Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Medical Transcription Budget?

Medical transcription can be an enormous expense for hospitals, but there are hidden ways to cut costs and increase efficiency. Traveling MT’s are often a cost-effective way to deal with not just interim problems related to transcription, but long-term issues as well. Some traveling MT’s do more than just transcribe. They have observed the operations of numerous hospitals across the country and can frequently see – from an objective viewpoint – where money and time are needlessly lost.

For example, the traveling MT’s who work with my firm, Sage Street Staffing, have many years of experience that allows them to regularly notice issues that someone close to the situation might not. In one instance, I was able to show the HIM an easy way to save at least $2,000 per week off the top. The hospital was spending nearly $42,000 per month on an outsourcing service, but some of the outsourced transcriptions could easily be accomplished by the in-house staff without overtime. The hospital’s staff transcriptionists were happy with the change since they were paid per line. The extra work was accomplished by the staff during the regular 8-hour day without overtime, which brought the full-time transcriptionists additional income while reducing the hospital’s outsourcing bills by one-half.

Of course, there are many reasons to hire traveling MT’s:

• An in-house staff member is on maternity leave, out for surgery, or on vacation.


• New dictating equipment is being implemented and has caused a backlog or is likely to cause a backlog while the in-house staff is trained and glitches are resolved.


• The HIM only needs transcription assistance for a few months and wants to avoid locking in an outsourcing firm with a two-year contract.


• The outsourcing service is providing unsatisfactory transcriptions, but the hospital is locked into a lengthy contract.


• The HIM wants to avoid over-burdening staff or paying exorbitant overtime fees to in-house personnel during a backlog.


• In-house staff positions need to be filled or an outsourcing firm needs to be chosen, and the hospital wants to take the time to make wise and informed decisions without experiencing a backlog.


I have seen hospitals make choices in haste and desperation that they have come to regret simply because they were unaware of the benefits of hiring traveling MT’s. In other cases, the administration has never had the time to investigate outsourcing bills and transcriptions. Hiring traveling MT’s buys the time to make sure that bills are accurate and transcriptions do not include an inordinate amount of errors and blanks. One hospital discovered that the outsourcing firm was actually duplicating reports and, therefore, charging double. Another hospital discovered that the in-house staff could handle the workload without the necessity of outsourcing at all.

While outsourcing is often the only long-term option, especially if the hospital is large, traveling MTs are generally less expensive and more qualified. The transcriptionists hired by Sage Street Staffing, for example, have more than ten years of experience on multiple systems, can be trained quickly, are dedicated to accuracy, and genuinely enjoy their work. They are subjected to rigorous background checks, which is rarely true of outsourcing personnel.

In another instance, I was working onsite as a traveler, and three in-house staff members were suddenly unavailable. One of them passed away, and because I was already onsite, I could easily assist and make sure that the hospital avoided a backlog. This allowed the administrators to avoid the discomfort of placing an ad while they were grieving. The hospital was unhappy with their outsourcing firm, and I was able to call another traveling MT from my firm to make sure that the work continued while the hospital determined the best permanent solutions to several crises.

Traveling MTs can certainly make sure that hospitals avoid backlogs, but they can also help HIM’s ensure that they get the most out of their medical transcription budget.

Mary Anne Wilmot, Jr.
Owner – Sage Street Staffing
Largo, Florida
813-464-0341
917-863-0097
www.sagestreetstaffing.com