by Lorie Ann A. Cascaro
How can the US Health Care Reform Law mean business, as well as job opportunities, for Dabawenyos?
The US President Barack Obama-backed law lowers the cost of health care for American families and small businesses, as well as expands its coverage to millions of citizens. The need to update insurance data systems, including other services to ensure the efficiency of such law, will mean a greater need for human resources. And it is in this area where the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry comes in.
The US healthcare law will open job opportunities to Filipino medical practitioners, according to Lizabel Holganza, chair of the committee on information communication technology (ICT) of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Incorporated (DCCCII). Holganza said nurses who are not able to go abroad can work as chat nurses in contact centers catering to American clients.
The Transcription Alliance of Davao, Inc. (TADI) realized the need to develop Davao’s human resource in the more complex areas of health information management such as medical coding and billing, and health insurance processing. Those who had gone through medical transcription trainings have the advantage in acquiring competency in medical coding and billing.
The transcription sector in Davao City has contributed about PhP13.5 million to local revenues. Hence, there is no reason not to raise the value of service for Davao players. The transcription service sector grew rapidly to a total of eight (8) service provider companies in 2009 with more than 150 seat capacity. Transcription training providers like MTC Academy offer general, legal and medical transcriptions to serve North American clients.
TADI shall work with the Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines Inc. (MTIAPI) and Technical Education and Skills Development Agency (Tesda) to develop competency and assessment standards to improve the quality of the health information human resource. Trainings for Davao transcriptionists were held in the city from April 5 to 10, which were ran by two scholars of the medical coding and billing program conducted by MTIAPI.
Holganza, together with four other delegates to India Soft 2010, a five-day conference of software developers, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)with two Indian cities for future joint ventures in the BPO industry.
Davao’s service sector, particularly contact center agents, medical transcriptionists and training providers, apparently is now at par with the growing BPO industry in the rest of the country. So, why should Dabawenyos not share its blessings with Americans?
