EHR & Online Medical Transcription Service Blog

April 29, 2010

Medical Transcription Services: What’s the Bottom Line?

Medical Transcription Services have come a long way from the early days of typewriters and carbon copies, but the way they are billed is often a mystery. So how do you know if you’re getting the best deal? Clearly, accuracy is critical. But with myriad ways medical transcription services companies compute their charges, it’s important to understand HOW to get an “apples to apples” comparison between potential service providers.

Simply comparing line rates is not enough. Medical transcription services companies have been known to price out by the page, report, minute, word, gross line, character, keystroke and other metrics. All of these methods are highly variable and can dramatically affect the per line rate. But there are many other factors to consider when you’re looking for the right medical transcription company for your needs.

First, know that line rates mean different things to different companies. Lines can be billed as 65 characters, 65 characters ASCII, up to 65 characters, gross line and include headers and footers, font changes and hard returns.

Other “soft charges” may include start-up fees, template creation, integration fees, training, customer service, sales tax, and well…you get the idea.

So how do you get an “apples to apples” comparison on medical transcription services when everyone has a different method of calculation? Simply create a control. Submit the same document to the companies on your short list. Ask each to provide a cost breakdown including their actual line count and final cost so you can compare them to your current costs.

Remember to take into account other potential “soft charges” like the ones listed above. Be sure you have reporting capabilities in your transcription system for verification.

When you’ve made your choice, ask for a free trial period so you can evaluate quality and the process BEFORE you commit to them. Above all, choose a company that adheres to the Medical Transcription Industry Association’s Billing Method Principles.

If you’d like to see how MxSecure’s Medical Transcription Services compare to your current provider, click here to arrange a free trial.

Contact MxSecure today for affordable medical transcription services, electronic health records and speech recognition solutions that reduce costs, improve provider satisfaction and increase practice productivity… from Day One™.