Downsides of Outsourcing Medical Transcription Services

Thinking about outsourcing medical transcription?

Handling medical transcription in-house can be expensive and time-consuming.

You'll need to hire an experienced transcriptionist and make sure they adhere to healthcare regulations, such as HIPAA. Since the process can be demanding, many healthcare providers and hospitals choose to delegate this responsibility to a reliable service provider instead.

With the growing demand for clinical documentation support, numerous healthcare professionals are turning to third-party transcription services from various parts of the world. In this article, we will focus on some of the frequently asked questions and concerns associated with outsourcing medical transcription.

What is Medical Transcription? 

Medical transcription has become more popular in recent years as a cost-effective alternative to medical scribes and other common documentation methods. After seeing a patient, clinicians typically send an audio recording of the visit to a transcriptionist, who then converts it into a written report.

These transcriptionists usually have at least a fundamental knowledge of medicine and medical terminology. With this background, they can produce fairly accurate documents that doctors can use to complete their notes and add them to their EHR system.

Why Do Healthcare Providers Outsource Medical Transcription? 

The main reason for outsourcing medical transcription is the same as many other types of labor outsourcing: cost savings. It is often more affordable to hire someone in another country to transcribe a patient visit than to employ someone locally in the United States. However, outsourcing medical transcription also brings some challenges.

Downsides of Outsourcing Medical Transcription 

Outsourcing medical transcription services can lead to several issues, such as delays in turnaround times due to time zone differences. Language barriers and accents can affect the accuracy of transcriptions, especially for complex medical terms. Additionally, remote human transcription is prone to errors, as it depends on the transcriptionist's expertise and focus. There is also the risk of privacy breaches when sensitive patient data is handled by third-party services. Finally, outsourcing can lead to a lack of control over the quality and consistency of the transcribed documents. Here are some drawbacks of outsourcing medical transcription: 

Training and Security Concerns

Whenever medical transcription is outsourced, it's essential to remember that we are dependent on the rules and regulations set by third-party companies. There is no central authority overseeing the training or security practices of these companies, which means we can't always be certain about the steps they take to safeguard patient information. While many companies offer statements about HIPAA compliance and security, the lack of a governing body means that their policies and procedures can vary and may not be as strong, leaving clinicians with no guaranteed way to ensure the quality and security of the work. In many ways, clinicians rely on the actions of others when outsourcing medical transcription.

Limited or Complete Control Over the Process 

Outsourcing transcription services means healthcare providers may have less influence over the process than when using in-house transcription teams. The absence of direct supervision can sometimes result in errors or delays in the documentation.

Language Barriers and Accent Issues

At times, transcription services may hire professionals from other countries to handle the work. This can sometimes create language and accent challenges, which may impact the accuracy and clarity of transcribed documents, especially when dealing with complex medical terminology.

Hidden Fees 

Third-party medical transcription services typically offer both fixed and variable pricing options. Medical organizations can pay for these services through monthly billing cycles or a pay-as-you-go arrangement. However, if they miss hidden fees, they might end up paying more than originally agreed. Currency conversion and value changes are additional costs to consider, especially when working with an offshore provider.

Turnaround Time Due to Different Time zones 

The main challenge with outsourcing medical transcription is the turnaround time. Clinicians understandably want their written reports returned as quickly as possible, but that’s not always feasible. The time difference between the U.S. west coast and New Delhi, India—where a large portion of outsourced transcription services are based—is almost 13 hours. This means that by the time many clinicians finish seeing patients in the late afternoon, transcriptionists in India are already asleep. As a result, providers won't receive their written reports until at least the following day. In many cases, this delay can be unacceptable.

To address this issue, many companies implement tiered pricing systems for faster service, but this option isn't practical for every clinician, especially those paying for transcription services out of their own pockets. Opting not to pay extra for a quicker turnaround can result in being pushed to the back of the queue, leading to delays of 48 hours or longer.

Lack of Transparency

When hiring a medical transcription service, healthcare organizations must share sensitive data to avoid complications. However, some providers may be cautious and withhold important details through their security software. Similarly, some healthcare organizations may be hesitant to share their own insights.

This lack of openness reduces trust between the medical transcription provider and the healthcare organization.Without understanding each other’s methods, both sides struggle to identify and address issues effectively. These gaps make problems harder to solve, leading to potential revenue losses and high costs for mitigation.

Quality Control Problems

Healthcare organizations often face challenges with quality control when working with third-party service providers. It can be difficult for medical businesses to monitor every step of their outsourcing partner due to differing priorities and business objectives.

Outsourcing medical transcription services are skilled in managing both back-office and front-office tasks. However, healthcare providers still need to build a strong relationship with their medical transcription subcontractor to ensure that work meets the required standards. Without this connection, gaps can form, leading to subpar services and unhappy patients.

Technology Gaps 

While modern technologies help simplify repetitive tasks, challenges can still occur. If outsourcing medical transcription services are not diligent in monitoring and maintaining their systems, technical problems can increase the workload for the in-house team. Additionally, medical organizations that rely on these services may face higher costs due to project delays and the need for mitigation.

Conclusion 

In summary, outsourcing medical transcription can be helpful for some clinicians, but it isn't without its flaws. The documentation challenges faced by healthcare providers are complex and significant, and outsourcing transcription services is just a temporary fix for a much larger issue that requires substantial change. Healthcare providers need a solution that will genuinely improve their work, but the current cost, quality, and efficiency of transcriptionists fall short of meeting those needs.

A Better Solution: SOAPsuds AI Medical Scribe 

Thankfully, outsourced medical transcription services are not the only option for easing the documentation workload of healthcare providers. In fact, a more advanced and automated solution exists, allowing medical professionals to delegate documentation and charting tasks entirely, so they can focus on patient care without the pressure of working extra hours. This solution is AI-powered medical scribe software.

SOAPsuds’ AI-based medical scribe listens to the interaction between the clinician and patient in real time, capturing the key medical information from the conversation. It then processes this data to generate a detailed note, which is directly uploaded into the clinician’s system.

With this, healthcare providers no longer have to choose between time efficiency and providing high-quality care. SOAPsuds enables them to achieve both with ease.