Smallpox Vaccine

Today is the anniversary of the invention of the smallpox vaccine. It was reported to be the first successful vaccine to be developed, and was invented by an English rural doctor by the name of Dr. Edward Jenner on May 14, 1796. Dr. Jenner was also the originator of the term "vaccine." 

Thanks to the amazing discovery of the smallpox vaccine, the total number of deaths in England related to this disease had dropped by two thirds within just 18 months. During that 18 months, 12,000 people had been vaccinated against the illness. Within one year, smallpox was nearly completely wiped out with the help of the World Health Organization. Thanks to Dr. Jenner's contribution to the medical field, countless lives have been saved by these vaccinations.

To learn more, please visit these links:

RADIOLOGY TRANSCRIPTION

First of all, to understand radiology transcription, one would have to know what radiology stands for. Radiology is a word comprising of one prefix, i.e., radio- and one suffix, i.e., -logy with the former meaning "radiation" and the latter "study of any given subject".

Having said that, now we come to what radiology transcription is.

Radiology transcription jobs are a branch of Medical Transcription that specializes in patients undergoing radiology procedures. Let us elaborate.

Every day, all over the country, patients are in and out of hospitals, clinics, and urgent care centers. While there, they are given multiple tests and undergo several different procedures. Often patients are under the care of multiple people at once including nurses, specialists, and physicians.

Now keep in mind that all of this activity must be recorded in the patient’s records for future reference. It must all be combined with all of the patient’s past history and any other relevant information concerning the patient’s treatment. This is vital for two reasons.
· Number one is the health of the patient. All activity must be documented to ensure the patient is getting the best treatment possible.
· Reason number two is to protect the hospital in the case of their activities being called into question.

This is where the transcriptionist comes in. If you are looking for jobs in radiology transcription, your job will revolve around recording various activities for patients undergoing radiology treatments and procedures.

You may simply be helping keep records of ultrasounds, x-rays, and sonograms received by the patient. You may also be working on the therapy side of radiology where your transcriptionist job will include keeping records of chemotherapy and other forms of radiology treatment.

How do you know if you have what it takes to get a radiology transcription job?

Requirements

Needless to say, radiology transcription jobs require excellent knowledge of computers along with fast and accurate typing skills but that is not all. A radiology transcriptionist should also have a good working knowledge of medical terms and procedures. You will spend a great deal of time transcribing information from doctor’s recordings, and you will need to know the terms that are being used in order to ensure your record is correct.

As a radiology transcriptionist, you will also be required to have excellent grammar and spelling skills and the ability to research information in medical texts when you feel it is necessary, i.e., when a term comes up with which you are not familiar. Finally, you should be able to work independently if you are interested in a transcription job. Many transcriptionists work from home and under minimal supervision.

How to gain the necessary skills?

Most transcription jobs require previous experience in the field. Naturally, in order to get experience, you need to land the first job first and the quickest way to do that is through training via Internet or a learning center.

Keep in mind that if you are interested in radiology transcription jobs in particular, you will need to brush up on the area of interest and learn as much as possible about radiology.

The field of radiology transcription jobs is fairly competitive. Among all Medical Transcription jobs, radiology seems to attract a great deal of interest and little wonder the field of x-rays, ultrasounds, and chemotherapy is one of the most fascinating medical fields working today.

Modifying the Patient Record: Corrections,Revisions, Additions, and Addenda

Biggest questions that most of the medical transcription service organization come across to find an appropriate way to process corrections, revisions, additions, and addenda

The rules to modifying the Patient Record should be strong foundation for the enterprise seeking to develop policies and procedures. In order to ensure the admissibility of the medical record as evidence, the enterprise must first establish policies and procedures that address

• Author authentication
• Medical record access control
• Medical record archiving and retention
• Medical record security
• Medical record disaster recovery policies and procedures

By establishing controls over the creation of medical records, enterprises can ensure the nonrepudiation of corrections, revisions, additions, and addenda made in the normal course of business.

Ultimately, by controlling the how, who, where, and when of creating the medical record, the enterprise establishes the methodology for performing valid corrections, revisions, additions, and addenda.

The best practices of a health care enterprise can develop an effective and valid policy and procedure for the correction, revision, addition, and addenda of health information contained within the medical record.

