Dragon Medical 10.1 is Now Released

After weeks of anticipation, Nuance has now released verion 10.1 of Dragon Medical, the long awaited update to our bestselling Dragon Medical 10. For those of you using Dragon Medical 10, the following are the more important updates that could well improve your experience:

• Updated Epic and Cerner Support. Dragon Medical 10.1 offers Epic and Cerner users an even better experience as it's fully compatible with text boxes of existing Cerner PowerNote™ releases.
• 64-Bit Support for Windows Vista. 10.1 provices 64-bit operating system support, running on Windows Vista 64-bit operating systems. Does not support Windows XP 64-bit operations systems.
• New Medical Search Commands. 10.1 offers multiple voice shortcuts for searching medical information on the web. Physicians can now search medical data via a single command on WebMD®, UpToDate®, PubMed™ and ICD9. These commands can be said at any time without even having an Internet browser open. The commands combine multiple clicks into one fast command for the busy physician. Simply say "Search UpToDate for Wllbutrin contraindications" and Dragon Medical 10.1 and UpToDate take you there. For Medical & Medical Enterprise Only.
• More Powerful Capitaliation Rules. User can instantly set capitalization rules for words as they are added for the following word categories: Person, Department, and Drugs. Clinicians can have capitalization set to initial-caps, all-caps or no-caps for the categories.
• Dragon Medical Template Library. Dragon Medical 10.1 comes with a library of over two dozen macros for standard notes such as SOAP notes, new patient visit, and outpatient consults. In additiona, a complete list of "medical normals" by body system is also available, so that clinicians immediately can begin using Dragon Medical "out of the box" with less time spent creating their own templates. For Medical & Medical Enterprise Only.
• Hidden Mode Icon. Users will now see an icon to remind them if text dictated into Hidden Mode is ready to be transferred into an EHR text box. You can also decide if you want to stay in Hidden Mode after transferring text or return to a "normal" mode where your cursor is active in the EHR. For Medical & Medical Enterprise Only.
• Microphone Sleep Mode. User can set Dragon Medical to have their microphone go to sleep when they want: ten minutes, a half hour, or even two hours since Dragon Medical was last used. For Medical & Medical Enterprise Only.

To order the 10.1 update, call 1-800-654-1187. The cost is $9.95 to cover shipping and handling. The installer is too large to download.

If you're a Dragon NaturallySpeaking Legal 10 user and wish to update to 10.1, call that same number. For Preferred and Professional Users, go to the Nuance download request page to download the update.

To Update to Version 10

If you're still using Version 8 or 9, we highly suggest you consider updating to Version 10.

The increase in speed and accuracy is well worth the price:

• Professional Upgrade to Version 10
• Legal Upgrade to Version 10
• Medical Small Practice Upgrade to Version 10
• Medical Upgrade to Version 10

As always, call us at 866-408-1383 if you have any questions about Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

Need Help with Dragon?

Don't forget about our bestselling book, Mastering Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.

MacSpeech Dictate Updated to 1.3

We were privileged to be the first dealer to test MacSpeech Dictate when it premiered at MacWorld in 2008. It was fast, accurate and wonderfully elegant. Yet, while it was built on the Dragon NaturallySpeaking engine, it lacked many of the more important features of Dragon such as corrections and phrase training.

With the new 1.3 update of Dictate, these features are not only added, they work very, very well. We've been testing this new update - which you can download through the software updating function of Dictate - and we're impressed!

There are several new enhancements to MacSpeech Dictate 1.3:

"Cache Document" and "Cache Selection" commands

The "Cache Document" command is significantly revamped to be functional in other applications. This command places the entire text from a document into Dictate's cache. The "Cache Selection" command places selected text into cache. These commands allow a user to effectively navigate and edit other documents by voice.

Searchable Help

The help "book," available under the Help menu, is indexed and searchable.

Menu Bar Status Item & Dock Icon Badging

Microphone status indicators have been added to the Dock icon and the menu bar. The appearance of the Status item is controlled via Preferences.

"Press the Key" Commands

"Press the Key" and "Press the Key Combo" commands will input the specified keyboard keys. You can also use modifiers, such as Command, Control, Option and Shift.

