Recommended Book List for Medical Transcriptionists

RECOMMENDED BOOK LIST FOR MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONISTS

1. The Surgical Word Book by Claudia Tessier published by W.B. Saunders Company. ISBN 0-7216-2128-7 Includes Surgery-Nomenclature, Surgical instruments and apparatus-nomenclature, and surgery terminology.

2. The Pharmaceutical Word Book, by Drake and Drake, published each year by W.B. Saunders Company ISBN 0-7216-7779-3. Gives a quick, easy-to-use reference for the correct spelling and capitalization of drugs, the designated uses of those drugs, the cross-referencing of brand names to generics and the usual methods of administration (e.g. capsule, IV, cream). The reader will also find various trademarked or proprietary names (e.g., Spansule, Dosepak) that are not drugs but are closely associated with the packaging or administration of drugs.

3. Medical Transcription Guide Do’s and Don’ts by Fordney and Diehl, published by W. B. Saunders Company ISBN 0-7216-3798-1. Gives basic rules, as well as current trends and formats, with examples on punctuation and grammar as well as rationales for specific rules so you can manipulate the principles of style with knowledge and understanding.

4. The AAMT Book of Style for Medical Transcriptionists by Claudia Tessier published by the American Association for Medical Transcription, Modesto, California. ISBN 0-935229-22-1. This book presents and represents AAMT’s most complete conclusions for a wide variety of medical transcription styles, forms, and practices. (Not available except over the internet from the AAMT)

5. Word Book in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine by Sloane and Dusseau published by W. B. Saunders Company. ISBN 0-7216-4040-0. Includes pathology and laboratory medicine terminology and laboratory diagnoses.

6. Medical Abbreviations and Eponyms by Sheila B. Sloane published by W. B. Saunders Company. ISBN 0-7216-7088-1

7. Stedmans Medical Dictionary-Williams&Wilkins ISBN0-683-07922-0 Regular edition or ISBN 0-683-07935-2 Deluxe edition. This or any other medical dictionary of equal or greater quality. If you can get the dictionary with the disc to load onto your spell check in the computer it would be an excellent idea. Available through Barnes and Nobel website.

Inaugural Issue – Meditec.com & Medical Transcription

Meditec, Inc. is a company with 30+ years in the transcription, billing and coding business, and which is now primarily involved in providing on-line medical and legal career training at Meditec. Meditec is proud to annouce a monthly newsletter, which we hope will provide our students and potential students with valuable information and insight into our industry.

“I hope everyone finds the information in our inagural edition of the newsletter both helpful and informative.”
Jari Davis, CEO

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION – HISTORY & OVERVIEW
Let’s break the word transcribe down. Trans- is related to the word transfer, which is “to convey or cause to pass from one place, person, or thing to another”: Scribe is both a pronoun and a verb. A scribe (pronoun) is one who records things in written form; to scribe (verb) is to write or inscribe. Being a scribe in ancient Greece, was a highly esteemed profession with a well educated and highly specialized person providing the service. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, kept his physician notes as a written record of medical symptoms and treatments. The notes also served as a basic guide for the next generation of doctors, with each adding to the cumulative pool of information.

In the early 1900s, medical stenographers began taking dictation by shorthand; thereafter, dictation machines evolved.

Since that day, the records process has expanded exponentially to include the patient record and treatment history from birth to death for statistical information, and for the billing and reimbursement process. Accuracy in medical transcription is critical in the modern sense to ensure proper care delivery and clear communication in every facet of patient care. Virtually every patient encounter requires a comprehensive record of the encounter, including the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. This is the consolidated material dictated then transcribed by the MT.

Physicians have come to rely on the judgment and reasoning of experienced medical transcriptionists to safeguard the accuracy and integrity of medical dictation. It is one of the most sophisticated of the allied health professions, creating an important partnership between healthcare providers and those who document patient care.

To prepare, MTs-in-the-making study medical language, including Greek and Latin word origins and their linguistic principles, anatomy and physiology, disease processes, pharmaceutical products and dosages, and laboratory processes and results.

Before embarking on a transcription career, the aspirer needs to have some basic skills: keyboarding, spelling skills, knowledge of associated software, good grammar and punctuation knowledge, a good ear, proofreading accuracy and good deductive reasoning power. After fundamental training, the MT should have extensive medical knowledge and understanding, sound judgment, with the ability to detect medical inconsistencies in dictation. For example, a diagnosis inconsistent with the patient’s history and symptoms may be mistakenly dictated. The medical transcriptionist questions, seeks clarification, verifies the information, and enters it into the report.

Technology has enabled remote transcription as a very successful home-based application. Voice files are downloaded, transcribed and uploaded. Transcriptionists are often able to arrange convenient and flexible work schedules. Medical transcription is a portable skill that allows for professional and geographic mobility. Age restrictions are seldom found, with great value placed on the experience and knowledge of an experienced transcriptionist. It can be a very satisfying career, with constant challenges from continually advancing technology. Our experience with voice recognition technology is that it has hardly made a ripple in the demand elements since an MT still needs to listen to and fix the 32% typical error margin in VR systems.

Medical transcription is estimated to be in the $15-20 billion range annually with a double-digit growth rate. It is estimated there are as many as 400,000 transcriptionists working. About 25% are sole proprietors operating home-based businesses. The remainder is about 60/40 – 60% working for MT companies (and most of these MTs work at home) 40% at hospitals-clinics-physicians’ offices.

The growth in demand for medical transcription services comes from several factors. Recent changes in provider accreditation requirements have put more emphasis on the readability of medical record data, eliminating handwritten notes in medical records. Managed care has compressed the office time schedule for most medical providers making outsourced medical transcription part of an office-efficiency drive. Computerized patient record systems are either in place or planned. New federal regulations (HIPAA and HCFA) put higher emphasis on medical record accuracy and completeness. Medical transcriptionists are a key component in these processes.

Since 1978, medical transcriptionists have been represented by a professional organization, the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT). AAMT has advanced the professionalism of transcribing. There are over 135 component associations of AAMT, each of which holds regular educational meetings and symposia.