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, How Do You Work From Home? If you don’t know that’s OK! Most beginners to the home based medical transcription industry don’t either but this article will give you an expert overview of the industry. You Can Not Go Wrong If You Act Upon What We Share With You!

Is Medical Transcription A Legitimate Home Based Business?

Yes, it is and it has been for decades. It is not one of those widely advertised scams that you would see online or in newspapers like the medical billing industry is plagued with. Medical Transcriptionists have three options when deciding how they want to work:

1) Work inside a practice, hospital, etc.- if you take this route then you could make the equivalent of $9-15 per hour depending on your skill, accuracy and geographic location. As with any other job you will be supplied with everything you need (including benefits) by your employer.

2) Work as an independent/self employed medical transcriptionist – This is when you work completely for/by yourself, you take care of your taxes, you sign up and maintain your own client/accounts, you market your services, you provide your own benefits, etc. You’ll probably start out at the equivalent of $10-15 per hour (or 6-14c per line) and in time (years) you could be earning the equivalent of $15-$40 per hour depending upon the amount of work, clients and type of equipment that you use. A lot of medical transcriptionist around the nation rather doing business this way (including me) and once you see the pros and cons of the business and speak to a CPA you’ll see that this route is rather lucrative and you’re the boss. Simply put, you own the company so you do whatever you must to make it a success. Or;

3) Contract with a national company – with this type of medical transcription you are referred to as Statutory Employee. It is the same as the above mentioned position with the exception that the company you contract with usually pays 7.5% of the FICA tax, they might give you certain equipment to do the job their way and they will assign the workload expectation and pay.

What Is Medical Transcription?

Medical transcription is the process whereby one accurately and swiftly transcribes medical records dictated by doctors and others, including history and physical reports, clinic notes, office notes, operative reports, consultation notes, discharge summaries, letters, psychiatric evaluations, laboratory reports, x-ray reports and pathology reports.

It involves receiving dictation by tape, digital system or voice file, the use of ear/head phones, a foot pedal for start-stop control, a variety of word processing programs and sometimes the use of a printer and a modem. Today many home based medical transcriptionists still deliver their completed work back to the office but with technology being what it is now it’s just as simple to deliver the work via a modem. If you work of a national company they may require you to use a modem to download and transmit the work.

What Skills Does A Home Based Medical Transcriptionist Need?

Let me put it this way, having a computer at home and knowing how to type fast is not enough to become a successful medical transcriptionist. You MUST:

Take A Really Good Online Medical Transcription Training Course (or attend a good school-college-trade or vocational school),

Have Good Listening Skills,

Great English Grammar Skills,

Excellent Computer Skills,

Superior Research Skills,

Possess High Typing Speeds With Great Accuracy,

Pay Great Attention To Detail,

Have A Great Foundation In Medical Terminology, Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, Laboratory Tests And Values, Medical Equipment and Procedures,

Possess The Ability To Work Alone (Usually you won’t have much contact with others),

Possess The Ability To Work Under Pressure And Sometimes Under A Deadline, and

Posses The Ability To Sit In Front Of A Computer For Extended Amounts Of Time.

You will need to invest in several different types of publications such as: an English dictionary, a grammar and style guide, a complete medical dictionary, a drug index, a laboratory and pathology word book, a medical word book by specialty, a surgery word book, a medical abbreviation word book, other specialty word books and a physician directory and other journals.

You will also need to use several different pieces of software such as a medical spellchecker and an abbreviation system such as PRD or Smartype. You will also need to learn all you can about your own computer so you can employ all the ticks and shortcuts within it to greatly enhance your productivity. Remember that you need to always have your hands on the keyboard because the more you type and type accurately is the greater your pay will be.

What’s The Initial Investment Needed To Do Medical Transcription?

This varies and it depends on several factors like:

Do you already have a home office or if you’re starting from scratch?

Do you have formal medical transcription training or not?

Do you already have most of the books you will need?

Do you have the necessary software programs to do the job professionally?

Do you need to purchase additional software or hardware?

The great thing is that you can buy most of the things you need (used) from places like eBay and other places that support the home based medical transcription industry. Your four major purchases will be your medical transcription training, transcriber, computer and reference books so your investment will be very minimal compared to doing medical billing from home where the investment can be as much as $6,000 to get the business off the ground.