Where Are Medical Transcription Services Needed?

Medical transcription has been experiencing a sort of revival recently, as more employers are looking for newly grads in the medical transcription field. Furthermore, with an increased demand for healthcare services from the aging baby boomer population, the need for medical transcriptionists, and allied healthcare professionals for that matter. So, if you’re looking for work as a medical transcriptionist, you’ve lucked out, because the pasture appears to be greener right now. Where can medical transcriptionists find employment? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, MTs can find work from the following institutions: 

1. Hospitals – The BLS reports that around 35% of MTs across the US work for state, local, and private hospitals. MTs work for the in-house transcription department of hospitals, transcribing recordings from physicians and their patient diagnoses. Patient histories, progress notes, prescriptions, and laboratory results and the like are also recordings that MTs handle.
2. Physician’s Offices – 22 percent of MTs work for the offices of physicians. Some physicians need their own dedicated transcriptionists at their clinics, especially if they run a private practice. The transcription tasks include patient interaction, diagnoses, prescriptions, and relevant lab test results – essentially the same as what hospital-based transcriptionists accomplish.
3. Business Support Services – According to the BLS, 15 percent of MTs work for business support services or third-party medical transcription providers. These third-party providers are in fact, one of the most popular employers, of MTs all over the world. As more and more healthcare providers see the value of outsourcing their medical transcription needs to transcription providers, the more opportunities in this area grows for MTs looking into finding a work-from-home job. The MTs just have to receive the audio recording of the doctor’s notes and submit transcripts electronically.
4. Outpatient Care Centers – 2 percent of MTs work for outpatient (ambulatory) care centers. As some of you may know, ambulatory care centers operate as hospitals; the only difference is that ambulatory care centers do not perform major surgeries on patients, but the flow of patient care is basically the same.
5. Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories – As with the previous office, 2 percent of MTs work for medical and diagnostic laboratories. Often times, MTs sought by laboratories for employment are tasked to transcribe surgical pathology reports, diagnostic reports and perform some clerical work as well. These pathology reports are recorded by pathologists who examine biopsies and samples for patients. The MTs will work under the supervision of pathologists and laboratory personnel.

In terms of work schedule, MTs usually work full-time for an employer. Their schedule may depend on the requirements of their employers. Generally, MTs work during regular business hours, unless they work from home. As for employment expectations, MTs are also sometimes required to have a full understanding of the end-to-end flow of patient care and how transcription plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth flow and integrity of the whole process. MTs should also be able to observe their employers’ code of conduct and policies.