Finding a Professional Transcription Team Part 1

The proper recording of medical records is one of the most internal processes of the medical world. It needs to be done correctly and very thoroughly.

The failure of a transcriptionist to accurately and fully record the medical history of a person could create life threatening consequences. Many times medical offices will have too many recordings for the number of transcribers they have hired and will have to depend on a transcription company outside their office.

The difficulty in hiring a transcription office is in determining whether they are really a professional office or not and whether they will be able to provide quality service. There are several indicators based on questions that a medical office should ask to find out whether or not the office will provide professional services.

The first thing the medical office should ask about would be the number of transcribers the transcription office employs. This number will indicate whether or not the office tries to handle more than they can.

Often transcription companies will take on more work than their professional transcribers can handle in the time restrictions. This results in rushed transcriptions that may not have been proofread.

An indication of rushed transcriptions is that there will be minimal queries about the document. When it comes to transcription, quality should not be compromised.

It is vital that the documents are correct in every aspect. Transcribers should take the time to proofread the documents.

The second thing that should be asked about the transcription office is who does the transcribing. Sometimes when an office is rushed they will hire new employees.

Due to the time restrictions they hire quickly, and may have hired an audio typist with some experience in an office. These people are not experienced, professional transcribers and should not be completing transcription work.

Experienced transcribers should be doing this work. They should have fantastic grammar and language skills, accuracy and proofreading abilities.

They should be able to analyze what they are typing and recognize inconsistencies in what was said and what was on paper. They should be able to spot contextual errors and be comfortable with various accents, dialects, and voice inflections.

Professional transcriptionist should be able to pick up the original meaning of the speaker and convey that meaning in their work. Outsourcing work to foreign companies is risky.

People from other countries may not be familiar with the culture, phrases, and even language as the medical office. Being familiar with these things is vital to professional transcription.

Third, ask whether or not the audio is listened to a second time. Not comparing the transcript to the audio a second or third time should not even be an option for professional transcription companies.

Listening to the audio a second time can clarify questions about the transcript and confirm the sense that the information should be conveyed in. This process helps to make sure the information is accurate.

This process is similar to proofreading and can help the transcriber catch any punctuation errors that would convey incorrect meanings. The following paragraph could also give added context to the previous paragraph, which context the transcriber would not have known the first time through.

Fourth, the transcription office should be aware of and incorporate the time it will take to complete a job into consideration. Medical offices want the job to be completed quickly, but enough time needs to be spent on the job to make it quality work.

The transcription office needs to proofread to catch spellings, names, places, and terms. This will help reduce the number of queries.

The transcribers should also be willing to do their own research on the names of the patients and places as well as terms to make sure they spelled them correctly.

All of these services should be included in their processes with no extra charge. These things can sometimes be researched on Google, but should be cross-referenced with several trusted sites and perhaps a textbook to be sure of their accuracy.

If a company is truly professional, these services will be included in the original price and free of extra charge.

Tom Selwick has worked since 1991 as a medical transcriptionist providing services to hospitals, clinics, and large group practices. He recommends (http://www.StatMedicalTranscriptionServices.com) for medical transcription services.

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