Outsourcing the typing of letters by doctors is expected to cut time to 48 hours and save about 500,000 pounds under the plan expected to be implemented in the next two years, reports from Leicester said.

1. More UK medical outsourcing for India
LONDON: Unions and employees have opposed a plan by hospitals in the east Midlands town
of Leicester to outsource medical transcription work to India as part of plans to cut costs.
Outsourcing the typing of letters by doctors is expected to cut time to 48 hours and save about 500,000
pounds under the plan expected to be implemented in the next two years, reports from Leicester said.
A 90-day consultation on proposed changes has been launched, sparking concern that the changes
would lead to job loss for medical secretaries currently undertaking the work in the UK.
Some hospitals elsewhere in the UK have also outsourced their medical transcription work to India.
Concerned over the outsourcing move, Carol Brown, regional organiser for the union Unison, told
Leicester Mercury, a leading local daily: "There have been examples in other trusts when, after
outsourcing has occurred, a patient's letter has been sent out for typing but has not returned. There is
potential there could be an increase in lawsuits and mistakes in medication and diagnosis because of
outsourcing."
She added: "Sending sensitive data outside the country has so many potential risks with patient
confidentiality and there are doubts as to whether sending documents abroad is compliant with the
Data Protection Act".
Brown said the Leicester hospital trust had not clarified how it would inform patients that their data was
being sent to India or indeed how it will gain consent from them.
Andrew Furlong, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, said: "We've carried out extensive work and looked
to other trusts that do this well before appointing providers. Although some people have expressed a
concern about typing taking place overseas I can assure that no patient identifiable information leaves
the country."
Furlong added: "Using an external provider to type our letters will be quicker, cost less and be of a
consistently high quality. What's more, our medical secretaries will be able to focus on supporting
patients, as well as a clinician".
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Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-05-13/news/31689733_1_outsourcing-
move-medical-transcription-typing

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