TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.1
Portions of this exhibit were omitted and filed separately with the Secretary of the Commission
pursuant to an application for confidential treatment filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
24b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such portions are marked by a series of
asterisks.
THIS TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) dated April 3, 2009 is entered into
by and between MEDQUIST TRANSCRIPTIONS, LTD. (the “Company”) and CBAY SYSTEMS & SERVICES, INC. (the
“Supplier”). This Agreement shall be effective upon the date of mutual execution by the parties
below (the “Effective Date”).
BACKGROUND
WHEREAS, Supplier provides medical transcription and editing services, and Company wishes to
obtain medical transcription and editing services from Supplier on the terms set forth herein in
order to meet obligations to the Company’s customers pursuant to agreements between the Company and
such customers.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises and the mutual covenants herein
contained and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1. Definitions. In this Agreement, and in the Exhibits to this Agreement,
the following terms, whether used in the singular or plural, shall have the respective meanings set
forth below:
“Account Effective Date” shall mean the date on which any Client Facility
begins to receive Services from Supplier hereunder.
“Administrative Safeguards” are administrative actions, policies and procedures
to manage the selection, development, implementation and maintenance of security measures to
protect EPHI and to manage the conduct of Supplier’s workforce in relation to the production
of that information as defined in 45 CFR §164.304.
“Affiliate” means any individual or entity directly or indirectly controlling,
controlled by or under common control with, a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this
Agreement, the direct or indirect ownership of over fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding
voting securities of an entity, or the right to receive over fifty percent (50%) of the
profits or earnings of an entity, shall be deemed to constitute control.
“Business Day Equivalent” means average daily volume for a given week, with a
week defined as six (6) business days (each weekday equals one business day, each weekend
day equals one-half of a business day, and each US holiday equals one-half business day).
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“Customer Contractual Service Level Agreement” means the Turn Around Time,
Quality Assurance levels, customer profile requirements, service level definitions, and any
other service commitments Company provides to Company customers.
“Client Facility” means a Company customer on the DEP which represents an
organization that originates dictation and work types.
“Commencement Date” means the date that is the earlier of the first
(1st) of the month or the sixteenth (16th) of the month following the
Effective Date.
“Confidential Information” means all non-public information of a confidential
or proprietary nature (whether or not specifically labeled or identified as “confidential”),
in any form or medium, that relates to the business, products, financial condition, services
or research or development of either of the parties to this Agreement and each of its
Affiliates, suppliers, distributors, customers, independent contractors or other business
relations, including all trade secrets, know-how, compilations of data and analyses,
techniques, systems, formulae, recipes, research, records, reports, manuals, documentation,
models, data and data bases relating thereto; inventions, innovations, improvements,
developments, methods, designs, analyses, drawings, reports and all similar or related
information. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information does not include any
information that: (i) is or becomes generally available to the public other than as a result
of an unauthorized disclosure by one of the parties hereto; or (ii) was within the receiving
party’s possession or becomes available to the receiving party, in either case, on a
non-confidential basis from a source other than the furnishing party, provided that such
source is not bound by a confidentiality agreement with the furnishing party or otherwise
prohibited from transmitting the information to the receiving party. Confidential
Information of the Company shall include, without limitation, the Company Content (as
defined in Section 6.1 herein).
“Effective Date” shall be the date first set forth above.
“EPHI” means “Electronic Protected Health Information” as that term is defined
by 45 CFR §164.513.
“Force Majeure Event” means any cause beyond the reasonable control of the
non-performing party to this Agreement including, without limitation, acts of God or public
enemy, fires, floods, storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, riots, strikes, blackouts, telephone
outage, acts of terrorism, war or war operations, restraints of government, delays by
suppliers and/or manufacturers, governmental acts, staff unavailability due to illness or
airline flight delay or other causes which cannot with reasonable diligence be controlled or
prevented by the non-performing party.
“HIPAA” means the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
“Laws” means all applicable federal, municipal, state, local or foreign
statutes or laws, and shall be deemed also to refer to all rules and regulations promulgated
thereunder, by any applicable regulatory authority or otherwise, unless context requires
otherwise. Any reference to a particular law or regulation will be interpreted to include
any revision of or successor to such statute, law, rule or regulation regardless of how it
is numbered or classified.
“Line” shall mean *****.
“PHI” means Protected Health Information as defined in 45 CFR §164.501.
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“Technical Safeguards” means the technology and the policy and procedures for
its use that protect EPHI and control access to it as defined in 45 CFR §164.304.
ARTICLE II
SERVICES
SERVICES
Section 2.1 Services. Supplier shall provide medical transcription and editing
services to the Company as set forth in this Agreement (the “Services”) beginning on the
Commencement Date as defined herein. For the purpose of providing the Services, voice and/or data
files will be securely imported into the Company’s DocQment Enterprise Platform (DEP) for
processing by Supplier. The Company shall provide Supplier with access to the DEP at no additional
cost. All Services performed for Company under this Agreement shall be performed solely within the
DEP and no voice files, data files or reports shall be moved outside of the DEP environment or
maintained, saved, extracted or otherwise retained by Supplier or any individuals or entities who
assist Supplier in fulfilling its obligations under this Agreement in the absence of obtaining the
prior written authorization of Company. Supplier shall take all reasonable precautions to ensure
that all individuals or entities that assist Supplier in fulfilling its obligations under this
Agreement are aware of the aforementioned requirement. Company will make a test site available
within the DEP as necessary for Supplier to provide secure training to Supplier-employed or
Supplier-engaged medical transcriptionists and editors. Supplier shall provide Services and
customer service support twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Supplier shall
comply with the Customer Contractual Service Level Agreements, which will be specific to each
Client Facility implementation, and the Service Level Definitions identified in Exhibit 6
to this Agreement. Supplier shall provide Services for all work types and respective Customer
Contractual Service Level Agreements, as assigned by Company.
Section 2.2 Order Form. Within fifteen (15) days of the Effective Date of this
Agreement, and not less than once per quarter thereafter, Company shall propose to Supplier the
projected volume in hours of dictation per Business Day Equivalent by issuing an Order Form to
Supplier in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 5. Such order will include the current
volume run rate plus any additional volume. The parties must negotiate in good faith and use
commercially reasonable efforts to mutually execute the Order Form within fifteen (15) days of its
issuance by Company. Company must offer Supplier not less than eighty
percent (80%) of all volume
projections mutually agreed upon in an executed Order Form. Company’s volume commitment to
Supplier may be delayed, suspended, or reduced by Company at Company’s sole discretion should
Supplier be in breach of this Agreement or should Supplier’s performance of Services fail to meet
the standards defined herein.
Section 2.3 Turnaround Time Requirements. Supplier shall deliver transcribed or
edited medical reports within the turnaround time stipulated by Company at the time of Supplier’s
receipt of the relevant voice or data file seven (7) days per week, three hundred sixty-five (365)
days per year (the “TAT Requirement”). The TAT Requirement will be calculated at the Client
Facility level. *****.
Section 2.4 Quality Assurance.
a) Services shall be performed by Supplier in accordance with Company’s quality
assurance guidelines (“QA Program”) attached hereto as Exhibit 2 and Exhibit
3 (as updated by the Company in its sole discretion from time to time).
