A Common Platform Saves the Day

Two issues must be addressed when integrating transcription services with your facility dictation, transcription and document management systems. These issues are 1) The dictation voice file must be accessed by the service and 2) The resulting document must be interfaced into your enterprise systems. Current solutions are inadequate because they are inefficient, costly and often haven’t considered HIPAA compliance.

Voice File Access

Solutions to voice file access include:

• Direct dial-in access to the enterprise system by the service, requiring specific listening devices
• Allowing the service to rerecord the voice file on your enterprise dictation system
• Dictating into a system provided by the service

In the above scenarios, the service is using its own transcription software. Most services employ transcriptionists that are geographically dispersed beyond your local calling area. Consequently, direct dialing into your system is a costly solution for the service (and ultimately this is passed to your facility) since long distance charges apply to all minutes the service transcriptionist is connected to your system. To avoid this cost, or because you don't have available ports on your system for access by the service transcriptionists, the service rerecords your dictation. A rerecord device literally plays each minute of dictation on your system and copies it to a system at the service much like an audio tape player records a song from a CD. This solution negatively affects turnaround times because the transcription cannot begin until the rerecord is complete. Most services would prefer that you dictate into their system since this is usually the least expensive way for them to acquire the dictation while eliminating delays associated with re-recording. However, many healthcare facilities justifiably resist this solution. Facility concerns about loss of control over the process (i.e. not knowing how much work is being dictated and difficulties with moving the work elsewhere if the quality and/or turnaround time goals are not being met) make this choice the least popular with many HIM directors.

Document Interfacing

Solutions to interfacing transcriptions completed by the service into your system include:

• HL7 interfaces
• Customized interfaces
• Manual cut and paste procedures
• Requiring the service to type using your facility transcription system

Many services do not have the technical expertise and programming skills to accommodate HL7 and custom interfaces. Most MIS departments do not have the resources required to respond promptly to interfacing projects. Consequently, documents created by a service are often simply delivered as a text file or a printed report to the facility. Once delivered, lengthy cut and paste procedures or in house interfaces may be used to move the reports into a document management system for printing, faxing, viewing and signing. If interface capabilities exist, each time you consider another service, a new interface project is necessary, which is both costly and time-consuming. Healthcare facilities will even stay with a service when they are dissatisfied with turnaround time or quality to avoid a new interface project.

TAeSeries®, the Dilemma Solution

In addition to solving the above critical issues of voice access and document interfacing, the desired solution would improve the service’s ability to monitor both quality assurance and turnaround times. An added bonus would be automated distribution of jobs to the service transcriptionists. All services have a typing platform, which allows for document creation. Few services have systems that allow efficient management of workflow. Most services struggle manually to distribute work to transcriptionists and quality assurance staff (if QA is included at all). Typically, services react negatively when requested to type on your in-house platform. The obvious reason is that the service wants a standard typing platform that they can use for all their accounts. Understandably, it is difficult for a service to manage multiple platforms from various healthcare facilities.

TAeSeries® has been designed to address all these issues. To our knowledge it is the only platform designed to be used independently by either a transcription service company or an in-house transcription department and jointly by both. The problems of voice access and document interfacing are solved when the service and the facility use the same technology platform. By utilizing TAeSeries® for your in-house and transcription service production, the process is more efficient and less costly for both the service and the healthcare enterprise. TAeSeries® requires only a local Internet connection instead of dual telephone connections for remote transcription, saving long distance expense. With TAeSeries®, an HIM director can monitor the service production with as much detail as with the in-house staff, from a single application. Automatic QA levels are individually adjusted to monitor new accounts or new staff. Your decision to utilize TAeSeries® is not a proprietary solution for the service, which you "force" on them. Rather, TAeSeries® is a solution that can improve their own business and be utilized with all their customers.

Your HIPAA concerns naturally extend to your transcription service provider. If questioned about HIPAA, most services comment that their associates have signed confidentiality statements. Today, more assurance is available through TAeSeries® to protect your patients’ privacy. TAeSeries® not only audits all viewing, editing, QA, printing and faxing by facility employees, its audit includes all viewing, editing, QA, printing and faxing occurrences by the transcription service provider when the service uses TAeSeries®. This is a tremendous relief to the enterprise and a strong statement on the part of the transcription service provider. Call Arrendale (800 344-1323) or visit www.aaita.com to learn more about features of TAeSeries® engineered for both in-house and service transcription production.