In-house vs. Outsourcing Medical Transcription: Which Is Better?

People who choose to work in the medical profession are primarily interested in helping people, which means for business owners it may be difficult to find the right people to handle transcription. In the end you may wonder if it is would be better to outsource any medical transcriptions your company needs instead of combing through candidates who may either be unqualified for the position or are only looking for something temporary until they can get back into a more hands-on position.

First, consider the benefits of each solution.

If you keep your medical transcription work as an in-house position:

• You and your staff will have direct communication with the transcriptionists.
• The transcriptionists will be trained to your standards.
• You control the security of the documentation from the transcriptions.

If you outsource your medical transcription jobs:

• Once you select your transcription company, you will not need to periodically interview or hire your staff.
• You will not need to purchase or maintain the transcription equipment.
• You will save money on costs associated with employees, such as benefits, vacation, and sick leave.
• Because meeting your deadlines is the only demand on a company where you outsource your work, you will be able to get quicker turnarounds with greater accuracy.
• When you do not have medical transcription work, you will not still have to pay salaries.
• You will not need to have additional management to handle your staff.
• The company who handles the work will also take care of the documentation management. This means both from an IT perspective and a tracking perspective.

When you break down the advantages of each, it is clear that outsourcing is considerably more beneficial. While the benefits of keeping the work in-house are not trivial, especially if you have security concerns, there are ways to mitigate risk and concerns. For example, the contract you have with the outsourced company can include security requirements, which will in turn become part of the documentation management. While outsourcing means that medical transcriptionists will not be trained by you, you can communicate any needs or preferences you have, and the company will make sure that it is done to your specifications.

In the end, the only distinct advantage of having the medical transcription work in house is communication. There is not replacement for this advantage, but when you consider all of the benefits of outsourcing the work, that simply isn't enough of a justification to establish and maintain an in-house staff for the sole purpose of medical transcription. Especially when you consider that it leaves your current staff to focus on their main goal: patient care.

Also Read: 4 Reasons Why Using Transcription Services Is Better Than In-House Transcription in 2020