medical billing transcription supplier information

Today at the American Association for Medical Transcription (AAMT) Annual Convention and Expo, Dictaphone announced the creation of the healthcare industry's first Speech-Certified Transcription Network in response to the substantial growing demand for its ichart(R) Managed Services solutions. ichart Managed Services combines Dictaphone's industry-leading speech recognition technology with transcription services performed by Dictaphone's Speech-Certified Transcription Network, which has been trained to edit on the company's speech recognition platform. This combination of labor and technology delivers lower-cost, high-quality medical transcription with rapid turnaround. All Dictaphone transcription service partners are required to pass its rigorous certification program to ensure even higher levels of service excellence and proficiency in speech recognition editing.

"ichart Managed Services is quickly proving what we suspected when we introduced the product less then one year ago: that using speech recognition to drive down the enormous costs and improve the quality of transcription is the future of medical documentation outsourcing," said Don Fallati, senior vice president of marketing for Dictaphone. "The overwhelming response we've had from the market is driving us to create the first Speech-Certified Transcription Network, offering our clients the most talented and best-equipped group of 'speech recognition-enabled' transcription service providers."

Speech-Certified Transcription Providers are thoroughly trained, evaluated and benchmarked against specific industry-standard quality, speed and customer service metrics. Those that meet the strict criteria will receive certification and will be reevaluated quarterly to ensure continued adherence.

Tamara Brown, president and CEO of Encompass Medical Transcription, Inc., a member of Dictaphone's Speech-Certified Transcription Network, said, "ichart has allowed us to increase the volume of work Encompass can do with our existing staff and enabled us to train new medical transcriptionists to generate high-quality reports at a higher level of productivity." Headquartered in Wisconsin, Encompass is a U.S. medical transcription company that employs only U.S.-based medical transcriptionists.

e-MedSoft.com (AMEX:MED), a leading Application Service Provider (ASP) of comprehensive healthcare portal solutions, today announced the launch of MedTranscription(TM), a leading-edge, secure medical transcription solution that is delivered via the company's innovative Application Service Provider (ASP) model.

Additionally, the company announced that Jacksonville Heart Center (JHC), a customer currently implementing the company's Internet-based MedPractice(TM) solution, has selected MedTranscription(TM) as its primary transcription system.

MedTranscription(TM) solves many of the problems inherent to legacy transcription systems as it answers the needs of physicians, office administrators and transcriptionists by providing unparalleled flexibility and ease of use. In particular, the company's solution provides: 1) A patented, State-of-the-Art Secure Environment for the storage of sensitive medical data. 2) A Dynamic Transcription Workflow System that considerably improves the maintenance and management of medical data. 3) User-Defined `shortcuts' (at the organization, location of service, provider of service, and individual user levels) that decrease unnecessary and mistake prone repetition; and 4) A Medical Spell Check Program that appreciably reduces transcription mistakes by incorporating a 200,000 word natural English and Medical Dictionary to assist the transcriptionist with spelling.

Using MedTranscription(TM), a physician no longer has to dictate every word to complete his or her report, but instead, can provide the transcriptionist with personalized `control words' that, when entered, are automatically replaced with full-text phrases. These `control words' are unique to each physician or location of service and can be managed by the physician or practice administrator.

PITTSBURGH -- Wizzard Software (OTCBB:WIZD) announced today that ProCAT has chosen IBM's ViaVoice Speech Recognition (ASR) Software Development Kit (SDK) and runtimes for their WinnerVR real time transcription software. Founded over twenty years ago, ProCAT, a privately held company based in Agoura Hills, California, has become a leading provider of software, electronic stenotype, and hardware to the court reporting and closed-captioning industries.

"Speed and accuracy is extremely important in our environment. IBM ViaVoice has provided us with the platform that we need to deliver real time text to the consumers in a timely fashion," said Robert Bakva, President of ProCAT. "We can rely on Wizzard to provide timely support to allow us to achieve our goals."

With IBM's proven, sophisticated Speech Recognition SDK behind it, ProCAT's WinnerVR is able to provide the most intelligent and flexible real time speech recognition and processing software to their clients. The real time nature of WinnerVR enables users to provide transcription services to the judiciary, closed-captioning services to the broadcasters, live news web or pod casts to the Internet, litigation support services to the attorneys, and rapid text entry for medical transcribers. WinnerVR may also be used in post production situations.

WinnerVR allows its end users, including judges, attorneys and court reporters, to save valuable time that is normally spent editing transcriptions with its easy to use auto-proofing and auto-indexing features. WinnerVR also offers visual effects to enhance input quality, as well as a vocabulary manager and multi-track audio recording.

