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AUTHOR: Anna williams
July 18, 2019

Speech Recognition transformed the process of Medical Dictation and Transcription?

It would be an understatement to say that the technological advancements have had some impact on the health care industry because if we explore how technology has impacted the medical and health care industry, we will notice a pattern of revolutionary growth with every technological advent. It has affected the procees of medical dictation too.

Technological advancements have been responsible for profoundly upgrading the documentation workflow of the health care industry. Every technological innovation builds applications that not only transforms the processes but also streamlines the operations – They are truly responsible for revolutionizing the growth aspect of not just the industry of health care but any industry! Though such technological transformations are revolutionary, they almost always pose a threat of replacement to the industry professionals and while that is a cause of concern, we must remember that with every challenge, comes an opportunity to evolve. One such technological advancement that has had an impact on the process of medical dictation and subsequently medical transcription is speech recognition technology! But before we learn the extent of the impact that speech recognition has had on medical dictation and medical transcription let’s first understand what speech recognition is?

READ MORE:-  Important Medical Dictation Techniques To Use For Physicians

Speech recognition technology commonly abbreviated as SRT is a type of artificial intelligence in which the software identifies the spoken words and transforms them into digitized text. To facilitate this process, there are handheld devices, apps and software are through which SRT identifies the phrases of the speech and the spoken words into texts. The technology of speech recognition goes back to the early 1900s when the first Dictaphone was invented but today, this technology has come a far way! The advent of speech recognition technology in the modern era was met with an enthusiastic response by various departments especially the law enforcement and legal industry.

Doctor investigating something

Today, speech recognition is not just predominant in law enforcement and legal departments but it is very actively being used in the health care and medical industry. Through its integration within the health care industry has not been entirely successful, there have been some advantages to integrating SRT with medical dictation. Let’s explore these advantages and the way speech recognition technology has impacted medical dictation and the industry of medical transcription:

• SRT enables the doctor to conduct the medical dictation as well as create a structured clinical document. Though these documents are not accurate as the ones’ transcribed by transcriptionist professionals, it does enables the physicians to create a draft document during medical dictation on a real-time basis.

• In extension to the above fact, implementation of SRT in the medical dictation process has allowed now allows the physician to create a preliminary draft of the patient health information that can be made available to other health care professionals in an emergency case scenario.

• A survey conducted in Quebec, Canada, where a total of five reviews were systematically studied determined that the overall quality of the transcribed document is not as accurate as expected. Medical dictation, when conducted with SRT software’s, do yield structured clinical documents but they need to be thoroughly reviewed. However, the study also states that there is an upside of SRT! The upside is that the time taken by the transcriptionist to yield the final report is drastically reduced.

• Medical dictation processes integrated with SRT also has had an impact on the process of medical transcription. Though SRT’s are themselves not able to deliver an accurate report, Speech recognition software’s do enable the transcriptionist to develop transcription reports with better accuracy. This is because there is an initial draft available with the transcriptionist to edit and work upon – In a way, the advent of SRT has enhanced the quality of clinical documentation.

• Physicians that conduct medical dictation with an integrated SRT software yield an initial draft thereby reducing the occurrence of error that might have happened due to either heavy accents of the speaker or local slang language however, such reports must still thoroughly be reviewed to ensure that they have been transcribed according to the data mentioned in the voice recording.

• The advent of SRT in the medical dictation subsequently transformed the role of medical transcriptionist too! Now, a SRT integrated medical dictation is dealt by an editor. SRT has transformed the role of medical transcriptionist from a typist to an editor and now, their tasks are far more challenging! The integration of SRT in medical dictation enables the medical transcriptionist to take on more challenging roles that requires them to use their problem solving and analytical skills. This in turn leads to transcribing documents with high quality.

• Since an initial draft is now available with the transcriptionist, the time taken to complete a transcribed report is now reduced to a great extent. Thus, SRT’s integration in medical dictation has made it possible to reduce the turnaround time.

Today, an initial draft of the transcribed medical report can be made available if the physician conducts medical dictation with an SRT integrated software – This technological invention was met with weariness by the medical transcription industry. And though SRT has transformed the medical dictation process to an extent, it cannot completely replace the medical transcription process – It still has a far way to go to match the accuracy of transcription carried out by medical transcription professionals.

