WH petition: Return Medical Records Transcription to the US.

[AtomicKitten]

I was forwarded this petition that addresses the outsourcing of jobs and confidential medical records overseas. Please sign and pass on. Thanks.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/bring-back-all-united-states-medical-record-transcription-be-performed-only-us-us-medical/TJzSQpZq

WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
bring back all United States medical record transcription to be performed only in the US by US medical transcriptionists. US medical transcriptionists have found themselves with little to no work with the outsourcing of US citizen's medical record transcription to India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, etc. Bringing this industry solely back into the United States would not only return jobs to the United States and help strengthen the economy, but at the same time, stem the tide of confidential information sent overseas to unsafe and insecure areas of the world which greatly increases the chance of privacy compromise and identity theft. Additionally, the quality of our medical records suffers immensely when performed offshore by non-native English-speaking workers.

[MineralMan]

1. While that is an excellent idea, it's not one that

can be implemented by the White House or the President. That would require congressional action, and may not even be constitutional, if applied to non-governmental providers.

[AtomicKitten]

2. Correct, but Pres O's bully pulpit might lend a hand.

There was a Pakistani transcriptionist that threatened to post confidential medical records online over a back pay dispute.

-----> http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/A-tough-lesson-on-medical-privacy-Pakistani-2552427.php#sections

This is not only a push to bring these jobs back to our shores but to ensure privacy/confidentiality of medical records.

[MineralMan]

4. I understand, but I think an effort to get House members

to introduce a bill would be more useful.

These White House petitions are all over the place, and they're diluting the reason for them being available. The first step in any plan to get something done is to identify the people who have to get it done. In this case, it is certainly not the President.

If you can get some Congress members to introduce a bill, that would be a far better approach. Either that or start a campaign to get the Surgeon General on the team, along with the head of HHS. Their recommendation for such a bill would carry a lot of weight, and might get the President on the case.

Since so many of these petitions are either trivial or way out of the President's authority, there's a danger of them all being completely ignored.

[dballance]

3. I Don't See Why They Couldn't Extend HIPPA to Do This

HIPPA makes pretty clear sharing medical records with people who are not part of providing the care without a patient's permission is illegal. So why not tack on something that also says medical records cannot be transmitted to foreign entities without the patient's written permission? That way they wouldn't be banning it altogether which, as you point out, might not be constitutional - I don't know. But it would place a restriction on it that allows it to happen at the patient's discretion.

I think that could work out well. I know I wouldn't give permission for my records to be sent to a place where the workers are probably being paid pennies a day so there is great financial incentive for them to steal and sell records. It has happened in the credit card industry and because of the local laws in some foreign places not much could actually been done to prosecute the individuals or to impose severe enough penalties that it wasn't still worth risking it to do it.

[MineralMan]

5. That's true, and a bill could be introduced to modify HIPAA to do

just that. The President, however, probably isn't going to take the initiative on such a thing. The granularity is too fine. The Surgeon General and the head of HHS would be a better place to start, it seems to me.

I'm all about conservation of resources with this kind of thing. Put the effort where it will actually do some good.

[CreekDog]

6. I worked with transcriptionists when I was going through college

it was a good job, with decent pay, and should be done in the US.

ours were so good that you'd often hear them get frustrated while transcribing if the doctors were talking too slow.

[AtomicKitten]

7. It really is an excellent gig.

When I was in college studying to be a PA, I kept getting pulled off the floor to transcribe. That was beaucoup decades ago and I've done it ever since. It is particularly excellent for single parents, allowing them to be at home to wrangle their kids without the crushing expense of childcare.

Doctors flipping through charts with dead air interspersed with sparse actual dictation is one of many pet peeves of my fellow transcriptionists. LOL.