Medical transcription, or MT, is the process of manually converting audio reports dictated by nurses or doctors into text format. This is done primarily to comply with emerging electronic health records (EHR) and health IT initiatives. It’s also an easier way to access patient data without listening to hours of audio.

The use of transcription dates back to 1975 and was first used in manufacturing. However, after the introduction of electric typewriters, medical staff adapted to medical transcriptions. That later evolved from typewriters to word processors and now to computers. The most modern approach to transcription is the recently introduced speech transcription, the accuracy of which is not reliable enough to replace human transcription, for example with the help of a virtual medical assistant.

Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Medical Transcriber?

Working in medical transcription is both technical and arduous and requires knowledge of specialized software. That being said, you just may not have the time to run a doctor’s office, attend to staff, and care for patients from morning to night to give medical transcription the attention it needs.

Some of the key benefits of outsourcing medical transcription in medical practice are:

Better attention to patients

The relationship you share with your patients is a key reason why they keep choosing you for their medical needs. Therefore, it is important that your patient feels that their doctor is familiar with their medical history. However, with a constant flow of new and old patients into your clinic, it is almost impossible to keep track of everyone’s records.

Easy access to their files gives you a complete picture of their medical history and can be of great help in treating your clients. You can review your medical records at a glance to familiarize yourself with your previous health conditions and treatment history in your clinic. This makes patients feel more secure immediately, rather than asking you about their situation every time they walk through your office door.

Better time management

Running a medical office is hard work and it is easy to get overwhelmed with the work. From caring for patients visiting the clinic, to keeping track of their appointments, managing staff to making sure everything goes smoothly, medical transcription seems like the last thing you think of. Still, it’s an integral part of your job and needs to be managed.

Therefore, you can hire a virtual data entry assistant to ensure that all of your patient records are carefully processed in the system. For example, transcripts of patient exams can easily be created remotely; All you need to do is record the exams and send the files to your virtual medical assistant at the end of the day.

Time zone comfort

If you outsource your medical transcription needs, you are most likely handing them over to someone overseas, in a different country, and in a different time zone.

At Wishup, our remote assistants are based in India and the different shift times could very well be to your advantage. You can send the files to them at the end of your work day, when they start their work day, and have the transcriptions done before your next work day starts. It reduces wasted time and gives you quick access to patient records.

Higher quality of medical records

Having a medical transcription method for your clinic is one thing. Still, the transcription must also meet the global standards set by HIPAA and follow the medical transcription process that includes the accuracy of editing, proofreading, and reviewing medical records.

You may not necessarily have the skills or knowledge of these complicated logs, or the time to pay attention to the small details in the transcription records. At Wishup, our highly qualified data entry assistants with years of experience recognize even the smallest errors and achieve faster results.

Less investment in infrastructure

Let’s say you’ve just started your doctor’s office and need to prioritize the areas in which to invest your capital, as it can take over two years to even make a profit. Initially, you may want to focus on investing in the best quality medical infrastructure in your clinic.

You may not have many resources to invest in hiring a full-time data entry operator or the technology and software they need for medical transcription. Hiring a virtual medical assistant is a huge benefit in this regard as outsourcing agencies have their BYOT (Bring Your Own Tech) which greatly reduces your investment. In addition, hourly hiring will also help you save a significant amount of money.

Easy to scale up and down

In your company, you may have months with a large influx of patients who require a lot of transcription work. Then, depending on the workload, you can set as many virtual assistants as you need for the additional workload.

Similarly, you can also have slower months when either the number of patients drops or a large part of your digitization process is complete. Then you can simply reduce the number of your virtual assistants and save additional costs.

The same is not easily possible for full-time employees with time-bound contracts. With freelancers, you have the freedom to terminate contracts once the project you hired them on is complete.

No additional training

Medical transcription involves a lot of specialized jargon. Your medical data entry operator must be familiar with this vocabulary in order to properly process the audio files in the system. Our virtual medical assistants at Wishup complete the necessary training to become a medical data operator before starting projects.

You don’t have to spend additional resources such as time and expense training your staff by hiring a remote medical assistant. Therefore, you can be sure that you will receive the highest quality of service as your assistants already have the skills and experience in the medical field. Having access to accurate patient notes also helps you provide the best possible service to your patients.

Quick adaptation to your work culture

Employees need time to adapt to any work environment and culture, just like any organization or company. It can take several weeks for a new employee to become familiar with the infrastructure and software at your workplace. You don’t have any of these problems with a virtual remote control.

Virtual medical assistants are already used to the freelance work style, already have experience working remotely in medical practices and, above all, have their systems and software that they feel comfortable with. They can also quickly adapt to changing transcription needs as they work with their own technology.

Reduce the risk of burnout

If you take a large part of the workload of a doctor’s office into your own hands, there is a considerable risk of burnout. Burnout is incredibly high in the medical field and affects everyone from doctors to nurses. Reduce work stress and create a healthier work-life balance for you and your team by outsourcing secondary tasks to a virtual data entry assistant.

Better security of patient data

Patient privacy and confidentiality should be paramount when caring for your clients. For example, if you outsource the transcription of medical records from an outsourcing agency to a freelance data collector, you are guaranteed complete confidentiality and protection of customer information, and not just because your data collector is from another part of the world.

“We mistakenly think that success is the result of the time we invest and not the quality of the time we invest.” – Arianna Huffington.

You can only offer your patients the highest quality of service if you work optimally. Hence, it is important to efficiently segregate your workload and delegate the side tasks to qualified people who you can trust to do a good job.

A virtual data entry assistant ensures you get quality work every time and helps you lead a life outside of work that is essential to keeping your mind healthy and relaxed and taking the best possible care of your patients.

If you’re looking for a remote assistant, click here for a free consultation or email us at [email protected]