Inside Medical Transcription

Medical transcription jobs are on the rise and will continue to be for the next decade, largely due to the aging baby-boomer population and the special medical treatment and care they will require.   Couple that with the fact that the average age of medical transcriptionists is now 55, one can see that a shortage of medical transcriptionists will soon become a critical issue.

But wait: It is no secret that a lot of medical transcription work is being outsourced, sent overseas to India and the Phillipines. The per line cost is cheaper, and many companies are willing to sacrifice quality for the bottom line. Surely that will save us from the MT shortage. It may indeed. However, what it will not save us from is the inexcusable compromise and swapping of quality for quantity in the medical field. It is dismaying to those of us who have remained dedicated, committed, and proud to do our very best as medical transcriptionists to see such a decline in quality.

It is not that medical transcriptionists in India or the Phillipines do not care about quality. I firmly believe they do care.   One of the main problems is the English language itself. There are so many colloquial and slang expressions that even a person whose primary language is English is hard pressed to know them all. When you throw medical terminology on top of that with a doctor who is talking sloppy and as fast as he can, is it any wonder then that the result is poor quality medical reports?

Here is an example: I remember dictating a medical record review in which I was reviewing billing information. Several dollar amounts were even amounts; i.e. $175.00, $20.00, $55.00. Consequently, I dictated the amounts: ”One hundred seventy-five dollars even, twenty dollars even, and fifty-five dollars even.” When I received the dictation back from India, it read: ” $175 even, $20 even, and $55 even.”  I had to go in and edit many entries. I had taken for granted that what I had dictated would be understood, but it definitely got lost in the cultural translation.

So what am I saying about medical transcription jobs? I am saying it is best to keep the work in our home country. We who work here know company names, the lingo, the jargon, the slang, and colorful nuances that other individuals from other countries cannot begin to fathom.  The most precious thing we can do for patients is to provide them with the best medical care and that is based on an accurate, quality medical report, is it not??

Doctors are notorious for sloppy, incomplete, and inaccurate dictation. They could clean it up if they were so motivated, but they leave that to the MTs. We are the gatekeepers who ensure quality medical reports are produced, and if medical transcription jobs keep going abroad, quality patient care may literally and figuratively be lost in translation.

The professional healthcare team includes physicians, nurses, therapists, technicians, dieticians, and other healthcare support staff. A vital member of this team is the medical transcriptionist. While not as visible to the general public as those members of the team providing hands-on care, the medical transcriptionist plays an important role in documenting the quality of patient care.

Medical transcriptionists provide an important service to both physician and patient by transcribing dictated medical reports that document a patient’s medical care and condition. These may include office chart notes, history and physical examinations, consultations, letters, memos, admission notes, emergency department notes, operative reports, discharge summaries, and many specialized laboratory tests and diagnostic studies. Medical transcriptionists transcribe reports from a variety of medical specialties, and each day’s work presents a unique challenge and opportunity for learning.

Medical transcriptionists contribute to quality patient care through their commitment to excellence. Because each dictated report represents a part of a patient’s life, the medical transcriptionist transcribes it with care, demonstrating an extensive knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, pharmacology, human diseases, surgical procedures, diagnostic studies, and laboratory tests in order to produce an accurate and complete permanent medical record.

A mastery of English grammar, structure, and style, a knowledge of transcription practices, skill in typing, spelling, and proofreading, and the highest professional standards contribute to the medical transcriptionist’s ability to interpret, translate, and edit medical dictation for content and clarity.

Medical transcriptionists work in a variety of settings, including medical centers, general and specialty hospitals, clinics and group practices, radiology and pathology offices, government facilities, insurance companies, home offices, and other environments. Some medical transcriptionists combine their transcription skills with clinical skills to work as medical assistants. Others become supervisors, managers, and college teachers.

In January 2007, a medical transcription apprenticeship program was launched in a concerted effort to staunch a shortage of medical transcriptionists that will affect the United States as the age of the general population and experienced MTs continues to rise. Interestingly, the average age of qualified medical transcriptionists is 49. That is alarming news in the medical field where the graying of America is reaching an all-time high and medical care for our aging baby boomers will strain our healthcare system as never before.

The administrative requirements for the medical transcription apprenticeship program were defined by the U.S. Department of Labor. Under the auspices of the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT), the concept of the Registered Medical Transcription (RMT) examination, an entry-level test for medical transcriptionists who have completed basic coursework at approved educational institutions, was developed.

In March 2007, the Department of Labor took an unprecedented step toward getting more people to pursue a career in medical transcription: it declared this field to be an apprenticeable profession which is the first step in establishing a national medical transcription apprenticeship program.

Once the RMT examination has been passed by an MT, he or she can then submit an application to the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) for registered apprenticeship positions. When accepted, the qualified MT will come under the tutelage of employers who participate in this program.

The medical transcription apprenticeship program is a vital necessity in maintaining a standard of healthcare in this country. MTs were once trained in house by other qualified personnel; however, this on-the-job training went by the wayside when the demand and the workload became too great to accommodate this vital training. Continuity of drawing qualified individuals to this field was compromised, and it is only recently that other creative avenues of pairing MT newbies who have completed coursework with employers who wish to give them on-the-job training has been implemented.

Creating an environment in which MTs can learn, prosper, thrive, and accelerate the learning curve so they can make the decent salary they richly deserve, all the while providing an essential service–specifically to the employer and to the community at large–is the reason behind the development of the medical transcription apprenticeship program.