Lea Sims, CMT, FAAMT
AAMT Director of Communications
904-739-1848
lea@aamt.org

PANEL STUDIES OUTLOOK OF MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION INDUSTRY
New report outlines future scenario and roles

CHICAGO, May 2—An expert panel appointed by the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) today issued its report on the future of the medical transcription industry. “Scenarios and Solutions for the Future of Transcription” illustrates a new trajectory for the practice of medical transcription with an emphasis on data quality control and management.

“While the evolution of technology previously has enabled the work of medical transcriptionists, the critical question is how these evolving technologies will treat the practice of medical transcription in the future,” states Peter Preziosi, PhD, CAE, Executive Director for AAMT. “We felt that it was urgent to fully understand these impacts, take stock of likely future scenarios of the profession, and initiate a call to action to position this workforce for the future.”

AAMT and AHIMA appointed an expert panel to study the convergence of forces that will likely impact the role of medical transcription in the next decade, including:

• Development of enabling technologies
• Evolution and convergence of health information roles
• Regulatory changes that impact practice
• Emerging health information needs for consumers and providers
• Increasing demands of the information economy within the electronic health environment

The panel developed likely future scenarios that would affect the domain of transcription practice and identified actions that should be taken by the profession and its members to achieve optimal positioning in light of the likely futures. It was the consensus of the group that the electronic health record will emerge as a blended result of integrated technology components. This will create a new role for medical transcriptionists that include the traditional transcription skill set enhanced with data quality management, electronic documentation, and speech recognition technology expertise.

The merging of the five primary forces also produces a unique leadership opportunity and is the driving force in critical initiatives that must be accomplished if the profession and its member are to carve out a sustaining role in a transforming world. “To make a successful transition, the transcription and health information management industries must be proactive in building alliances, setting technology agendas, creating information standards, training and retraining, and conducting research,” adds Sandy Fuller, MA, RHIA, AHIMA’s COO.

The group’s recommendations will serve as a framework for actions that AAMT and AHIMA will pursue with the healthcare industry over the next several years.

To read the full report, visit http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_026774.pdf.

The American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) has been the professional organization representing medical transcriptionists since 1978. AAMT sets standards of practice and education for medical transcriptionists, administers a certification program, has established a code of ethics, and advocates on behalf of the profession. There are over 135 component associations of AAMT, each of which holds regular educational meetings and symposia. For more information, visit www.aamt.org.

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is the premier association of health information management (HIM) professionals. AHIMA's 50,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal health information needed to deliver quality healthcare to the public. Founded in 1928 to improve the quality of medical records, AHIMA is committed to advancing the HIM profession in an increasingly electronic and global environment through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning. For information about the Association, go to www.ahima.org.