The healthcare industry has shifted to digital, and now everything can be accessed online. However, that convenience came at a price, as easy access has turned medical privacy into a minefield. Healthcare professionals must now contend with ethical considerations for every nook and cranny of their operations, including medical transcription. Sure, those partnered with reliable medical transcription companies don’t need to worry as much, yet sadly, not everyone is.
So, what are the ethical considerations in medical transcriptions that everyone involved must know, and how can they impact patient care and the overall state of healthcare?
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Medical transcriptionists are the guardians of patient privacy, requiring unwavering commitment to confidentiality beyond basic HIPAA compliance.
- A single transcription error in medication dosage or treatment details can lead to serious medical consequences, making accuracy a critical ethical obligation.
- Choose U.S.-based, HIPAA-compliant transcription companies with clear security protocols and proven accuracy rates.
Why Medical Transcribers Must Be Ethical
Medical transcription is a straightforward process: a medical professional dictates patient details and information, sends the recording along, and then a medical transcriber turns that audio into a workable text file in the required format.
However, this seemingly easy task has a lot of nuance in it. Specifically, at every point of contact with data in this process, the medical transcriber must act as ethically as possible to maintain the safety and trust of the patient and uphold the integrity of the healthcare system.
Medical transcriptionists have a dizzying amount of access to sensitive patient information, things that social engineers can only dream of. Any number or combination of this information—birth dates, social security numbers, credit card numbers, previous medical procedures—can potentially be the key to stealing someone’s identity. That’s why medical transcribers need to keep a tight lid over everything.
Federal regulations also exist to keep patient information safe, and it would be a pain to deal with them because of accidentally letting someone’s private medical information slip over drinks at the bar.
Aside from all that, medical transcribers must be as precise as possible in everything they do, be it transcribing complex medical terms or simply writing down “one pill two times a day.” The medical field demands accuracy, as errors can significantly affect patients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals.
Legal Consequences You Can Expect For Being Unethical
Let’s face it: medical transcriptionists who fail to uphold ethical standards are a liability. They also risk consequences that can permanently impact their careers and the careers of the doctors they’ve transcribed for. Here are the potential legal implications of being unethical in medical transcription.
Legal Consequences | Description |
HIPAA Violations | Fines up to $1.5 million with jail time for severe breaches. |
Civil Lawsuits | Patients can sue the transcriber for the harm caused by transcription errors. |
Professional Certification Loss | Professional credentials can be revoked. It’ll be almost impossible to work in the field. |
Employment Termination | Immediate job loss or getting blacklisted from major healthcare facilities. |
Criminal Penalties | Criminal prosecution for deliberate disclosure of protected health information. |
Financial Penalties | Substantial personal fines plus responsibility for all legal expenses in lawsuits. |
Ethics Guidelines for Medical Transcribers
Many ethical considerations fall within the purview of medical transcription. Some cover operations and processes, while others cover people and professionals. All of them are important. So, let’s discuss each in turn.
Keeping Private Information “Private”
Under HIPAA, all personally identifiable health information related to an individual’s past, present, or future medical condition, treatment for medical conditions, and treatment payment are protected.
It’s an extensive list, and it’s a mouthful to recite. Here at Ditto, though, we like to keep things simple, so we summarize it like this:
NOTHING gets out.
We believe that every piece of medical data, no matter how insignificant, should be treated like our company’s future depends on it. That’s not even an exaggeration; HIPAA violations can sink any medical transcription company. And that’s not even considering the cost of any untold damage a data privacy breach can do to a patient.
Digital Information Protection
Did you know there were nearly 6,000 major healthcare-related data breaches between 2009 and 2023? These breaches exposed information on over 500 million patients.
And if that’s not enough to sound the alarm bells, the frequency of these breaches has doubled in recent years, with an average of 364,571 health records being leaked daily.
Now more than ever, medical transcription companies need to invest in cybersecurity. My company, for example, employs the following security measures to protect our clients:
- Detailed Reporting and Tracking Features
- Individually Defined User Access Levels
- Individual User Names, Passwords, and PINs (immediate deactivation upon request)
- Scaled Network Redundancy
- Virtual Private Network (VPN) Integration
- Dedicated Data Centers
- Encrypting All Data With SSL 256-bit Encryption
- Employee Background Checks*
These protections allow us to operate in the medical field with complete confidence that no information gets in or out without our knowledge. Furthermore, these security measures are requirements for meeting regulatory compliance.