"From small legal practices to large firms and government bodies, IBM ViaVoice speech recognition and ProCAT's powerful WinnerVR are providing the legal profession with an accurate solution that increases productivity," said Danielle Lewis, Marketing Director for Wizzard. "In many vertical markets, voice recognition has been found to greatly streamline overall business activities."

"We are proud to have been able to provide ProCAT with the technology and expertise they needed to help make their application a success," added Lewis.

eScription Corporation, a leader in dictation and transcription management and automatic speech recognition, today announced that Eclipsys Corporation is incorporating eScription's Script(TM) product line into Eclipsys' new Sunrise(TM) Knowledge-Based Transcription product.

eScription provides a suite of applications that reduce costs, decrease turnaround time and improve medical transcription workflow. The applications employ a powerful set of technologies which leverage the Internet and state-of-the-art automatic speech recognition to significantly increase medical transcriptionist productivity. Healthcare providers need not change their workflow of dictating into the telephone handset, nor do they explicitly train the automatic speech recognizer. Using these applications, eScription customers have realized a doubling of productivity.

eScription's products are installed in major healthcare organizations. "Transcriptionists who use our products are able to produce high-quality reports twice as fast as previously was possible," said Ben Chigier, President of eScription. "Our products and services bridge the traditional barrier between dictation and transcription management. The addition of automatic speech recognition automates a significant portion of the work and serves to alleviate some of the significant cost pressures experienced by healthcare."

Over 250,000 medical transcriptionists in the United States transcribe healthcare reports, representing an estimated $6 billion spent per year. The healthcare industry has been very interested in employing speech recognition, but has been slow to adopt it due to concerns over its accuracy and its impact on workflow. "No speech-recognition system, even ours, can be 100% accurate," noted Paul Egerman, eScription chairman & CEO. "To be successful, many concepts in addition to speech recognition must be utilized. Our natural language processor interprets and formats what the physician meant to say in addition to what was actually said."

Healthcare providers and consumers to benefit from accurate,

cost-effective platform

Starting today physicians have a more accurate, cost-effective and time-saving option for professional medical transcription - IQSpeak digital dictation by IQMax.

Utilizing the Palm Pilot Operating System and HandEra handheld computing device, physicians may now dictate their patient records at the point of care, with the patient's name and correct information auto-populated in and transmit the information via the Internet, directly to their transcription company in a high-quality digital file.

"Transcription fees and transcription errors account for thousands of dollars in lost revenues per physician annually," said IQMax founder and CEO Paul Adkison. "By using IQSpeak, which automatically attach accurate patient demographics to the dictation file, we can forecast a significant reduction in lost revenue."

IQMax has been developing this transcription software over the past year, including a pilot program that was just concluded with Blue Ridge Bone & Joint in Asheville, NC. Blue Ridge Bone & Joint projects the IQMax solution will provide significant savings with less errors in transcription, more complete information for the billing process as well as save them from a great number of headaches associated with the manual processes they had to endure previously in medical transcription.

Physicians participating in pilot programs have been drawn to the device for its ease of use, voice quality, and the streamlined process inherent in the IQSpeak Application.

"Having my patient appointments in my coat pocket, and having their reference numbers and names automatically attach to my dictation file is invaluable," states Dr. Michael Goebel, a physician with Blue Ridge Bone & Joint. "I am confident that my notes are attributed to the correct patient, quickly and securely. Furthermore, though I am not a tech wizard, it took little to no time to master."

MedQuist Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDQ), the leading provider of electronic transcription and medical document management solutions, today announced its acquisition of Lernout & Hauspie Medical Solutions Holdings, Inc., the third largest medical transcription company in the United States.

Consideration for this stock transaction was roughly $25 million cash.

L&H's medical transcription division has approximately 1,000 employees located throughout the country with headquarters located in Madison, WI. On October 29th, the U.S. bankruptcy court approved MedQuist as the highest auction bidder for L&H's medical transcription division. On Monday of this week, the Belgian bankruptcy court approved the transaction, clearing the way for the closing of the acquisition.

"MedQuist's acquisition of L&H's transcription business enhances our medical transcription service offering," stated David Cohen, MedQuist's Chairman and CEO. "We are very excited about adding L&H's talented transcriptionists and management to the MedQuist team."

MedQuist is the largest electronic medical transcription service company in the United States.

Other than historical information set forth herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in any such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks, including, without limitation, inability to manage and maintain growth; and inability to successfully integrate this acquisition. Additional risks associated with the Company's business can be found in its most recent filing of its annual report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the SEC.

