Inside Medical Transcription

Medical transcription is the process of producing reports from dictation by medical providers of the details of patient office visits, clinical, radiographic and operative procedures, and so on. Virtually every encounter a patient has in the medical arena is documented in some way. Most providers and institutions have Formalized this documentation into the patient’s medical record through dictation and subsequent transcription. In addition to typing the report into the desired format, transcriptionists also verify the dictation for accuracy – both Spanish-language medical accuracy and accuracy – so that the final report is a clear, medically accurate representation of the encounter between patient and provider.

This “verification process” means that the transcriptionist must have a thorough foundation in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, laboratory tests and values, medical equipment and procedures. In addition, every successful medical transcriptionist will have superior research and Spanish grammar skills, along with excellent computer skills, typing skills and (if you plan to have your own business) some familiarity with business marketing and management. Paying close attention to detail is another quality that is essential in a good medical transcriptionist.

Just having a computer at home and knowing how to type is definitely not enough to become a working, successful medical transcriptionist.

If you have a clinical background in the medical field you may have a head start – as long as your Spanish knowledge is as broad as your medical knowledge. In my opinion, the real foundation for this field is a love for the Spanish language and outstanding grammar skills. All other necessary knowledge can be “layered” upon this, but if you are weak in the Spanish department, I feel your success would be limited.

As you will verify and often correct the provider’s Spanish usage, you need to be certain that the final structure of each sentence is Grammatically correct. You need to know why (technically) a comma goes here, but not there …. how to make this verb or pronoun agree with that subject’s number and person …. the special needs of a compound sentence – and do not forget Semicolons, conjunctions, gerunds, modifiers and prepositions!

If you do not love the Spanish language, If you have to check the dictionary as you sign your name, If hyphens and apostrophes give you cold chills, forget medical transcription. It’s not for you.

Although medical transcriptionists are not necessarily solitary creatures, this is a solitary job. For most of your day it will be just you, your transcriber (with that voice in your ear), and your computer. This job does not have personal interaction as would a customer service or medical assistant’s job. You may care about “your” patients and pray for their recovery, but you will not see them or speak to them personally. Your part of their medical care is doing your absolute best with every report, every day.

So what do you get in return for your in-depth training and your excellent work? There’s no easy answer to the question of compensation in this field.

There are many different working environments available to a trained, experienced MT, including hospitals, clinics, individual and group medical, chiropractic, radiology, physical therapy practices, national transcription services that hire home-based or contract MT’s, local transcription services who may also hire or contract MT’s, and owner-operator MT’s (who may also Subcontract work out).

Income varies by geographical area, by employment versus entrepreneurial situation, by your own desire to work full-time, part-time or something in between. A broad range would probably be from $ 8.00 per hour in a doctor’s office in a rural area to $ 75.00 per hour as an independent (with all related expenses, including “benefits” coming off the top), and even more as a service owner .

While this appears to be an excellent field for those transitioning from another career to working at home, you need to be aware that there can be a “catch-22″ in this profession. Because of the difficulty of the work, experience is so valued that it is sometimes difficult for “newbies” to get a job without experience or clients (and of course, how do you get experience without a job or clients?).

Many experienced (and very vocal) MT’s on the Internet and online services will flatly state that it is foolish to even attempt to work at home without having spent time in an office or institution or in an apprenticeship program or mentoring situation. They claim that only with an MT angel perched near your listening ear can you make it through the first few difficult months.

Maybe so.

I suspect that some of these MT’s have not had formal training MT transcription and that they learned through OJT with a helpful pair of ears nearby, And thus they think it’s the best way.

However – I have a slightly different opinion since I began working at home with my own clients the week I finished my MT training, and have worked full-time-plus since.

I feel that IF you take a reputable MT training course –
and IF you really learn all that the course offers –
and IF you have outstanding Spanish language skills –
and IF you have at least five years’ experience in another field (where you had real serious responsibilities and acquired skills) –
and IF you have a comprehensive library of references PLUS excellent research skills –
and IF you are 500% committed to building a successful medical transcription business,
THEN you can do it.

Those are a lot of “ifs” and they cover a lot of territory – but with persistence, skills, commitment and the courage to follow your dreams, it can be done.

