What kind of ehr systems are available for transcription

Mixing transcription and templates for physician documentation offers a practical way forward in organizations transitioning to electronic records.

One of the biggest roadblocks to successful adoption of electronic health record EHR systems concerns physician documentation; specifically, use of point-and-click, structured templates.

Many prefer traditional narrative dictation and transcription. HIM professionals and CIOs face a considerable challenge: how to balance physician productivity, satisfaction, and preferences with the need for structured, discrete data and meaningful EHR adoption. For physicians, every minute counts, and template-based documentation have the unintended consequence of lowering physician productivity.

In addition, templates can tempt busy physicians to simply copy and paste documentation, thwarting HIM mandates for complete and accurate reports. Likewise, CIOs are facing a technology challenge. They must establish data-reporting infrastructures to support internal and external clinical outcomes reporting, statewide hospital reporting programs, application for HITECH funding, and preparation for broader transparency and accountability.

However, those infrastructures must balance physician productivity and satisfaction against the heightened discrete data reporting requirements. It is a difficult balance to achieve and even harder to maintain.

Some organizations are approaching the challenge with a blend, integrating medical transcription as a component of the EHR. By doing so, HIM professionals can work with CIOs to balance physician satisfaction, achieve meaningful use of EHRs, and most importantly, ensure accurate clinical documentation for quality patient care. Perhaps transcription has found a solid role for the future: an integrated partnership with the EHR.

Over the past decade, most EHR return-on-investment calculations have included the assumption that physicians would adopt template-based documentation, and medical transcription costs would be significantly reduced or eliminated. When return is based largely on reduced transcription costs, EHRs almost always fall short. A survey of 2, providers conducted by the AC Group one year following its purchase of an EHR system found that 53 percent of physicians had gone back to dictation or handwriting and 18 percent had stopped using the EHR all together.

Provider organizations that originally hoped to entirely eliminate their transcription costs have discovered that approximately 30 percent of transcription still remains. For example, Fallon Clinic in Worcester, MA, was only able to reduce transcription costs by a third, far lower than the 75 percent reduction projected by its EHR vendor.

A survey of HIMSS Analytics stage 6 hospitals-those almost completely automated and using paperless medical records-revealed a mix of report capture options that included speech recognition, voice recognition, and structured EHR templates see table.

Hospitals in the survey averaged 35 percent use of structured templates within the EHR, 62 percent dictation and transcription, and 4 percent voice recognition. Seymour-Sonnier, director of appointment and transcription services. For these organizations and thousands like them, a blended approach to physician documentation appears to be the norm. According to Mark Anderson, CEO of the AC Group, this approach will probably be the most ideal for physician documentation needs in the foreseeable future.

With the blended approach to physician documentation, different modalities are used to capture dictation based on physician preference, practice patterns, and document types. For example, structured history and physical templates populated by a physician assistant may be used in one care setting, while a dictated and transcribed narrative report may be the best documentation method for inpatient discharge summaries, encounter notes, findings, and assessments.

A provider using transcription would do the examination, walk out of the room, and dictate the components of the exam to a transcriptionist. The transcriptionist would then type out what was dictated and plugged it into the progress note. Fast forward a few years and electronic medical records have quickly surpassed what was once a common practice. The biggest problem nowadays is that most EHR companies sell against transcription. Using this as a selling point can lose potential customers.

Several years ago, when the technology was first available, electronic health records were targeting the doctors leading in technology. Our team will get to work on transcribing your medical documents quickly and accurately. We guarantee your transcriptions will be in your EHR within 24 hours! We want to make EHR work for your practice , which is why we offer fully customizable options.

Your preferences are important to us, so we will make sure data is entered in the way you most prefer. It really is that easy to blend your EHR with our medical transcription solutions.

We know the difference our services can make for your practice, which is why we offer a free two-week trial to get your practice started. By PMI. In EHR Software. Is your EHR taking up valuable physician time? Do your documents need to be re-edited to check for errors? Is the patient-provider relationship being negatively impacted due to EHR documentation? Is EHR impacting billing and payment reimbursement? Here are seven of the main ways your practice can improve by integrating a medical transcription service with your EHR: 1.

Extra time for your physicians When a patient is discussing their symptoms, treatments and more, it can be difficult to keep up—no matter how skilled you are within EHR! Lower risk of document error Outsourcing your electronic health records to a skilled transcriptionist will also reduce patient document error. Increased referrals between physicians When your EHR is blended with a medical transcription service, you may notice increased referrals between physicians.

Improved overall patient care Every practice works to improve patient care. Ability to make quicker reimbursement Reimbursement for care is an issue for almost every practice.

Reduces point-and-click work for physicians Within EHR, there are multiple buttons to click and boxes to check. Saves your practice money Integrating your medical transcriptions into EHR is actually more affordable than you may think!

Step 2: Submit dictations to our team of transcriptionists. Step 3: Data is entered into your EHR based on your preferences. Contact Info. Sales Line: Quick Links. Client Login. All Rights Reserved.