When a healthcare facility looks for outsourcing options it is acknowledged that this is a major decision that will have a long-term impact on their business. Researching for the right medical transcription service provider to be a partner for back office needs can be both time consuming and confusing, due to the abundance of information available at ones’ fingertips.

It is accepted that one needs to evaluate a medical transcription service provider in terms of accuracy, turnaround time, pricing and data security.

· Accuracy: This means the percentage of accuracy of the completed transcripts vis-à-vis what was dictated. A minimum of 99% and above would be acceptable.

· Turnaround time: Turnaround time refers to the time taken to revert the transcribed report to the healthcare facility. A Turnaround time of not more than 24 hours for normal reports and 4-12 hours for STAT reports would be considered ideal.

· Data security: The Company being outsourced to should be HIPAA compliant. The medical transcription service provider has to have adequate security measures to ensure that the confidential data transmitted back and forth is safe and secure.

· Pricing: This is one of the main benefits that a healthcare facility hopes to have, from the outsourcing option. Pricing should be fair and reasonable for the services rendered. Pricing method should also be transparent and simple so that both parties can verify the same at any stage of the process

· Technology: The technology used by the service provider should not only secure but should also be easy to use, without having to require extensive training.

Once these have been ascertained one needs to look for a medical transcription service provider who can actually ‘walk the talk’. That is to say the medical transcription company needs to be able to prove that they can actually deliver what they promise.

The one way they can do this is by providing testimonials of other healthcare facilities that have already benefited from their excellent services and are willing to acknowledge it. Having testimonials validates one’s decision and gives the right direction to the decision making process.

This gives the healthcare facility:

· Confidence: A decision making process can involve a lot of analysis of one ‘s own organization and the needs that one needs to fulfill through the outsourcing process. Having testimonials gives confidence that the right decision has been made.

· Comfort level: The comfort of knowing that the services promised have actually been delivered can lead to faster adaptation and implementation.

· Confirmation: It gives the healthcare facility confirmation that they have the right partner for their transcription needs

· Conversion: The process of conversion from the healthcare facility’s current transcription service to that of the service provider becomes smoother and seamless due to the confidence and comfort of having similar success stories in the form of testimonials.

Testimonials of satisfied customers can be a guiding light in the medical transcription outsourcing process.