Once transcribed, the report is returned to the pathologist to be reviewed, corrected and resubmitted to the transcriptionist for any final changes. In the meantime, interns or assistants prepare slides of blood and tissue obtained during the biopsy. Once pathologists received the reports, usually around noon, they spent more time editing and revising them before they actually viewed microscope slides, extending the total time between examination and report availability to well over 24 hours. This new process provides anxious patients with results faster than ever before. The templates help standardize report dictation, making it easier for doctors to create them.
Pathologists operate the system using a headset microphone connected to a pocket-sized transmitter.
The microphone picks up the user's words and inserts them as text into the report. The text is immediately visible on screen, allowing the pathologist to correct mistakes, insert missing information, edit and format on site. Once edited and complete, the laboratory report can immediately be faxed to the patient's physician, placed in medical records and copied to the laboratory information system. In addition to reducing turn-around time, typographical mistakes, and errors in medical terminology, the system increases productivity. Our pathologists no longer spend the critical hours after an exam waiting for transcription, and reports are completed and signed in less than half the time.