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b) Supplier may route up to ***** percent ***** of transcribed and edited reports for a
Client Facility in any billing period after the Implementation Period as defined in Section
2.5(b) below without penalty (“QA Threshold”). *****.
c) After the Implementation Period, Supplier shall audit and provide to the Company
(and the Company reserves the right in its sole discretion to independently review the
audit) a report within ten (10) days of the close of each billing period detailing
Supplier’s compliance with Company’s QA Program. *****.
d) The Company reserves the right to perform focused QA audits which will include *****
transcribed or edited reports *****. In the event Supplier’s accuracy rate in the sample
from the focused QA audit is determined to be less than ***** percent ***** according to the
QA Program, the Company reserves the right to take corrective action. Additionally,
Supplier shall promptly correct any errors or omissions identified by the Company in the
sample at no cost.
e) Company may, in its sole discretion, route specific dictators, work types, or entire
Client Facilities to Company’s QA resources should the Company identify and validate QA
issues deemed to pose a risk to customer satisfaction or patient care. Such volume will be
subject to the QA Credit. Such routing may be discontinued once issue resolution by
Supplier has been confirmed by Company and/or Company’s Customer in writing. Supplier
reserves the right to appeal any QA Credits assessed as a result of routing directed by
Company under its sole discretion under this paragraph 2.4(e). The remedies identified in
this Section 2.4(e) are in addition to the remedies described in Section 2.2 and Section 7.3
herein.
f) The parties acknowledge that certain Client Facilities mandate in the DEP Client
Profile that specific work, worktypes, or reports be routed to Company or Client QA
resources. If applicable, such work, worktypes or reports routed to QA resources shall not
be factored in calculating the QA Threshold or Supplier’s accuracy rating in calculating QA
Invoice Reductions.
Section 2.5 New Account Implementation Process.
a) Account Orientation Period. The first fifteen (15) days after the first day
Supplier begins to transcribe or edit limited volume of live dictated reports of a new
Client Facility shall be deemed the “Account Orientation Period.” During the Account
Orientation Period, Supplier may accept as much or as little volume as it is able to
reasonably handle without penalty. Company shall route one-hundred percent (100%) of the
transcribed or edited reports to the Company’s QA resources for full review and feedback
utilizing DEP QASAR (Company’s QA Scoring and Reporting tool).
b) Implementation Period. The Implementation Period is defined as a forty-five
(45) day period beginning the first day that Supplier transcribes or edits a live dictated
report following the Account Orientation Period.
i) Turnaround Time Performance within Implementation Period. Within fifteen
(15) days of onset of the Implementation Period, Supplier shall deliver transcribed
or edited reports with an absolute compliance level no less than Company’s
historical compliance level, based on Company’s absolute TAT compliance for the
month prior to the Account Orientation Period for the respective Client Facility.
Failure to meet such
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compliance level, from day sixteen (16) through day forty-five (45) of the
Implementation Period, at the Client Facility Level, shall result in
a. a ***** percent ***** reduction in the applicable billing for each
***** percent ***** absolute TAT compliance is below Company’s historical
compliance level but no more then ***** percentage points below the
Company’s historical compliance level;
b. a ***** percent ***** reduction in applicable billing for each *****
percent ***** absolute TAT compliance is more than ***** percentage points
below the Company’s historical compliance level but not more than *****
percentage points below the Company’s historical compliance level; and
c. a ***** percent ***** reduction in applicable billing for each *****
percent ***** absolute TAT compliance is more than ***** percentage points
below the Company’s historical compliance level.
ii) Quality Assurance within Implementation Period. During the first seven (7)
days of the Implementation Period, Company shall route one-hundred percent (100%) of
the transcribed or edited reports to the Company’s QA resources for full review and
feedback utilizing DEP QASAR (Company’s QA Scoring and Reporting tool). Supplier
shall provide report quality (text and demographics) equal to or greater than *****
on all transcribed and edited reports intended to be routed directly to Customer
beginning day one (1) of the Implementation Period. Beginning on day eight (8) of
the Implementation Period and continuing for the remainder of the Implementation
Period, Supplier may submit transcribed and edited reports to Company’s QA resources
for assistance in completion as needed without subjection to QA Credits defined in
Section 2.4(b) above.
ARTICLE III
FEES
FEES
Section 3.1 The price(s) to be paid by the Company for Services provided by the Supplier
hereunder shall be as follows:
Type of | ||||
Service | Service Descriptions | Price | ||
A
|
Transcription performed by Supplier’s transcriptionists for Company Customers located in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | ***** | ||
B
|
Transcription performed using the Company’s Automated Speech Recognition application (with editing performed by Supplier) for Company Customers located in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | ***** |
The parties agree that the pricing will be reviewed on each anniversary of the Agreement and, upon
such review, the parties agree to enter into good faith negotiations to revise the pricing, if
warranted due to significant changes in market conditions.
a) Competitive Pricing. The prices, terms, and conditions under this Agreement
must be equal to or better than those offered to any other customer of Supplier. To the
extent that
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Supplier is not in compliance with this Section 3.1(a), Supplier must refund to Company
the difference between the then-current pricing under this Agreement and the lower,
competitive price in violation of this Section 3.1(a). Within thirty (30) days of the
Company’s determination that Supplier is not in compliance, Supplier agrees that it will (i)
provide the Company with the more favorable prices, terms, and conditions and (ii) amend
this Agreement to reflect the change in pricing. The provisions of this clause are limited
to instances of other contracts providing for reasonably similar volumes and revenues and
characters taken in the aggregate and not taken on a prospective basis only.
Section 3.2 Company’s Automated Speech Recognition (“ASR”) application is the DEP’s workflow
technology that routes qualifying dictation through the Company’s voice recognition engine and
delivers the original audio file, along with the ASR recognized text file, to Supplier’s
transcriptionist/editor. Type B Services (as applicable above) will be utilized for qualifying
reports where: (a) the individual practitioners performing the dictation and work type are
eligible for and enabled on the ASR application; and (b) the recognized text has been presented to
the Supplier for editing.
Section 3.3 Supplier assumes responsibility for all excise, sales, use and similar taxes,
export or import duties and shipment, and delivery or installation fees. When applicable, and upon
mutual consent between both parties, the Supplier may invoice such items as separate line items to
the Company. An invoice will be generated by Supplier and payment is due within thirty (30)
calendar days after the Company’s receipt of the invoice and any other contractual reporting
obligations of Supplier due during the applicable billing period.
Section 3.4 In the event that any invoiced amount is disputed by the Company or any TAT
Invoice Reductions, QA Invoice Reductions, or QA Credits are applicable, the Company shall deliver
written notice of such disputed amount to Supplier within thirty (30) calendar days after the date
the invoice is due. Upon receipt of written notice of a billing dispute or any invoice reductions
or credits, Supplier and Company shall promptly exchange any backup or other information reasonably
necessary to support the correctness of any disputed amount. The parties shall thereafter have
thirty (30) calendar days (“Invoice Review Period”) in which to examine such information, and to
the extent such information substantiates payment, reductions or credits in the applicable invoice,
such will be applied promptly. Thereafter, if Supplier and the Company are unable to reach an
agreement as to any remaining disputed amount, Supplier and the Company shall immediately enter
into good faith negotiations to resolve any remaining dispute. In the event the parties are unable
to resolve such dispute within fifteen (15) calendar days after the end of the Invoice Review
Period, the dispute shall be settled pursuant to the provisions of Section 11.3(b) of this
Agreement.
Section 3.5 Operational Excellence. In the event Supplier meets all service level
metrics including TAT Requirements, QA Threshold, and at least ***** percent ***** accuracy under
the QA Program for all volume of reports transcribed and edited during a billing period, Supplier
shall be entitled to an additional ***** for the applicable billing period (“Operational Excellence
Fee”). Supplier shall not be entitled to an Operation Excellence Fee if Supplier is in breach of
this Agreement.
