Article Surfing Archive

Outsourcing medical transcription services is a rapidly growing trend in the healthcare industry, and has become a valuable way for many healthcare businesses to manage large-scale transcription projects. Medical transcription providers around the world are readily available with the skill set and knowledge to turn around projects with ease, but are medical transcription services legal? Many healthcare professionals are hesitant to take advantage of these services because of legal issues, but few realize that working with a transcription company that is compliant with HIPAA rules and regulations can be a very valuable business decision.

How Medical Transcription Service Providers Work

Medical transcription providers are employed either on a full-time or part-time basis, or contractors for hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, and other health organizations who require medical coding. Service providers develop relationships with different companies to provide ongoing transcription services, and are certified by the American Health Information Management Association (AHMA) or the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). Some medical transcriptionists who work from home also work as employees of medical billing service companies and hospitals.

Home based medical transcription service providers typically complete a formal training program from a college, university, or other online certification program. These programs require all candidates to invest in up to date medical transcription equipment and software, and most will complete all training modules to become certified at various levels. Medical transcription companies employ these individuals, or work with them on an independent contractor basis to complete projects for different organizations.

Since medical transcription requires electronic storage of patient information, all work completed must meet the objectives of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Following these rules ensures that various measures are taken to guarantee the security and privacy of all health and medical information managed during the transcription process.

The Rules and Regulations Behind Using Medical Transcription Services

Physicians, clinics, hospitals and other health organizations all utilize medical transcription services on a regular basis, and these are both legal, and compliant with HIPAA laws. HIPAA laws require medical transcription to be free of errors and that all information is kept confidential. Working with a well-established medical transcription company means you can avoid criminal penalties and fines, reduce the amount of workflow in your office, and reduce the risk of mishandling customer and client information.

Certified medical transcription service providers ensure that all materials are checked for accuracy and comply with all HIPAA laws. Information security reduces the risk of fraud and criminal activities, and medical transcriptionists must adhere to a strict code of ethics and guidelines to maintain their certification credentials.

Medical transcription services are one of the best ways to outsource your transcription needs and reduce overall costs for each project. Working with a reliable medical transcription company means you can count on completing the project that is HIPAA compliant, and protects both your organization and the clients involved. As more home based medical transcription providers earn their certification and training through formal programs, your organization can benefit from highly skilled professionals and outsource any and all of your medical coding and billing needs with ease.