Medical Transcription Outsourcing

The United States medical transcription industry has been growing at the rate of over15% annually and there has been a growing demand for the documentation of medical documents. This demand and the need for lowering of medical costs has made the US to outsource work to lower wage countries like India and the Philippines. These Asian countries have a skilled work force that is ideally suited for the job and have proven their expertise over the years. However there has been a lot of difference of opinion on outsourcing of medical transcription work.

One of the main reasons for outsourcing to countries like India is indeed the cost advantage due to cheap labor in these developing countries, and their currency rates as compared to the U.S. dollar. With no dearth of educated English speaking graduates in India it continues to be the best outsourcing destination for medical transcription. What are the different reasons for the controversy on whether part of the work that is worth US $10 to $25 billion annually should be outsourced or not? There has been a controversy on whether work should be outsourced, mainly due to many reasons. Some of the related issues are mentioned below.

• The greater majority of MTs (Medical Transcriptionists) presently work from home offices rather than from actual hospitals,
• Nationals located in the United States striving to outsource work to other-than-US-based transcriptionists.
• In outsourcing work to sometimes lesser-qualified and lower-paid MTs.
• Profit of outsourcing is not always passed cover to clients
• Concerns about patient privacy
• Selective Quality problems
• Un familiarity with local slangs and accent problems
  

One of the most advantageous features in Medical Transcription Outsourcing is the time difference of 12 hours between India and the USA. It allows for transcribed files to be ready and delivered by the next day morning itself. Transcriptionists in India can work on the tapes on the night. (while it is now day in India) Most Asian transcription companies adhere to very high standards with regard to the use of technology and all files are well encoded before being transmitted via the Internet.

The author of this article is Ricci Mathew of Outsource Strategies International (OSI), a US based company that offers services in Medical Coding, Medical Billing, Medical Transcription for clients across the US.
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