Section 3.6 Company shall provide initial technical and DEP training to Supplier at no cost at
a venue within the United States or via online training to be determined by the Company; provided,
however, that Supplier shall be responsible for all travel, lodging and related expenses incidental
to such training. Any subsequent training shall be provided by the Company at rates specified by
the Company. Supplier shall provide the Company with any necessary training and technical support
relative to Supplier’s business or operations to the extent such is agreed to by and between the
parties, provided,
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however, that the Company shall be responsible for all travel, lodging and related expenses
incidental to such training.
ARTICLE IV
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS
Section 4.1 Supplier represents and warrants that it is fully authorized to enter into this
Agreement and that its entry into this Agreement does not violate any contractual obligation it
owes to a third party. Supplier further represents and warrants that all Services will be
performed in a professional and workmanlike manner consistent with the highest industry standards.
Section 4.2 Supplier shall provide any operational, technical, production and quality
assurance support to reasonably meet the sales and operations requirements of the Company.
However, should any such request on the part of Company require travel by individuals or entities
who assist Supplier in fulfilling its obligations under this Agreement from their home station,
Company shall be responsible for all such travel, lodging and related expenses of these individuals
or entities to the extent such expenses are submitted and approved by Company prior to the expense
being incurred by Supplier.
Section 4.3 The Company and Supplier agree that they shall designate operational, sales, and
administrative personnel as points of contact, and each Party shall maintain appropriate levels of
communication as required to fulfill their obligations under this Agreement.
Section 4.4 Supplier represents and warrants that no individuals or entities shall assist
Supplier in fulfilling Supplier’s obligations and duties under this Agreement unless those
individuals or entities: (a) are employees of Supplier, Supplier Affiliates and other entities
identified in Exhibit 4 attached hereto (“Covered Entities”), or employees of Covered
Entities; (b) if located outside of the United States, perform all services in connection with this
Agreement in a secure site and shall not at any time perform Services remotely or outside of the
Supplier’s premises or the Covered Entities’ premises designated for performance of Services; (c)
will in all cases have executed and as such present to the Company upon Company’s reasonable
request such business agreements, HIPAA confidentiality agreements, employee verifications and
other similar documentation as may be required by the Company; and (d) perform all services
pursuant to this Agreement in full compliance with the terms of Company’s “International Labor
Vendor Standards and Safeguards for HIPAA Compliance” (as more fully defined and expressly limited
in Section 5.6 herein) and any written modifications of such presented to Supplier during the Term
of this Agreement. Supplier further represents and warrants that it shall not subcontract or
assign any Services, duties or obligations under this Agreement in the absence of the prior written
authorization from Company.
Section 4.5 Supplier acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be permitted to use, hire
or contract with any number of third party providers in addition to Supplier to perform
transcription and editing services for Company similar to the Services contemplated by this
Agreement. Supplier and any individuals or entities who assist Supplier in fulfilling its
obligations under this Agreement shall not, for the Term of this Agreement (including any
extensions of the Agreement) and for a period of one (1) year after this Agreement is terminated or
expires, in the absence of obtaining the prior written consent from Company: (a) provide Services
directly or indirectly through any of its Affiliates or Covered Entities to any Client Facility or
(b) hire personnel, employees, independent contractors, or agents of any other third party
providers which Company is under contract with for the provision of transcription and editing
services. Nothing in Section 4.5(b) shall limit Supplier’s right to hire personnel, employees,
independent contractors, or agents of any other third party providers which Company is under
contract
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with for the provision of transcription and editing services who responds to a general
solicitation for employment not targeted to such person or entity.
ARTICLE V
HIPAA COMPLIANCE
HIPAA COMPLIANCE
Section 5.1 Supplier will:
a) Not use or further disclose any PHI other than as permitted or required by this
Agreement or as required by law;
b) Report to the Company’s Corporate Director of Information Privacy and Security any
use or disclosure of the PHI not provided for by this Agreement within forty-eight (48)
hours of becoming aware of the unauthorized use or disclosure;
c) Have procedures in place for mitigating, to the maximum extent practicable, any
deleterious effects from the use or disclosure of PHI in a manner contrary to this
Agreement;
d) Ensure that any individuals or entities who assist Supplier in fulfilling its
obligations under this Agreement agree, in writing, to substantially the same restrictions
and conditions that apply to Supplier with respect to such PHI. Supplier shall obtain
reasonable assurances from any such individuals or entities that: (i) the information being
disclosed will be held confidentially and used or further disclosed only as required by law,
(ii) the individuals or entities will use the appropriate Administrative, Physical and
Technical Safeguards to prevent the unauthorized use or disclosure of the PHI and EPHI; and
(iii) the individuals or entities will immediately notify Supplier of any instance of a
breach of any of the PHI terms set forth herein;
e) Ensure that all individuals and entities who assist Supplier in fulfilling its
obligations under the Agreement are or shall be appropriately informed of the terms of this
Agreement and are under a legal obligation, by contract or otherwise, sufficient to enable
each individual and entity to fully comply with all provisions of this Agreement. Supplier
will ensure that all individuals and entities who assist Supplier in fulfilling its
obligations under this Agreement are educated on the Company’s privacy and security policies
(as further defined in Section 5.6 herein) and that sanctions are imposed for non-compliance
with those policies and procedures. Supplier will also ensure that all individuals and
entities who assist Supplier in fulfilling its obligations under the Agreement have signed
Protected Health Information Confidentiality Agreements;
f) Make available to the Company such information as the Company may require to fulfill
the Company’s obligations to provide access to, provide a copy of, and account for
disclosures with respect to PHI pursuant to HIPAA and the HIPAA Regulations, including, but
not limited to, 45 CFR §164.524 and §164.528;
g) Make the Company’s PHI available as the Company may require to fulfill the Company’s
obligations to amend PHI pursuant to HIPAA and the HIPAA Regulations, including but not
limited to 45 CFR §164.526. Supplier shall, as directed by the Company, incorporate any
amendments to the Company’s PHI into copies of such PHI maintained by Supplier;
h) Make available the information required to provide an accounting of disclosures in
accordance with 45 CFR §164.528;
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i) Make its internal practices, books, and records relating to the use and disclosure
of PHI received from, or created or received by Supplier on behalf of, the Company available
to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for purposes of
determining the Company’s or a Company customer’s compliance with HIPAA;
j) Upon termination or expiration of the Agreement, or any time during the Term of this
Agreement, with respect to PHI that Supplier maintains in any form, recorded on any medium
or stored in any storage system, including PHI retained or stored by individuals and
entities who assist Supplier in fulfilling its obligations under the Agreement, at the
Company’s direction and if feasible, return to the Company or destroy all such PHI. A
senior officer of Supplier shall certify in writing to the Company, within thirty (30) days
after termination or other expiration of the Agreement, that all PHI has been returned or
disposed of as provided above and that Supplier no longer retains any such Protected Health
Information in any form;
k) If return or destruction of PHI is infeasible, notify the Company in writing within
thirty (30) days after termination or other expiration of the Agreement. Such notification
shall include: (i) a statement that Supplier has determined that it is infeasible to return
or destroy the PHI in its possession; and (ii) the specific reasons for such determination.
In addition to providing such notification, Supplier shall certify within such thirty (30)
day period that it will, and will require individuals and entities who assist Supplier in
fulfilling its obligations under the Agreement to, extend any and all protections,
limitations and restrictions contained in this Agreement to any PHI retained after
termination of the Agreement and to limit any further uses and/or disclosures to those
purposes that make the return or destruction of the PHI infeasible;
l) Implement Administrative, Physical and Technical Safeguards that reasonably and
appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of EPHI that Supplier
creates, receives, maintains or transmits on behalf of the Company;
m) Report to the Company’s Director of Information Privacy and Security within forty
eight (48) hours, any “security incident” of which it becomes aware, as such term is defined
in the HIPAA Security Rule;
n) Ensure that any individuals and entities who assist Supplier in fulfilling its
obligations under the Agreement to whom Supplier provides EPHI agree in writing, to
implement reasonable and appropriate safeguards to protect EPHI as required herein; and
o) Upon request, provide to the Company a list of names of any individuals or entities
used to outsource Company’s transcription and evidence of written assurances from those
individuals or entities (as required in 5.1 (d)) that they will agree to substantially the
same restrictions and conditions that apply to Supplier with respect to such PHI.
