Medical Transcription Services

Medical Transcription Service Vendors

In the world of medical transcription, quality and dependability count for a lot. We'll tell you what to look for in a medical transcriptions service vendor and describe how to avoid settling for a substandard provider.

Think all medical transcription service vendors are the same? Think again!

When you're in the market for a medical transcription service, you can't separate the service from the provider. If you choose the wrong company, you'll pay a hefty price for your mistake.

The qualities to look for in a good medical transcription vendor vary based on the needs of your practice or healthcare setting. However, there are some general qualities that will make your relationship with your vendor run more smoothly and help your practice run more efficiently.

• Flexibility. Vendors appreciate steady and consistent workloads from their clients. But in the field of healthcare, steady and consistent workloads aren't always feasible. Have a discussion with potential vendors about the average workloads they can expect from your practice and receive assurances that they are flexible enough to adapt when necessary.
• Professionalism. There's too much riding on the outcome to trust your patient data with an unprofessional vendor. Your transcription provider should exhibit the highest level of professionalism not only by employing certified transcriptionists (CMTs), but also in the way they conduct themselves and respond to your needs.
• Quality assurance. The best medical transcription companies have implemented quality assurance features to guarantee accurate output and reporting. Your vendor should be capable of demonstrating accuracy rates of 90% or higher.
• Low investment/low commitment. Medical transcription services should always be a low (or no) investment/low commitment deal. Service contracts are short-term, making it easy to jump ship to a new provider. Also, unless you need to purchase digital recording devices or custom software, there should be no upfront investment.
• Dedicated team approach. Vendors will frequently dedicate a team of CMTs to your practice. Why does it matter? Because a dedicated team is more familiar with your practice's routines and your physician's voice inflections. That translates into greater accuracy and faster turnaround times.
• CMT turnover rates. A certain amount of turnover is normal in the medical transcription industry. Ask potential vendors to disclose their employee turnover rate and avoid vendors who report rates that are outside the industry norm.

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