Medical transcription, which includes those who have medical transcription jobs at home, is an allied health profession that specializes in converting recorded voice files into electronic or text format. According to a source, President George W. Bush issued an Executive Order in April of 2004, which ambitiously aimed to let all Americans have access to their electronic health records by 2014, thus creating a need for good, competent transcriptionists.
In the United States, it has been estimated that the medical transcription industry has boomed and is worth anywhere from $10 to $25 billion and is continuously growing each year. Medical transcription settings include in-house or online. In an in-house setting, the medical transcriptionists work for physicians either in hospitals or in clinics, and many for outsourcing companies. Within the online setting, a medical transcriptionist may entertain opportunities offered in medical transcription jobs at home.
If you intend to search online for medical transcription jobs at home, there are many companies that hire medical transcriptionists or MTs as they are commonly referred to in the industry. However, most require at least one year of experience, or in more difficult areas of expertise like radiology or oncology, require even more years of experience. For this reason, it is often difficult for a new medical transcription graduate to find a job immediately after completing their 6-month to a one-year training course.
A prospective graduate should not be discouraged as the hope of finding a lucrative career does not simply end here. There are many companies that hire entry-level MTs, and it is worth noting that working as a medical transcriptionist is not easy at the beginning, and should be taken very seriously.
There are strict guidelines and compliance to be followed – the most important being accuracy and patient confidentiality. It is a must for medical transcriptionists to provide accurate transcription because patient health records will be used for legal purposes and in failure to provide such will either mean a loss of a job or possible legal ramifications.
The worst-case scenario is the death of a patient as a result of a transcriptionist transcribing the wrong medication or inaccurate history of illness. For this reason, it is important to undergo proper training in order to get the needed knowledge and skills and to provide excellent service. With regard to patient confidentiality, it is a must for one to maintain this as a breach of this may result in serious legal ramifications and even imprisonment.
Ideally, in order to qualify for a medical transcription job at home, the transcriptionist should have undergone a number of months of training including on the job, and have attained a medical transcription certification. This ensures that she or he will be prepared to begin immediately, and not require much hand-holding. As a screening tool, many medical practices and medical facilities use a standard test in order to assess the quality of the applicants.
In summary, the main criteria for an individual to be hired and allowed to perform a medical transcription job at home is trust. Although there is a tremendous cost savings for the medical practice or medical institution, there is also a certain amount of risk. Employers are ultimately responsible for the content and accuracy of transcribed reports and patient files, and in turn, assume liability. Therefore, it is vitally important that a level of trust is gained which can only be achieved through certification, practical experience, and providing top-quality work.
The healthcare field as a whole is rapidly expanding and growing, and one area in particular which is showing great demand and tremendous promise is that of medical transcription jobs at home.
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