New York Firm Targets Medical Transcription Services with Handheld Dictation Unit
A Syracuse, N.Y.-based developer of medical transcription applications has launched what it says is the first Palm handheld computer that digitally records physician dictation and transmits the data wirelessly for transcription, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports. HealthcareOne is marketing the device primarily to medical transcription services as part of an effort to integrate the device into the existing market for medical transcription. The HealthcareOne dictation unit features a built-in microphone into which physicians talk as they would into a tape recorder. The device digitally records the physician's notes and then uses a wireless Internet connection to transmit the data to the physician's transcription service. By eliminating the intermediate step of physically delivering recorded tapes to the service for transcription, the new device typically cuts turnaround time in half, according to Donald Thompson, HealthcareOne's marketing director. While it will sell the devices to individual physicians, HealthcareOne also is trying to foster business alliances with transcription services, which already have relationships with doctors. Participating transcription services will receive a commission based on the number of units they sell to physicians. Each unit is priced at about $600 and also supports electronic prescribing applications and standard functions such as schedule management (Mulder, Syracuse Post-Standard, 6/28). For more iHealth & Technology stories, visit iHealthBeat.org, a new Web publication sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation.
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