"Cancel Training" Command

A "Cancel Training" command has been added to the Available Commands window. Use this command to close the Recognition window.

Recognition Window Output

Recognition window output is now handled without auto-formatting. If a user adjusts the capitalization of a word in a Recognition window entry, Dictate will not change it to match context. To adjust capitalization for that word in the document, use a "Lowercase the Word" or "Capitalize the Word" command.

Removed "Force Quit this Application" command

Oops! Seems like Dictate, at times, would mis-interpret a phrase and users where finding their applications quitting without saving. To force quit using Dictate 1.3, you can dictate "Press the Key Combo Command Option Escape."

There have also been several "fixes" as part of the 1.3 update:

• Phrase training a word or phrase and replacing it with a longer word or phrase would sometimes result in a failure of the subsequent use of "Go to End."
• Application that do not have certain expected bundle information will no longer cause Dictate to crash when launched.
• If there is no dictation area available and the Recognition window is the target, a message is displayed in the Recognition window asking the user to open a new document or select a text area.
• Continuous rapid switching dictation modes no longer crashes Dictate.
• The command "Train Vocabulary from Selection" now copies the indicated contents to Dictate for training.
• "About this Application" now works properly.
• "Capture (Selection/Screen)" now functions as intended.
• Under some circumstances if a user issued two commands far enough apart they would be considered separate commands but within a particular time frame and Dictate would crash. Not any more.

If you are a Macintosh user and would like to make your writing more efficient, you should definitely consider MacSpeech Dictate. We're sold on it, and very excited to a be a leading dealer for this product.

Note: the version we offer at American Dictation includes a higher quality headset than the boxed version found in more retail outlets. We have found a significant improvement in Dictate's accuracy with the use of a better headset. Additionally, we have had great success in using the wireless Plantronics CS50 USB headset with Dictate.

Which Microphone Should I Use with Dragon NaturallySpeaking?

Many of our customers using Dragon NaturallySpeaking prefer using table-top microphones instead of headsets because, honestly, they don't want (or have the time) to listen back to what they just said. In cases like these we make sure to recommend a microphone that will work comfortably and accurately in their workflow. The most important thing is accuracy. It is definitely worth spending a few extra bucks an a quality microphone so you actually get substantial results.

So I set out on the task of testing each desktop microphone we offer on novuscript.com to see which provides the highest quality of sound when using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. In the initial configuration of DNS they show you the signal-noise ratio which is a good indication of the sound quality that your microphone is producing. The percent ratio ranges from 0-50. 13 and below is a fail.

I also tested some headsets we offer as well. Here are the results.

The TableMike from Transcription Aid (TBMK01) 

• Our Price: $179.00
• Signal-Noise Ratio: 13-15 

Novuscript GN-1 Gooseneck

• Our Price: $79.00
• Signal-Noise Ratio: 14-16

Andrea NC-91 Monaural Headset (Included in DNS)

• Our Price: $23.00
• Signal-Noise Ratio: 18

VXI BlueParrot USB

• Our Price: $228.00 (on sale)
• Signal-Noise Ratio: 18-28

VXI Parrot TalkPro

• Our Price: $60.00 (on sale)
• Signal-Noise Ratio: 18-24

I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional myself. I started using the Andrea NC-91 headset that came with it and had very good results. However, when I switched over to the Bluetooth Parrot Talk I had much better accuracy due to the headset's improved sound quality. I would recommend using a headset with excellent sound quality so you get results you are satisfied with at the end of the day. I was impressed that Nuance provided a decent headset with the product and surely recommend trying it out to see if that works for you. In my trials however, I found that upgrading to a higher fidelity microphone makes a world of difference. Oh yeah, and with a bluetooth head set you can walk around and stretch your legs while you dictate!

Dragon 10 Released

Nuance has now announced Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10, the new version of the highly successful speech recognition application for the PC. We've beginning to put it through its paces now, and so far it's living up to the hype.

Nuance is making some slight product positioning adjustments we're just beginning to understand. We haven't heard specifically about the low-end "Standard" version that's usually offered in office supply outlets, but the Preferred , shipping today, remains the first true entry-class offering for professionals. While not nearly as full featured as the preferred version, it does allow for the use of a variety of input devices, including bluetooth headsets and handheld recorders.

