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Industry News & Events
Practice Management:
Outsourcing Transcription and other Key Decisions
October 24, 2011 - The decision to outsource any aspect of an organization’s workflow always requires careful consideration. There is always a trade-off between delegating responsibility and carving out some valuable time for your staff at an efficient cost. Healthcare practices of all sizes have delayed this decision over the last few years, as they battle with legacy systems and face huge costs when renovating their systems. Amongst these options, medical transcription services offer a wide array of alternatives, from simple turnaround to complex practice management features.
Paper-Based Documentation: Is it a valid reference?
Many healthcare facilities have found value in full EHR solutions, following the long and tedious process of certification and eventual collection of incentive refunds. Despite assurances to the contrary by industry lobbyists, top quality care is provided every day by hospitals and clinics that have not yet made a leap in their technology use. In order to exaggerate the shortcomings of those who haven´t modernized their systems, EHR implementation is often compared with the lowest standard of workflow management: paper-based documentation. This marketing tactic is similar to one we often see in TV infomercials, where actors are extremely confused with routine daily chores in order to emphasize the need for an otherwise unnecessary product.
Along with other core services, medical transcription plays an important clinical role. In many cases, it is the primary source of all medical history that healthcare facilities have on file for their patients. The capacity to efficiently access and refer to this history enables better care and leads to more informed decision-making. This simple concept that was immeasurably complicated by the controversial process of defining “meaningful use”, finally concluded by the Department of Health & Human Services in mid-2010. Everyone agrees that paper-based documentation is an obsolete way of handling sensitive data, but pretending there are no solutions short of a full EHR implementation is a misleading and erroneous concept. As with any other service or administrative task, healthcare managers should assess their particular situation and seek the right combination of technology and cost efficiency before making any decisions.
Technology and Costs: Striking the right balance.
As we´ve mentioned in previous articles, one size does not fit all when it comes to technology for the healthcare space. Practice managers need to strike a balance between their needs and the options on the market. In many cases medical transcription companies have made an effort to supply basic add-ons to their service in order provide organizational tools. VIVA Transcription´s efforts in this arena have placed us in a privileged position in relation to the competition. Experience clearly suggests that healthcare practices of all sizes use features like archiving and keyword searches in order to easily manage their patient histories, and access records on demand. Features like free faxing and e-signature also play a role in making the product more complete. These tools can be used in conjunction with others that handle separate tasks, like scheduling visits or medical billing.
In terms of medical transcription services, outsourcing goes beyond a technological leap. It ensures short and reliable turnaround times, as well as cost savings when compared to any in-house transcriptionist with a fixed salary.
There are many excellent products in the market today, and healthcare decision-makers should make an effort to combine them in the most efficient way. Promises to encompass all these needs into a single service or piece of software may be true in some isolated cases, but will undoubtedly imply complicated deployment and/or outrageous costs. There are plenty of opportunities for us to pitch our product, but we are confident that encouraging careful consideration of alternatives by health practitioners would have a greater effect than any marketing campaign. Once their options are clear and considered, vendors with the most efficient products will naturally rise to the top.
- VIVA Transcription News Team
Archived News & Events:
- 05/27/2011 - EHR Incentives: Does adoption truly improve healthcare?