Medical transcription has become a specialized profession today. With so many different branches in medicine experienced medical transcription professionals can choose a particular branch of medicine and specialize transcription in that field. One of the most challenging medical transcription areas is the critical care transcription because it requires a high level of sensitivity and an in-depth familiarity of the intensive care environment.

By definition Intensive Care Medicine or critical care medicine is a branch of medicine that is concerned with the provision of life support or organ support systems to patients who are critically ill and require intensive monitoring. It is one of the most expensive, high technology and resource intensive area of medical care. In the year 2000, the US spending on critical care medicine ranged from US$15-55 billion accounting, which is about 13% of the total national health care expenditure for the year. Way back in 1997, more than 5,000 ICUs were operational in intensive care units across the United States. Today it is much more.

Long dictations at intervals are very often recorded by critical care specialists / intensivists who work in the hospital ICUs (Intensive Care Units) where patients are often seen struggling for life. These critical care dictations that is the actual proof all the happenings inside the intensive care units will be later transcribed by specialist transcriptionists who are familiar with all the different critical human conditions and other ICU related processes. Critical care transcriptionists also have a good knowledge of different critical care equipment like defibrillators, ventilators, bedside monitors etc. They know well the job of a critical care specialist / Intensivist and can very well follow his murmurings that are usually recorded into digital hand held devices.

 

Besides Intensivists, the ICU care usually consists of other health care providers that also includes pharmacists and nurses; respiratory care therapists; and other medical consultants from a broad range of specialties including surgery, pediatrics, and anesthesiology. Critical care transcripts are usually very important documents as it generally involves big money and have to be sent to the insurance companies for claims. Proper transcription, coding and billing are essential prerequisites for the assured reimbursement of insurance claims. 

The author of this article is Ricci Mathew of OSI (Outsource Strategies International ), a US based company that offers services in Medical Coding, Medical Billing and Medical Transcription for clients across the US.