Section 5.2 Supplier, in its capacity as Business Associate (as that term is defined in the
HIPAA Regulations) to the Company, shall be permitted to use and disclose PHI in a manner that
would not violate the requirements of the HIPAA Regulations as follows: (a) for the proper
management and administration of Supplier; (b) to carry out the legal responsibilities of Supplier
and to fulfill Supplier’s duties and responsibilities under this Agreement including in part
disclosure to individuals and entities who assist Supplier in fulfilling its obligations under the
Agreement; and (c) to provide data aggregation services relating to the health care operations of
the Company.
Section 5.3 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Company may
immediately terminate this Agreement, or any specified contracts between the Company and Supplier,
if
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Supplier has breached a material term of this Article V. The Company may exercise said right
to terminate the Agreement by providing Supplier with written notice of its intent to terminate,
specifying the material breach of the Agreement that provides the basis for termination. Such
termination shall be effective immediately or at such date as specified in the notice.
Section 5.4 Supplier acknowledges that the Company is not conveying any right or title in the
PHI to Supplier.
Section 5.5 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, Supplier shall
indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company and any of the Company’s directors, officers,
employees and agents from and against any claim, liability, or expense (including reasonable
attorneys’ fees), arising out of or relating to any non-permitted use or disclosure of PHI or EPHI
or other breach of this Article V by Supplier or any individuals and entities who assist Supplier
in fulfilling Supplier’s obligations under the Agreement.
Section 5.6 Following the execution of this Agreement, Supplier shall at all times comply in
all material respects with the terms of Company’s International Labor Vendor Standard and
Safeguards for HIPAA Compliance and any written modifications of such presented to Supplier during
the Term of this Agreement (the “Company HIPAA Compliance Standards”). Company shall give the
Supplier five (5) business days to consider and accept any modifications to the Company HIPAA
Compliance Standards, and if Supplier does not object to such modifications within the
aforementioned time period, then such modifications shall be considered accepted by Supplier and
incorporated by reference. To the extent that Supplier objects to any modification of the Company
HIPAA Compliance Standards, the parties will discuss in good faith the negotiation of mutually
acceptable terms. However, should the parties not be able to reach agreement of the modifications
within ten (10) days, Company shall have the right to terminate this Agreement effective
immediately upon written notice. The Company HIPAA Compliance Standards shall be hereby
incorporated by reference into this Agreement and a most current version has been supplied by the
Company along with the fully executed Agreement. Company shall be permitted at any time, at
Company’s sole cost and expense, reasonable access to and the ability to examine all information,
in any form, which is necessary or appropriate (as determined by Company in its sole discretion) to
review Supplier’s compliance with the Company HIPAA Compliance Standards (an “Audit”). In the
event that the Company in its sole discretion determines as a result of an Audit that Supplier is
not in material compliance with the Company HIPAA Compliance Standards (a “Negative Finding”), and
notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (a) Supplier shall promptly pay to the Company, as
liquidated damages and not as a penalty, (i) all costs and expenses associated with the Audit, and
(ii) all costs and expenses incurred by the Supplier in connection with any liability, loss, damage
(including, without limitation, special, exemplary, punitive, consequential or incidental damages),
claim or cause of action relating directly or indirectly to the Negative Finding including, without
limitation, reasonable attorney’s fees; and (b) the Agreement shall be terminated effective
immediately upon written notice from Company to Supplier and, upon such termination, Supplier shall
immediately return to the Company all Confidential Information (including, without limitation, all
PHI) in its possession or in the possession of any individuals and entities who assist Supplier in
fulfilling its obligations under the Agreement.
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ARTICLE VI
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MATTERS
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MATTERS
Section 6.1 Any and all designs, artwork, logos, graphics, video, text, data code and other
proprietary or confidential materials supplied by the Company to Supplier in connection with this
Agreement shall remain the sole and exclusive property of the Company (the “Company Content”). No
copyrights, patents, trademarks or other intellectual property rights shall be transferred from the
Company to Supplier with respect to any of the Company Content. However, the Company hereby grants
to Supplier a worldwide, non-exclusive, unlimited fully paid-up license to use, copy, modify,
enhance, create derivative works of and otherwise use the Company Content in any manner reasonably
necessary in connection with the performance of the Services hereunder (the “Company Content
License”).
Section 6.2 Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to grant to Supplier any right to or
interest in any trademark, trade name, trade dress, service xxxx, copyright, patent, trade secret
or know-how owned or asserted to be owned by the Company (“Intellectual Property”). Supplier’s use
of the Intellectual Property shall be limited to the performance of the Services as contemplated
hereby. Any other use of the Intellectual Property shall constitute an infringement thereof and/or
a violation of the Company’s rights resulting in irreparable injury to the Company and entitling
the Company to immediate injunctive relief and to any other remedies at law or equity.
Section 6.3 Any and all designs, artwork, logos, graphics, video, text, data code and other
proprietary or confidential materials supplied by the Supplier to Company in connection with this
Agreement shall remain the sole and exclusive property of the Supplier (the “Supplier Content”).
No copyrights, patents, trademarks or other intellectual property rights shall be transferred from
the Supplier to Company with respect to any of the Supplier Content. However, the Supplier hereby
grants to Company a worldwide, non-exclusive, unlimited fully paid-up license to use, copy, modify,
enhance, create derivative works of and otherwise use the Supplier Content in any manner reasonably
necessary in connection with the performance of the Transcription Services hereunder (the “Supplier
Content License”).
Section 6.4 Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to grant to Company any right to or
interest in any trademark, trade name, trade dress, service xxxx, copyright, patent, trade secret
or know-how owned or asserted to be owned by the Supplier (“Intellectual Property”). Company’s use
of the Intellectual Property shall be limited to the performance of the Transcription Services as
contemplated hereby. Any other use of the Intellectual Property shall constitute an infringement
thereof and/or a violation of the Supplier’s rights resulting in irreparable injury to the Supplier
and entitling the Supplier to immediate injunctive relief and to any other remedies at law or
equity.
Section 6.5 Application Service Provider License.
a) Through the use of software applications (the “Applications”) hosted on the
Company’s DocQment Enterprise Platform and made available by means of the Internet, Supplier
shall have the ability to access the DocQment Enterprise Platform for the purpose of
providing the Services described herein. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth
herein, the Company hereby grants to Supplier for the Term of this Agreement a
non-transferable, non-exclusive limited right of access to, and use of, the Applications
solely for the purposes of performing the Services hereunder. From time to time, the
Company may require the agreement to and acknowledgement of an end-user license, terms and
conditions and/or other agreements prior to Supplier accessing the Applications.
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b) With respect to its use of the Applications, Supplier, at its own cost and expense,
shall: (i) not permit any individual or entity, other than authorized individuals and
entities under this Agreement, to use or gain access to the Applications; (ii) provide
reasonable security devices to protect against unauthorized usage; (iii) not adapt the
Applications in any way or use it to create a derivative work (other than reports that are
transcribed or edited using the Applications); and (iv) not remove, obscure, hinder or alter
Company’s (or any other third party’s) proprietary notices, trademarks, or other proprietary
rights notices affixed to or contained in the Applications.
c) The Applications are the exclusive property of the Company and/or the Company’s
licensors, which shall retain all right, title and interest in and to the Applications,
including, without limitation, the intellectual property rights and any other rights under
United States and international copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other law.
