Medical Transcription

Since the invention of the electronic word processor, things within the world of the secretary have been advancing ever more rapidly. No longer is it normal to see an audio typist using a cassette based transcription machine, but instead this has now been taken over by digital transcription equipment.

Although the principals are still the same, in that the person carrying out the dictation will record into a recorder what they have to say, instead of it containing a cassette it has a digital recorder which then produces an audio file. This file can then be downloaded directly on to their personal computer and either emailed by the transcriptionist, or they can gain access to it through a shared file/folder on a secure server.

There are various different types of audio (and now even video) file formats now being used, but the most popular ones are:

1. Digital Speech Standard (DSS) 2. Waveform Audio File (WAV) 3. Mpeg Layer 3 (MP3) - the same audio format that many young people now carry all their favorite tunes on.

There are many advantages to be gained from a company using this form of technology in order to produce documents, correspondence, meetings etc. with.

1. It allows a person to record a file which, once downloaded on to their PC, can then be emailed to the transcriptionist who can start work on it immediately.

2. If the company has outsourced its transcription work, then using a digital system means that there is no worry about any of their cassettes getting lost in the mail when they send them off. Plus, as soon as the dictation has been completed, it can be uploaded and forwarded to the transcription service within a matter of minutes for them to start transcribing for you. This means no time is wasted waiting for the cassette to arrive at the transcription service, and then them getting it back to you in the mail.

3. You will now be saving money with your billing costs, as you do not have to pay for courier charges - if you were using the older method of dictating your work onto cassettes.

4. If you are someone who spends considerable amounts of time away from the office (say a sales representative), then having a digital dictation machine with you means that you can make essential notes of any meetings you have held with clients whilst they are still fresh in your mind. Then, as soon as you get back to your hotel room, just plug the device directly into your laptop and email the file back to your secretary who will be able to produce the document verbatim for you. She can then either present it to you on your return to the office or email a copy back to you.

The other reason why more and more people are turning to using digital transcription is because they know that in a matter of hours the work they have just dictated can be back to them no matter where they are on Earth.

Medical Transcription | Privacy Policy |