The Professional version, shipping on August 13th, remains very similar in scope, but it will not work with Electronic Medical Records systems; Nuance is reserving that feature for the upcoming Dragon Medical 10. Gone also from the Professional version is the ability to do "third-party" editing: the processing of voice files by a transcriptionist using Dragon and the speaker's user profile. This functionality is being reserved for Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Legal, shipping in Mid-September.

We're not sure why, but it appears that the term "NaturallySpeaking" is being excised from the medical version; it will now be known only as Dragon Medical 10. Personally, we wish they would drop the NaturallySpeaking from all the products. People know them as Dragon and it's short and sweet, as well. The NaturallySpeaking is a hold-over from an earlier name for the engine that allows users to speak naturally when dictating. Today, that is assumed.

The new products promise to be 20% more accurate out of the box. They're also faster to respond. Some of that, of course, is due to today's faster computers, but from our initial looks, the claim appears on the money.

We have create a page with a more complete breakdown of the improvements and changes. There are also links to order the latest versions.

Oh, and there's a new logo, too. Looks cleaner and better.

One other note, if you will pardon the brief lapse in humility. Based on our success as a Nuance reseller, we have qualified as a Gold Certified Partner. That means we've reached the higher echelon of dealers in the country.

Finally, Great Speech Recognition for the Mac

Fans of Dragon NaturallySpeaking have long enjoyed the convenience of writing with their voice. Voice to print software makes it easy, convenient, and more comfortable for those of us who tire of typing long tomes.

While speech recognition software for the Macintosh has been around for a long time, it is never been the workhorse that Dragon NaturallySpeaking has been for the PC world.

That has all changed today. Announced at this year's MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, Dictate from MacSpeech has been one of the most long-awaited new programs for the Macintosh platform. The first booth I visited at MacWorld in January was the MacSpeech booth. I was handed a wireless microphone and asked to give it a whirl. Having experienced the more cumbersome iListen product, the accuracy and speed of the Dictate product simply floored me.

This past week I received my copy of Dictate. In fact, I am writing this blog using my voice. To be sure, it is making a few minor mistakes. It has had little chance to learn how I talk, or for me to learn how to talk to it. But all in all, its accuracy "out-of-the-box" appears to be better than 98%. And, that is amazing.

MacSpeech Dictate is built on top of the same engine used for Dragon NaturallySpeaking. MacSpeech licensed the technology from Nuance and has done an admirable job of adapting the platform to the Macintosh interface. This first version still lacks some of the more advanced features of Dragon NaturallySpeaking; however, its speed and accuracy -- the two most important features of any speech recognition software -- make this program an almost "must-have" for every Macintosh aficionado.

As many of you know, we are Macintosh experts. I have been using Macintosh computers since the very first Mac plus in 1984. Although I used PCs everyday to provide technical support for our customers, I've always enjoyed the ease, style, and performance of Apple computers.

MacSpeech Dictate now moves the entire Macintosh platform one step closer to equal par with Windows computers in terms of software application availability.

We are now offering MacSpeech Dictate on our website. We are still assembling the product information, documentation, and images shoppers have come to rely upon when visiting our site. One of the things we're most adamant about when adding new products to our offering, is that we know and understand how the products work. We never want to offer products we cannot stand behind or support.

For those of you who already own MacSpeech iListen, there is an upgrade available.

By the way, I am dictating this blog using a wireless USB headset, the Plantronics CS 50. I've used this headset often for Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and was curious how well it would perform with MacSpeech Dictate. Well, as they say, "the proof is in the pudding." I'm having no difficulty at all dictating this piece using the CS 50 headset.

There's still more for me to learn about this program, but if you're considering adding speech recognition to your Macintosh, for free to give me a call, toll-free, at 866-408-1383.

One more thing: MacSpeech Dictate does require the use of one of the new Intel Macs. Like Dragon NaturallySpeaking, MacSpeech Dictate requires a significant amount of processing power. I'm using it on my book Pro, 2.4 GHz Intel.

(Editor Note: I just proofed what I dictated and found 12 errors made by Dictate. Out of 563 words, that equals a 97.87% accuracy.)