In an effort to tighten the security of physician-dictated patient notes,
Verizon Business announced it is building a new IT platform for the Medical Transcription Service Consortium.
The MTSC, a group formed by ICSA Labs, an independent division of Verizon Business, and the
Medical Transcription Industry Association, plans to develop a common framework for the digitization of transcribed dictated records. That will include interoperability standards for the secure exchange of data among health care providers, the company said. And the new IT platform by Verizon Business will play a key part of the plan, officials said.
The platform, which is expected to roll out later this year, will use Verizon Business' portfolio of advanced IT, hosting and security solutions, as well as the company's global IP network. The platform will include the use of security best practices, and will allow testing and certification for privacy, security and interoperability, Verizon Business said.
"Interoperability within the health care industry is the linchpin to driving efficiency and improving patient outcomes," Rajeev Kapoor, global managing director - healthcare, Verizon, said in a statement. "The vital services provided by the members of the MTSC are the foundation of every patient medical record, and Verizon Business' development of a common IT platform built to the standards and policies adopted by the consortium members will play an important role in expanding the adoption of electronic health records."
The MTIA and ICSA Labs initiated the creation of the MTSC. In addition, charter members of the consortium are Verizon and medical transcription companies MD-IT, MedQuist, MxSecure, Sten-Tel and Webmedx.
"The creation of the MTSC and the work that Verizon is doing to create a common and interoperable network for the exchange of information will help drive efficiency and data security for the medical transcription industry," said Jay Cannon, president and chief operating officer,
Webmedx, in a statement. "The growing adoption of electronic medical records is driving the need to securely and quickly exchange information between approved health care providers. This is a necessity for the entire health care industry and the work of the consortium and Verizon Business is an important foundational element."
By using its IT expertise and networks, the Verizon Connected Healthcare Solutions practice group offers wireless and wired solutions to help revolutionize the delivery of patient care, better manage costs, enhance access to services and maintain data privacy, Verizon Business officials said.
Amy Tierney is a Web editor for HealthTechZone, covering business communications Her areas of focus include conferencing, SIP, Fax over IP, unified communications and telepresence. Amy also writes about education and healthcare technology, overseeing production of e-Newsletters on those topics as well as communications solutions and UC. To read more of Amy's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Michael Dinan
