Want to organize physicians handwritten notes and prescriptions into electronic documents without spending a fortune? A a href=http://www.tradeseam.com/smallbusiness/business-resources/get-free-quotes/1200/Medical+Transcription+Services target=_blankmedical transcription outsourcing/a service is the perfect solution for you. br /
br /
All medical institutions require computerization of medical notes for clean and compact record-keeping, insurance claims processing, quick reference, conferencing and various other reasons. Hospitals and clinics have long been hiring full time transcriptionists to do the same. But this is an expensive option and not the ideal solution if you have varying volume of transcription needs. Alternatively, you can give transcription duties to other clerical staff or use voice recognition software. But these solutions can be quite inaccurate, putting the health of your patients at stake. Your clerical staff may not be well trained for medical transcription and accuracy of voice recognition usually is too low to be useful. A medical transcription service gives you the best combination of expense, quality and accuracy. br /
br /
How does a medical tanscription service work?br /
br /
* Physicians dictate their notes into a recording device, usually a toll-free phone line or handheld digital recorder. Most medical transcription services support both these methods. Some services also accept recorded cassettes. Mp3 is the preferred sound format when using digital recorders, though other formats can also be used. br /
br /
* The recorded information is then sent to the medical transcription service provider. Information security during transfer is critical. Your patients personal information must not be leaked out at any cost. Digital recordings are submitted via the Internet. This can be done using a secure web site and file transfer protocol (FTP) using custom software from the provider, or even through encrypted email. In case of a toll-free line, the information is directly recorded on the providers servers.br /
br /
* The recorded notes are then transcribed and returned to the hospital or clinic. Information is usually returned as word files, though other formats like pdf can also be specified. Delivery methods include secure web sites, FTP, custom software, encrypted email and in some cases fax. br /
br /
More comprehensive medical transcription services are also available. They offer an online system that stores both the audio files and transcripts, organizes them by date, doctor, or patient, and keeps track of progress as theyre being transcribed. These services are more expensive but offer substantial management benefits.br /
br /
Important Considerationsbr /
br /
Accuracy: The returned work must have accuracy close to 100 per cent. Select a medical transcription service that employs experienced and skilled medical transcriptionists and quality assurance professionals who review the transcriptions before delivering them to you. Your doctors should review and evaluate each transcript on delivery to prevent any damage to your patients health and well-being. br /
br /
Turnaround Time: It refers to the maximum time within which medical transcripts will be delivered to you after submitting the audio recordings. Most medical transcription services offer a turnaround time of 24 to 48 hours. Most also include a STAT service that allows you to specify a turnaround time of one-, two- or four-hours at an additional cost. Different types of notes can have different turnaround times. br /
br /
Security: Medical transcription services are subject to HIPAA rules about patient confidentiality. The industry standard for internet security is 128-bit SSL security. Physical security at the provider location is also important. Careful employee screening and tracking is essential. Audit trails can assist in tracking employees. An audit trail keeps track of each individual who accesses a given set of notes and the modifications they make. br /
br /
Sound Quality: Good quality of sound recording is essential for performance. Digital handheld recorders provide better sound, though they carry an additional hardware cost. Some medical transcription services charge lower prices if you provide them with better quality recordings.br /
br /
Location of service: Many medical transcription services use both domestic and international transcriptionists. There is generally no difference in quality and accuracy between the domestic and outsourced services. Having transcription teams all around the world enables the service providers to meet deadlines. You will most like pay more for service if you insist on using medical transcriptionists located in a developed country like the US.br /
br /
How much will you have to pay?br /
br /
You are charged per line of text. The industry standard is 65 characters in a single line including spaces. Some service providers however, include lesser number of characters in a single line. Price usually ranges from $.05 to $.20 per line. Before you select a vendor, compare price quotes from multiple a href=http://www.tradeseam.com/smallbusiness/business-resources/get-free-quotes/1200/Medical+Transcription+Services target=_blankmedical transcription/a companies. br /
br /
Most medical transcription service providers offer free trial runs. Carefully assess the providers ability to meet deadlines, the accuracy of transcripts, and ease of interaction with their customer service representatives during the trial run. Many providers assign a dedicated team of transcriptionists for long term contracts and also offer lower prices. Carefully evaluate your requirements, the providers and the available services before making a decision.br /
br /
Read important things to know about a href=http://www.o9i.net target=_blankhttp:///a – please make sure to read the page. The times have come when proper information is truly only one click away, use this possibility.

Original Source: About.com

Chinese surgeons removed a chopstick from a child’s brain this week. The 14 month old baby, Li Jingchao, fell with chopsticks in his hand, resulting in the injury.  He had to be driven 10 hours to Beijing in order to find a facility that could remove the chopstick.

The chop went up his nose and into his brain, causing a life-threatening situation.  In fact, by the time he arrived at the hospital, he had a high fever and his heart was beating irregularly.  X-rays revealed that the chopstick had penetrated 4mm into his brain.

Surgeons were able to dislodge the chopstick with only minor bleeding, and Li is expected to make a full recovery.

More about this story, including a photo.

New Studies Show Improved Ways To Prevent Infection After Surgery, as originally reported by About.com:

Two studies showed the same results this week, better infection prevention prior to surgery means less infection after surgery.

Two different methods were used, one study used an antiseptic administered nasally and the other required bathing patients with an antiseptic solution. Both methods were effective, and the antiseptic bath proved more effective than the skin prep agent that has been used in many hospital for decades.

For high risk cases, people who are at a high risk of having an infection after surgery, combining both methods may be the best way to protect the patient.

One of the doctors involved in the study made an important point, noting that infections aren’t necessarily caused by outside germs, but are often caused by the germs that live on the skin. These germs are normal and typically cause no issues, but can cause infection when they are in a surgical incision. These germs that live on the skin, called normal flora, are removed with the antiseptic bath and once removed, cannot move into the incision.

If you are concerned about infection after surgery, be sure to discuss with your surgeon the methods that they employ to prevent infection after surgery.

Identifying signs and symptoms of infection after surgery

A new study out of Washington state shows that the risks of abdominal surgery increase with age, including the risk of death after surgery. The study found that for patients 65 years of age and older, the risk of dying in the 60 days following surgery is as high as 5 percent, or 1 in 20 patients.

The risk increases with age.  For patients in their late 60s, there was a 2.5% risk of death in the two months following surgery, but that risk rose to 6% for patients in their 70s, 12.6 for patients in their 80’s, and 16.7% for those in their 90s.

It makes perfect sense that someone in their 60s has a lower risk of death than someone 30 years older, but this study may be the first to put a hard number on how much higher the risk truly is.

So what use is this information? If you or a loved one is over 60 and considering an abdominal surgery, keep in mind that all surgeries have risks and your level of risk may be higher than you realize.  If your surgery is not absolutely necessary, consider all the risks and benefits before going forward.

This article was syndicated via RSS From: http://surgery.about.com/