Medical transcription jobs from home provide legitimate typing jobs. Because of the aging population, the need for health care services has increased. This in turn has increased the need for medical transcriptionists and there is a lot of work available in this field.

Medical transcription jobs includes working for individual doctors at physician’s offices, hospitals, and a variety of healthcare facilities, insurance companies, legal offices, research centers, laboratories, government medical facilities, and other organizations. However, you are not restricted to working in an office, and many transcriptionists work from home either as freelancers or employees.

When freelancing or working from home, you can charge slightly higher fees than medical transcriptionists working in an office because clients do not have to pay employee benefits. They set their own hours and can choose to work part time or full time.

The person who transcribes the dictation is called a medical transcriptionist, typists, medical word processors and medical secretaries. They use a transcription machine and a word processing program to transcribe dictation into a typed document. When transcribing digital recordings, they use a specialized foot pedal and software.

What kind of work will you do as a medical transcriptionist? You simply transcribe or type dictated information into a word processing program.

The health professional dictates the patient information into a recorder or through a phone dictation system. Medical transcriptionists transcribe this information into a typed document. The transcribed documents are sent back to the dictator as a digital file or hard copy for verification and approval and they become part of a patient’s permanent medical record.

What skills do you need? You need to be familiar with many medical specialties and must be able to produce accurate transcription. The finished transcription work or transcribed documents provide legal documentation of patient care. They are needed for insurance reimbursement, litigation and scientific research.

To get medical transcription jobs, you will need to be proficient with medical terminology and you may need to have formal medical transcription training. As health records contain patients’ personal information and medical information, transcriptionists must keep all information confidential.

How do you start getting medical transcription work from home?

You can receive and send transcription work through the Internet, making it possible to work from any location. Many medical transcriptionists can work from home either as independent contractors or home-based employees.

Client for transcription from home jobs may include medical professionals, physicians, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and insurance companies. It may be easier to start by working for larger medical transcription service offices. Some individual transcriptionists may be open to helping you get started.

You may be able to find clients advertising, through the Internet and online job sites and freelance sites.

If you want to do transcription work from home as an employee, you are more likely to get work from home from an employer you have worked for in an office previously.

If you’re looking for legitimate typing work from home, consider medical transcription. It’s one of the best home typing jobs from home and there is plenty of work available.

Medical transcription is a diligent process and noble objective to humanity by serving patients who require treatment from specialist doctors and health care providers. The jobs of medical transcription have been gaining importance due to its abundant supply and a profession of financial bonanza but it does not demand huge qualifications and skills. With the change of food habits and climatic irregularities human life has been facing a challenge to attain matured age in life.

And it is the medical transcriptionists who can contribute for actual treatment by transcribing dictated notes from specialist’s doctors and health care providers stationed in various locations in this planet. So, the process of converting verbal advice in a readable format is called medical transcription.

The following are the functions that a medical transcriptionist should adhere to i.e.:

A. History of patients and possible occurrences of diseases,

B. Mental and physical reports,

C. Notes of office and clinic,

D. Pathology and operative reports,

E. Transcribe consultation with doctors and heath care providers and their advises,

F. Patients discharge summaries,

G. Laboratory and x-ray reports,

H. Other kinds of jobs which are required to prepare a medical record.

The demand for good medical transcriptionists have been increasing day by day.The recent data from US dept. of labor reveals that medical transcription jobs at entry label provide $25000-$27000 P.A while it will be increased to $50000-$60000 P.A depending upon skills and qualifications. The AAMT has been providing degrees and diploma both offline and online arrangement. After completion of course, the successful candidates deserve the following skills.

A. Ability to use correct vocabulary, punctuation and spelling.

B. Good exposure in medical terminology relates to anatomy, general medicine and surgery, pathology and laboratory reports.

C. Basic computer software knowledge and internet technology.

D. Speed in keyboard operations 60-80 wpm and ability in proofreading.

E. Good understanding HIPAA, ICD-9, CPT-4 and its applications in medical transcription.

The medical transcription career is not hard but it is not as easy as data entry jobs. It requires lot of patience to sit in front of computer for a long time. Besides, some short term or long term qualifications are needed to do the jobs successfully.