Nuance deploys on demand computer-aided medical transcription platform eScription at four NHS trusts
Four major NHS Trusts first to use UK version of successful cloud-based,  background speech recognition transcription solution

Birmingham, UK – 27 April 2010- Nuance Communications, Inc., a leading supplier of speech solutions, today announced the start of four projects for its trust-wide, computer aided medical transcription solution (CAMT), eScription. Delivered as a “pay as you go”, on-demand Software as a Service (SaaS), eScription from Nuance offers NHS Trusts, and other hospital organisations, an N3-secure opportunity to improve patient safety and patient care by streamlining and automating the clinical documentation workflow. The eScription platform will help NHS Trusts to significantly increase medical secretaries’ productivity and improve document turnaround time whilst lowering transcription costs – all achieved, crucially, with no impact on a clinician’s working practice.

Based on the simple premise that ‘it’s faster to edit than type’, eScription’s proprietary and intelligent background speech recognition software converts clinicians’ digital dictations into formatted draft documents that medical secretaries can quickly review and edit; often doubling productivity over conventional digital dictation systems. Nuance eScription technology is hosted in the UK at the LDL Data Centre (part of the BT Group), enabling a closed loop NHS N3-secure processing environment. Designed with the enterprise in mind, eScription supports dictation into multiple digital devices while also leveraging a Trust’s existing telephony network.

“The eScription platform has been phenomenally successful in the US, achieving the highest levels of customer satisfaction and saving hospital organisations the equivalent of hundreds of  thousands of pounds and more through increased productivity”, said Simon Manley, UK sales director for Nuance Healthcare Solutions, “Unlike other transcription platforms and digital dictation solutions eScription includes intelligent speech recognition software which turns clinician dictations into formatted draft documents that medical transcriptionists quickly review and edit, often doubling productivity.  In the USA, more than 30 healthcare organisations, part of the “million dollar club” (organisations savings over 1 million dollars as a result of implementing the eScription platform) have documented their savings and have together yielded more than $93 million in transcription cost savings (approximately £65 million).” he adds. “These early deployments with NHS Trusts will confirm eScription’s superior mix of carrier grade digital dictation/speech recognition technology, sophisticated workflow and analysis tools, seamless integration into electronic clinical systems, automated distribution facilities and sheer simplicity of use, can similarly benefit healthcare providers in the UK. Moreover, at a time when the NHS  faces a Government demand to make efficiency savings of up to £20 billion by 2013-14, with significant sums to come from improving productivity and procurement, eScription may make a timely  IT-based contribution in helping meet this directive. This is particularly relevant in the context of  challenging Government targets to turnaround clinical letters, such as discharge summaries within 24hrs”.

The four eScription projects are scheduled to start ‘go live’ in the spring of 2010.

Dr Zafar Chaudry, CIO of both Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust (LWH)  and Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trusts, early deployers of eScription, commented: “Having spent many years working in US hospital organisations I am keenly aware of how technologically demanding the US transcription industry is. Nuance’s eScription platform is clearly well ahead of the game, having won the prestigious 2009 Best in KLAS award ranking 1st in the speech recognition category for six years in a row. I believe similar benefits will be experienced by UK healthcare organisations choosing this transcription solution.”

Dr Chaudry added, “LWH and Alder Hey are very excited about trialling Nuance eScription. Its innovative on-demand approach and uniquely intelligent speech recognition engine could represent a paradigm shift in the transcription process for NHS Trusts.”

For more information
Nuance recommends that any NHS Trust and other healthcare organisations, who are interested in a) following the progress of the eScription deployments Sites, b) receiving more information on the eScription Early Adopter/Lighthouse Customer Program, or c) organising an onsite presentation of the eScription on-demand platform should contact Simon Howard at [email protected] .  Further information and US case studies regarding eScription can be accessed at www.nuance.com/healthcare/products/escription.asp

Nuance Healthcare will be present at the conference HC 2010, 27-29 April at the ICC Birmingham, Booth 76.

Nuance Healthcare
Nuance Healthcare provides a comprehensive family of speech-driven clinical documentation and communication solutions that enable healthcare-provider organisations to reduce operating costs, increase reimbursement, and enhance patient care and safety. The company’s solutions are used by more than 3,000 hospitals and 300,000 physicians worldwide. For all of its technologies and solutions Nuance provides a comprehensive range of professional services aimed at establishing speech recognition as the standard method of information capturing in healthcare.

For more information about Nuance Healthcare please visit www.nuancehealthcare.eu.

Nuance Communications, Inc.
Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com.

© Copyright 2010 Nuance Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Nuance, the Nuance logo, SpeechMagicTM, powered by SpeechMagicTM, SpeechMagicTM Solution Builder, Dragon® Medical, eScriptionTM  and The experience speaks for itselfTM are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Richter, Vanessa (Nuance EMEA)
Nuance Communications, Inc.
Tel: +32 9 239 8031
[email protected]

Durand-Badel, Anne (Nuance Healthcare) 
Nuance Communications Austria
Tel +43 1 60119 1048
[email protected]

Scheuer, Armin (Agency)
so2say communications
Tel: +49 30 2191 3610
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