What is Medical Transcription?

By Raj | Jul 9, 2007

Explaining in simple words, medical transcription is just “typing what the doctor/nurse says” and a medical transcriptionist is a secretary or an assistant helping out doctors in preparing patient reports. Basically it is a typist’s job. The treatment given for a patient at each point needs to be recorded for various processes including insurance claims in the US. The one who types these medical records is called a transcriber or a transcriptionist and the act of doing that, transcription.

In those earlier days, transcriptionists used to type with a typing machine by listening to audio tapes dictated by the doctors. Times have changed and technology too. Medical transcription has now become an IT enabled service (ITES). Now transcriptionists type with the aid of computer word processors and voice players; there by almost everything in this process confined to computers and internet.

The terminologies involved and the accent of different persons makes it a bit difficult job.

It was in the mid/latter part of the nineties that medical transcription started creeping into Asian countries like India and Philippines, creating incredible job opportunity; thanks the advantage and proliferation of internet.

Initially, companies were working with US clients and their medical records, converting them from audio to text. Now clientele of companies have extended to UK, Australia, Canada etc.

Apart from medical transcription, there is business transcription where conferences, discussions, meetings etc., too are transcribed depending upon the requirements of various clients.