Backed by decades of professional excellence, Deborah Johnson is thriving as the director and vice president of shared service transcription operations at R1 RCM Inc. The revenue management cycle firm interfaces and contracts with hospitals, generally acute care facilities, and works to “manage the commercial infrastructure of care organizations.” Ms. Johnson’s main responsibility with the company is to evaluate the transcription services of new clients and to bring them topnotch technology that suits their needs. For example, she frequently uses voice recognition technology that takes spoken words and turns it into a draft. Since what used to take days now only takes hours, physicians can focus more on better patient care and safety.
Ms. Johnson was first introduced to her field when she saw an opening in a physician’s office for a medical transcriptionist. She took the position, and started out creating legal medical records with a typewriter and white-out. It wasn’t until the 80s that technology began being applied. To keep up with industry developments, Ms. Johnson earned an associate degree in business administration and management from Henry Ford College in 1992. She then garnered hands-on experience as a manager at St. John Providence Health and as the owner and president of Med-Works Transcription Service.
Looking to the future, Ms. Johnson hopes to continue on the same path. Her goal is to help keep transcription services affordable and to continue helping the health care arena. She also has a personal passion for advocating for women and children, and would like to lead a service for the underserved.