Supplier may not use the Applications for the benefit of any third parties or allow access
to the Applications by any third party, except as otherwise explicitly authorized hereunder.
d) Supplier has developed and may continue to develop proprietary software tools (the
“Tools”) to enhance the productivity of its workforce, and/or better meet HIPAA compliance
requirements. Supplier may at its sole discretion share these Tools with the Company.
Should the Company use these Tools, either with or without compensation to the Supplier, the
Company warrants it will not share these Tools with any third party without the specific
written permission of the Supplier.
ARTICLE VII
TERM AND TERMINATION
TERM AND TERMINATION
Section 7.1 Term. This Agreement shall commence on the Commencement Date and
terminate three (3) years from the Commencement Date (the “Expiration Date”), unless sooner
terminated by the Company in accordance with this Article VII.
Section 7.2 Termination by the Company or Supplier. Both the Company and the Supplier
shall have the right to terminate this Agreement with or without cause at any time upon six (6)
months’ prior notice to the other party to the Agreement.
Section 7.3 Termination for Material Default. The Company may terminate this
Agreement effective immediately upon written notice if Supplier: (a) breaches any material
obligation under this Agreement and fails to cure such breach within thirty (30) days written
notice to Supplier specifying in reasonable detail the nature of the breach; or (b) (i) files a
voluntary petition for bankruptcy, (ii) is adjudicated bankrupt, (iii) has a court assume
jurisdiction of its assets under a federal reorganization act, (iv) becomes insolvent or suspends
business, or (v) makes an assignment of its assets for the benefit of its creditors.
The Supplier may terminate this Agreement effective immediately upon written notice if
Supplier: (a) breaches any material obligation under this Agreement, including, but not limited
to, failure by the Company timely to pay all non-disputed invoices, and fails to cure such breach
within thirty (30) days written notice to Company specifying in reasonable detail the nature of the
breach; or (b) (i) files a voluntary petition for bankruptcy, (ii) is adjudicated bankrupt, (iii)
has a court assume jurisdiction of its assets under a federal reorganization act, (iv) becomes
insolvent or suspends business, or (v) makes an assignment of its assets for the benefit of its
creditors.
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Section 7.4 Effect of Termination. Termination of this Agreement shall not relieve
the parties of any obligation accruing prior to such termination, and the provisions of this
Section 7.4 and Articles IV, V, VI, VII, IX, X and XI hereof shall survive the termination of this
Agreement. Any termination of this Agreement shall be without prejudice to the rights of either
party against the other accrued or accruing under this Agreement prior to termination.
ARTICLE VIII
INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE
INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE
Section 8.1 Indemnification Obligations.
a) Supplier hereby indemnifies and holds the Company harmless from and against any and
all liability, loss, damage, claim or cause of action, and expenses connected therewith,
including, without limitation, reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses, for bodily injury or
damage to real or tangible personal property, to the extent caused directly or indirectly by
the Supplier, its employees or agents.
b) Company hereby indemnifies and holds the Supplier harmless from and against any and
all liability, loss, damage, claim or cause of action, and expenses connected therewith,
including, without limitation, reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses, for bodily injury or
damage to real or tangible personal property, to the extent caused directly or indirectly by
the Company, its employees or agents.
Section 8.2 Insurance. Supplier represents and warrants that during the Term of this
Agreement, it shall maintain the types and amounts of insurance set forth below:
a) General liability insurance, including contractual liability coverage of all of
Supplier’s obligations under this Agreement and products liability/completed operations
coverage with a minimum limit equal to the minimum limit currently maintained by Supplier on
the date hereof.
b) Such insurance shall be evidenced by a certificate of insurance which shall provide
that the Company shall receive thirty (30) days’ prior written notice of cancellation or
material change of such policy.
ARTICLE IX
CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONSOLICITATION
CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONSOLICITATION
Section 9.1 Confidentiality. Supplier and the Company acknowledge that Confidential
Information is to be considered highly confidential. Each party shall use Confidential Information
disclosed to it by or on behalf of the other party only for the purposes contemplated by this
Agreement and shall not disclose such Confidential Information to any third party without the prior
written consent of the disclosing party. The foregoing obligations shall survive the expiration or
termination of this Agreement for a period of ten (10) years. These obligations shall not apply to
Confidential Information that:
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a) Is known by the receiving party at the time of its receipt, and not through a prior
disclosure by the disclosing party, as documented by business records;
b) Is published at the time of disclosure, or thereafter becomes published or otherwise
part of the public domain without breach of this Agreement by the receiving party;
c) Is subsequently disclosed to the receiving party by a third party who has the right
to make such disclosure;
d) Is developed by the receiving party independently of Confidential Information or
other information received from the disclosing party and such independent development is
properly documented by the receiving party; or
e) Is required to be disclosed by law or court order, provided that notice is promptly
delivered to the other party in order to provide an opportunity to seek a protective order
or other similar order with respect to such Confidential Information and thereafter
discloses only the minimum information required to be disclosed in order to comply with the
request, whether or not a protective order or other similar order is obtained by the other
party.
Nothing herein shall be interpreted to prohibit the Company from publishing the results of its
studies in accordance with industry practices.
Section 9.2 No Publicity. A party may not use the name of the other party in any
publicity or advertising and may not issue a press release or otherwise publicize or disclose the
existence of this Agreement, any information related to this Agreement, or the terms or conditions
hereof, without the prior written consent of the other party. Nothing in the foregoing, however,
shall prohibit a party from making such disclosures as may be necessary or reasonably appropriate
in order to comply with applicable federal, state or provincial securities laws or any rule or
regulation of any nationally recognized securities exchange; in such event, however, the disclosing
party shall use good faith efforts to consult with the other party prior to such disclosure and,
where applicable, shall request confidential treatment to the extent available. However, the
Supplier may disclose to the entities set forth in Exhibit 4, that Supplier is performing
work on behalf of the Company. Any Supplier agreements with such entities shall include
restrictions materially consistent with those set forth in this Section restricting such entities
from further disclosing their relationship with Company.
Section 9.3 Non-Solicitation. So long as this Agreement is in effect and for a period
of twelve (12) months thereafter, Supplier and Company shall not solicit, hire or engage any person
who during the Term of this Agreement is or has been an employee, consultant, or transcriptionist
of the other party.
ARTICLE X
RECORDS
RECORDS
Section 10.1 Supplier shall maintain records with respect to the performance of its
obligations under this Agreement. All such records shall be available for inspection, audit and
copying by the Company and its representatives and agents, including the Company’s auditors, at the
Company’s cost and expense upon reasonable request during normal business hours. All such records
shall be maintained during the Term of this Agreement, or such longer period as may be required by
relevant Law.
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ARTICLE XI
MISCELLANEOUS
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 11.1 Assignment, Subcontracting. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained herein, neither this Agreement nor any or all of the rights and obligations of a party
hereunder shall be assigned, delegated, sold, transferred, sublicensed, subcontracted (except as
otherwise provided herein) or otherwise disposed of, by operation of law or otherwise, to any third
party without the prior written consent of the other party, and any attempted assignment,
delegation, sale, transfer, sublicense, subcontract or other disposition, by operation of law or
otherwise, of this Agreement or of any rights or obligations hereunder contrary to this Section
shall be a material breach of this Agreement by the attempting party, and shall be void and without
force or effect; provided, however, that the Company may, without such consent, assign the
Agreement and its rights and obligations hereunder: (a) to an Affiliate, (b) in connection with
the transfer or sale of all or substantially all of its assets related to, or (c) in the event of
its merger or consolidation or change in control or similar transaction.