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It can also be said that SRT is one of the cutting edge technologies that has replaced the traditional devices with comprehensive devices and software’s to convert speech into digitized texts. The advent of speech recognition technology did create weariness within the medical transcription industry but as we know today, it was embraced and accepted with the focus of enhancing clinical documentation. Medical dictation processes integrated with SRT’s have not been able to yield accurate report by themselves but in conjunction to the current medical transcription process, they have improved the output.

By: Anna williams Category: blog
July 15, 2019

Introduction to EMR and its benefits within the health care system!

The implementation of digitized techniques within the health care system has truly revolutionized the industry and this revolution has brought parallel developments that have not only structured the health care system but also provided better means of communication. These, in turn, have positively affected the quality of care and services provided by the health care industry. One such technology that has led the health care industry towards improving their quality is Electronic Medical Records, commonly abbreviated as EMR.

What is an Electronic Medical Record or EMR?

An Electronic Medical Record is a digital version of the patients’ medical records. These medical records are systemized and available at one digitized location. They are usually maintained with one physician at one digital location. An EMR enables the health care provider to examine a patient’s medical information over a period of time. This data is not limited to but may include the following details:

a) Demographics details of the patient
b) Billing information of the insurance companies
c) Past and current medical history
d) Seasonal allergies, medicinal allergies, food allergies, etc
e) Any surgery details or report
f) Previous vaccinations
g) Pathology laboratory reports
h) Medical radiology reports

Electronic Medical Records makes it possible to securely exchange medical information of a patient electronically. Through EMR, it is possible for various authorized users to access a patient’s medical data instantly and securely. It is one of the revolutionary digital technologies that have been able to produce a system for seamless documentation workflow of patients.
Despite the various benefits that the EMR systems pose in the health care industry, its’ integration within the health care system was not seen for a very long time. The implementation of electronic medical records significantly ramped up in 2014 due to a certification program by the CDC. Though that was one of the factors that fast-tracked the adoption of EMR, today, more and more physicians are realizing its’ benefits and adopting it into their systems!

READ MORE:- The Need to Use Transcription With EMR System

Benefits of implementing EMR systems:

Lets’ understand how EMR systems help to provide better health care and improve the quality of patient care:

Immediate access to patients’ medical records:

EMR significantly reduces and sometimes even eliminates the time taken to access patients’ medical records. It allows instantaneous access to patients’ medical records thereby, significantly reducing the turnaround time of telephonic messages.

Reduction in communication errors:

Due to the implementation of EMR, the requirement to communicate details has also reduced. Today, health care professionals can directly access the medical data thus; comparatively, there are fewer communication errors. This implementation of electronic medical records has benefitted the health care system and enabled them to increase the quality of care provided by them!

Chronicle organization of patient data:

EMR allows administrative medical assistants to chronically organize the records of patient data. Health care professionals can now not only find patient’s data and history at a centralized location but they can also review the data in chronological order. This also allows multiple health professionals to collaborate so that the patient receives the best care and effective treatment for their condition.

Scheduling of appointments and automatic reminders:

EMR also helps to organize appointments for a physician. It allows the administrator in charge of the medical assistant to keep track of all the appointments of the patient. Since the EMR system is searchable through various parameters such as the physician’s name, patients name, etc., the appointments can be previewed and scheduled without any clash by the medical assistant. The electronic medical records systems also help in efficiently managing the schedule of a patient who is undergoing various medical procedures. For instance: If a patient is undergoing an extensive medical treatment that involves different procedures, then appointments can be scheduled accordingly with the aid of electronic medical records. Also, someone can program an EMR in a way that it sends out confirmation calls and reminders to the patients. This is particularly helpful in reducing the list of no show appointments.

• Electronic Prescription:

Through EMR, it is possible to send electronic prescriptions directly to the pharmacy stores. It is also possible for the medical assistant to pass the electronic prescription to the patient.

Management of Medical Billing and Accounting:

EMR systems can also manage the billing and accounting of a physician to an extent. It can create an interface to track the denial of claims. So, electronic medical records systems can help to improve the revenue cycle management of a physician’s practice.

Insurance eligibility verification:

In addition to managing medical billing and accounting, the electronic medical records systems can also help the physician’s office to verify insurance eligibility for patients. This process helps to streamline the entire billing workflow.

