Howdy! ..... My Mom has been a medical transcription for 40 years now.... both in hospital and at home as a subcontractor. She has owned her own business in the past also. Also, she has had her own "school" training transcriptionists. ( I can get you some info on the program she has used if you want, just PM me.) I don't believe she has ever had any kind of special "insurance" in case of mistakes. I followed in her footsteps and did some medical transcription both in a doctor's office and at home after my children were born. I also never had any kind of special insurance.
As far as finding work.... there is more work out there than you know for properly trained and qualified transcriptionists! Although I had to give it up because I wasn't willing to drive to the doctor's office every day....but keep in mind my kids were very little and I live in the boondocks! Plus there is so much more work done online and over dial-up systems now. Back in the "old days" I had to drive to the doctor's office to pick up cassette tapes!
Just a bit of info from my angle.... this is not particularly easy work to learn...... To start with you must have a good knowledge of the English language, grammar, punctuation and be a good speller..... and there is so much terminology that must be memorized!! Don't let them tell you that just 12 hours or 24 hours of training and you're ready to go... NOT TRUE! You have to learn anatomy and physiology.... just for starts! And the M.D.'s (for the most part) make little/no effort to be clear and concise.... most of them rush and mumble, not to mention the accents! Imagine a mumbling doctor of Indian decent with a strong accent muttering the words... "antiphospholipid antibody"!!! You've got to be part detective as well! I don't mean to discourage you.... I just want you to be prepared. You will be hard pressed to find work at first if you cannot show that you have had adequate training. And many hospitals and services require that you take a test before you are hired.
All that said, it is great work to be able to do at home. You can, for the most part, make your own hours and such. And if you are a fast (and accurate) typist you can really be in a position to make some good money. When I was doing this work at home and charging by the line, there were times when I was making $35/hr.... obviously not for 8 hours a day, but it was still great.
Anyhow, feel free to PM me with any questions... if I don't answer quickly forgive me.... I am deep into VBS this week and my daughter's birthday next week! But I promise I will answer... HTH...............Pamela