Medical Transcription 06 Lecture Slides.pdf

Medical Transcription Workflow

1. Technology, Tools & Techniques II
Medical Transcription Workflow
MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION
DR EBENEZER ODURO ANTIRI

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•Due to the advent of the latest information technology, especially the Internet,
medical transcription can now be outsourced or sent to offsite locations, either
locally or globally.
•Thetwomainwaysoffiletransferinthemedical transcription world:
1.Email
2.FTP: File Transfer Protocol
Introduction
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•Emails were previously used for the transfer of files. Nowadays, very few, if any,
physicians use this method owing to its cumbersomeness and the security risk of
exposing sensitive patient health information.
•Some of the limitations of using email accounts for the transfer of files are as
follows:
1.Downloads and uploads are slow. Interrupted downloads cannot be resumed.
2.Limitations on the size of files that can be uploaded and downloaded.
3.More prone to cyber attacks and PHI being stolen or misused
Using Email For File Transfer
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•File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to transfer files
between computers via the Internet.
•In order to carry on the transfer of files through an FTP connection, three things are
essential:
1.FTP Server
2.FTP Client
3.Internet
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
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•The FTP Server is the central server that hosts the FTP account and is accessed by
the MTSO or hospital/physician to upload and download files.
•The FTP Client is the personal computer of the MTSO or the hospital or physician,
which is used to connect to the FTP Server.
•A live Internet connection is required to make a connection between the FTP Client
and the FTP Server.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
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•Free FTP clients: WinSCP, Core FTP, FileZilla, and WS_FTP for Windows.
•Paid FTP clients: CuteFTP, SmartFTP, WS_FTP for Windows and
•Fetch for the Mac.
•Note: An FTP connection can be achieved using a standard web browser (Internet
Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.), but it is not advisable as the
transfer of files is slow and not secure (not recommended for uploading or
downloading large files).
Examples
F I L E T R A N S F E R P R O T O C O L ( F T P )

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•There are two types of FTP accounts:
1.Public FTP accounts
2.Secure FTP accounts
•Public FTP: In these types of accounts, no verification is performed. It is especially necessary
for companies to provide software updates to their users. This type of FTP account is never
used in the healthcare industry because of security risks and HIPAA violations.
•Secure FTP: These types of accounts protect the username and password and encrypt the
content that is transferred over the Internet.
Types Of FTP Accounts
F I L E T R A N S F E R P R O T O C O L ( F T P )

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Secure FTPs often utilize one of the following protocols:
•SSL/TLS (FTPS):Explicit FTPS is an extension to the FTP standard that allows
clients to request that the FTP session be encrypted.
•SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP):SFTP uses the Secure Shell Protocol (SSH)
and encrypts the password as well as data, thereby preventing sensitive information
from being transmitted openly over the Internet. Plain FTP is not secure. It has to be
secured by various encryption methods, such as SFTP or SSL/TLS (FTPS).
Types Of FTP Accounts
F I L E T R A N S F E R P R O T O C O L ( F T P )

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Specific log-in information required to connect to any FTP server is as follows:
Host Name/Address: ftp.exavault.com, ftp.simpleftp.net
Port: 21, 22, 222, 2500.
Protocol: FTP/SFTP/FTP with SSL/TLS (FTPS) Host/Logon Type: Automatic
Detect/Private/Anonymous/Normal
User ID: FTP username
Password: FTP password
FTP Server Login
F I L E T R A N S F E R P R O T O C O L ( F T P )

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•Simple drag-and-drop for uploading and downloading files from the FTP server.
•Simultaneous transfer of multiple files at a time.
•Interrupted file transfers can be resumed.
•File queuing: One can queue the files depending on their priority.
•Automated transfer: Standing instructions can be set so that at any specified time,
an FTP connection will be established, and the transfer of files will start
automatically.
•Synchronization: Files on the local computer are updated and matched to the files
on the FTP server without any manual intervention in a periodic manner.
Advantages Of Using An FTP
F I L E T R A N S F E R P R O T O C O L ( F T P )

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•The medical transcription workflow can be categorized into two types:
1.Offline Medical transcription
2.Online Medical transcription
•Offline medical transcription:This type of workflow utilizes a local area network
(LAN) in addition to the Internet to distribute the files among the intended users,
hence offline.
•Online Medical transcription:This type of workflow utilizes only the Internet to
distribute the files among the intended users, hence online.
Medical Transcription: Offline And Online
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Distribution Of Medical Reports
The delivery methods of medical reports are chronologically arranged from most
preferred to least preferred.
Offline medical transcription
•a) Uploaded onto the FTP server.
•b) Uploaded into the EMR/EHR.
•c) Sent via encrypted email.
•d) Directly routed to the hospital printer.
Medical Transcription: Offline And Online
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Online medical transcription
a) Saved in the EMR or EHR, which the physician can access using his secure login
user ID and password information.
b) Directly routed to the hospital printer.
c) Faxed to the respective physician or hospital.
Medical Transcription: Offline And Online
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1.It streamlines the workflow of medical transcription service organizations in an
efficient and error-free manner.
2.It also eliminates the need for administrative personnel to manually allocate or route
the work.
3.It eliminates the need for software used for sorting files, calculating audio duration,
routing files, etc.
4.It gives an edge over the traditional way of handling and distribution of the files.
Medical Transcription Workflow Management Software
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Workflow management software is generally available in two product types:
1.Desktop software (In-house solution):The desktop software is a software
program that is installed on the computer of the hospital or the MTSO. Internet is
not needed to run the software.
2.Web-based software: The web-based software is a software program that is
installed on the software provider’s server and can be accessed from anywhere by
the client via the Internet. Internet is mandatory to be able to use the software.
Types Of Workflow Management Softwares
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1.Automated distribution of files so that the staff is neither overburdened nor
underutilized.
2.Real-time monitoring of the status of the work and tracking files that are stat/rush
dictation (urgent files).
3.Automatically assign work to medical transcriptionist and quality analyst staff based
on preset standards.
4.Extraction and auto-population of certain information fields (file name, date of visit,
MT and QA IDs, etc.) in the medical report template, thereby reducing chances of
error due to typographical error.
Benefits Of Workflow Management Software
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5.Easy search engine within the software to search on reference files.
6.Summary on the dashboard section that displays crucial client specification.
7.If required, the administrator has the ability to re-route and change the status of the
dictation at any later period of time.
8.Different types of reports that can be generated using the software and exported to
excel or pdf for management review.
Benefits Of Workflow Management Software
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Medical Transcription Workflow Illustrated
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19. Any questions?
Thanks!
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