Posted May 7, 2019

In-House Medical Transcriptionist vs. Outsourced Medical Transcription Services

Because the documentation of patient information into EHR takes so much time away from our physicians, many medical practices hire scribes to do it for them. The question is: Should the service remain in-house or be outsourced?

That’s what we’re here to flesh out.

When it comes to medical transcriptions, having someone you can trust to complete accurate and timely reports is crucial. This is why many practices rely on in-house transcriptionists who have been with their company for years! However, who’s to say you can’t achieve the same, or better, success by outsourcing your documents to a skilled medical transcriptionist? In this blog, we discuss everything you need to know about medical transcriptionists to help you make your decision. Let’s get started.

Common Misconceptions About In-House Medical Transcriptionists

In-House Transcriptionists Are Able To Produce More High-Quality Work

Some people think that it’s easier to hire and train a medical transcriptionist to provide quality work. This is true if you have the time and resources to train someone to fully understand your needs. Otherwise, the costs of training and lost time can actually make your practice less productive. Additionally, the cost of an in-house medical transcriptionist may not be the most affordable option long-term.

In most cases, a third-party medical service will be needed to proofread the work of the in-house transcriptionist. This means more money out of your pocket. Furthermore, when an in-house medical transcriptionist takes time off of work, the medical practice will have to plan to cover the duties during this time. This backlog of transcription work can cause delays in billing and timeliness in seeing patients.

In-House Transcriptionists Are More Secure Than Outsourcing

Many practices are hesitant to outsource their transcription services due to the fear of compromised patient data security. When, in actuality, the level of security measure taken by a medical transcription company is often higher than what occurs in-office.

For example, many practices let their in-house medical transcriptionists take work home or log in outside of the secured practice network. Unless a medical practice has stringent security standards, it makes more sense to partner with a trusted third-party medical transcription service company than to opt for an in-house scribe.

In-House Transcriptionists Are Easier To Communicate With

Many practices believe that because the in-house staff is on hand it’s easier to communicate with them on a day-to-day basis. But with a professional transcription company, they have staff on hand ready and waiting to help. A simple instant message or a phone call is easier in many cases than walking down the hall or to the other side of the building to have a conversation.

Many companies, like DataMatrix Medical, have the technology to provide the best workflow, giving the medical practice the ability to look at a screen and know what has been dictated and request stat work with the simple push of a button. This level of expertise and communication is not always achievable with an in-house transcriptionist!

Advantages of Outsourcing To A Skilled Medical Transcriptionist

Value of Investment

External medical transcription providers have the experience and bandwidth necessary for quality transcription services. In other words, your medical practice does not have to spend a dime on hiring and training. Plus, they get paid for the work done. So, during periods where workload is low, you won’t have to pay a fixed fee as with the employee. Even better, their work is not affected by sick days and leave days.

Assured Quality

A medical transcription company employs a team of transcriptionists to each of your physicians. These virtual scribes are trained to create medical reports accurately, completely and concisely—including grammar and punctuation. This means that there are several professional eyes checking and rechecking the documents for accuracy.

Timely Turnaround

Besides quality, outsourcing a transcription service also improves the rate at which work is done. Companies always assign a task to specific individuals who work hard to meet the deadline. In some cases, the work might be too much for the in-house personnel to handle within the particular timeframe. With a team of transcriptionists from a third-party vendor, the documentation is done at the time the patient’s visit–meaning reports will always be done on time.

Long-Term Assurance

In-house transcriptionists may leave for another opportunity, retirement, sickness and more. While it’s somewhat to be expected, this leaves your practice struggling to complete documentation and searching for a quick solution.

When you outsource, however, you won’t have to worry about unexpectedly losing a medical transcription company. As long as there is documentation to complete, you have a partner! Even if your practice experiences growth, your medical transcription service will find a way to expand with you.

Time to Focus on What Matters

With the amount of managerial and laborious tasks that physicians are expected to complete (including inputting data into EHRs), there’s hardly enough time actually care for patients. This is why hiring a company that can free up any and all time for your physicians is key for better patient care.

Inevitably, there many misconceptions and fears about outsourcing transcription work. But as we now know, the productivity, quality and capabilities that comes with outsourcing your medical transcription services aren’t always possible with an in-house medical transcriptionist.

DataMatrix Medical’s Skilled Medical Transcriptionist Team

At DataMatrix Medical, we make it our mission to help physicians and their staff carry out the best possible patient care through our strategic solutions. We provide medical transcription and EHR integration services, all while helping practices remain HIPAA compliant–something that has become increasingly harder to maintain with the adoption of EHR.

We know the value our team of medical transcriptionists can bring to your practice. When you outsource your documentations to us, your practice will be assigned to a specific team of transcriptionists. Each medical transcriptionist on your team will get to know your voice, jargon, tone and dialect, assuring that your reports are as accurate and complete as possible.

When it comes to medical transcription, you’re always better off outsourcing. However, don’t outsource to just anyone. Choose a company you can trust—choose DataMatrix Medical!

Accuracy is a key component of medical transcriptions, which is why we understand that words really do matter in transcription. Download our guide, The Power of Intent: Why Words Matter in Transcription, below to learn the importance of words in transcription, and how they can impact your practice.