Spelling

Although you may be reading from a chart in front of you, the person who is listening to you dictate is entirely dependent upon the sound that reaches his ears. With more and more people transcribing from remote locations, you should never assume that the person who transcribes your dictation has the same hard copy available that sits before you.

Asking a transcriptionist to type a letter to someone whose address you don't know, or saying "You can get that information off the chart," simply will not do. The transcriptionist does not have access to such information and is only working in the moment of listening to your dictation.

• If there is any data that must be transmitted in order for someone to complete a report, it is your responsibility to provide the transcriptionist with that information.

• If there is even the slightest possibility of a transcriptionist misspelling the name of a patient, doctor, hospital, clinic, agency, or medication, it is the responsibility of the dictating physician to provide the transcriptionist with the correct spelling.

• If there is any possibility or doubt, be sure to inform the medical transcriptionist which word is the patient's first name and which word is the patient's last name.

• Do not guess. If you do not know the exact name of
  a medication, do not invent a medication that does not exist.

When spelling a word or indicating a patient's middle initial, certain letters sound remarkably alike. In order to make sure that the correct letter appears in print, please dictate the following:

Letter	Dictate as Follows
B	Bee-as-in-boy
D	Dee-as-in-dog
M	Em-as-in-Mary
N	En-as-in-Nancy
P	Pee-as-in-Peter
T	Tee-as-in-Thomas

Next: When Physicians Spell

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