Medical transcription outsourcing and risk management are very closely related. Risk management involves minimizing the risk involved in the healthcare process and medical transcription is the process of creating patient records from audio narration by healthcare professionals of their encounter with the patient. The process of creating patient medical records, by its very nature, is an activity that requires delicate handling and would affect risk management.
It is a known fact that the patient-healthcare professional relationship is sacrosanct and is based on the ability of the healthcare professional/healthcare facility to maintain the confidentiality of privileged patient information. Protecting the confidentiality of patient information is not only a moral obligation, it is also a legal mandate. HIPAA has provided specific guidelines to protect confidential patient information. The HITECH provisions that have recently gone into effect have provisions that elaborate on HIPAA and have provided an additional HIPAA arsenal to punish violators.
Outsourcing this entire process has proven to be one of the most efficient, effective, and cost-effective ways to create patient records. However, handing over this activity to a third-party service provider raises some fears regarding security.
However, these concerns can be alleviated by choosing your transcription provider carefully. This will ensure that the provider:
You are well versed in HIPAA/HITECH requirements
It has provisions to ensure total safety.
Ensuring that the entity charged with the responsibility of creating patient medical records is HIPAA/HITECH compliant will also help with the risk management process.
How can outsourced medical transcription services help in the risk management process?
To understand how this helps in risk management, it is important to understand the principles of risk management and how outsourced services help in the process.
The principles of risk management are as follows:
create value
Be an integral part of the organizational process.
Be part of the decision making
Explicitly address uncertainty
systematic and structured
Based on the best information available
To measure
Take human factors into account.
transparent and inclusive
Dynamic and receptive to change.
Improvement and continuous improvement
These services assist healthcare facilities in the risk management process by complying with all risk management principles during the patient encounter documentation process.
It ensures:
Medical records are created with the utmost precision. It ensures this by using teams that are specialists in the specialty in which they are transcribing. Higher quality is ensured by having multi-level quality control that ensures maximum precision. Information captured in patient records must be accurate, as it forms part of the evidence in malpractice litigation.
Medical records are created on time. Optimum response time is ensured by using the right equipment, the right process, and the right technology. This ensures that healthcare professionals have the information they need to formulate plans for the patient’s healthcare, on time. This helps manage risk.
Medical records are created securely. Another aspect of risk management is protecting the confidentiality of patient information. Assistance is provided in this regard by implementing measures to protect patient information through the security of people, processes and technology.
Outsourcing medical transcription to the right service provider not only helps healthcare facilities in some aspects of risk management, but also helps healthcare facilities save cost, increase focus on core business and help to provide multiple benefits through the use of appropriate technology.