GOODRIDGE, Minn. -- I read Tina Rakowski's letter today, and as a medical transcriptionist, I can answer her question as to why the jobs are not showing up ("An unexpected scarcity of health-care jobs," Page A4, Aug. 12).
Tina, the problem is that hospitals and clinics are outsourcing the jobs. When I started 30 years ago in the health care field, facilities and clinics were willing to take the time to train in new people. Now, because everything is cost and production related, the jobs are getting outsourced more and more.
Some of the companies that outsource use transcriptionists based in the U.S. Other companies ship the work off to India or Pakistan. It pretty much boils down to the dollar sign.
What can a person do? As patients, we can start calling our clinics, hospitals, doctors and so on and asking, "Do you ship my medical records out of the facility for processing?"
The next question should be, "Does the outsource company ship all or part of my record out of this country?"
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After that, we should contact our local congressman, congresswoman and so on and put them on the spot. Let's ask, "Why are my medical records being shipped overseas for processing?" Then say, "I want the right on any health consent form to permit the processing of my records only in the U.S."
I have contacted my various legislators and see absolutely nothing being done to address this issue.
As consumers, we have the right to pick a facility that does not outsource our records out of the U.S. We have voices that need to start shouting, "Enough is enough."
If enough other people join our call, maybe we can make an impact.
Renae Marquis
