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.

Medical Coding: The ICD-10-PCS (Procedure Coding System)

Procedure codes are numbers or alphanumeric codes used to identify specific health interventions taken by medical professionals. The ICD-10-PCS is a system of medical coding used for procedure codes.

The coding professional world is getting trained and waiting for the implementation of the ICD-10-PCS (Procedure Coding System). Developed by The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) this new procedure coding system will be a successor to Volume 3 of ICD-9-CM and a modified version of the original ICD-10. Who is responsible for the implementation of the new coding system? Well it is the World Health Organization (WHO) that gave permission to the NCHS to develop the ICD-10-PCS and only the WHO has to decide on the date when the new system will replace the ICD-9-CM. The ICD-10-CM is the proposed replacement for ICD-9-CM, Volumes 1 & 2. Has the rest of the world also been implementing similar processes? Here is a document on the assessment of the ICD-10 in the South East Asia region from the WHO website http://whqlibdoc.who.int/searo/2002/SEA_HS_220.pdf

Take a look at the NCHS Homepage at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/Default.htm

Every medical code has seven characters that can be alphanumeric (either alphabets or numbers) These are the characters.

• Section
• Body System
• Root Operation
• Body Part
• Approach
• Device
• Qualifier

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

AAPC 2008 National Medical Coding Conference in Orlando

The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) had announced that the Sixteenth National Conference will be held in Orlando, FL from June 8th – 11th, 2008. (Please note that another additional annual conference is to be held in Disneyland Hotel January 9 - 12, 2008 and so this would probably be the sixteenth conference and not the Orlando one and registrations have already closed.).

The Orlando conference is said to be a combination of outstanding speakers presenting the most up-to-date coding information and will also be a fun relaxing vacation atmosphere for the whole family. Speakers will include coders, physicians, attorneys, payers, billers, and others.

Registration link:
https://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Register/IdentityConfirmation.aspx?e=d723ab71-a4f1-4cf5-bdaa-0c2bad3f3077

Conference agenda is at http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Agenda.aspx?e=d723ab71-a4f1-4cf5-bdaa-0c2bad3f3077

As an attendee you will experience,

• 70 vendors showcasing their latest products
• Networking with colleagues, physicians and educators
• Over 30 educational sessions
• A gathering of top coding professionals from all over the country

For quick and cost effective solutions in outsourcing medical coding / billing and transcription do contact Outsource Strategies International (OSI) the Oklahoma based medical transcription company.

Medical Transcription Software

As of today, medical transcription is still preferred to be done manually but a lot of effort and research is going on to develop a software program and make transcription a totally automatic process. With our present day technology medical transcription software and other tools can be of great help to the professional medical transcriptionists. It can greatly reduce the work time and also increase the work productivity and efficiency. But the actual transcription and voice recognition has not been perfected, and thus cannot be totally depended upon.. One cannot yet expect the software to recognize words and use logic like a human being to perfectly come up with the right word all the time. However this is a dynamically evolving area and over the years perfection in automated transcription could become a reality.

So how is it that the present day medical transcriptionists use these software products? When audio dictations from doctors and healthcare professionals are recorded and sent to the transcriber the software is used to create a first draft which is then quickly reviewed by the transcriptionist and edited.

Some of the features / functions of MT software include,

• Capture of the voice
• Speech processing
• Speech recognition
• Document formatting
• Support wide range of audio/video formats
• Remote control /keyboard short cuts
• Quick editing
• Electronic signature
• Document distribution
• Support /manage different time frame rates
• Create time codes and navigate to any specific timeline
• Customize media appearance
• Audio playback possible
• Import data with different settings in text or XML
• Integrates with other healthcare systems
• Easy printing
• Exports / insertions made possible

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

Medical Transcription Journals

The Journal of the American Association for Medical Transcription (JAAMT) keeps medical transcriptionists up-to-date on the trends and challenges affecting medical transcription. The journal has a frequency of 6 issues per year. The information in JAAMT is vital to all who pursue excellence in medical transcription, from the medical transcription student to the most experienced medical transcriptionist. JAAMT has been dedicated to the advancement of medical transcription through the education and development of medical transcriptionists as medical language professionals for over 20 years.

The JAAMT site is at http://www.jaamtonline.com/

Members of the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) can access content published in JAAMT by completing their login through the association's website at http://www.aamt.org/. Non members and non subscribers can choose to set up a one time guest account for purchase of online articles.

Health Matrix (formerly JAAMT) is a bimonthly business and technology journal that is packed with content that addresses the evolving trends and emerging technologies of today's healthcare documentation marketplace as well as legislative advocacy, cutting-edge clinical medicine, and professional practice issues. It also targets all sectors of the transcription market, including service owners, quality assurance professionals, Health IT experts, medical transcriptionists, medical editors, and others with an interest in health data capture and documentation. Subscriptions are at http://www.lww.com/product/?1936-2994

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