RP medical transcription execs forge ties with US group

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:59:00 05/25/2008

MANILA, Philippines--Medical transcription executives based here met personally with the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) in the US and discussed current industry concerns such as data privacy and certification.

MTIAPI (Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines Inc.) officials met with their US counterparts during the recent MTIA convention in Long Beach, California.

MTIAPI president Myla Rose Mundo-Reyes joined industry leaders from India and the Caribbean in a panel discussion during the said convention.

According to Reyes, the discussion corrected some negative perceptions about offshoring and provided potential clients with enough information on "where to go, who to talk to, and what to consider" when exploring outsourcing opportunities abroad.

Specific to the Philippines, she said concerns over quality, data privacy, public holidays and government support in policy making were openly raised.

"I was glad that I was given the opportunity to inform them that the Philippines is addressing exactly the same issues," said Reyes.

Reyes and her group also secured a formal partnership with MTIA's board of directors to collaborate on different areas such as policy enforcement on data privacy protection, intellectual property rights protection and certification of medical transcriptionists.

MTIAPI also lined up "business matching" activities with members of the Medical Transcription Service Organizations (MTSO), a group under the MTIA.

The convention likewise generated leads for MTIAPI officials and their respective companies.

Although smaller compared to the call center sector, medical transcription is touted as the fastest-growing segment in the overall BPO industry. But MTIAPI said it needs to triple its workforce of about 10,000 transcriptionists in two years to cope with offshore demand.

A challenge for industry is that most companies – averaging 50 seats or less -- lack enough capacity to meet customer requirements, leading to missed opportunities.

"The challenge now is for our local stakeholders -- the private sector and the government -- to ensure that the right components are in place when the investors begin pouring in," Reyes said.