Inside Medical Transcription

How would like to work at home? A home based job can be more beneficial than you think and jobs such as these are real, no doubt about it. Especially for those who have studied medical transcription courses and is good at what they do. There are now a lot of job opportunities for you and yes, they are online! Now, you can be with your family while earning an income.

Online medical transcription jobs can be very beneficial to all those moms out there who have to stay at home to watch over the kids. They can now bring in additional income in the household. A medical transcription job online can easily be acquired as long as you have the skills. You must know the medical terms and are conversant with medical fields such as physiology and anatomy. You must know how to use MS word, send emails and the internet. Add to that certain knowledge of English grammar rules and you are set to go.

You may think this is hard. For those who already have their diplomas as a medical transcription specialist, the job is not hard at all. However, for those who do not yet have the skill, you can go and learn them. There are many legitimate medical transcription schools over the internet. Anyone could learn and procure a diploma.

So when you take a closer look at a medical transcription jobs offered online, it is really something to go for. The salaries offered are high. Aside from that, you get to work at home. That is a very good thing right there. It is true that there are scams out there, but there are also legitimate ones.

As with anything that involves an enormous amount of stored information, medical transcription can be a costly and frustrating part of any physician’s job. Many hospitals and private practitioners are turning to off site companies to reduce operating costs and enhance the quality of patient care. This article discusses the whys and hows of using a medical transcription company.

So what are some of the benefits of outsourced medical dictation services? For starters, good companies provide services to all types and sizes of medical practices, clinics, and organizations. They are the perfect solution for any type or size of facility that wants to reduce transcription operating costs, improve document workflow, enhance quality of work life for physicians, increase revenues, and increase patient satisfaction.

In addition, outsourcing balances staffing needs, handles overflow, and centralizes medical transcription services. Outsourcing also offers an efficient solution when medical transcription volumes vary; the HIM director can minimize the staff’s idle time during slow periods, deal with seasonal fluctuations, avoid stress and overtime during peak periods, and account for vacation coverage.

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of using outsourced dictation services, here are a few questions you should ask when choosing a company.

• Ask how long the company has been in business. Avoid startups at all costs.

• Ask the number of clients they have and if the company will provide references. Call the references to get feedback on the company.

• Ask the company about their support hours. One sure sign that a company has poor customer service is if it only has a toll-free number or simply relies on e-mail.

• Ask if the company uses a web-based system. Online access to patient reports is critical today. Avoid companies that don’t have this capability.

• Ask about the company’s standard turn-around time. A good company can return reports in less than twenty-four hours, some in as little as four.

• Ask how the company bills clients. The fairest way of billing is per line, which is usually defined as sixty-five characters. Companies who bill per audio minute make money whenever there is silence, and billing by page gives them money even if the page does not fill up.

• Ask if the company outsources their work overseas. While most do not, it is an important consideration that may affect the efficiency of your facility.

• Ask how the company audits reports. The company should have several QA checks and experienced proofreaders to ensure quality control.

• Ask for a copy of the company’s client-services agreement. Read the fine print to check that the company doesn’t hold you to their service for any amount of time.

The simple act of working as an MT provides an individual with continuing education. As we listen to dictation and our fingers fly across the keys, something unique is happening-we are absorbing information that is being stored in our memory banks. The best example of that is that while watching a nature show about gorillas recently and hearing the narrator start to talk about tracing the male gorilla’s ancestry back to the original female, I made the comment to my husband that they do this by using mitochondrial DNA because mitochondrial DNA is only passed through the female line.

Shortly after I completed my comment, the narrator said the exact same thing. My husband was curious as to how I knew that and I proudly said “I learned it while working on my genetic medical reports!” By truly listening to and not just hearing what is transcribed, the MT gains a valuable education in any and all specialties they work on. There are exciting facts to be learned if one just listens. Much of what we learn while transcribing becomes second nature-we hear it so often we know when a term is off kilter or just not quite right.

In addition, the constant research that needs to be done when coming into contact with new terminology, new medical devices, and new medical procedures provides us with a continuing education. In order to know that what we are typing is accurate, we must understand the meaning of new terminology, the function of a new device, or the purpose of a new procedure. Therefore we are absorbing new information on an almost daily basis. The Internet provides endless avenues for research.

As you research a new medical word or a new procedure, take a few moments to read the article that surrounds it-print it out for reading at your leisure. The Internet is one avenue for obtaining new knowledge, but there are others. If you work in a medical office setting, take the time to ask the doctor questions-you would be surprised at how often they are willing to expound on their area of expertise. Television can often be another avenue for continued learning. Some of the educational channels often show programs having to do with the health sciences and the newest technologies being used-you can learn fascinating things about Genetics, Cardiology, Plastic Surgery, Orthopedics, and other medical specialties this way.

For some MTs there is a unique way of increasing their knowledge-one that hopefully not many have to partake of too often. In our daily lives we all receive medical care in some form or fashion. This may involve procedures that you hear on a regular basis while transcribing, but have no idea of how they really function, such as an IVP or a renal arteriogram. I had always imagined an IVP (intravenous pyelogram) as something complicated until I had to have one done and discovered “oh, it’s an x-ray done with contrast dye while lying on an x-ray table.”

Not nearly as scary as it sounded. When I had to have a renal arteriogram, I immediately asked the doctor if I would be able to watch. Thanks to an anesthetic that did not put me to sleep, I paid very close attention to the overhead screens and watched the doctor perform this delicate procedure. I now have a real understanding of what a renal arteriogram is when I type those words because I can actually visualize it.

Whatever form continuing education takes, as MT’s it is extremely important that we continue to learn and obtain new information, thereby making ourselves proficient experts in our profession.