Integration with Laboratory Softwares:

The EMR system allows the administrative medical assistant to integrate the system with pathology, radiology and other laboratories so that they are able to order test results directly from the EMR. The electronic medical records system also allows the laboratory to send back the test results. Thus, the electronic medical records system allows an efficient process to order and obtain test results from a laboratory for a patient.

An increment in patients’ involvement:

The electronic medical records system does not only benefit the health care system but it also helps to increase the patients’ involvement in their health. Through electronic medical records, the patients can themselves set appointments. In cases of chronic conditions, EMR can also help patients to self-test and home-monitor their conditions. This can be achieved through an interactive education module of electronic medical records.

The integration and implementation of electronic medical records systems have streamlined the processes. It has also managed to consolidate the medical information of a patient in one digitized location. The above-mentioned benefits form only an inclusive list! These are some of the ways that describe EMR’s beneficiary roles within the health care system but more and more physicians integrate electronic medical records into the systems. EMR will continue to evolve itself and revolutionize the health care industry further.

By: Anna williams Category: blog
July 10, 2019

Why should you become a Professional Transcriptionist – Top 5 Reasons!

Today, there are various industries, for instance: media, journalism, health care legal, etc. that constantly require skilled professional transcriptionists to create digitized texts from the voice recordings. The demand to carry out transcription processes is high and the requirement is on a regular basis but before we get into the requirements of the industry and why should you become a professional transcriptionist? Let’s understand what exactly the transcription process is!

As described earlier, it is a key requirement of various industries. The transcription process ensures smooth workflow operations and accurate documentation for future references. The transcription process requires professionals to be skilled at converting voice recordings into digitized texts. These digitized texts that are transcribed during the transcription process need to be error-free and they need to attain the utmost accuracy! The transcriptionist should have a stronghold on the English language and is competent in understanding the terminologies of the specified profession. Now you know what the daily requirement of the job is, so lets’ explore why you should adopt the profession of transcription?  

Listing Top 5 Reasons on why should you become a professional transcriptionist?

A high skill job that is challenging and rewarding!

The job of a professional transcriptionist is a high skill job that requires the transcriptionist to be proficient at many levels. Some of these are the following:

  • The transcriptionist needs to be computer savvy
    • Should understand the technical terminologies  
    • Need to be proficient in the English Language
    • Should know how to use grammar correctly and implement punctuation. 
    • They need to be able to type accurately with speed!
    • They need to possess problem-solving and analytical skills.
    • And finally, they need to produce error-free documents which means Attention to detail needs to be one of their strongest suits!

Undoubtedly, the job of a professional transcriptionist is a high skill job that requires combating a lot of challenges on a daily basis but a job that challenging is also rewarding! It rewards through both, satisfactory and monetary means.

A challenging job pays well!

As described above, the job profile of a professional transcriptionist is a high skill job. In general, this industry pays well on average! The job of a professional transcriptionist generally pays 15 Dollars on an average. If you are a specialized transcriptionist of either the medical or legal industry, you can expect better pay than the general transcription industry standards. Some of the specialized industries that pay more than average are the medical and legal industries. These industries deal have special requirements because they deal with sensitive data that needs to be maintained private! These industries not only skilled transcriptionists but they also require professional transcriptionists. Who can understand the importance and need of maintaining data confidential which is why they are willing to pay well.  

READ MORE: HOW DO YOU BECOME A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST WHO CAN WORK FROM HOME?

You can start at an entry-level and work your way up!

Professional transcription, you can start at an entry-level and work your way up to attain experience and skills. The primary reason for this is because; professional transcription jobs do not rely on a specific degree. Instead, they require skills!

For this particular reason, you can start at an entry-level. There are various companies that take the time to train their employees so that they are proficient in their jobs, however; you may need to complete certain certifications or attain a license, but that is completely dependent upon the field you choose.    

There is always a high demand for skilled professional transcriptionist!

It is always in suspicion that the transcription industry will reach a saturation point. Because today, there are numerous professional transcriptionists across the globe and while many are continually joining the workforce and tuning into the transcription process, truth is told, there is always a demand for more skilled professionals! This is one of the few industries that always has a high demand for transcriptionists.

READ MORE: MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION AS A CAREER OPTION FOR DOCTORS

Flexibility to work from anywhere, anytime!

The job of a professional transcriptionist allows their skilled professionals to work from anywhere, anytime! This is one of the perks of the industry. There are various transcription service companies that offer the flexibility of time and place to their employees. Thus, the job of a professional transcriptionist is not for a specific location. As long as you are willing to work hard and submit your work within the specified timelines. Transcription service companies are willing to hire!

