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MT India Digest
Moderated Discussion List
"Effective MT Forum"
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Published by:
MT India www.MTIndia.org Moderated by:
Amit Chatterjee,SM
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June 27, 2001 Digest #069
.................................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==============NEW================ -=HIPAA=- ~Rehan Shaikh
"the impact that the impending HIPAA regulations will have on MT
being outsourced to Indian MT companies" -=Standards in the MT industry=- ~Delphine Swasbrook
"Too few qualified people, too quick promotions, and no
standardization of anything" ~Rukmani Raghavan
"we are putting the cart before the horse" -=GHIL=- ~Samir Choudhary
"What's their reputation?" ===========CONTINUING============ -=MT in Pakistan=- ~Alok Jha
"never tolerate any kind of contextual errors (due to lack of
medical or Enlish knowledge or application thereof)" -=NASSCOM Conference on ITES=- ~A. Jabbar
"Some people burn their boats." -=FRAUD at MTIndia.org=- ~Arbind Kumar Sinha
"We were going to be the next target" ~A. Jabbar
"What is Police For?" =============== BILLBOARD ============== -=Greetings=- ~Dr.B.Satish Kumar ===================NEW========================== From: Rehan Shaikh <
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Subject: HIPAA, etc Hello Amit: I run a medical transcription company in Bangalore. One of the
concerns that I have regarding the MT business in India is the
impact that the impending HIPAA regulations will have on MT being
outsourced to Indian MT companies. I am opposed to the idea of
relying on an ASP because they expect to be paid huge amounts on
a per-line basis simply because they claim to be HIPAA-compliant.
Another reason is that these companies could wind up, or be
bought out by a larger entity thereby disrupting or even
destroying the business and the clientele that a transcription
company would have built up over several months or years. A case
in point - the recent acquisition of Speechmachines by MedQuist.
I am given to understand that existing customers of
Speechmachines have been given 6 months to find an alternative
platform for their clients and themselves. Most of those
customers are now flocking to other such ASPs and are forced to
agree to make payments at ridiculous prices to these ASPs for
their services. My question is this - what is it really that HIPAA would really
require of transcription service providers, particularly Indian
companies? If we knew what was required of us, we could implement
these requirements or procedures on our own and if necessary,
even have an audit by an external agency periodically. In our case, for instance, we have well-established procedures in
our facility in regards to protection of data. W.r.t security during file transfer: For clinics that we provide our services to directly, we have
designed our own software that completes the entire upload and
download functions to and from FTP sites using on-the-fly 128-bit
encryption. It also creates backups and archives both voice files
and transcribed reports. We use FTP space rented from premium web
hosting services, however, the folders on FTP are
password-protected and created through a web control panel for
individual clinics. For subcontracts emanating from existing MT companies in the US,
we expect that the company itself ensure the use of secure means
of transfer of files. Our present clients (read US MT Companies)
do not use any form of encryption during file transfer although
they have their own dictation and FTP servers with password
protected access and firewalls, etc Security in internal distribution: We have designed our own distribution and monitoring software
with several unique features, and this also incorporates user
authentication by password protection. We have very strict
policies regarding data access, which is restricted only to key
personnel within the organization. No electronic media is allowed
to be brought in to the office and none leaves the office without
the express consent of the management. In fact, all floppy drives
have been physically disabled from all transcriptionists'
machines also. Internet access is also allowed on a restricted
basis. Data backed up on removable media is removed from servers
and this data is maintained only as long as the client requires
us to maintain such data. I do not know how far we are from being HIPAA-compliant but it
would help to know what more would be required to take us there
completely. I would really appreciate your pointing me to the
right resources where I can learn (in plain language) exactly
what a transcription service provider needs to have in place to
be Hipaa-compliant. Thanks!! BTW, I think you are doing a great job of running MTIndia.org.
Your idea on setting up the Indian equivalent of the AAMT is also
a great idea. Where others have failed before, I am sure you have
the vision and the support to make it succeed. Whenever you have
the Association in place, I will be happy to become a member. Best regards, Rehan Shaikh Comment?
