Report on the Business Forum on Medical Transcription Hotel Alejandro, Tacloban City May 29, 2006
I. Regional Participants: Twenty-seven (27) regional participants were in the forum as follows: Private business – 13 (two were doctors) Line Agencies – 10 Private Academe - 2 SUCs - 2 II. Resource Persons
Team from TTSI Manila pose with NEDA, DTI and LCCI officers/participants after the Forum.
Speakers from Manila were: Myla Rose Reyes of TTSI (2nd from front left) and Mr. Froilan Morales of TTSI (rightmost back). Refer to topics below for the names of the regional/local speakers.
III. Topics/Talks: Opening Message. According to Dir. Go-Soco of NEDA VIII, the study mission by the group coming from State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) to a Medical Transcription company in Manila started the idea of this symposium. He said that compared to Call Center, Medical Transcription (MT) industry RD Go-Soco of NEDA (left) with Mr. Omar is a better fit for Region Mendoza of TTSI seated next to him. VIII. The fact that Region VIII has 15 Nursing schools is a positive factor. CHED will be subsidizing the MT training of trainers from the SUCs. He stressed that everybody must work together purposively to make the MT industry a reality. LGU and business sector support are important. Message from the Leyte Vice-Governor Hon. Mimietta S. Bagulaya informed the group that Leyte has passed a resolution allowing Teletech, a call center company, to operate in the ICoT Park. The ICT Park (also called IcoT Park) which is under the PEZA, was launched last week. She mentioned that ICT jobs have contributed to the 2.5% reduction in unemployment rate of the Leyte Vice-Gov. Mimietta Bagulaya delivers her message. country. She added that Leyte is ready for the Medical Transcription (MT) industry. Fast linguistic adaptation and computer literary make new graduates employable. The fact that schools are now making moves to prepare students for IT-related jobs is a plus. The key to success is to use available resources.
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Overview of MT and MT as a Business Proposition Ms. Myla Rose Reyes, Managing Director of TSSI stated that TSSI is an enabler toward making Region VIII an MT Hub. It provides MT services, training to trainers, on-line training solution and business enterprise solution. It also sub-contracts to small-scale MT service Ms. Myla Rose Reyes talks about the MT Business providers. Region VIII can take advantage of these services. She mentioned MT as a growing industry due to regulatory and legal requirements in the US with regard to patient medical records. MT jobs are being outsourced to countries such as China, India and the Philippines because it lowers cost. In the past, there was a US impression that outsourced service is poor quality. Today, offshore MT services has increasing competitiveness. In the Philippines, there is shortage of MTs. She stressed that MT as a business is not an easy one. But failure can be avoided if the entrepreneur starts it right. MT business creates jobs. She also corrected the notion that MT is for those with background in the medical field. But based on experience, those with language background excel because MT is a language skill. Technology Business Incubation (TBI) for ICT Dir. Edgardo Esperancilla of DOST 8 stated that TBI is a facility where a start-up ICT business is located and nurtured so that it can stand on its own. Mentoring/advising, access to DOST-funded training, reasonably priced place rental and high-speed data access are among the
DOST Dir. Edgardo Esperancilla explains the concept of TBI.
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benefits enjoyed by the beneficiary. A Business Plan must be submitted by the proponent of the business. A number of criteria must also be satisfied before a business can qualify to be in the incubator. PGMA Training for Work Scholarship Program TESDA Technical Director Ester Pulma explained that this is a new program of TESDA which funds the training of the “nearhires” of companies in the ICT, aviation, agriculture and other sectors For the ICT industry, free training maybe availed by job seekers who fall short of the hiring standards. Those that TESDA Technical Director Ester Pulma may apply include applicants for discusses TESDA’s new Training for work call center agents, animators, Scholarship Program MTs and software developers. An applicant must have a certification from an accredited company or institution. Accreditation of companies/institutions is on-going. More info can be obtained from http://www.tesda.gov.ph. ETTSI Product Demo Mr. Foilan Morales of TSSI presented a simulation of the product called “eTSSI”, an online training facility for MT skills development. The product was developed by TSSI intended for both newbbies and actual MT practitioners alike. The user creates an account with eTTSI and can use the facility as long as his account is loaded just like a pre-paid card which gives a certain user points to consume. The account is reloadable. Teachers from the SUCs who will be trained in Manila will be taught how to train people from Region VIII using this online facility. Closing Message Mr. Orlando Uy, President of the Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), expressed his observation that money circulating in the region are only coming from the region itself. He also said that Region VIII does not have a significant number of manufacturing 4
firms so the options available are agriculture and information technology. Finally he stressed that in our present quest to go into ICT, we are not exporting workers, rather, we are “importing work”.
LCCI President Orlando Uy delivers his closing message.
IV. Issues/Concerns Below are the answers to questions/issues raised: 1) Capital Expenditure Requirement Cost depends on the market. A 10 to 20 seater MT business will require about P2.5 million. This already includes equipment. More seats will require more expenditure.
Dr. Manuel Santamaria, businessman and doctor, airs his concerns about the MT business.
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2) Who provides MT production management? TTSI will help the entrepreneur in creating and training the MT team, but not in managing the MT business itself. From the MT team, editors and team leaders can be chosen. The team leader can at the same time be the project manager. But Ms. Reyes advised that as much as possible, the business owner must learn the tricks of the trade. He must be a hands-on entrepreneur if he wants to succeed. 3) Chance of success here compared to those in Manila? The key is to be “educated”. It is true that there are many struggling MT companies in Manila now because they did not start right. Those who thought MT is an easy business are the ailing one’s. MT business is more than money and technology. Manpower, access to market, quality performance, time and effort are equally important. Quality means survival. Entrepreneur must not be dependent on TSSI – it must go to the market directly. TTSI provides three (3) days intensive session for would-be MT entrepreneurs. Knowing the risks and the resources needed, the entrepreneur can then decide whether or not to proceed. V. Learning/Insights All the needed ingredients are there to make Region VIII the next MT hub such as: • • • • • Interest displayed by the business sector with regard to MT business Schools and LGUs support National government support in terms of TESDA scholarship for work program and DOST Technology Incubator Project Linguistic adaptation and computer literacy of new graduates Region VIII tie-ups with MT experts from Manila
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