Internet cafés to offer pre-paid MT tutor tool

Anyone who wants to take advantage of the growing demand for medical transcriptionists (MT) could easily start learning the skill via a pre-paid MT training tool to be offered soon by some Internet Cafés in Cebu.

The Internet Café Association of Cebu (iCAC) is set to ink an agreement with Total Transcription Solutions Inc., (TTSI) for the distribution of MT Tutor Online (MTTO) prepaid card products.

According to iCAC president Felix C. Cogal Jr. the venture could not only provide opportunity to anyone interested to be a Medical Transcriptionist (MT), but it will also aid the Internet Café''s revenue generation.

He said this online training software for MTs was developed in order to increase the supply of skilled MT''s to seize the growing demand for this skill, especially from the United States.

The prepaid training software to become an MT would only cost a customer a minimum of P100, he said.

The agreement which will be signed by iCAC, and TTSI in the next few weeks, will allow iCAC member Cafés to offer this unique prepaid card product.

Internet Cafés right now are not only regarded as easiest and most accessible tool to introduce technology to the mainstream market, but it is also eyed as a possible facility for smaller call center operations, during off-hours.

Earlier, Biometrix Philippines Corporation expressed its interest to partner with some Internet Café''s in Cebu, turning the facilities to call center at night.

But, this upcoming iCAC agreement with TTSI, could also introduce another dimension to tapping Internet Café s as a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) partner, providing training for possible MT professionals.

In Cebu alone, there are already over 600 Internet Cafés that can be utilized for outsourcing businesses. Most of these Cafés survived because of online-gaming business, rather than getting earnings from other Internet-based services, such as surfing, chat, among others.

Out of US$20 billion to US$25 billion market for MT in the United States, Philippines has only utilized about .9 percent of the total potential, although MT is considered as one of the top 4 Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) priorities of the government.

Medical Transcription (MT) outsourcing service is the process of converting voice dictation (typically either cassette or digital forms) into a permanent written record utilizing word processing equipment and software.

In Cebu, there are only few training centers for MTs, one of the largest is the Cebuano-owned International School for Medical Transcription (ISMT), which also operates a Medical Transcription company called Northern Transcription Works. - Ehda M. Dagooc