Medical Ethics - Ethical Considerations for Medical Transcriptionists

When dealing with confidential medical information, one must adhere to the highest ethical and privacy standards. Medical transcriptionists deal with confidential information every day in the performance of their job, transcribing a physician’s spoken dictation into typed, easy to read notes. This means that medical transcriptionists must have a clear understanding of the legal and ethical issues that affect them.

Medical transcriptionists should be aware of HIPAA laws that affect them. HIPAA, the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, set down rules that must be followed when dealing with confidential medical information. It also regulates the ways in which confidential medical information can be shared, and who may have access to the information. Most employers will require new employees to attend a training seminar or session regarding HIPAA laws and privacy practices. However, if the medical transcriptionist is an independent contractor or runs a home business, it is their individual responsibility to make sure they are familiar with HIPAA requirements. If confidential, individually identifiable medical information is released improperly, the result could include fines, the loss of the violator’s medical license, jail time, or civil suits. Therefore, it is vitally important that medical transcriptionists treat the information they work with as secret, and protect it from any unauthorized people. This includes not sharing that funny story over the dinner table!