Accurate electronic medical records are important for oncologists at every stage of a cancer patient’s treatment. With access to complete and accurate medical records, oncologists can provide proper treatment for cancer patients. Oncologists are very busy with diagnosis, treatment, therapy etc and they may not get enough time for medical documentation. So, they can send their dictations to a reliable medical transcription services that can help transcribe the recordings into accurate medical records and upload into EHR using HL7 interface. This allows oncologists to focus on providing quality services rather than wasting their time in front of the computer. Providing access to the medical records of cancer patients also helps oncologists to do research in this area to find new treatment procedures and perform other research.
Benefit in Colon Cancer Treatment with Minimally Invasive Surgery
Researchers have found that patients that minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is more beneficial for patients in locally advanced stage of colon cancer, than open resections. In an analysis reported by David T. Pointer, MD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues, over 34,000 stage III colon cancer patients who underwent MIS (Minimally Invasive Surgery) experienced a reduction in the median time to return to intended oncological treatment (RIOT) versus open surgery. Pointer, in an abstract for the virtual Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons meeting mentioned that “a multi-variable analysis for predictors of delayed RIOT characterized MIS as a "favorable predictor" of early RIOT versus open resection”. However, Pointer and his colleagues stated that these findings does not indicate an impact on oncological outcomes like the disease’s recurrence or survival among patients with locally advanced cancer. He also added that patient selection factors may also impact these findings. Returning to the intended oncologic treatment ( RIOT) is an important goal for any patient who needs both surgery and adjuvant therapy, according to David A. Greenwald, MD, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and president of the American College of Gastroenterology.
Greenwald states that this study is essential because it helps address a concern many patients with stage III colorectal cancer have. Patients are advised that they will have to go through both surgery and adjuvant therapy for the best outcomes. But they are concerned that the recovery from surgery may delay the needed adjuvant therapy.
As per Pointer’s findings, compared to standard surgery, minimally invasive surgery may contribute to earlier recovery and provide patients with the ability to initiate adjuvant chemotherapy early after surgery. For the study he included 34, 736 stage lll adenocarcinoma patients from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) who had undergone surgical resection and initiated adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients with rectosigmoid adenocarcinoma, or had incomplete data were not included in the study. Two groups, open surgical group and minimally invasive surgery colectomy group were matched based on propensity score, where time to RIOT was compared using mixed effects modelling for each group. Almost all people in MIS cohort had laparoscopic resection, while the remainder had a robotic resection.
Access to Accurate Medical Records
Having access to accurate medical records is vital for oncologists to treat the patient efficiently and a reliable medical transcription vendor assists oncologists in maintaining error-free medical records while enabling oncologists to focus more on understanding the patient’s disease and provide the right treatment. Transcription services that are HIPAA-compliant adhere to all federal regulations to secure protected health information. They offer services like:
• Point of Care Interactions
• X-Ray/MRI/Scan Reports
• Operative Reports
• Medication
• Physical Test Reports
• Diagnosis Reports
• Patient Documentation
• Patient Doctor Meetings
• Discharge Summaries
• Other Therapy Reports
• Patient's Physical Response Details
These services have professional transcriptionists who keeps track of all the latest studies and developments in the area of cancer care. They are adept and capable of handling any difficult coding or transcription challenges. This makes us better equipped to understand any medical terminology, physician's notes, and dictations related to oncology with ease and transcribe them accurately. So, a reliable medical transcription service can help oncologists generate accurate medical notes with precise codes and error-free transcripts for better oncology care.