Though it is true that no single rule that addresses medical record correction and amendment exists, enough guidance is available to allow health care providers to develop a workable policy and procedure to address the creation of valid medical record corrections and amendments.

National Medical Transcription Week

In 1985, then President Ronald Reagan gave a proclamation that the week of May 20 through May 26 would be set aside as National Medical Transcription Week. The following is an excerpt from that proclamation:

"A century ago, physicians knew many of the patients from birth, knew all their ailments, and provided all their medical care. Today, with medical specialization and greater mobility among people, many skilled physicians may treat the average American during a lifetime. Using transcribed medical records, each physician can easily and quickly review a patient's medical history even if the physician has never seen the patient before. Because of the work done by trained medical transcriptionists, patients can be assured that the history of their medical care is portrayed accurately and legibly. Medical transcriptionists have therefore become a vital link between the physician and the patient.

It is appropriate for our Nation to recognize the contributions of medical transcriptionists. We should encourage hospitals, allied health education programs, and community colleges to provide appropriate courses of instruction recognizing the high standards that must be met by medical transcriptionists and the vital function they perform."

The American Red Cross is 126 Years Old Today

On May 21, 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. The volunteers who make up this organization give disaster aid both nationally and internationally. They supply close to 50% of America's donated blood and blood products, as well as contribute to society through biomedical research.

The American Red Cross is also known for helping to bridge the communication gap between military personnel and their families. Other organizations are beginning to follow this lead to recognize the needs of our Nation's military personnel, as noted in my post from May 6, 2007.

In addition to all of these objectives, these volunteers serve through mitigation and education. They help to keep the public informed on a number of safety topics (such as some of the safety tips posted on Saturday), and by such the American Red Cross also strives to help prevent accidents.

To find the Red Cross nearest you, or to learn more about this organization, please visit the link below

Reduce Some of the Risks of Cancer During Summer Cookouts

HCAs (heterocyclic amines) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) can be triggered in meat that is cooked for long periods of time over a high heat. Some of the amino acids and creatinine found in animal muscles produce a reaction that stimulates these cancer-causing compounds. To help reduce the risk of creating the optimal environment for these dangerous compounds at your cookout this year, the following tips may be tried:

• Pre-cook meat to reduce the amount of HCAs by placing it in the microwave or boiling water before cooking the meat on a grill. This will reduce the total cook time and temperature needed.
• Marinating meats reduces the amounts of these compounds as well.
• Reduce the risk of PAHs by trimming the fat and/or using lean meat. PAH levels increase as the fat drips off of the meat and onto the grill. As the smoke rises up from the fat drippings, the PAHs found in the smoke are then cooked right into the meat.
• Don't limit your picnic to grill-only foods.

There are several informative sites on the internet where more information can be obtained about this and similar topics. Visit the links below for a few places to start

Memorial Day

Memorial Day, celebrated on the last Monday of every May in the United States, is a time of rememberance for our country's men and women who have died in service to America. It is a day to honor the sacrifices these brave Americans portrayed to help keep our country free. For medical transcriptionists, this day might hold memories of medical reports transcribed to preserve the medical record of one or more of these men and women.

Memorial Day is also viewed by many as the unofficial start of summer activities. This becomes a very busy time of the year for health care workers as accident rates begin to soar while more people spend their time on the road, at pools or lakes, at sporting events, and other such activities. Help to keep your family safe this summer by practicing safety rules and precautions. View my previous posts for some of these tips and guidelines as well as links to other informative sites

Quality Care Reporting

Value-based purchasing is a concept that might be seen more and more in the near future from health care providers. P.Q.R.I., or Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, is a program established by Medicare. During the summer, a federal law was established which provides a 1.5 percent pay incentive for physicians to report quality measures through this program.

As more physicians begin to utilize quality care reporting, it is estimated by researchers that an increased number of less-ill patients will be treated. This, in turn, could possibly be the next big breakthrough in health care as more serious illnesses are caught and prevented in the earlier stages. This turn of events might eventually bring about lower health care costs as patients are being treated before more costly treatments are needed to reestablish good health.

I hope everyone had a safe summer and a happy Labor Day! I am looking forward to resuming my medical transcription blog! I am going to be changing the format to a weekly review of events rather than daily postings.