HIPAA compliance is vital for establishments where business functions are carried out electronically. HIPAA, or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a federal law. It covers three sets of rules which include administrative simplification (transactions and code sets), privacy, and security. These new federal regulations ensure privacy and security of all medical records and information about the patient.

Important requirements of HIPAA for a Medical Transcription Company:

Medical Transcription Service Organizations are expected to ensure the security and confidentiality of patient’s Protected Health Information (PHI). MTSOs were further required to maintain an audit trail of all individuals who accessed patient’s PHI. This necessitated the implementation of new technology and business processes to be ensured as the two key requirements by transcription service providers.

HIPAA compliant medical transcription services are designed to meet the requirements of big and small clinics, health centers, and hospitals. Whatever many be the size or type of the healthcare establishments, all must get full operational compliance from HIPAA, both at state and federal levels.

In the current scenario, medical transcription companies which are HIPAA compliant are in great demand. Some of the advantages of HIPAA compliant medical transcription outsourcing service are

• Avoids fines and criminal penalties


• Customer and industry confidence


• Streamlined process workflow


• Public exposure risk is low


• Increased data efficiency
  
  

Advantages of Medical Transcription Outsourcing

Medical transcription is the process of converting dictated information into a standard text format for inclusion on a patient's permanent medical records issued from a hospital. This is often done far away from the hospital or the location, and in such instances is called offshore transcription or medical transcription outsourcing.

The advantages of medical transcription outsourcing are numerous. The primary advantage is the time gained. In hospitals and clinics, the patients' physical reports, operative reports, consultation notes, laboratory reports, discharge summaries, and many more are outsourced to medical transcription service providers. These files are usually voice files dictated by doctors and other healthcare professionals. Medical transcriptionists transcribe these files and send them back via secure e-mail. Medical transcription outsourcing allows hospitals, clinics and healthcare personnel to focus more on their core activities.

Another advantage of medical transcription outsourcing is the high end security to the files. The files for transcription are sent through a secure web-enabled voice transfer technology. The files will be accurately transcribed into MSWord, HTML, WordPerfect or ASCII format. These transcribed files are returned through password-protected process. Only authorized personnel can gain access to the medical transcription reports.

Medical transcriptionists are highly skilled in advanced medical terminology and have a thorough understanding of the procedures, policies, and documentation rules required for the production of medical records. Majority of the transcriptionists working in medical transcription companies are graduates in biological sciences. This allows them to understand the terminologies and vocabulary used by a doctor. Thus error free reports can be prepared maintaining high accuracy. Many companies offer medical transcription outsourcing at lower cost.

Low cost for outsourcing is another advantage of medical transcription outsourcing. Hospitals and doctors can now get their transcription done at low cost. With expert transcriptionists, works can be completed in fast turn-around-time.