There's a premium on professional transcription services because it's not something which can be automated or done by unskilled transcriptionists without the proper tools. The devil is in the details, because there are certain sectors which need extreme levels of accuracy in transcribed data. Even a single mistake could prove to be extremely costly.
Maybe it would be better to start from the concept and work upwards towards today's real-world needs and implementation solutions. As per definition, the business of transcription involves taking speech in some form (live or recorded audio/video) and converting it into text that can be stored as digital data. This is done by a transcriptionist who listens to the audio and types it as text.
No doubt the first thought that comes to mind is that anybody could do this. True, but that doesn't guarantee accuracy and speed. This is where the professional part comes into the picture. There are hardware and software tools that can be used to improve on the quality and volume of the work done. The industry standard is that 15 minutes of audio should be transcribed in an hour.
It also needs a fair amount of training and there is a learning curve that cannot be avoided. A medical transcription company, for example, requires its transcriptionists to be knowledgeable about medicine and all the terminology that physicians use. As a matter of fact, a lot of companies prefer to hire candidates with a background as a pharmacy or nursing assistant, and provide them with the requisite training required to become a transcriptionist.
This is a job where the candidate must accurately transcribe an audio recording which contains everything a doctor says about a patient, including the diagnosis and suggested treatment. Mistakes in this data will not only be fatal for the patients, but will also lead to medical malpractice claims. It can easily end many careers including that of the physician, medical staff and the hospital administrators.
Another concern is the security provided for the audio files and transcribed data. In the U. S., health care providers are required to handle data in a manner that is HIPAA complaint and protects the security and privacy of patient records. Then there's also the issue of compatibility. The provider has to be able to provide text data in a format that is compatible with the naming protocols and standards required for the Electronic Medical Record (EMR/EHR) system used by the client.
The same high degree of accuracy is required for legal transcriptions. Lawyers record hours of depositions and then need to have it all transcribed word for word. Again, a single error can make the difference between winning and losing a court case. If it happens because of a clerical error, that's again grounds for a malpractice lawsuit against the lawyer.
Recorded speech transcriptions aside, there are many value-added professional transcription services that are in heavy demand. For instance, audio may be transcribed into text in several languages. Live video streams need closed captioning, and this is yet another area where no error will be tolerated since there is no verification process and it cannot be corrected. The bottom line here is that trying to get transcriptions done on the cheap often leads to be very expensive.
Maybe it would be better to start from the concept and work upwards towards today's real-world needs and implementation solutions. As per definition, the business of transcription involves taking speech in some form (live or recorded audio/video) and converting it into text that can be stored as digital data. This is done by a transcriptionist who listens to the audio and types it as text.
No doubt the first thought that comes to mind is that anybody could do this. True, but that doesn't guarantee accuracy and speed. This is where the professional part comes into the picture. There are hardware and software tools that can be used to improve on the quality and volume of the work done. The industry standard is that 15 minutes of audio should be transcribed in an hour.
It also needs a fair amount of training and there is a learning curve that cannot be avoided. A medical transcription company, for example, requires its transcriptionists to be knowledgeable about medicine and all the terminology that physicians use. As a matter of fact, a lot of companies prefer to hire candidates with a background as a pharmacy or nursing assistant, and provide them with the requisite training required to become a transcriptionist.
This is a job where the candidate must accurately transcribe an audio recording which contains everything a doctor says about a patient, including the diagnosis and suggested treatment. Mistakes in this data will not only be fatal for the patients, but will also lead to medical malpractice claims. It can easily end many careers including that of the physician, medical staff and the hospital administrators.
Another concern is the security provided for the audio files and transcribed data. In the U. S., health care providers are required to handle data in a manner that is HIPAA complaint and protects the security and privacy of patient records. Then there's also the issue of compatibility. The provider has to be able to provide text data in a format that is compatible with the naming protocols and standards required for the Electronic Medical Record (EMR/EHR) system used by the client.
The same high degree of accuracy is required for legal transcriptions. Lawyers record hours of depositions and then need to have it all transcribed word for word. Again, a single error can make the difference between winning and losing a court case. If it happens because of a clerical error, that's again grounds for a malpractice lawsuit against the lawyer.
Recorded speech transcriptions aside, there are many value-added professional transcription services that are in heavy demand. For instance, audio may be transcribed into text in several languages. Live video streams need closed captioning, and this is yet another area where no error will be tolerated since there is no verification process and it cannot be corrected. The bottom line here is that trying to get transcriptions done on the cheap often leads to be very expensive.
About the Author:
Read more about The Importance Of Professional Transcription Services visiting our website.
0 comments:
Post a Comment