Advantage of being in India

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION AS A PROFESSION

In simple terms, MT is the conversion of doctors’ digitized audio files into text files. The doctor, while examining patients or performing surgery, dictates the details of the procedures into a Dictaphone which is attached to the computers. The data is collected and transferred to the respective Transcription Company in the form of voice files. The Transcription Company downloads these files and transcribes them using sophisticated software. Upon completion, these files are transferred back to the doctors via the Internet. 

Advantage of being in INDIA

1) A virtual 12-hour time zone difference with USA makes it possible for
us to meet the turn-around-time for MT work. Since we work when it
is night in USA, we are able to deliver work faster than Medical
Transcription companies based in USA
2) A huge pool of English speaking and skilled Computer literate
manpower.
3) Cost of employing qualified personnel is much lower than the USA.

Job Profile of Medical Transcriptionist

The primary task of the medical transcriptionist is to transcribe, format and proofread medical records. Medical records for transcription are primarily sourced from the USA. They are outsourced for transcription from a variety of healthcare settings including doctor's offices, private/public hospitals, clinics, laboratories, legal offices, veterinary and medical clinics, research centres. Dictations are done not only by doctors but also by surgeons, nurses pharmacists, therapists, nurses and other paramedical staff. Medical transcriptionists receive the doctor's dictation by tape, digital systems or as a voice data file. Digitised data through the Internet is the most common means of receiving medical data from the USA.

The local transcription company receives the data and they uncompress it. At this point, the medical transcriptionist takes over. Using a suitable word processing programme/application the audio file is transcribed and edited. There are two stages in MT. The first is the actual process of transcription by a medical transcriptionist. This is followed by proofreading and editing. The MT industry employs a number of proofreaders, junior and senior editors as well. Proofreaders and editors perform the following functions:

* Visual proofreading
* Electronic spellcheck
* Grammar check
* Checking for medical inconsistencies and inaccuracies

The medical record - now in text form - is then routed back to the concerned doctor or hospital.

Is Medical transcription on revival ?

Industry players unanimously agree. "The potential is huge," says Vishal Jain, CEO of Delhi-based Rekha Transcription India. All the key medical transcription companies, he notes, have been logging 30-50% growth. "We are all scrambling for capacity and this is because transcription companies in the United States are scrambling for capacity.

Indeed, that's what is driving this growth. While the $12 billion medical transcription industry there (US), is growing at 20%, the growth of employees is only 10%. The industry, says Valuenotes, will grow to $16.8 billion in 2010.

Around 30% of the work is outsourced in the United States, of which around 10-15% comes to India, which offers a huge cost advantage - work here is 30% cheaper.

Medical transcription was among the first IT-enabled services to be outsourced to India. It is the process whereby one transcribes medical records dictated by doctors and others, including history and physical reports. It is in demand in the US as the entire healthcare industry there is based on insurance and detailed medical records are needed for processing these claims.

After a boom in the mid-1990s, when a lot of mom-and-pop shops erupted on the scene, the industry went bust around 2001, following a huge decline in the quality of work.

Medical Transcription Certification - by MU

For students who have just completed class XII and want to take up a career that directly prepares them for work, University of Mumbai's Garware Institute of Career Education and Development is the place to go to. For under-graduate diploma courses, students seeking admissions will have to appear for an entrance exam followed by an interview. 

Medical Transcription
Admission on the basis of a written test and interview
Duration: 6 months (Part time)
Fee Structure: Rs 15,000/-

Home Based Medical Transcription : “A Second Income”

In general a MT or a QA has to work 8 hrs to 10 hrs in a day. Either you work in general shift or in some special shift timing, each one of you have close to 2-4 hrs spare in daily routine to do transcription at home. Thus there is chance to make second income.

"Second Income" is the one that we always dreamt of and always wanted to make or earn quickly. That is the basic nature of the human being to make best out of the current resources.

Home transcription is the best option as a second income for MTs/QAs in medical transcription industry. In general a MT or a QA has to work 8 hrs to 10 hrs in a day. Either you work in general shift or in some special shift timing, each one of you have close to 2-4 hrs spare in daily routine to do transcription at home. Thus there is chance to make second income.

Some of the medical transcriptionists have chosen home transcription as their full time job. Which is bit risky !!! As they not sure that how much they gona make in a month. It could be more or less. A fixed income always help to plan out expenses. If you are working for a company then its shields you from ups and down in a business life cycle. Hence the best option is a home transcription as a second income.

How To Start Home Based Medical Transcription?

A lot of people think about starting home based MT, but don't know where to begin. Others worry about failure. You don't have to worry with medical transcription because you can start small and build up your business at your own pace, in your spare time. You don't have to give up a job to start medical transcription at home if you don't want to. That's what is so nice about it.

The Basic Requirement to start home medical transcription are

1) Hardware required for medical transcription 
a. Computer 
i. RAM – Minimum 256 MB
ii. Hard Disk – Minimum 20 GB
iii. CPU – Minimum 2.2 Ghz
b. Foot Pedal
c. Ear phones
d. Amplifier 

I strongly recommend 512 MB of RAM or above as while transcribing a medical report you would require to open multiple application (like medical dictionary, spell checker, word, IE, etc) simultaneously. Hence more the memory you have the more would be the speed of the computer.

2) Softwares required for Medical Transcription
a. Preferable WinXP, 
b. Microsoft Office 2000
c. Medical Dictionaries
d. Spell Checker
e. Line Counter application for invoicing 

For free line counter application you can drop me a mail at info@rekhatranscription.com.

Important :
Need not to worry about getting work. Just register on www.mthomemd.com and someone would contact you for sure. They are good and reliable on payments. Only issue with MTHomeMD is initial response is late (may be a month), but once they enroll you then there is no looking back.

Is home-medical-transcription a right career for me?

Medical transcriptionists are in demand.

Transcription services now range from small, one-person home-based businesses to sophisticated, high-tech corporations. Localmedical transcription services serve client hospitals throughout the nation. Some medical transcription services now employ both "on-site" and home-based medical transcriptionists. Medical transcription is a career that easily moves across geographic borders.

Many areas of the country are desperate for qualified medical transcriptionists. Fortunately, technological advances have allowed medical transcriptionists in one part of the country to work from home for employers located elsewhere.