And, unlike some medical transcription companies that vaguely avoid the question or hide their secured services behind different pricing schemes, Ditto is 100% fully HIPAA-compliant. Any medical transcription service you get from us is treated securely under one pricing model and without distinction or discrimination.
Always Maintain a Professional Distance
Working with medical documents sometimes requires emotional and professional barriers without sacrificing job quality. There may be instances when a transcriber comes across the patient file of someone they know. The proper ethical response would be to inform an immediate supervisor and request reassignment.
In cases where that is not possible, though, the transcriber must create a professional division between the person working on the transcripts and the person who knows the patient. It’s not always easy, yet it’s part of the job.
Respect People From Different Backgrounds
Understanding cultural differences is another one of the most important ethical considerations in medical transcription (aside from the fact that it helps facilitate more accurate medical transcription).
Suppose a transcriber encounters an unfamiliar cultural terminology in a dictation like Hijama (Islamic traditional wet cupping therapy) or something equally foreign.
Instead of simply writing down what they heard, an ethical medical transcriber researches the terminology before completing the transcript. Again, assumptions are a no-no in this field.
It’s also best for the medical transcriber to understand how cultural beliefs influence medical decisions. Now, you don’t need to immerse yourself in this culture or stay with the ethnic group to be familiar with these beliefs. You simply need to recognize cultural expressions of symptoms and treatments and then accurately document them without bias or judgment.
Getting Patient Agreement
Informed consent is the handshake deal of healthcare, except we need every detail in writing. Now, if a transcriptionist spots a consent discussion that reads like a rushed coffee order—missing details about risks or alternatives—they should be the consent conversation’s fact-checker.
Let’s say you’re reviewing a surgical consent where the patient’s questions about recovery time are absent—that’s a red flag requiring a “Hey, can we double-check this?” to the healthcare provider.
Getting proper consent means recording moments when patients and providers reach a mutual understanding (apart from covering legal bases). Each conversation detail deserves its moment in the documentation spotlight.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Medical Transcription Company
There are a lot of medical transcription companies out there, and many of them are either foreign or fake. Knowing which ones are ethical can be difficult. However, there are several different qualities you should look for in any agency you hire.
First, you’ll want to look for American-based companies that are HIPAA-compliant. These agencies are working at the highest level of security possible. They will go out of their way to ensure that all privacy, security, and HIPAA regulations are followed carefully.
Look for agencies with legitimate US addresses and government registrations, and ensure that their business licenses are in good standing with whatever state they are registered within.
Keep in mind that while agencies outside of the country may offer slightly cheaper rates, they’re prone to higher rates of inaccuracies in transcription and much more likely to put you at a significant security risk. Case in point: several years ago, a transcription company in India caused a huge data breach when medical files belonging to 32,000 US patients were indexed by Google (hacked), and that is far from the only case.
Another thing to look for is a clear process that the agency has in place to deliver the work well and on time. Reputable agencies will have processes that include file submission(s), transcription, quality assurance, report delivery, and file storage.
The agency should be able to define clear turn-around times (TAT), which often vary from 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, or 48 hours after submission in medical transcription services. Check to see if the agency offers STAT delivery times, which can assure rush delivery when needed (though often at a rate increase).
Last but not least, you’d want to work with a human transcription company that offers the highest accuracy rates possible. Aim for 99%.
Here’s a quick summary of what to look for:
- American-based companies with business licenses, addresses, and bank accounts
- Government registrations and certifications
- Transparent billing structures and payment options
- Clear turn-around times are available, and processes are in place to guarantee accuracy and quality
- Accepts whatever type of audio files your EMR produces
- HIPAA and HITECH-compliant
- Experienced with specialized medical transcription services
- High guarantees of accuracy
- Appropriate insurance policies, such as general liability and cyber liability
In case you haven’t caught on yet, Ditto offers all of these and more. So, there’s no need to look through an endless catalog of other medical transcription companies when you already have the best right here.
Looking For Ethical Medical Transcription? Ditto Has You Covered
Interested in seeing how our medical transcription services can help? Let’s set up a no-obligation call, so get in touch and learn more about what we can do for you.
Ditto Transcripts is a Denver, Colorado-based HIPAA-compliant medical transcription company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable medical transcription services for hospitals, clinics, facilities, and individual practices of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a quote and ask about our free five-day trial.