Achieving total quality requires a commitment from everyone in our company - from our CEO to our front-line service team. The mission: to deliver consistently high quality results for our customers and strive for continuous quality improvement.
In medical transcription, quality means more than just editing and auditing. Achieving total quality requires looking at the entire transcription system. We achieve quality results by building quality processes into every component of the overall transcription solution.
Quality is often associated with processes, metrics, controls and auditing, all important components of a quality program. However, at Med-Scribe we believe the cornerstone of quality is people. By hiring skilled, experienced people - who take true pride in their work - we establish a sound foundation for producing quality results.
Quality Production
Our commitment to quality begins by recruiting and retaining skilled, experienced medical transcriptionists (MTs). Our MTs must have a minimum five years experience, including three years experience in the specific specialty for which they are hired. Thorough testing is conducted, covering key areas such as medical terminology, grammar, abbreviations and editing, in accordance with the AHDI Book of Style for Medical Transcription.
Once hired, a new MT completes training under the guidance of an MT Supervisor. New MTs must meet a minimum of 98.5% quality results on three separate transcription tests. Once placed on a live account, the MT is placed under 100% edit until she consistently reaches a level of 98.5% quality.
Our work pooling system systematically routes incoming dictations to the specific team and MT best equipped to produce quality results for our customers.
Once an MT is on staff, we provide ongoing training and support programs, so she can constantly improve her skills. We provide financial support to MTs to obtain Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT) certification.
Integrated Editing Support:
Our MTs are fully supported by full-time editors. Based on established quality criteria, reports are automatically routed to editors for review and correction. Also, MTs are encouraged to route reports to editors when there is a question or discrepancy. Our editors make every effort to ensure a 100% accurate report is submitted to the customer. We do establish structured processes in the occasion that we require customer assistance to complete the report.
Med-Scribe's quality program involves building and maintaining quality-supporting processes throughout the entire transcription “system.”
- Voice file quality; Physician training/in-service
- Advanced work pooling; Skill-based work assignment
- Experienced, skilled MTs; Production and quality tools
- Integrated editing; Comprehensive feedback
- Proven interface protocols; Distribution monitoring
- Retrospective audits; Shared results
CUSToMER IMPLEMEnTATIon
By following a structured new customer implementation process,
we set a h4 foundation to deliver a quality solution. Our process includes:
Needs Assessment/Discovery:
Review management requirements,
workflow and process improvement opportunities. Gather key data.
Project Planning:
Develop a detailed project plan, including key tasks, deliverables and timelines. Update and communicate throughout the project.
Go-Live and Account Management:
Cross-functional team collaborates with customer to go live with solution. Solution must be fully stabilized.
Auditing and Continuous Improvement
Achieving quality also requires a joint effort between Med-Scribe and our customers. Each quarter we conduct a comprehensive quality audit (full voice to text) for each customer's documents. Documents are evaluated, based on Association for Health Care Documentation Integrity (AHDI) standards.
Technology Drives Quality Results Technology
Through our ChartNet™ transcription system, we utilize several technology controls to further support quality results:
- MTs can pull-up prior transcripts from a specific physician, for reference
- Individually flag MTs for ‘review.' All reports are systematically held until reviewed and released by a QA supervisor
- Integrated medical dictionary and drug name searching
- Automatic cc list generation
- Tracking of report statistics by MT, client site, report type and physician
Through the QA Manager tool our QA team produces several distinct on-demand quality reports. The team evaluates quality performance by customer location, physician and work-type. We also use these reports to proactively identify emerging issues and trends
Speech Recognition
When used intelligently, speech recognition (SR) technology can also be used to improve report quality. We assess dictations based on key criteria - dictating physician, complexity of work and turnaround requirement - to determine if
it is suitable for SR. We apply SR only to work where it can improve quality and turnaround results. It is also critical to assign the right transcriptionists that
can successfully make the transition to medical editors.
ADT Matching
Our highly accurate ADT matching system is critical to ensuring high quality documents. Based on our careful set-up procedures, our system is able to auto- match over 80% of demographic data. The remainder is reviewed and updated by our MTs, using ChartNet reference tools.
Partnering Towards Total Quality
"It is how our customers define quality that really matters. When we start a relationship with a new customer, we take the time to learn about their goals and requirements. We then adapt our processes and procedures to ensure we support the customer's specific needs. Ultimately, a commitment to total quality requires a commitment to partnering with our customers."
