Based on customer feedback, eScription was ranked #1 by KLAS in the Transcription and Back-End Speech Recognition category."
KLAS 2006 Top 20 Year-end Report www.healthcomputing.com
eScription Issued Patent for Speech Recognition; Innovative Technology Drives Transcription Productivity Gains
September 25 , 2007 (Boston, MA) —eScription, Inc, the leader in Computer Aided Medical Transcription (CAMT) software, announced today their first issued patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) based on the inventions of employees Dr. George Zavaliagkos, Roger Zimmerman, and CEO, Ben Chigier. The patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,274,775) covers a unique feature in the company’s AutoScript background speech recognition product, known as “adaptive playback speed.”
This patented technology enables the audio playback speed of a dictation to adjust automatically while medical transcriptionists (MTs) are editing based on three increasingly specific factors: the MT’s general editing proficiency, the MT’s demonstrated efficiency with a clinician, and the MT’s playback-speed preference. The invention accelerates playback to increase MT productivity, yet it also maintains an environment that allows MTs to work comfortably and deliver high quality final reports.
Developed under the code name The Lucy Chocolate Factory, adaptive playback speed recalls an episode of the comedy show “I Love Lucy” where Lucy and her friends are producing chocolates in an assembly line. Unlike the process experienced by Lucy and her friends, the working environment created by eScription software is both steadily comfortable and highly efficient for users.
Senior R&D Engineer and co-inventor Roger Zimmerman commented, “By automatically tailoring the playback speed of dictations directly to the preferences and capabilities of each medical transcriptionist, and further optimizing the playback according to the characteristics of the dictating clinician, we can significantly increase the speed at which AutoScript drafts are edited, while maintaining high quality in the medical record.” Adaptive playback speed has been fully deployed in the AutoScript product since 2002 and is one of many advanced features in AutoScript Version 7, which is currently in use by all customers. [See recent press release: “eScription Enhances Speed Recognition Software” dated July 20, 2007]
eScription’s adaptive playback speed technology enables the AutoScript system to “learn” an individual MTs’ optimal speed for each dictating clinician. Michele Pocius, an MT at Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System, notes, “The speed increments are slowly introduced so you are not even aware of them until you notice your gain in productivity.”
“We are extraordinarily pleased to receive this patent, which represents years of hard work in its conception, design, and implementation,” stated co-inventor and CEO, Ben Chigier. “It represents an example of the many innovations contained within our speech recognition technology. These innovations are the reason that eScription has the most effective speech recognition approach for the health care industry. Chigier added, “It also illustrates our dedication to improving the quality and efficiency of medical transcription; it is the combination of innovative technology with real-world benefits.”
eScription pioneered the concept of Computer Aided Medical Transcription, which is based on the simple premise that it is faster to edit than to type. The company’s AutoScript background speech recognition engine automatically creates formatted draft documents from clinicians’ dictations that MTs subsequently review and edit, often doubling productivity when compared to traditional transcription. CAMT requires little to no change to clinicians’ workflow.
The patented adaptive playback speed technology is consistent with the company’s focus on improving clinical documentation. By creating a highly effective design to support MTs in the editing process, eScription is helping healthcare organizations reap the full benefits of background speech recognition, including shorter turnaround times, increased productivity and significantly lower costs in medical transcription. Recently recognized by KLAS as providing the top rated product for Transcription and Back-end Speech Recognition (Mid-year Report Card, published June, 2007), eScription continues to lead the market with innovative solutions to increase transcription productivity.
About eScription
eScription, Inc. is a pioneer and leader in computer Aided Medical Transcription (CAMT). The company’s software is based on the simple premise that it is faster to edit than to type. With its solution deployed at healthcare organizations throughout the United States, eScription is helping streamline processes, speed turnaround time, and save costs of medical transcription, without interfering with clinician workflow. For more information, call 781-455-8900 or visit www.escription.com.