Section 11.2 Force Majeure. The parties shall be excused from performing hereunder in
the event of any Force Majeure Event, provided that the non-performing Party cannot reasonably
circumvent the delay through the use of commercially reasonable alternate sources, workaround plans
or other means. In such event the non-performing party shall be excused from further performance or
observance of the obligation(s) so affected for as long as such circumstances prevail and such
party continues to use commercially reasonable efforts to recommence performance or observance
whenever and to whatever extent possible without delay. Any Party so prevented, hindered or delayed
in its performance shall immediately notify the Party to whom performance is due by telephone (to
be confirmed in writing within five (5) days of the inception of such delay) and reasonably
describe the circumstances of the Force Majeure Event.
Section 11.3 Injunctive Relief; Arbitration; and Governing Law.
a) Injunctive Relief. The parties to this Agreement acknowledge and agree that
remedies at law are inadequate in the event of any breach or threatened breach by any party
of its agreements and obligations as set forth in Section 4.5, Article VI, and Article IX of
this Agreement. Notwithstanding Section 11.3(b), in addition to any other remedy which may
be available, the non-breaching party shall be entitled to petition for injunctive and/or
other equitable relief restraining the breach or threatened breach of the provisions and/or
obligations in Section 4.5, Article VI, and Article IX of this Agreement.
b) Arbitration; Governing Law. Except as set forth in Section 11.3(a), any
controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or the breach thereof,
shall be settled by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in
accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules, and judgment on the award rendered by the
arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. This Agreement shall
be governed by and construed, and the legal relations between the parties shall be
determined in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey, excluding application of
any conflict of laws principles, and the parties irrevocably waive all rights to trial by
jury for any litigation between them related to this Agreement. Client hereby consents to
the jurisdiction of any state or federal court of competent jurisdiction in the State of New
Jersey for any litigation between the parties related to this Agreement.
Section 11.4 Waiver. Any delay or failure in enforcing a party’s rights under this
Agreement or any waiver as to a particular default or other matter shall not constitute a waiver of
such party’s rights
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to the future enforcement of its rights under this Agreement, nor operate to bar the exercise
or enforcement thereof at any time or times thereafter, excepting only as to an express written and
signed waiver as to a particular matter for a particular period of time.
Section 11.5 Independent Relationship. The relationship established between Company
and Supplier under this Agreement is that of independent contractors and nothing contained in this
Agreement will be deemed to establish or otherwise create a relationship of principal and agent,
franchisor and franchisee, joint venturers or partnership between them. Supplier’s employees are
not and shall not be deemed to be employees of the Company. Supplier shall be solely responsible
for the payment of all compensation to its employees, including provisions for employment taxes,
workmen’s compensation and any similar taxes associated with employment of Supplier’s personnel.
Neither party nor any of its agents or employees will have any right or authority to assume or
create any obligations of any kind, whether express or implied, on behalf of the other party. All
financial obligations associated with each respective party’s business are the sole responsibility
of such party.
Section 11.6 Entire Agreement; Amendment. This Agreement including any Exhibits and
Schedules hereto, sets forth the complete and final agreement and all the covenants, promises,
agreements, warranties, representations, conditions and understandings between the parties hereto
and supersedes and terminates all prior agreements, writings and understandings between the parties
with respect to the subject matter hereof. The parties agree that there are no covenants,
promises, agreements, warranties, representations, conditions or understandings, either oral or
written, between the parties other than as are set forth herein and therein. No subsequent
alteration, amendment, change or addition to this Agreement shall be binding upon the parties
unless reduced to writing and signed by an authorized officer of each party.
Section 11.7 Notices. Each notice required or permitted to be given or sent under
this Agreement shall be given by facsimile transmission (with confirmation copy by registered
first-class mail), by registered or overnight courier (return receipt requested), or by electronic
mail (with confirmation of receipt) to the parties at the contact information indicated below.
If to Supplier:
CBay Systems and Services, Inc
0000 Xxxx Xxxx, Xxxx 000
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Managing Director
0000 Xxxx Xxxx, Xxxx 000
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Managing Director
with a copy to:
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If to the Company:
MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd.
0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xx. Xxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Facsimile No.: 856.206.4215
Attention: President
MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd.
0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xx. Xxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Facsimile No.: 856.206.4215
Attention: President
with a copy to:
MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd.
0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xx. Xxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Facsimile No.: 856.206.4215
Attention: Chief Legal Officer
MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd.
0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xx. Xxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Facsimile No.: 856.206.4215
Attention: Chief Legal Officer
Any such notice shall be deemed to have been received on the earlier of the date actually received
or the date five (5) days after the same was posted or sent. Either party may change its address
or its facsimile number by giving the other party written notice, delivered in accordance with this
section.
Section 11.8 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is declared invalid or
unenforceable by a court having competent jurisdiction, it is mutually agreed that this Agreement
shall continue in effect except for the part declared invalid or unenforceable by order of such
court. The parties shall consult and use their best efforts to agree upon a valid and enforceable
provision which shall be a reasonable substitute for such invalid or unenforceable provision in
light of the intent of this Agreement.
Section 11.9 Counterparts. This Agreement shall become binding when any one or more
counterparts hereof, individually or taken together, have been executed on behalf of each of the
parties hereto. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by facsimile,
each of which shall be an original as against any party whose signature appears thereon, but all of
which taken together shall constitute but one and the same instrument.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and Supplier have caused this Agreement to be executed by
their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.
CBAY SYSTEM & SERVICES, INC. | MEDQUIST TRANSCRIPTIONS, LTD. | |||||||
By: Name: |
/s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
|
By: Name: |
/s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
|
|||||
Title:
|
Chief Operating Officer | Title: | President & CEO | |||||
Date:
|
April 3, 2009 | Date: | April 3, 2009 |
[Signature page to Services Agreement by and between MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd. and Supplier]
[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]
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EXHIBIT
1
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EXHIBIT 2
QUALITY REVIEW
AMOUNT: Supplier shall perform a quality assurance review each billing period of ***** percent
***** of production randomly chosen by Company for each Client Facility in the DocQment Enterprise
Platform. Results are to be reported to Company no later than ten (10) days following the close of
each billing period.
CRITERIA: Random samples encompassing all report types with voice comparison.
ERRORS: Attached hereto as Exhibit 3 is the Quality Score Sheet listing all error types.
STANDARD: Company’s acceptable quality standard is > *****.
QUALITY REPORTS
The following report is an illustration of Company’s continuous quality assurance score sheet.
Company utilizes a team of QA auditors to systematically audit documents against the dictated voice
and disseminate the findings.
Calculation formula: Total error points divided by total payroll lines = total error fraction. 1.0
minus total error fraction = accuracy fraction; multiply by 100 for percentage.
CLASSIFICATION OF ERRORS AND ERROR VALUES
The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (“AHDI”) recommends specific error
categories, error values, and conversion factors for error values in line length situations.
Following the recommendations creates a true definition of quality in the medical transcription
industry and allows for proper comparative assessments. AHDI recommends that the following error
classifications be applied to these error types relative to their impact on patient care.