In a nutshell, it is one of the few careers that can be started at an entry-level. And, If you are dedicated to the industry, there is no stopping you from honing your skills and converting your entry-level job into a career!

By: Anna williams Category: blog
July 3, 2019

Electronic Health Records have truly transformed Medical Transcription and the Transcriptionists Role! Let’s discover how?

Ever since the health care system of United States initiated an infrastructure to establish and develop a national database for the maintenance of health care records, the field of medical transcription and medical transcriptionists themselves have found their roles to be transformed but before we get into that, let’s understand what has brought about this transformation? Well, the answer is Electronic Health Records.

Electronic health record commonly abbreviated as EHR is a digital record filing system for patient data. Today, through EHR, it is possible to securely access a patient’s health information and medical data.  Electronic health records also make it possible within the health care professionals to share patient’s health care data almost instantaneously – This is extremely beneficial in terms of second consultations or when doctors require emergency consultations. But, how does this change anything in the medical transcription industry? And what are their subsequent impacts on the role of a medical transcriptionist?

Even though many fret that the integration of EHR’s into the health care system will completely digitize the processes and replace the services themselves, the reality is that the transcription services are now more secure than ever! So, how has the integration of EHR’s affected the technological aspects of the medical transcription industry? Well, with the implementation of EHR’s, the medical transcription software’s can safely and directly create an interface with the EHR’s – This allows the software to analyze data more effectively which eliminates any static information or any kind of flat files. The integration of Electronic health records has managed to create data fields that are not only secure but also discrete. The implementation of EHR’s required the medical transcription process to comply with HL7 data requirements which means that a demand was created for medical transcription software’s – These medical transcription software’s could recognize and analyze an advanced level of speech! This is one of the first few ways in how the implementation of EHR’s has transformed the medical transcription industry.

EHR has not just upgraded the medical transcription industry on the technological front but it has also altered and upgraded the process with which medical transcription is carried out. Due to the integration of Electronic health records within the health care system, demographic information of the patient is now easily available and it can be merged in a systematic manner with the medical transcription software. Thus, the patient demographic can be easily available for transcribing the medical reports and this in turn has significantly increased the speed of the medical transcriptionist thereby lowering the turnaround time for transcribing a medical report. In addition to integrating the information of patient demographics, electronic health records also include details of the admission and discharge of the patient. They also include any current ot other prior medical data that was deemed as necessary information for patient’s health and medical records. This information is available for access to the medical transcriptionist thereby making the EHR records like reference documents to transcribe medical reports. The Medical transcriptionists can refer to the EHR records as source files to understand the patient history and create a detailed transcribed report for the doctor if required. Though the integration of EHR records has altered the medical transcription process to an extent, the most significant change has been observed due to the editor which has reduced the process of manual transcription. This is the factor that has affected the role of today’s medical transcriptionist!

As the speech recognition software’s gain increasing popularity and this factor coupled with the transition to the EHR editor has significantly reduced the activity of transcribing a medical report from the scratch. This sought of has had negative implications to an extent but if we deem this change from an evolutionary aspect, we will be able to adopt the integration of EHR with an embracing vision! Though the process of creating a transcribed document from the scratch is now going to be extinct, transcriptionists can upgrade themselves to understand medical terminologies better. They focus on developing their editing skills which is now a core requirement. Although, the integration of EHR records into the health care systems and other technological inventions have transformed the role of medical transcriptionist, one aspect to factor in is that these technological advances may save time to develop a report but they will not be able to deliver a 100% accurate report.

The above mentioned aspects of the integration of EHR records have truly transformed the process and technological front of medical transcription as well as the medical transcriptionist’s role! But how have they brought about this transition? Well, as it turns out that the technology infrastructure needed an update as well so that the transcription reports were not simply digitized texts but they were patient data that could be used by the physicians for future data analysis and treatments which is why the narratives are subject to NLP.

NLP abbreviated for Natural Language Processing is a technology that understands the doctor’s dictation and converts it into digitized texts that is then entered into the specific data fields. NLP when paired with the medical transcription software integrates the dictation of the doctor directly into a pre-defined template – This has proven to be extremely beneficial when medical transcriptionists are working with various transcription vendors because a significant portion of the time that used to be invested in formatting the article according to the clinic is now saved. Thus, the integration of EHR records and technological advancement has not only increased the productivity levels but they have also standardized the processes and increased the turnaround time.

