Is it Safe to Outsource Medical Transcription Services?
Advancement in communication and Internet technology has brought significant changes in the field of medical transcription. Private practices and hospitals have started outsourcing medical transcription work to reliable third party agencies. It is not only helping them in saving money but they are also getting timely access to accurate medical reports.
Reliability in turnaround time and cost reduction are two of the direct and immediate advantages of medical transcription outsourcing. But is it safe to outsource? The answer is yes. Confidentiality of your medical records will be ensured if you are choosing a reliable service provider.
Creation of patient medical records is a sensitive procedure. Healthcare professionals/facilities need to maintain confidentiality of patient information. It is not only a moral obligation but also mandatory as far as HIPAA rules are concerned. If a hospital or practice fails to comply with HIPAA requirements, it can lead to hefty fines and lawsuits. Therefore, it is very important to choose a company that will keep security of medical records as their top priority.
Outsourcing is one of the most cost-effective ways of creating patient records. However, if you have apprehensions regarding patient data security, ask your service provider about the security measures they follow.
The vendor of your choice should be well-versed with requirements of HIPAA/HITECH act. The company should know how to comply with HIPAA rules or else your healthcare organization will have to pay hefty fines. The vendor should also have provisions in place for ensuring total security of data that you are sending out. They should ensure that transcriptionists, editors or proofreaders don’t misuse the data.
Benefits of Hiring a Reliable Service Provider
- A reputed company hires a team of medical transcriptionists who are certified and experienced. Their transcribers have a good understanding of medical terminologies which means clients get error-free documents
- They make use of the latest technology or software to deliver transcribed documents in a short turnaround time. Short turnaround time can be ensured only when the right team makes use of the right technology
- Reputed providers have a backup team of transcriptionists which means, even if one staff goes on leave or quits the job; deadlines are met without any hassles. It is difficult to meet deadlines in case of an in-house transcription team. If one transcriptionist goes on leave, delivery of documents can get stalled or delayed
A reliable third party agency’s charges are any day less than running an in-house team. Outsourcing is cost-effective. Since a trained team handles transcription tasks, healthcare organizations can make their staff focus on other important activities.
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