Lea M. Sims, a CMT with AHDI, recently wrote a an article for AdvanceWeb.com detailing the fast-changing future of medical transcription and what industry insiders can do to keep up.  With health care reform slated to be passed before the end of the year, the Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) has been endorsing the crucial role that health care documentation specialists play within the industry.  These professionals are responsible for capturing and documenting patient encounter information.  The future of this industry is uncertain, however AHDI has been promoting that Capitol Hill includes this critical part of the health care system into the final bill that is signed towards the end of 2009.

Technologies such as the electronic health record (EHR) and speech recognition technology (SRT) are evolving faster than ever.  AHDI’s newest campaign, called Knowledge is Everything, calls on students, postgraduates, and MTs in the industry to stay connected and up-to-date. The organization is suggesting that everyone in the industry complete the following 5 tasks (if they haven’t already):

• Graduate from an ACCP-approved school
• Earn your registered medical transcriptionist (RMT) credential upon graduation
• Subscribe to Benchmark KB to stay informed within the industry
• Become a member of AHDI
• Embrace level II credentialing through the certified medical transcriptionist credentialing program

Click here to read Sims’ entire article: Knowledge is Everything