Medical Transcription Frequently Asked Questions
Medical transcription is the process of accurately and swiftly converting medical records that have been dictated by doctors or other medical professionals from a voice format into a written text format. The text format becomes part of a universal electronic database. The records transcribed include patient's history, laboratory reports, x-ray reports, physical reports, clinic notes, operative reports, psychiatric evaluations, office notes, consultation notes, discharge summaries, letters and pathology reports. Medical transcriptionists are more recently being referred to as medical language specialists. Their work involves receiving dictation by tape, digital system or voice file, using ear phones, usually a foot pedal for start-stop control and a word processing program. Their job is converting the voice file to digital text.
This will depend on you. A number of comments that come from transcriptionists in answer to this question are: • The flexibility of the job • Working from home • Being able to work any time • The flexible hours have allowed me to make some extra money and still be here for my kids • It suits me as I am task oriented and self-motivated • It is satisfying having a chunk of work to do and getting it done • I like typing and words • I like bringing a sense of perfection to the job • You have the option to work full or part-time, casual, contracted or permanent Medical transcriptionists work in hospitals, clinics, physician’s offices, transcription offices, insurance companies, for home healthcare agencies, and also in other places where dictation is required for the purpose of healthcare documentation requiring transcription. The improvement in technology means that increasing numbers of medical transcriptionists are working from home and digital technology has made this a totally viable option. Getting started in medical transcription you can head in different directions. For an experienced word processor it is possible to learn medical transcription while working in an entry-level position. This is rare though because of the need to learn medical vocabulary and formats. You can take courses either at some colleges, hospitals or by home study. Online courses offer some great systems for quick learning. It is best to gain some experience to start with working in physician's offices, clinics, hospitals or for a transcription service company. After 2-3 years experience in an office or hospital you can work from home. It is possible to work from home for a service company right from the start although there is great benefit a any transcriptionist in having gained the experience of working on site. Medical Transcription Frequently Asked Questions – Rate of PayQ. How are medical transcriptionists paid? When transcriptionists are employed, there are two main types of payment. The employee in a hospital is likely to be paid an hourly rate of around $10-$15. A transcriptionist starting out will usually earn $8-$12 per hour. After two years experience the rate will be up around $12-$20 per hour. Those contracted to service companies or self employed are usually paid on a per line rate. Per line rates usually vary between 6c and 14c per line. Basically STAT work is work with a speedy turnaround time. There are different interpretations for “stat work”. Some say “8 hour turnaround” is “stat work”. Others consider it to be getting work back on the same day. Another group consider “stat work” to be a “10-12 hour turnaround”. So the first thing you need to do is clarify that both parties are referring to “stat work” as the same thing. When you are asked to perform “stat work” it will mean that you have to reprioritize your work schedule. Remember to charge a STAT rate. This can also vary, but a rate of around 1½ times your standard line rate is usually acceptable. You may be prepared to offer a set rate (for example $2.50) per page PLUS the regular line rate to established customers.
Medical Transcription Frequently Asked Questions – TrainingQ. Is a medical transcription course required? At the moment it is not necessary for employment to have a qualification although quality training will repay itself in dividends by you learning faster and achieving competence much quicker. That is why a number of institutions look to the better medical transcription schools for their new competent graduates. The fastest way to learn medical transcription is by completing a course with a quality training institution. This will depend on the type of work you have been doing. As long as you have strong keyboard skills, you will be well positioned to work as a medical language specialist, another name for a medical transcriptionist. Becoming certified demonstrates to employers and peers that you are a professional and committed to being the best you can be as a transcriptionist. Many employers prefer to hire – and pay a premium for Certified Medical Transcriptionist’s (CMT’s). The credential may be required for career advancement. It also serves the public interest by assuring that those who become certified have met accepted standards of practice. Medical Transcription Frequently Asked Questions – At HomeQ. Can I really study medical transcription at home? Yes it is possible to train from an Online Medical Transcription School. Yes you can and it is easier than it has ever been to do so. You need to be a competent transcriptionist. One of the things you will require, that is not really a skill but more on a characteristic, is to be self motivated and able to work on your own. Before commencing into self employment you are best gaining a couple of years experience either working at home for a medical transcription services company or working on site at a hospital or physician’s premises. To successfully operate any business you need clients and you will need to build up a reputation in the medical transcription industry by getting out there and networking. Satisfied clients will talk to others and this is a great way to build up your clientele. Yes, and with amazing growth prospects! A C-phone is a digital receiver transcriber/phone that accesses digital dictation from another location over the phone line. Medical Transcription Frequently Asked Questions – ResourcesQ. What books do I need to do medical transcription? A medical definitions bookA physician directoryA laboratory and pathology term bookA complete medical dictionaryAn English dictionaryA grammar and style guideA surgical term bookA medical terms book by specialtyA drug/medication indexA medical abbreviation word book Use a medical spell checker Use an extensive abbreviation system such as Instant Text or Smartype.
Medical Transcription Frequently Asked Questions – Voice Recognition SoftwareQ. How will speech recognition technology affect the future of medical transcription? Medical transcription as a profession is likely to continue for many years to come; there is enough transcription work to keep transcriptionists busy and the future looks to only get busier with the aging population. Transcriptionists must be open to changes that will occur frequently in the healthcare industry. Speech recognition technology is one of these changes. Maintain the mindset that the changes will make you more adept as a medical transcriptionist. We need to build around technological changes and use technology to progress the medical transcription industry. Return from MT Frequently Asked Questions, to Medical Transcription FAQ
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