medical transcription software

Software for Those Looking for a Career in Transcribing Medical Records


A number of different features can help make the job of a medical transcriptionist easier. When looking to purchase software for this purpose, look to see whether these features are available in the various software options to help choose the most useful type.

HIPAA Compliance

Because of the laws regarding patient privacy, one thing that is required for any software used for medical transcription is that it is HIPAA compliant. Using a type of software that isn't compliant breaks the law and could cause legal issues and the loss of a job.

Type of Playback Controls

Using a type of medical transcription software that allows the playback of the recorded information to be controlled by a foot pedal instead of with the hands can make it easier for the transcriptionist to work quickly, as she doesn't need to take her hands off the keyboard to play, rewind, fast forward or stop the recording. This type of control can take a short time to get used to, but then will help speed up the transcription process.

Speech Recognition

Programs with a speech recognition feature can help to more quickly turn the recorded information into text. These programs aren't totally accurate and don't always include the proper punctuation, but they can give the transcriptionist a good start on the job. This may work best if the transcriptionist works mainly with one medical provider, as speech recognition software needs to be trained to a particular person's speech patterns to be at its most accurate.

Word Expansion



Some programs try to use predictive technology to expand words as they're typed, allowing the transcriptionist to just type a few letters and have the program fill in the most common word choices that start with those letters. This limits the overall typing involved and speeds up the transcritpion process.

Training Help

People who are relatively new to the job may want a software program that has some training features to help them learn how to be more efficient and improve their vocabulary of medical terms and their experience with different formats of medical records. More experienced transcriptionists won't necessarily benefit from this feature, however.