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++++ new post - different topic ++++ From: Delphine Swasbrook <
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Subject: Standards in the MT industry. Dear Amit, I find that most companies claim "professionalism" but are not
willing to learn from the mistakes of the past. Most companies
seem to want "fresh" hands and "new" blood, little realizing that
it is the "old horse" with the experience that can cope with a
crisis better than any fresher, also mistakes are less likely to
be repeated from someone with experience. Another ailment is " In the village of the blind, a person with
one eye is king." This is more or less what the medical
transcription industry is all about in India. Too few qualified
people, too quick promotions, and no standardization of anything. I hope future would be medical transcription companies consider
this and dont make the mistakes of the past, or is it too
late??!! Delphine Swasbrook Comment?
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++++ new post - same topic ++++ From: Rukmani Raghavan <
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> Dear Amit When one attempts to seek solutions to problems it is always
advisable to first identify the problems, examine the root causes
and then take necessary action to rectify them. It is much like
treating a disease - if the doctor does not get to the root of it
, he will end up treating the symptoms and not the disease. The root of the problem in MT in India is a complete lack of
commitment to ethical values, to quality and to employee welfare.
Therefore, if we are really keen on improving the quality of MT
work going out of India, we have to first have an excellent
training program. Unless we have trained MTs how are we going to
produce the quality that is acceptable to clients? Having acquired good candidates and trained them well, it is
equally imperative that we ensure they stay with the organization
and how best that can be achieved is something I don't need to
emphasize. There is no doubt that money is the greatest motivator
among other benefits that should accrue to an employee. Unless
companies/institutes are willing to handsomely reward the people
who work for them they will not be able to retain them. It is
vital to nurture talent and help it grow. This is in the
interest of both, the MT as well as the organization. Most
companies here want to offer a pittance but expect the best of
their MTs. Is this a workable proposition? Even in a country like
ours where jobs are at a premium, most people stick it up to a
point and then call it quits. I fail to understand why
entrepreneurs, businesses and companies cannot comprehend this
simple truth. By paying poorly (for the sake of cutting costs)
you may have reduced your costs in the short term but you run the
sure risk of losing your business altogether, which is exactly
what we are witnessing in the MT scene here in India. Of course
the
unscrupulous elements have stashed away their "loot" and
therefore do not have qualms about how they will survive since
for them " business" is just a quick way of making a fast buck. I also find that we are putting the cart before the horse. Most
companies are first interested in securing the client, and then
set about training people and that too in the most unimaginative
and shoddy manner. The unearthly hurry to "finish" training in a
matter of 3 months or as one company proudly claimed it had
trained it's MTs within two and a half months and commenced work
immediately. Needless to say, it closed down within a year. As someone made a point of our getting "hand picked garbage" as
work, my only question is why are we accepting this "garbage"?
The most convenient excuse is that we have no choice and that the
americans are quoting an abysmally low rate to us ( I know that
for a fact) but I can also tell you from the dialogs I have had
with many American MT professionals/consultants/companies they
are unequivocal in their assertion that no American in his right
mind would ever settle for a "few dollars less" if he is not
satisfied with quality. They are aware of the immense harm it
could do to their business if they do not adhere to high
standards. The key factor therefore is quality - if we are as quality
conscious as we should be, we can and will be calling the shots,
I assure you. After all isn't our software success the best
example of this? Because we are acknowledgely among the very best
we are sought after. Likewise if we can deliver quality I would
think the Americans would seek us out and not the other way
round. As it is, that's the way it began. It is the American
companies that started outsourcing, knowing that India has a vast
English speaking, educated, work force. I find it amusing when most people tell me that "everything is in
getting a client" and they fall over each other trying to get at
the best hospitals/transcription companies in the US. Let's set the record straight here, now and forever - Quality is
the bottom line. It is the only mantra that will work. It has and
always will. Unless we are driven by a passionate desire to excel we will only
continue to struggle, or worse - close down. For those of you who are not aware , here are some important
points to note: 1)The healthcare industry is the second largest industry in the
US with a steady growth rate. With the enormous volume of work at
hand there is a definite need for extra talent, hence the
outsourcing. 2) In today's global economy the hangup of "western superiority"
is a thing of the past - at least in business. Those who are
willing to offer a good product or a service, will surely get the
business, irrespective of the color of their skin or the country
of their origin. 3) The MT is a highly respected individual and is seen as a vital
link between the doctor and the patient. Their job is not that of
a "glorified typist" as many would have us believe. Those that
think so are the ones who do not know what MT is all about. 4) Most US MT professionals with whom I have had the good fortune
to interact have only laudable things to say about us except that
we need to be quality conscious and time conscious. They also
equally vehemently add that they will never settle because India
is cheaper, but only because it is good. Cost is important to the
Americans as it is for anyone but it is certainly not the main or
the only deciding factor. It is therefore abundantly clear that we have to build on
quality, slowly but surely. It is only then that we can dictate
terms and get them to give us the best. The point of sharing client information is well brought out in
one of the posts. It has been my experience wherever I worked and
had to deal with consultants and companies, almost everyone was
extremely secretive about his clients, to the point of paranoia.