Proteins called transcription factors serve as the sergeants of the genetic army. They tell genes when to turn on, when to turn off, and when to stand silently at attention.

Since the early days of molecular genetics, researchers have predicted that each transcription factor controls a separate platoon of related genes. If not, the scientists reasoned, the resulting army would have as many sergeants as soldiers - making for a very unwiedly state of affairs. However, no one could explain how transcription factors - which must match up to chemical similarities in their subordinate genes in order to function - could recognize and direct the activities of more than one gene.

Several recent studies now suggest that at least some types of transcription factors come in a variety of slightly different forms, with affinities for different genes. The newest report, in the Sept. 25 SCIENCE, indicates that a given type of transcription factor can vary during the development of an organism, turning some genes on and others off in successive stages of the organism's life.

A group of researchers led by Fotis C. Kafatos of Harvard University studied the gene that carries the blueprint for making the outermost layer, or shell, of a fruit fly egg. Kafatos - who also holds a position at the University of Crete in Greece - and his colleagues found that female embryos, pupae, and adult flies each possess a different form of the transcription factor that regulates this gene. Males have yet another form of the same transcription factor, they discovered.

Kafatos' group had previously found that the transcription factor belongs to a class of proteins known as zinc fingers. These proteins, first discovered in 1985, consist of finger-like loops held together by zinc atoms. Each finger in these transcription factors recognizes and binds to a specific region of a gene's DNA.

Kafatos and his colleagues found that the eggshell transcription factor made by fruit fly pupae has one more zinc finger than do forms of the protein made during other stages of the fruit fly life cycle. Moreover, this pupal transcription factor does not bind to the same DNA sequences as the transcription factor produced by embryos or adults, the researchers found.

iBX Group, Inc. (OTCBB:IBXG), a publicly held Florida corporation, announced today it has agreed on terms to acquire Independent Transcription Service (ITS), a South Florida-based provider of dictation, transcription and document management services for the healthcare industry.

iBX estimates $250,000 in revenue from the ITS acquisition, according to company president and CEO Evan R. Brovenick. Terms of the pending transaction with ITS, a privately held company, were not disclosed.

"This transaction, when approved, will provide a strong platform for the company's proprietary digital online dictation/transcription product and document management service along with the workflow services associated with it," Brovenick said. "On-line transcription is one of the fastest-growing segments in the healthcare industry."

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor indicates the demand for medical transcription services is increasing throughout the country. According to the 2002 - 2003 Occupation Outlook Handbook, the medical transcription industry will grow by as much as 35% by 2010.

ITS president Ira Fructhman will join iBX's management team and continue to operate the company as a subsidiary of iBX's Information and Technology Services Division, Brovenick said. ITS has been in business for 10 years.

"There is tremendous synergy between the two companies," said Jodie C. Getter, a healthcare industry pioneer who serves on iBX's advisory board and was instrumental in bringing iBX and ITS together. "ITS is in the business of selling and managing transcription services. iBX has the technology platform needed to expand the business. It's a perfect match." Getter is Vice President of GHC, a Coral Springs company that specializes in due diligence for healthcare mergers and acquisitions, on-site project management and corporate restructuring services.

If approved, the ITS transaction would be the second major acquisition for iBX in recent months. In October, iBX Group completed the acquisition of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Florida Health Source, LLC, a worker's compensation referral network for rehabilitation services throughout the state. The company's management team said it expected more than $1 million in revenue over the first 12 months. Florida Health Source is now a wholly owned subsidiary of iBX.

Axolotl Corporation, a leading provider of Web-based health information management products and services, today announced the release of comprehensive report management, accounting, and auditing tools for its Elysium Transcription Service. These Web-based tools allow HIM managers to track turnaround time and cost per line, per physician, and per report type, all in real time. These advanced tracking and cost disclosure tools are expected to raise the bar for the entire medical transcription industry.

The Elysium transcription management tools allow managers to track every stage of the transcription process through a Web browser. Starting with dictation and following the process through transcription and e-signature, each report is logged and tracked. Reports can also be made available outside the HIM department with secure concurrent access for coding, patient accounting, and emergency departments. Physicians access, review, and sign transcribed reports from any secure Internet connection, reducing delinquencies and speeding report completion. Transcribed reports can be consolidated with lab and radiology reports and ADT information and stored in a standardized data repository for the entire hospital.

