Medical Scribes Help Form EHRs

While the majority of other businesses started converting to electronic files years ago, hospitals are lagging behind. In fact, only 1.5% of hospitals today have a “comprehensive electronic health record, and 8% have a basic version. The main reason why hospitals have been slow to adapt the technology is the massive price tag ($20 million-$200 million).

The University of Virginia Medical Center is taking strides to adopt EHRs. The medical center recently started employing medical scribes to help follow doctors in the ER and take down detailed notes on laptops which will form part of each patient’s electronic health record.

Click here for the entire article: High-tech scribes help transfer medical records into electronic form.

AHDI – Power of 10 Challenge

The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) recently launched a year-long campaign to raise $10 from 10,000 MTs by 2010.

The medical transcription association plans to use the money to help support it’s advocacy efforts in Washington D.C.

Per AHDI’s Web site: “Our lobbying firm, along with our government relations staff, are making sure our sector is well represented in important meetings and discussions being held by our nation’s legislators and policymakers on healthcare reform, criteria and standards for EHR systems, and workforce development in allied health.

Currently, there are two ways to contribute to the Power of 10 Campaign:
Mail – Send donations to: AHDI 4230 Kiernan Avenue, Suite 130, Modesto CA 95356
Facebook – Make a donation through the Facebook cause: Support to AHDI Power of 10 Campaign. For every 10th donation of $10, AHDI will give away a great credit-worthy product, starting with an educational CD.

Click here for more information about the Power of 10 Campaign.

Temp Nurses Needed to Administer Swine Flu Vaccine

Here’s a brand new niche that temporary nurse staffing agency owners should jump on right away…As the H1N1 vaccination becomes available, healthcare facilities across the U.S. will need additional personnel to handle the projected influx of people who want to receive the vaccine.

An article on WMTC-TV’s web site quoted Yvonne Madlock, Director of the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department: “Our goal in the next several weeks is to identify a pool of nurses that can work with us to assure we have an adequate number of vaccinators available.”

Click here to read the rest of the story: Nurses Needed to Help Deliver H1N1 Vaccine in Memphis.

CA Facing Allied Health Shortage

According to a report issued by The California Wellness Foundation, by 2030, the state of California will need 988,000 allied health professionals.

Similar to the nurse faculty shortage, the allied health workforce is experiencing problems with retaining educators because instructors get paid more money to work than to teach the profession. In addition, California’s state budget crisis is reducing the systems’ ability to offer classes due to high equipment and material costs.

There is one positive note…About half of the allied health professional jobs that will be required in the state by 2030 are entry-level positions, meaning a high school education is all that’s needed.

For all those allied health staffing agencies out there, it sounds as though CA is a good place to start marketing your services.

Click here to read the entire article: Dire Shortage Seen in Allied Health Professionals.

Transcend Acquires Medical Dictation Services, Inc.

From time to time, PRN Funding’s medical transcription factoring specialists are asked the following question: What is going on in the medical transcription industry as far as mergers and acquisitions are concerned?

That’s why we took the time to report on Transcend Services’ recent acquisition of Medical Dictation Services, Inc. (MDI).

At the end of August, Transcend Services, the third largest provider of medical transcription services to the U.S. healthcare market, announced that it would acquire Medical Dictation Services, Inc. for $16.2 million.

In a press release issued August 26, MDI Chief Executive Officer, Dorothy Fitzgerald, said: “I recognized that we needed a larger partner to achieve our long-term growth objectives. A critical concern for me was to find a partner that recognized MDI’s potential and was committed to providing excellent customer service.  I am convinced that Transcend is the best partner for MDI, it’s employees and customers.”

KPMG Corporate Finance LLC and Suender M&A Advisors initiated the transaction and co-advised MDI.

Click here to read the entire press release: Transcend Announces Acquisition of Medical Dictation Services, Inc.

2009 National Staffing Employee Week

The American Staffing Association (ASA) has estimated there are 2.7 million temporary and contract employees who work for staffing firms in the U.S. every day.  To honor these workers, from September 14-20, is a week devoted to them.  There will be planned luncheons, banquets, and office parties throughout the week.

The ASA has given some tips on how to improve your event this week.

  • Place thank-you stuffers inside check envelopes
  • Give out award certificates to all of your employees
  • Send thank-you postcards to clients to thank them for their business
  • Spread the word about your event by sending a press release to your local media

Materials for the tips listed above can be found at americanstaffing.net.

Staffing Industry Growing as U.S. Comes Out of Recession

According to the American Staffing Association (ASA), the demand for temporary and contract workers increased significantly from July to August.  After 35 years of the ASA collecting data at, analysis shows that temporary help employment growth and gross domestic product is strongest when the economy is coming out of a recession.

Since the end of June, the index has grown in seven consecutive weeks (the longest consecutive growth in 21 months).  It is at its highest level this year despite being down overall from June 2006.

The index is evidence that the recession is close to being over.

To get more information about the ASA Staffing Index, go to americanstaffing.net.

Travel Nurses: Where to go on next Assignment?

Nurses across the country are ending their summer stays on assignment and are looking for employment elsewhere.  The following five states have the highest demand for nurses and are great examples of places to explore while on the job. 

California: The weather here is intriguing; you could place yourself in snow or sun in the winter depending on where you choose to go.  It is estimated that CA will need about 300,000 RNs by 2016. 

Florida: The opportunity for RNs in this state only goes up over time.  Much of the population consists of 65 and older, however its exciting cities and nightlife are very appealing.  No snow here, either.

New York: This state speaks for itself, and will also be in great demand for RNs over the next decade.  There are plenty of interesting and fun things to do in the city.

Ohio: By 2016, 130,000 RNs will be needed in the Buckeye state.  Ohio has three major metropolitan areas including Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati.  Cleveland’s professional sports teams and remodeled downtown should attract many RNs.

Pennsylvania: Currently, there are 17,000 health care workers needed throughout PA.  Philly and Pittsburgh are two cities with extraordinary historical sites. 

The whole country is currently running on a shortage of RNs.  These five states would be great for traveling nurses, but they should not be limited to these five.

AAPC to Offer Distance Learning Training Series

The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) is now offering a distance learning training series for the complete 2010 coding updates.  Instead of waiting for a workshop in December to get updated with the new codes, these updates will be released upon renewal of the most recent update.  Along with the three Webinars, a CD and eManaul are also included with each session. 

Listed below are the 2010 coding updates covered in the series:

  • ICD-9-CM (September release; 2 CEUs)
  • CPT (November release; 3 CEUs)
  • HCPCS Level II (December release; 1 CEU)

Sheri Poe Bernard, VP of clinical coding content at the AAPC, believes this series is a “must-have” for all coders. 

The training series is available for purchase now at AAPC’s web site.  You can also call 800-626-CODE to get more information.

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