Comments on: Data Breach Incidents in India and HIPAA Compliance http://www.bloggernews.net/122786 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:24:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Rita Ott, CMT http://www.bloggernews.net/122786#comment-1777574 Rita Ott, CMT Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:05:41 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/122786#comment-1777574 My first comment is in response to one mentioned above, there are no medical transcription outsourcing advantages for American healthcare. We should be considered a "skilled trade", and I would dare to any MT from India considered the "best of the best" to go heads up with a seasoned American medical transcriptionist. There is no comparison is quality, proficiency, speed, and the necessary adherence to strict confidentiality. India is not governed by our security policies first and foremost. There have been and will continue to be breaches of security for this reason. Also, as a former quality manager for a global service, I can attest to inferior quality across the board. Americans, at the very least, must be informed of the risk of outsourcing their medical records. Finally, with the purchase of MedQuist recently by C-Bay, and Indian owned and operated service, the Americans left on board have had their wages slashed to minimum wage!! How is that an advantage to American ... other than to continue to facilitate corporate greed in this county. Lack of American MTs? Ridiculous. There has been a decline in our numbers because of the lack of honest support by AHDI and even MTs themselves who have failed to see the writing on the wall. If our skills, competency, and truly confidential professionalism were appreciated with decent pay for a "skilled trade" job, we would have more people interested in joining our forces than you could shake a stick at. Be truthful here. My first comment is in response to one mentioned above, there are no medical transcription outsourcing advantages for American healthcare. We should be considered a “skilled trade”, and I would dare to any MT from India considered the “best of the best” to go heads up with a seasoned American medical transcriptionist. There is no comparison is quality, proficiency, speed, and the necessary adherence to strict confidentiality. India is not governed by our security policies first and foremost. There have been and will continue to be breaches of security for this reason. Also, as a former quality manager for a global service, I can attest to inferior quality across the board. Americans, at the very least, must be informed of the risk of outsourcing their medical records. Finally, with the purchase of MedQuist recently by C-Bay, and Indian owned and operated service, the Americans left on board have had their wages slashed to minimum wage!! How is that an advantage to American … other than to continue to facilitate corporate greed in this county. Lack of American MTs? Ridiculous. There has been a decline in our numbers because of the lack of honest support by AHDI and even MTs themselves who have failed to see the writing on the wall. If our skills, competency, and truly confidential professionalism were appreciated with decent pay for a “skilled trade” job, we would have more people interested in joining our forces than you could shake a stick at. Be truthful here.

]]> By: WendyinCalif http://www.bloggernews.net/122786#comment-1434075 WendyinCalif Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:44:40 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/122786#comment-1434075 This data breach doesn't end with canceling a credit card or closing a checking account. If a patient were in the process of dying, in a vulnerable state, a number of things could be presented to him because of the leak of confidential information, namely insurance policies, change of will, predatory behavior toward the family. Access to medical information could reveal very personal details, such as plastic surgery, STDs, abortions, personal information that is included in the SOCIAL HISTORY. That information could be used to extort. And it doesn't go away. American MTs, and I have been one for 25 years, have never ever done this, EVER. So how can you end your piece with a dismissal of transcription in the US? Believe me, most MTs I know could be physicians with a few more years of study. The only problem here is we have to compete with slave wages, wages that are unable to give an American a life in middle class America, at least not without a 2nd income in hte house or working 50 or more hours of week. American MTs are some of the brightest people I have met in my life. They are professional and dedicated, for the most part. In the end, patient care is what we care about, striving for accuracy so the attendings can count on the information they look at. Data breaches and American MTs ? - that will never be a story. This data breach doesn’t end with canceling a credit card or closing a checking account. If a patient were in the process of dying, in a vulnerable state, a number of things could be presented to him because of the leak of confidential information, namely insurance policies, change of will, predatory behavior toward the family. Access to medical information could reveal very personal details, such as plastic surgery, STDs, abortions, personal information that is included in the SOCIAL HISTORY. That information could be used to extort. And it doesn’t go away.

American MTs, and I have been one for 25 years, have never ever done this, EVER. So how can you end your piece with a dismissal of transcription in the US? Believe me, most MTs I know could be physicians with a few more years of study. The only problem here is we have to compete with slave wages, wages that are unable to give an American a life in middle class America, at least not without a 2nd income in hte house or working 50 or more hours of week. American MTs are some of the brightest people I have met in my life. They are professional and dedicated, for the most part. In the end, patient care is what we care about, striving for accuracy so the attendings can count on the information they look at. Data breaches and American MTs ? - that will never be a story.

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