"Our Elysium Transcription Service promises to bring significant cost savings to HIM departments through standardized pricing and Web-based tools that track and manage transcribed reports. Full disclosure of all transcription costs helps HIM directors manage and track cost effectiveness," said Ray Scott, CEO, Axolotl Corp. "Axolotl is committed to improving patient care, and this is one of the many ways that we are making a difference," Scott continued.

NetIQ Corp. (Nasdaq:NTIQ), a leading provider of Systems & Security Management and Web Analytics solutions, today announced that Acusis(R), a leading provider of outsourced medical transcription services, is utilizing a combination of NetIQ(R) products to manage and secure their Windows and Linux IT infrastructure.

Acusis offers cost-effective, accurate medical transcription services that meet the critical needs of clinics, large physician practices and hospitals through its proprietary Web-based software, AcuSuite(R). Acusis uses a secure method to manage the entire transcription process from capturing dictations to delivering electronic transcription reports. Acusis' medical transcription services improve the productivity and effectiveness of the medical practitioner by offering a tailored turnaround time of 24 hours or less, 98 percent or better accuracy, 24/7/365 availability, trusted security and an easy-to-use Web interface to access transcriptions from multiple locations at anytime.

NetIQ(R) AppManager(TM) Suite is managing Acusis' entire heterogeneous IT environment that includes more than 50 Hewlett-Packard ProLiant servers running Windows and Red Hat Linux operating systems; database applications Oracle 8i and Microsoft SQL Server 2000; Web servers running Microsoft Internet Information Server and Apache; Veritas NetBackup Professional; and Acusis' proprietary AcuSuite software.

When Sam Mike, who joined as Acusis' director of technology in 2002, examined the company's IT infrastructure, his experience led him straight to a prescription he found worked the best -- NetIQ systems and security management solutions.

"When I analyzed our systems, I knew that I could create the required levels of performance and availability in our infrastructure with the same NetIQ products I've used before," said Mike. "We needed a solution that we could quickly install, that our staff could easily learn to operate and that we could begin to benefit from immediately."

Acusis(R), a leading provider of outsourced medical transcription services, recently announced full support for the Medical Transcription Industry Alliance (MTIA) Billing Method Principles, an initiative with core values based on verifiability, definability, measurability, consistency and integrity.

After some time in compliance with MTIA's customer-based guidelines and protocols, Acusis has also developed a set of internal principled billing parameters. AcuCount, the Company's solution to straightforward and automated line pricing, has a clearly defined methodology and auditable invoice detail, in line with those principles set forth by MTIA.

Acusis and MTIA are committed to preserving the creativity and diversity in the medical transcription industry. MTIA's Billing Principles are designed with companies like Acusis in mind -- companies who create their own processes but respect the billing fundamentals set forth by an industry-respected organization like MTIA. According to MTIA's Executive Director, Molly Malone, "Our organization is vigilant in promoting best practice billing situations in the medical transcription industry which are clear, fair and understandable to our clients -- the doctors, hospitals and clinics who have a lot at stake and need accurate and reliable service across the board."

"We are fully committed to giving our customers the best service possible," says Acusis President and CEO, David Iwinski, Jr., "whether that is in the way we provide consistent 98% accuracy in a 24-hour turnaround time or less or if it's making sure that our billing methodology is accurate and clearly understandable for all of our customers."

Acusis(R) LLC, a leading provider of outsourced medical transcription services, based in Pittsburgh, and MedAptus, Inc., the leading provider of point-of-care software solutions for physicians, based in Boston, recently announced their strategic alliance and marketplace partnership, a decision that will result in improved service to the hospital, clinic and physician practice markets already penetrated by both companies and to the medical industry, in general.

With the MedAptus application, Charges in Hand(TM), physicians can use a Pocket PC handheld device to manage workflow from accessing real-time patient scheduling information to capturing charges, dictating point-of-care patient notes and reviewing information to include medical reference libraries, current diagnostic and procedure coding and coding compliance rules. By leveraging mobile computing and wireless technology, the MedAptus software solution is able to integrate clinical, financial and administrative applications in order to increase physician productivity.

Under the same productivity premise, Acusis has developed a cost-effective outsourced medical transcription solution that integrates seamlessly with any client's current medical records system, a must in the medical field where quality patient care and near immediate results for timely processing of patient records are top priorities. AcuSuite(R), Acusis' proprietary software solution, provides a secure method for the management of the entire medical transcription process from dictation capture to the delivery of final electronic reports. Careful attention to Quality Control and Quality Assurance issues allows the Company to support 98% accuracy in a 24 hour or less turnaround period.

This integration of efforts creates a seamless interface between two companies, both with corporate interests in streamlining the internal processes of medical enterprises through related product and service software suites.