§ | Critical Errors: Defined as those that impact patient safety. Specifically, AHDI identifies the following: medical word misuse, incorrect drug or drug dosage, incorrect lab values and test names, omitted dictation, patient identification error, including incorrect choice of the patient name or specific patient visit. | ||
§ | Major Errors: Defined as those that impact document integrity. Specifically, AHDI identifies the following: medical word misspelling, English word misspelling, incorrect verbiage, failure to flag a document, abuse of flagging documents, protocol failures. | ||
§ | Minor Errors: Specifically, AHDI identifies the following: grammar, punctuation, typographical errors, formatting errors. | ||
§ | Dictation Flaws: Specifically, AHDI identifies the following: critical, major, and minor as defined by patient safety and document integrity impact. It is crucially important to realize the impact that auditory quality of the dictation has on the transcribed document. Recognizing and documenting occurrences allows for identification of flaws and an opportunity for assisting dictators in their quest for patient safety and document integrity. |
DEFINITION OF DICTATED OR TRANSCRIBED ERRORS AND ERROR VALUES
CRITICAL ERRORS (PATIENT SAFETY RISK): A critical error is given the highest negative point value
because of the seriousness of its consequences. With > ***** percent accuracy as a
benchmark, a report containing a critical error should not pass QA. A critical error should be
reserved for only those errors that directly compromise patient safety.
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§ | Error #1: Medical Word Misuse — 3.0 pts |
This category includes wrong drug or drug doses, wrong lab values, and/or wrong test names that
directly compromise patient safety. For instance, a wrong disease could be incorrectly attributed
to a patient and then carried in the medical record for life, causing incorrect treatment and
incorrect medical decisions, as well as inaccurate billing of the patient’s accounts. Similarly, a
wrong lab value could result in a patient not receiving treatment or further testing when such
treatment or testing is warranted. If a misuse is repeated throughout the entire report, it should
be counted as only one error in the report, since it reflects one wrong piece of information on the
part of the transcriptionist. This category also includes improper use of abbreviations, acronyms,
and symbols that are not to be used according to the client profile.
§ | Error #2: Omitted Dictation — 3.0 pts |
This category covers dictated information of a critical nature that was either carelessly omitted
by the transcriptionist or deliberately omitted because the transcriptionist did not understand
what was being said. Examples include omission of an entire laboratory finding because the value
itself could not be heard, deleting negative or normal findings, or omitting entire sentences
because the main part of it could not be understood. Creative transcription is also included in
this category. This refers to “making up” dictation (words and/or phrases) when what is dictated
is not clear. Consideration should be given for difficult authors or dictation of poor quality.
Research, assistance from others, flagging the report, and leaving a blank constitute appropriate
actions rather than omission. This category does not apply to missing words that are
inconsequential, such as articles or conjunctions. It also does not apply to what appear to be
words missed (adjectives, adverbs) from typing too fast, unless they have serious consequences to
the medical meaning. In these types of situations, the error would be downgraded to major or
minor, depending on the consequence to the document. Clipped sentences are allowed if they reflect
the dictator’s style. This category is meant to apply to purposeful and/or serious omissions and/or
fabrication(s).
§ | Error #3: Patient Identification Error — 3.0 pts |
A patient identification error is one in which the wrong patient information is tied to the
dictation. For example, a report that is dictated for 50-year-old Xxxx X. Xxx (male) but is
attributed to a chart for 20-year-old Xxxx Do (female). As with the other critical errors in this
category, the error must directly compromise patient safety in order to be assessed this error
weight (see error #12).
§ | Error #4: Upgrade of Major or Minor error due to patient safety impact — 3.0 pts |
This category is for major or minor errors from the categories below that directly compromise
patient safety. For example, “failure to flag” is considered a major error worthy of 1.0 pt., but
a right/left discrepancy that poses a risk management issue and is not flagged by the
transcriptionist could be upgraded to a critical error.
MAJOR ERRORS (DOCUMENT INTEGRITY RISK): A major error carries a higher negative point value
because of the impact it has on the integrity of the document. Major errors in this category do
not pose a risk to patient safety. A major error that impacts both the integrity of the document
and patient safety should be upgraded to a critical error.
§ | Error #5: Abuse of Flagging/Blanks — 2.0 pts |
This category covers blanks left that, through research, the transcriptionist could have resolved.
This is sometimes referred to as “tossing it over the fence” — when a transcriptionist clearly
chooses to leave a blank rather than research a term. The purpose of this category is to limit
abuse of blanks for the sake of speed, which reflects a lazy attitude or desire for higher line
counts in a production environment. Obviously, students and entry-level transcriptionists will
leave more blanks in the beginning and this is preferred to guessing. This error should be used
only in those cases where the blank or flag is truly considered abusive.
§ | Error #6: Medical Word Misspelling — 1.5 pts |
In addition to any medical words or medications that are misspelled, this category includes the use
of an incorrect form of a medical word. An example would be “lingula” instead of “lingular” or
“femur” instead of “femoral.” This also includes failure to use combining forms, and incorrect
entries from text expanders. For instance, an author
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dictates that the patient is to see physical therapy (dictated as PT) for follow-up;
transcriptionist uses “pt” to expand for “patient” and the final copy of the report reads, “the
patient is to see patient for follow-up.” (However, if an incorrect expansion results in a
critical error, such as incorrect diagnosis, this would be upgraded to a critical error.)
§ | Error #7: English Word Misspelling — 1.5 pts |
In addition to misspelling English words, this category refers to misuse errors, which have more
serious consequences, such as nouns, verbs, or important qualifying adjectives and adverbs (e.g.,
elicit/illicit, dissent/descent, affect/effect, apprise/appraise). These errors directly impact
the integrity of the report. For instance: “the risks and complications were given allowed
(aloud).”
§ | Error #8: Incorrect Verbiage — 1.5 pts |
This category refers to dictation that is transcribed differently than dictated, but without
significant impact on the medical meaning. This includes inappropriate/excessive editing. Care
should be taken to remain true to the dictator’s style while still maintaining accuracy. Therefore,
this does not pertain to changes made for the purpose of correcting grammar or word usage. This
also differs from creative transcription (see error #2).
§ | Error #9: Failure to Flag — 1.0 pt |
This category pertains to times when a report should be flagged for clarification and the
transcriptionist fails to do so. Examples of failure to flag include gender, age or right-vs.-left
discrepancies that should have been recognized by the transcriptionist and flagged but were not.
§ | Error #10: Protocol Failure — 1.0 pt |
A protocol failure is one in which a transcriptionist fails to follow a specific protocol or
facility preference. For example, a facility may require the date of service be filled in on each
document, and the transcriptionist fails to include this.
§ | Error #11: Upgrade of Minor Error due to impact on integrity of document — 1.5 pts |
This category is used to upgrade a minor error that compromises the integrity of the document. For
instance, a physician dictates an inflammatory or derogatory remark about the patient that puts the
physician at risk for a lawsuit, and the transcriptionist fails to edit these remarks.
§ | Error #12: Downgrade of Critical Error due to less than critical impact — 1.5 pts |
This category is used to downgrade a critical error that does not compromise patient safety but
still impacts the integrity of the document. An example would be using the wrong medical word
(medical word misuse) without directly affecting patient safety (stating there is a family history
of “corporal” tunnel syndrome, for example).
§ | Error #13: Improper Encounter — 1.5 pts |
This category is used when the correct patient is chosen, but the wrong visit or encounter is
selected.
MINOR ERRORS: A minor error is meant to point out recommended areas of improvement for the
transcriptionist. These errors do not compromise patient safety or the integrity of the report.
The primary goal of a minor error designation is instructional.
§ | Error #14: Grammar Error — 0.5 pt |
Grammar errors may include incorrect subject-verb agreement, incorrect use of medical
abbreviations, use of the wrong part of speech, incorrect use of singular and plural nouns, use of
the wrong verb (e.g., laying/lying) or verb tense, failure to correct redundancies and
inconsistencies, and failure to edit slang or inflammatory remarks when appropriate.