By: Anna williams Category: blog
June 28, 2019

How do you become a medical transcriptionist who can work from home?

Medical transcription is the process of converting voice recordings into digitized texts. It can involve listening to the voice recordings of various health care professionals that may range from doctors, nurses to various other practitioners – This is the daily medical transcription job!

Medical transcription jobs require the transcriptionist to have two key skills – The first being; they should basic medical knowledge and experience in understanding medical jargon. The second requirement is that they should possess excellent typing skills, which does not mean that they should be only typing fast. It means that they should be typing fast with 100% accuracy. A combination of these skills along with a couple of others are required if you want a home based medical transcription job. Let’s get into scrutinizing details and learn how do you become a medical transcriptionist that can work from home?

• Experience Counts: Leaving a few companies aside, generally medical service providers require that their transcriptionists are skilled and experienced. They should have prior experience in transcribing medical reports in order to take up a work from home medical transcription job which is why we recommend starting off with an office based job if you are a fresher and then switching to work from home medical transcription job.

• Undergo Required Training Program’s: It is not a mandatory requirement but it is highly recommended that medical transcriptionists undergo training programs that are specifically designed for medical transcription jobs – These training programs could be either certificate programs or diploma courses that are offered by various institutions. When it comes to a medical transcription job, there are two types of certificates: The RMT which abbreviates for registered medical transcriptionist and CMT which abbreviates for certified medical transcriptionist. These certificates require the medical transcriptionist to appear for an entry-level exam and after the completion of the certificate program, the institution conducts periodical training to ensure that you are current and up do to date. The type of courses taught in these programs includes basics in anatomy and physiology, medical terminologies, grammar, punctuation and the correct use of syntax and medico-legal issues. These kinds of courses not only equip you for medical training jobs but they are also beneficial in explaining to your employer that you are current with the training required for the job.

• Honing of other Skills: In addition to certificate and training programs, it is essential that the medical transcriptionist hones their other skills so that they are adept to work from home for a medical transcription job. Some of the other skills that are required to be an exceptional and skilled medical transcriptionist include Strong research skills, analytical skills, being computer savvy, multi-tasking skills and most importantly being detail oriented. It is essential that the medical transcriptionist has the skill to focus on and churn high quality transcribed reports. This is only possible when they can pay attention to detail. Even though this is a key requirement for any job, how does it really apply to a medical transcription job? Well, when it comes to transcribing voice recordings of the doctors and the physicians, it is absolutely essential that the transcriptionist accurately notes the medication type and dosage forms that are administered to the patient. This kind of data needs to be accurately documented because any incorrect detail can change the meaning of the transcribed report significantly. In order to become a medical transcriptionist that can work from home, you need to be adept at honing your other skills.

• Equip yourself with Equipment: Generally, a medical transcriptionist working from the office will be provided for with some basic equipment that is necessary to carry out the medical transcription jobs, however, if you plan to work from home as a freelancer or an independent contractor, you will need to equip yourself with some basic types of equipment. These basic equipment include a computer, uninterrupted high-speed internet access, foot pedal, line counters, and headsets. If your home-based medical transcription job is due to a service providing company, you will probably not need to worry about this equipment, however, if you are going to take contracts or work as a freelancer from home to transcribe documents, you may need to equip yourself with the above-mentioned equipment.

• Medical Transcription Software’s: The addition of Medical Transcription Software to your equipment repertoire elevates your service providing skills. There are various Medical transcription software’s available within the industry and very often, you will use the same software that your service provider employer is using. However, if you are a freelancer taking up medical transcription jobs from home, we recommend trying and testing out some medical transcription software’s because they provide a wholesome package to carry out the transcription process.
The above pointers were some of the few ways that can equip you to become a medical transcriptionist that can work from home. Any transcriptionist whether based out of office or home must ensure that they are delivering high-quality medical reports within specified deadlines. Medical transcription jobs have a short turnaround time so a lax behavior will not take you further in this field – The transcriptionist must not only be skilled or experienced but they must be 110% dedicated towards delivered accurate transcribed reports within specified timelines. In addition, medical transcription jobs require the transcriptionist to self learn by implementing their research skills and expand their horizons by being inquisitive about the subject matter!

By: Anna williams Category: blog