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Key Factors that Affect Medical Transcription Turnaround Time
Medical transcription services are regarded as an important cog in the health care process. With a reliable service provider, healthcare professionals are ensured of top quality and accurate patient records. In addition to accuracy and quality, an important factor that determines the usefulness of clinical documentation is turnaround time or TAT. This is the total time period between the completion of dictation and the final delivery of transcripts to the healthcare provider. When you outsource the medical transcription task, you expect to get the transcripts to get delivered quickly. However, transcription is not the same as typing as it involves listening, analyzing, evaluating, and then typing. Naturally, the process is quite time-consuming. For example, a minute of recording takes at least 10 – 15 minutes to transcribe. Only reliable medical transcription companies can assure delivery in customized quick turnaround time. This article discusses the various factors that affect the medical transcription turnaround time.
Factors Underlying TAT
Accent – The speaker’s accent is an important factor that affects transcription turnaround time. Unfamiliar or strong accents will normally take more time to get transcribed. A large extent depends on the ability the transcriptionist to decipher the physician’s speech. This might necessitate listening and re-listening to the audio file to check whether everything has been transcribed accurately.
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Number of speakers – An audio recording that involves one or two speakers will relatively be easy to transcribe. However, if there are more than three speakers involved, the transcriptionist will take more time to identify and become familiar with their voices. If people are talking at the same time, audibility will be affected.
Speed of speech – In certain cases, some physicians may speak too quickly with very few pauses, too low or with different accents. The transcriptionist would need to carefully re-listen and proofread the whole recording to understand what the physician has said and need extra transcription time.
Audio quality – Clear and uninterrupted 1 – hour recordings will normally take up 2- 4 hours to transcribe (without including review and processing time). However, audio or video recordings with heavy background noises slow down the transcription. The quality of recordings will mainly depend on the type of recording equipment used. Recordings made without using microphones will have that background noise or ‘echo’. These recordings may need several rounds of listening and therefore take longer time to transcribe. To get top quality and accurate transcripts in quick turnaround time, it is important to use top quality recording equipment.
Knowledge of technical terms – This is an important factor that plays an integral role in defining transcription time. For instance, physicians may use medical jargon, abbreviations and technical terminology. Transcriptionists need to have thorough knowledge of the terms and procedures related to the specific subject and specialty. This will
eliminate the need
for intensive research
transcription speed.
Familiarity with the common words and style used by the
physician will also help to improve transcription time and accuracy.
Medical Transcription Process
and improve
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Stay Confident with a Professional Medical Transcription Company All the above-mentioned factors have a serious impact on the turnaround time and even the costs of transcription. Physicians can stay confident by partnering with a professional medical transcription service provider. With a team of experienced medical transcriptionists, the right firm can ensure quality documentation within the specified TAT and at affordable rates.
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