1	A Briefing on the Medical Transcription Process
2	Medical Transcription Outline Some Facts about MT Definition of Terms Process Overview Recording of Audio File by ‘dictator’ Transfer of Audio File to transcriptionist Transcription of Audio File by transcriptionist Editing of Audio File by MT Editor Transfer of Transcript to dictator Billing Summary
3	Medical Transcription Some Facts about Medical Transcription MT is part of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. It is one of the business processes being outsourced to countries outside of the US. Other processes are call center operations, software development, animation, web designing, etc. The main reason for outsourcing these processes is to reduce the cost of doing business. BPO Industry was estimated to be at US$ 170 B in 2005; estimated to be US$ 220B in 2010
4	Medical Transcription Some Facts about Medical Transcription MT is a US$15-25 B industry in the US, 10% is being off shored. Growing by 13-16% per annum. It is governed by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996) Provides national standards to protect the privacy of personal health information. The Administrative Simplification Compliance Act (ASCA) amended the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and requires that all claims submitted to Medicare on October 16, 2003 and beyond be done electronically except for certain circumstances.
5	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms Health Professional Individual accredited by a professional body upon completing a course of study, and usually licensed by a government agency, to practice a health related profession such as dentistry, medicine, nursing, occupational health, physical therapy. (businessdictionary.com) In Medical Transcription, the health professional is usually a doctor of medicine.
6	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms Medical Transcription is the process of transcribing or converting recorded dictations by physicians and/or other healthcare professionals regarding a patient's medical record into a written text. Medical transcription follows prescribed and established document (record) formats and is highly dependent upon trained professional, known as medical transcriptionists.
7	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms Medical Transcription Specialized knowledge for medical transcription include the ability to correctly spell often difficult medical words, as well as a working knowledge of general medical terminology. The documents produce by an MT includes discharge summaries, medical history and physical examination reports, operative reports, consultation reports, autopsy reports, diagnostic imaging studies, progress notes, and referral letters.
8	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms Medical Transcriptionist A person who listens to dictated recordings made by physicians and other health care professionals and transcribe them into medical reports, correspondence, and other administrative material. He/she generally listens to recordings on a headset, using a foot pedal to pause the recording when necessary, and key the text into a personal computer or word processor, editing as necessary for grammar and clarity.
9	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms Medical Transcriptionist MTs return transcribed documents to the physicians or other health care professionals who dictated them for review and signature or correction. These documents eventually become part of patients’ permanent files.
10	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms MT Editor A highly-skilled medical transcriptionist who is responsible for reviewing and final editing of the transcription work of medical transcriptionists. Usually, one MT Editor reviews/edits the work of 3-5 MTs.
11	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms Uploading Files The process of transferring files from a work station (computer) to a server (specialized, more powerful computer). Example: An audio file is uploaded to server where it is available to authorized individual. Downloading Files The process of transferring files from a server to a computer. Example: A Medical Transcriptionist has to download an audio file from the server to his/her computer for transcription. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Server A server-type computer configured to allow easier and faster transfer of files. FTP is the protocol used for exchanging files over the internet. This is the most common method of transferring files used in medical transcription.
12	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms Line count MT companies are usually paid by line count. Usually a line count is composed of 65 characters & spaces. Hence, to get the line count of a file, the total number of characters & spaces are counted and divided by 65. There are special software used to count lines and spaces but the count function in MS Word is also popularly used. Rate This refers to the rate by which MT companies are paid. For example, A rate of US$.15/line means the company earns US$0.15 for every transcribed line.
13	Medical Transcription Definition of Terms Accuracy Refers to how accurate the transcription work of the MT is. A 98% accuracy is standard for normal files. Turn-Around-Time Refers to how fast the MT can return the transcribed file from the time the audio file is made available. A TAT of 24 hours means the MT will return the file in 24 hours. TAT is usually agreed upon in the contract.
14	Medical Transcription
15	Medical Transcription Other Things to Remember: An MT can transcribe 400 to 1,000 lines per day depending on his skills and the audio quality of the file The # of audio hours an MT can transcribe in an 8-hour period can range from 30 to 45 minutes.