by Liesa Jo Jenkins, Executive Director, CareSpark and Elisa Comer, CPHIT, CPEHR, CQA, CEO, Eagle's Landing Transcription Service

Medical transcriptionists, like other health care professionals, invest lots of time and money for training and technology to stay abreast of the advancements in the field, even as a growing percentage of transcriptionists choose to work from home-based settings for personal reasons. While no one contests the importance of accurate transcription that meets quality standards, pressure to reduce costs within healthcare organizations has resulted in competition from outsourcing of transcription services to overseas companies and a rise in use of alternative documentation methods. Add to these considerations the recent movement to encourage physician adoption of electronic medical records, and you may be asking yourself what the future of medical transcription might be, or even if such a future exists.