“Proper dictations are tremendously important in the relationship between a doctor and his or her transcription service,” stated Manuel Prado, CEO of VIVA Transcription. “Accurate and error-free dictations not only save clients money, but also increase medical transcription turnaround time and help to reduce errors,” he added.
With its five years of providing accurate and timely medical transcriptions, VIVA Transcription has compiled its most often used tips for doctors when dictating information that will later be transcribed:
• Always allow a one-to-two second pause before speaking into the phone system or digital recorder, and allow a one-to-two second pause before ending the dictation. This will help to ensure no information is cut off.
• Feel free to spell out words that may not be commonly used in the medical field – including new pharmaceuticals or treatments.
• Try not to make extraneous noises while dictating. Many medical professionals will perform dictations while multitasking and it is important that the dictation be as clear as possible. Simply use the pause feature if you would like to take a sip of water or sort out documents.
• Remember to say “end of dictation”. This helps indicate to the transcriptionist that the recording is complete.
• Clearly spell out and pronounce the patient’s name, date of dictation, and file number. As the United States and Canada continue to become increasingly diverse, names can be difficult to decipher.
• State any specific instructions for the transcriptionist regarding your files. For example, “please bold/italicize/
• If you feel you have made an error, you do not need to start over. Use phrases like “scratch that” or “go back to.”
• Be sure to provide all feedback to your account manager or customer service representative. This will help to improve the quality of your transcription service.
• Remember that you are only charged by lines of transcription, not length of dictation. There is no additional fee for any instructions you might have that will help the transcriptionist.
“While it is rare that a physician will actually ever meet his or her transcriptionist, remote relationships often occur,” Prado noted. “With that said VIVA recommends that a doctor open his or her dictation with a short salutation to the transcriptionist. A small gesture like this is truly welcomed by medical transcription professionals.”
