Outsourcing the jobs of Medical Transcriptionists, the professionals who transcribe the hospital record, will put the the quality of patient care at risk. Outsourcing will force the Medical Transcriptionists into working for multinational for-profit corporations and their compensation will be below standard living wages to enhance the fees and profits of executives and shareholders. Ontario taxpayers will be at risk for financial loss because limited healthcare dollars will be wasted on unnecessary fees and profits reducing the funding available for health care. Ontario taxpayers will be at risk for potential lawsuits, an example is the recent $140 million settlement award in the U.S. for wrongful death due to errors caused by outsourced medical transcription services.

For further details about this issue, please read the Open Letter to the Board of Governors: http://ianscityscope.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/an-open-letter-to-the-st-thomas-elgin-general-hospital-board-of-governors-regarding-the-outsourcing-of-medical-transcription/

See also the article by Ian McCallum in the St. Thomas Times-Journal: http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/2013/04/16/st-thomas-elgin-general-hospital-out-sourcing-plan-target-of-stratford-health-care-advocate.