Why should you care about your medical dictation being sent off shore?

 

Your medical information dictated by medical professionals includes: Social history – including how many alcoholic beverages you drink and where you work and live; family history – including how many siblings, health of your family; past medical history – including surgeries, illnesses; medication history – including every medication you have taken and are currently taking; allergies; and personal statistics including height, weight, eye color, and birth date.

Is there anything else you need to give to someone who wants to steal your identity? They don’t need your social security number anymore. They get your insurance information and everything else listed above. They just need to become you and your medical provider may be giving them exactly what they need to do that, and HIPAA regulations don’t mean squat overseas.

Let’s not forget your credit history and direct personal information sent to collection agencies who use off shore call centers to follow-up on past due accounts. Many of these call centers are intertwined with the off shore transcription companies and data storage facilities…they call it multitasking.

Ask your provider, insurance carrier, hospital, and anyone you give personal information to if they have their transcription done here in the US. Demand that they do.

Insurance companies are selling your information to drug companies and equipment providers. Example: How many diabetics receive calls from equipment providers asking them if they want a new glucose monitor? They already know who your insurance carrier is…how? Because they got your contact information from them. Pretty scary, huh? How many of these call centers do you think are actually in the US? Very, very few. No one appreciates having to push 1 for English, so why do you allow calls from off shore call centers regarding your personal information.

Even unemployment and worker’s compensation providers are using off shore companies to handle their claim dictations. Some car and home insurance providers also send your information off shore when they have their reports transcribed.

Think speech recognition and EMR are safer? Think again. Many larger MTSOs (Medical Transcription Service Organizations) and other suppliers send this work off shore either for processing or for ‘storage’ and have US transcription editors review and edit the information, and they never tell their clients that it is being done.

Now think about your company’s information, and all of the trade ‘secrets’ you send off shore with your audio. Do you really want to share that information with those that do not have to adhere to our rules and regulations? Does anyone remember the women who threatened to release her clients transcripts? http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/SPECIAL-REPORT-Looking-Offshore-Outsourced-2774413.php

Do you think this has changed???

When is enough, enough? Not only is it costing US jobs, it is costing many more their identities and livelihood.

Demand your personal information remain safe and any sharing of the information be secure and governed by HIPAA regulations or other US regulatory guidelines.

 

 

Ask an American Transcriptionist – they will tell you a story or two.

Wondering why, with all these “money”, “economy”, “employment” articles I am transcribing, I don’t see more about the field that is hit hardest by off-shoring, the field that most people never think of as important, but more people/corporations/doctors use it than probably any other ‘vendor’, the one where those who off-shore the work know it is ‘wrong’ so much so that they lie about doing it…yes, transcription.

Doctors, insurance companies, lawyers, corporations, publishers and production companies, and freelancers – even ‘ordinary’ people like students, parents, and homemakers use it – need it. And many use a transcription company and are told their work will never be off-shored, but it is, more times than not!

Where is that story?

There are THOUSANDS of ICs out there struggling to protect their jobs, while MT/Transcription companies charge a high rate, send the work offshore and pay pennies to get it transcribed, get it back and then have it proofed by an American transcriptionist for pennies, all the while promising the client they won’t offshore – and nothing the American transcriptionists can do about it but continue to battle for the truth and respect for the work they do.

The only people making money are the large transcription companies who off-shore the work. Neither the transcriptionist over seas or the US transcriptionist are making money. The transcription companies that don’t off-shore, as few and far between as they are, are struggling with rates low enough to keep the work here and paying the transcriptionists what they are worth.

Why do we do it? Because we love what we do!

We also understand the importance of safeguarding the information that we are entrusted with transcribing, or that comes along with the audio project.

Has anyone asked an American transcriptionist what has happened over the past 10 to 20 years with their profession and the effects of off shoring the work? Has anyone considered the ramifications of sending sensitive information off shore – you know, you entire medical history – family history, social history, past surgical history, etc? Has anyone considered what sending business meeting transcriptions over seas to have transcribed does to their company secrets, platforms, and practices? What sending your protected information over seas to companies who do not have to abide by US confidentiality laws means for your confidentiality and privacy?

No. They haven’t.

Google American Transcriptionist. All you see are more and more companies touting their services and sending the work off shore.Is that because no one wants to really know the truth?

Want to know what happens here, in the US,  by the skilled transcriptionists who are in the field that helps so many companies and individuals get their project done?

Ask a US transcriptionist.

We are here. We are proud. And we don’t plan on going anywhere.

The next time you need a transcriptionist and hire a transcription company, the next time you go to the doctor or visit a hospital, the next time you have an IME for your insurance carrier, the next meeting you attend that is recorded – ask – Will this be sent off shore?

Then do your research. Find an American transcription company that refuses to send work off shore, who only utilizes the services of American transcriptionists, who spent years and thousands of dollars to be able to assist you with your transcription needs, and in return keeps your documentation safe under the laws that are meant to protect you.

Whether it is an American transcription company, or an individual American independent contractor, ask them why they fight the fight and still love what they do.

Now THAT would make a great story.

 

CLK Transcription. An American owned and operated transcription company that refuses to off shore any work, ever, and has made that an unwavering commitment to every client that assist. www.clktranscription.com