In one company they initially refused to divulge the name of the
client to me because though I was "on their side"
they felt I could "sell" the information! Eventually they had to
part with it. Well, they can rest assured because I am still in
possession of this information and I have neither "sold" it nor
do I intend to. The client's name and address is better guarded
than Fort Knox or the Pentagon's classified information! Need I
say more?! There is only one reason why most of these companies
do that. They feel insecure and threatened that some one else
will take away their work. It is only a person who doesn't have
vision, who is narrow minded and who is not sure about himself
can have such fears. The CEO of a leading Healthcare company (in the US), in a recent
interview had reiterated that the volume of work available is
stupendous and will continue to rise.Therefore I think there is
room for everyone and anyone who can give quality, keep to
turnaround times and behave in a truly professional manner. MT is a career, not just a job and a serious business so if we
can give it that respect and attention it deserves and not treat
it is a one-time "money making racket" we can have the best of MT
work for the asking. Rukmani Raghavan Comment?
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++++ new post - different topic ++++ From: Samir Choudhary <
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>
Subject: GHIL Dear MTIDers, Please Send me details of the Company Gordon Herbert
India Ltd, an arm of ITIL as they are advertising of
having a production unit with 400 seats in Delhi and
Goa. Do they have sufficient volume of work in
Medical Transcription in their facilities. They are
offering franchisee for training centres. What is the
prospect looking into the reputation of the company? SK Sharma
Comment?
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================CONTINUING======================= From: Alok Jha <
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> Dear Luqman: Please accept my best wishes for your MT career. I have been
associated with MT training and production both. I would suggest
you to concentrate on basics. You may not have the best faculty out there, but you certainly
have access to good books and other information resources. Work
on your basics and practice transcription as much as possible. I
have seen MTs comitting silly contextual errors most of the time.
Your blanks and flags can be uderstood and tolerated. However, as
a production manager I would never tolerate any kind of
contextual errors (due to lack of medical or Enlish knowledge or
application thereof) from the MTs. So, dear friend, work on your basics and practice transcription.
You will get a good job! Alok Jha
Production Manager
Truworth Infotech Private Ltd. Comment?
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++++ new post - different topic ++++ From: A.Jabbar <
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Subject: Mr Veer Sagar Ridiculing Mr Veer Sagar My dear Vinayak-- Some people burn their boats. Regards.
A. Jabbar Comment?
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++++ new post - different topic ++++ From: Arbind Kumar Sinha <
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Subject: Ramakrishna Dear Sir, We were going to be the next target of Ramakrishna.You have saved
us . Thanks to MTID for this. Regards Sinha AK. Comment?
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++++ new post - same topic ++++ From: A. Jabbar <
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>
Subject: What is Police For? Dear friends, If a person does this in Kerala State, by this time he will be
behind bars. Chennai Police is top class. Go to them.
Regards. A.Jabbar Comment?
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=============== BILLBOARD ============== From: Dr.B.Satish Kumar <
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>
Subject: Greetings from a new entrant DoctNet (P) Ltd. To Dr.Amit and MTIDers, Hello everyone! Greetings to all of you from us. We are a new
entrant in this arena. I have been looking up the archives - and have drawn tremendous
insight and inspiration from the content. I'm grateful to all of
you. Kindly visit our site http://www.doctnetonline.com It is a little
self-aggrandizing and brash but it is based on the premise "If we
don't tell, then who will ?". So please excuse me.:) I cannot offer anything to the experts and stalwarts of this
forum at this time- but after getting more experience in this
area, I hope to contribute my little bit. Your suggestions and advice are welcome. Thanking you, Yours truly, Dr.B.Satish Kumar. Comment?
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