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MT role - always evolving (FACT - brief response) - StoicMT

Posted: Apr 14, 2011

The role of the MT is always evolving. No doubt we are all trying to figure out a way to stay afloat. One of those ways could be for the MT to go beyond just transcription into assisting with the clinical documentation (including the complicated ICD-10). Some doctors believe that medical transcription is one of the least efficient parts of their medical practice. Certainly, many MT's have moved beyond transcription into speech recognition Medical Editors, further ensuring accuracy of the clinical documentation. One would think that an MT would be more efficient by utilizing speech recognition. Recently, I have read several physician forums and it appears that the docs truly want to say goodbye to expensive and inefficient transcription.

***In response to comments (below) about ICD-10 / coding:

FACT: A leading provider of medical transcription services and technology-enabled clinical documentation workflow solutions, today announced that it has been awarded a contract by University a leading academic medical center, to provide computer-assisted coding technology and outsourced coding services.

University selected MTSO based on its ability to demonstrate both ICD-10 readiness as well as the streamlined workflow features to the technology platform including automatic chart assignment and automatic quality assurance which enable complete, accurate coding in a rapid, efficient manner. The addition of outsourced coding services expands University's current partnership with MTSO for transcription outsourcing services.

Evolving - s/m

[ In Reply To ..]
I am glad I know about transcription and never step into my own doctor appointments without checking the documentation. Yes doctors look at this documentation process as a necessary evil or maybe even unnecessary evil, but without documentation docs would be lost. Just tonight I had a postmenopausal male. I have had prostates in females and ovaries and uteruses in males and I do not know how many times doctorsâ�� waffle between right and left. I sure would hate to have the wrong side amputated because of the wrong documentation. I see documentation going away when they insert chips in us with all the documentation just a scan away.

I'd like to say goodbye to all the expensive and - inefficient DOCTORS! (nm)-MTWordz

[ In Reply To ..]

I remember 1990 or so when there was an experiment to have MTs do coding - It was a disaster! See message

[ In Reply To ..]
In order for "helping with" coding to work, the person doing it has to have serious coding skills, to the point of being credentialed, and then they won't have time to transcribe, meaning neither will get done effectively. I suppose you could do a sloppy job of both, but I wouldn't be willing to do it that way.

Back many years ago when there was a very short experiment having MTs do coding, it was a disaster! The reason was, coders do more than just look up a code in the book and MTs do more than just hear sounds and write them down. There was so many hundreds of thousands of dollars lost that they scratched that idea. Real, credentialed coders are needed to do coding if hospitals, clinics, and doctors hope to get paid for their services. What MTs do is very important to that process as well, but those two jobs do not go together well if anything, accurate MT or coding that results in appropriate payment, are going to be done.

What would happen is you'd end up with neither MT nor coding being done well - Walker

[ In Reply To ..]
I remember that 'experiment' very well. There were people who were almost religious about it, for about a minute and a half, then the money stopped coming in because the coding was really bad. The way it was explained to me is, it cost millions before they changed back to what I would call purist MT and coding, each one done by people who know what they are doing, each one filling an important role. I've done both, separately, and I am here to tell you that you cannot do both and do either one well. This is one of those ideas thought up by people who get paid for coming up with ideas, even bad ones.

Oh my gosh, can you imagine this scenario? - We will have 3 groups of people yelling at us

[ In Reply To ..]
We'll have the regular pressure of TAT to get the records so they are available for clinicians.

We'll have the additional pressure of people screaming at us to get the coding part done so they can do the billing!

But wait, I just thought of a 3rd group that will be screaming at us, because the coding was not what they wanted in order to get paid more.

Coding - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Coding is complex. MTs would not be able to do it properly and accurately without additional training. It needs to be right the first time so the facilities can be paid, and the facility can be fined if deficiencies are caught when you are audited. It takes time to read the record and assign codes and transcription TAT would suffer, not to mention how confusing that would get. We all know how frustrating it is to get interrupted multiple times during the day. It might work in a small office where you could transcribe and code in blocks of time but not if you did it for each individual record.

I think a hospital I worked at thought they were giving the additional training - there is training and there is training, LOL

[ In Reply To ..]
They just gave a short training course for those MTs and expected them to code like credentialed coders. They were lost, and so was the money that got lost due to inaccurate coding. The funny thing about it was they were so self-righteous about this new system.