§ | Error #15: Miscellaneous/Other — 0.5 pt |
This category covers errors that do not fit into the other categories. For instance, improper
capitalization, addition of words that were not dictated but that do not significantly affect the
meaning of the sentence or report, and errors of questionable cause when the recording quality is
poor or a foreign accent is at fault. This category also covers formatting errors.
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§ | Error #16: Downgrade of Error due to minimal impact — 0.25 pt |
This category can be used to downgrade any error that has little to no impact on the integrity of
the report and does not compromise patient safety. An example would be omission of the word “the”
in “The patient was in acute distress.”
§ | Error #17: Punctuation and Typos — 0.0 pt |
Punctuation errors may include misplaced commas that do not alter the meaning of the sentence and
the improper use of colons or semicolons, quotation marks, and misplaced periods. This category
also includes typographical errors that do not significantly affect the meaning of the dictation.
NEGATIVE DICTATOR EFFECT ERRORS: These errors have no point values but are used to recognize a
transcriptionist’s error or difficulties in the context of poor dictation.
§ | Error #18: Critical Negative Dictator Effect — 0.0 pt |
This category would be used to point out an error of a critical nature that was clearly attributed
to poor dictation. For example, omitted dictation based on difficulty interpreting a very heavy
accent. Another example would be incorrect patient identification due to inaccurate or insufficient
information given by the dictator. This error may be utilized whether or not the transcriptionist
flagged the document, since the purpose is to determine the difficulty encountered in producing an
accurate document.
§ | Error #19: Major Negative Dictator Effect — 0.0 pt |
This category would be used to address a documentation error in any of the major categories that
was obviously incurred because of poor dictation quality or inaccurate information given by the
dictator. Once again, this error may be utilized whether or not the transcriptionist flagged the
document, since the purpose is to determine the difficulties in producing an accurate document.
§ | Error #20: Minor Negative Dictator Effect — 0.0 pt |
This category would be used to draw attention to a minor flaw caused by poor dictation. For
example, the dictator has used the wrong form of a verb, which may or may not have been corrected
by the transcriptionist.
***** | - Denotes material that has been omitted and filed separately with the Commission |
-24-
EXHIBIT 3
QUALITY SCORE SHEET
CUSTOMER QA AUDIT
CUSTOMER: | REVIEW PERIOD: |
Type of Error | Points | Total Errors | Total Points | |||||||||
Medical Word Misuse |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade of Critical Error due to less than critical impact |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Omitted Dictation |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade of Critical Error due to less than critical impact |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Patient Identification Error |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade of Critical Error due to less than critical impact |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Abuse of Flagging/Blanks |
2.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Major — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Medical Word Misspelling |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Major — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
English Word Misspelling |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Major — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Incorrect Verbiage |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Major — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Failure to Flag |
1.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Major — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Protocol Failure |
1.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Major — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Improper Encounter |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Major — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Grammar Error |
0.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Minor — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 |
***** | - Denotes material that has been omitted and filed separately with the Commission |
Type of Error | Points | Total Errors | Total Points | |||||||||
Upgrade of Minor — Integrity of Document |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Miscellaneous/Other |
0.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Minor — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Minor — Integrity of Document |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Downgrade Error — Minimal Impact |
0.25 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Punctuation/Typos |
0.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Minor — Patient Safety Impact |
3.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Upgrade of Minor — Integrity of Document |
1.50 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Critical Negative Dictator Effect |
0.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Major Negative Dictator Effect |
0.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Minor Negative Dictator Effect |
0.00 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Total MedQuist Errors |
0 | 0 |
Summary
Total Reports Reviewed |
0 | |||
Total Lines Reviewed |
0 | |||
Line Error Rate = Total MedQuist Errors/Total Lines |
0.00 | |||
MedQuist Line Error Percent = MedQuist Line Error Rate x 100% |
0.00 | % | ||
MedQuist Line Accuracy Rate = 100% — MedQuist Line Error Percent |
100.00 | % |
***** | - Denotes material that has been omitted and filed separately with the Commission |
EXHIBIT 4
COVERED ENTITIES
*****
***** | - Denotes material that has been omitted and filed separately with the Commission |
EXHIBIT 5
ORDER FORM
The following Order Form is issued pursuant to the terms of Section 2.2 in the Transcription
Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) executed by and between MEDQUIST TRANSCRIPTIONS, LTD. (the
“Company”) and CBAY SYSTEMS & SERVICES, INC. (“Supplier”) and effective as of , 2009:
Period Covered:
Company Customers Cancelled (if applicable):
Volume Projection in Hours of Dictation Per Day (existing/new), by SLA(*):
(e.g.)
|
Hours, by SLA 100 |
[4-12] 12 |
[12] 50 |
[12+] 38 |
* could also be represented in a detailed schedule by Client Facility, by SLA or worktype
Additional Comments/Discussion (if applicable):
CBAY SYSTEMS & SERVICES, INC.
|
MEDQUIST TRANSCRIPTIONS, LTD. | |||||||
By:
|
|
By: |
|
|||||
Name:
|
Name: | |||||||
Title:
|
Title: | |||||||
Date:
|
Date: | |||||||
***** | - Denotes material that has been omitted and filed separately with the Commission |
EXHIBIT 6
SERVICE LEVEL DEFINITION
Time to | ||||||
Severity Levels | Acknowledge | Time To Resolution | ||||
Severity 1
|
30 minutes | 4 Hours | ||||
Severity 2
|
4 Hours | 24 Hours | ||||
Severity 3
|
8 Hours | 72 Hours | ||||
Severity 4
|
24 Hours | 168 hours (7 days) | ||||
Severity 5
|
24 hours | Determined based on issue and team assignment |
Time to Acknowledge: Calculated from the time the ticket is opened to the time when
the assignee acknowledges the ticket in QCare and makes the initial contact with the
customer.
Time to Resolution: Calculated from the time the ticket is opened to the time the
ticket is either closed or placed in another QCare status.
Severity | Type | Description | ||||
Technical: Critical impact
problem with system down,
business outage, or immediate
work stoppage that threatens
current and future
production. |
||||||
1 | Critical Impact | Operational: Critical
customer issues that put the
customer at risk for loss of
business due to ongoing,
unresolved service issues or
issues previously
communicated, but not
recorded or addressed in a
timely manner. |
||||
Technical: High-impact
problem where production is
proceeding, but in a
significantly impaired
fashion; a problem with a
time-sensitive issue
important to long-term
productivity that is not
causing immediate work
stoppage. |
||||||
2 | High Impact | Operational: High-impact
issues with document
delivery, turn around,
quality, changing work types
on a document or other
service related issues that
have a major customer impact.
This could also include
payroll related issues or
contract issues. |
||||
Technical: Moderate-impact
problem that is an important
issue, but does not have
significant current
productivity impact. |
||||||
3 | Moderate Impact | Operational: Moderate-impact
problems that are important,
but not a major issue that
can be resolved in a 24 hour
period. This would include
issues with document
delivery, turn around,
quality, edits, or other
service related issues that
have a moderate customer
impact. |
||||
Technical: Minor
inconvenience requiring
ultimate, but not immediate
resolution. |
||||||
4 | Minor Impact | Operational: Minor customer
inconvenience impacting some
reports, but not all. This
would include items such as
dual signature issues, adding
a physician standard, minor
edit, or other minor service
related issues. |
||||
5 | Enhancement, Product Defects, Work Requests |
Requested system or Interface
improvements to features or
functions by individual
client, Product Enhancement,
Product Defects. |
***** | - Denotes material that has been omitted and filed separately with the Commission |