If you have stumbled across this blog post it is likely because you are a transcription typist and you are looking for a way download dictation audio files from ODMS Cloud.
You likely want to do this to use your tried and tested locally installed transcription software for transcription typing instead of the free ODMS Desktop application for Windows or Mac that OM System supply with the ODMS Cloud solution.
Maybe you use ODMS Transcription Module (TM), Philips SpeechExec Pro Transcribe or freeware like ExpressScribe from NCH and prefer receiving the actual audio file to load and play rather than use ODMS Desktop?
TL;DR
- Downloading audio from ODMS Cloud is technically possible, but not recommended
- Requires many steps for each individual audio file to be played in traditional locally installed transcription software
- Can put securely encrypted audio at risk
- Best and most secure option is to use the ODMS Desktop application
Yes you can, but ...
Although technically possible to download the dictation audio files from ODMS Cloud, for example to use in locally installed transcription software, it is not recommended and there are quite a few hoops to jump through to achieve this. ODMS Cloud is used primarily in the legal and medical fields because of its high security, keeping audio files locked in a secure cloud adds to patient and client confidentiality. The ODMS Desktop application from Windows and Mac, is the easiest and preferred way to transcribe audio in ODMS Cloud.
But, if you really want to know how to get the audio out and play it in transcription software, here is how you can do it, by using the File Backup option visible in the ODMS Cloud portal.
Here are the steps you would need:
Use File Backup To Download the Audio File
So here is where it already starts to get tricky. Firstly, File Backup although visible on any users ODMS Cloud portal (whether you have the Transcriptionist or Author role, bottom right hand corner in the ODMS Cloud portal) only the Administrators on the account can actually use File Backup.
ODMS Cloud accounts only allow for two administrators to be specified, you can be an Admin with or without a role, Transcriptionist or Author.
Only Finished Audio Files Can Be Downloaded
Admins can only select audio files with a status of Finished. How do you get a status of Finished on a dictation audio file? You need the audio allocated to a user with the Transcriptionist role, they will need to Playback the audio file in their ODMS Desktop application and then close the playback bar and select Transcription Finished.
So in essence the transcription typist has already opened the file in the required transcription software, ODMS Desktop, so you would be best to use that for transcription. Still not convinced? Read on ...
As an Administrator, now you can select files with the status of Finished for File Backup each individual audio file will be downloaded in it's own single zip file, you can't select multiple audio files and receive one single zip file containing all audio files, each audio file is zipped.
In the example above, I select four audio dictation files, I will download four individual zip files.
Now that you have each file downloaded out of ODMS Cloud and on your Windows PC or Mac you would think you are close to being done right? Not quite, each individual zip file containing a dictation audio file is encrypted.
Only OM System have the keys to unlock the zip files and those keys are built into their ODMS R8 software for Windows. Mac users, you will need to find a Window's PC if you are following along here, OM System have dropped all but the ODMS Desktop application for Mac users.
ODMS R8 comes in two modules, Transcription Module (TM) and Dictation Module (DM). Both can decrypt the zip file, both can convert the .ds2 audio file to an open audio format like .wma or .mp3.
If you are a transcription typist you would use the TM, especially if you have customers who send you audio for transcription from physical dictaphones. If you are an Administrator and think you would like to manage sharing audio between typists using this method you could use the DM to convert the audio from .ds2 to another format that can be played in locally installed transcription software.
ODMS R8 Dictation Module (DM) or Transcription Module (TM) can be installed and used for free for 30 days in trial mode if you would like to test the above. Here is our blog post on how to install ODMS R8 in trial mode.
As mentioned at the beginning this blog post this is not how the system is designed to be used. By downloading, decrypting, converting to an open audio format (meaning it can be played by an audio playing software without encryption) and then sharing these unencrypted audio files across the internet, maybe by shared drive or email you are putting client and patient confidentiality at risk.
The File Backup option is just a way for ODMS Cloud Administrators to store encrypted audio files, perhaps for legal or compliance reasons or to clear some cloud storage for their users.