Even if they had MTs who were also credentialed coders, they would either have had time to code or they would have had time to transcribe, but not both unless they wanted errors in both. So, no, to the OP, I don't think this is a good idea at all, if you are interested in excellence. Only an organization that is happy to accept sloppy and inaccurate MT and coding could love a plan like that.

Every few years someone thinks up an idea that costs lots of money and lasts 6 months - Seen it all too often

[ In Reply To ..]
Everybody suffers except the person who thought up the idea, who usually gets paid by the idea, whether it's a good idea or not.

I'm always open to new ideas but making the MTs code too is a really dumb idea - at so many levels as Dr. Phil would say

[ In Reply To ..]
I've actually seen what goes into coding. It isn't that it's especially hard to learn, but it takes time to learn, you need to learn it at the level of being able to pass certification tests, which takes at least a year, and isn't something that you just grab a book, like you would a dictionary, and look up a code. That's just an invitation to disaster.

IF I wanted to be a coder, I would get a solid coding education, get certified, and leave MT altoget - I would not mix the two

[ In Reply To ..]
That's just a silly idea. Now I have no problem with the idea of switching to a career in coding. If I decide to become a coder though, I want to be the best coder I can be, and that's all I want to do. If I am a certified coder, which coding jobs demand, I don't want to do MT along with it. That's just silly. When would I have time to transcribe? For that matter, when would I have time to code, unless I just toss a few codes in there? You could not do a good job of either one if they try to force you to do both, and keep a good TAT. Ridiculous!

Pity the poor companies that think combining the 2 is more 'efficient' - LOL

[ In Reply To ..]
The idea that it would make their medical practice more efficient and less expensive is wrong. There is nothing efficient about what you just described, StoicMT. It would not save those companies any money in the long run and in fact, would be a financial disaster to them.

"Assist" in some vague duties which include coding? I don't think so - Prefer solid coding training and real job

[ In Reply To ..]
If I wanted to be a coder, I would go into it with all my energy and motivation, to be the best certified coder I could be, and then I would be a coder, not someone who is "assisting with" a very vague description of duties including coding.

I would not consider being a coding "assistant" with those other vague duties you describe. I would either get solid training and certification and work as a coder, or I wouldn't.

Let me put this politely. No. - Successful MT of many years

[ In Reply To ..]
This sounds like a scheme concocted to make money for an MTSO and make it impossible for an MT/assistant coder to make money. I would not consider it.

This would be a great way to destroy an MTSO business - see message

[ In Reply To ..]
If I were advising an MTSO and I wanted them to fail for some reason, I would advise exactly what you described. I can think of some companies that I hope will try it.

FYI -- national MTSO provides coding techno - StoicMT

[ In Reply To ..]
A leading provider of medical transcription services and technology-enabled clinical documentation workflow solutions, today announced that it has been awarded a contract by University a leading academic medical center, to provide computer-assisted coding technology and outsourced coding services.

University selected MTSO based on its ability to demonstrate both ICD-10 readiness as well as the streamlined workflow features to the technology platform including automatic chart assignment and automatic quality assurance which enable complete, accurate coding in a rapid, efficient manner. The addition of outsourced coding services expands University's current partnership with MTSO for transcription outsourcing services.

Not surprised but it's still a bad idea - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

sounds like two different departments under one MTSO with full staff - for BOTH to me. SM

[ In Reply To ..]
like working inhouse where transcription is under the medical records department and so is coding...we never did each other's work.

Are you sure you interpreted that correctly?

I would jump for the chance! - nutzzarella

[ In Reply To ..]
In the late 1980s, I was coding after my transcription. Fast forward to the early 2000 years and I was MTing part time and coding part time for different facilities. To be able to do both for the same facility, IMHO, would be my dream job. yes, I did hold CPC credentialing during those latter years. Being a coder made me a better MT, and vice versa.

Me too, Nutzzarella. The day I see a trend I can depend on, - Pragmatist

[ In Reply To ..]
I sign up for coding classes (my memory's too poor to sign up ahead of use, or I'd have done it long ago). I'd enjoy the additional challenges that coding presents as I've pretty much had gram/punc nailed for a long time now. :)

BTW, the article quoted in OP's post refers to "computer-assisted" coding and outsourced coding. As computers are able to do more of each job, coding and transcription, having one person entering the file once to review, refine, and correct makes sense to me. The times they are achanging. As always.

That's different. You were a credentialed coder and knew what you were doing - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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