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Question for ICs - Posted By: Meghan

How much tax do you pay as an independent contractor? I talked to somebody and they said you should set aside 25% of your income every paycheck (basically self employment tax plus income tax is 25% of your income) - that seems so high! I quit my job as an employee and am going to be an independent contractor for the first time. I do not regret my decision; however, I'm kind of disappointed that so much of my new higher earnings have to go to tax! Is this a correct figure, or an overestimate? Was told that about 15.3% is self employment tax and the other 10% for income tax.

530+ lines per hour. Is this possible? - Posted By: Nonbeliever

So I was reading the MT forum at Indeed and came across this post. The person claims 6 of his/her MTs routinely transcribe 4300+ lines per day. Assuming an 8-hour day, this would be 537 lph. Is that even possible doing straight transcription? I tend to agree with the other posters on that forum that that has to be a lie or gross exaggeration, but just curious what everyone here thought. What is the highest line count one could hope for with straight transcription (not VR). I have been aiming for 300 lph, but now wondering if it is possible to do more eventually.

Foot pedal control/knee control? (sm) - Posted By: Sherry

My sewing machine has a knee control built into the side of the cabinet and I find this very comfortable. I would like to somehow do the same with foot pedal I use for transcription. Can figure out how to mount it, but having trouble adjusting it so the 3 pedals are not an issue. ANyone done this or have any input?

Silly question, I know, but do you have "Thank you" at the bottom of your invoice? - Posted By: MT'ing

Seriously, I am making up an invoice template and need to know if most people put "Thank you" on the bottom of their invoices. I cannot find any on the ones that I have recieved from other companies, but then again, I only have a few.

Thanks~

What's the difference between a C-phone and Philips - Posted By: digital transcription machine?

I see one has an actual phone piece. My Philips doesn't, but I call in to get work using the number pad. Can these work the same? If a job says I need a c-phone, should I say yes? Thanks.

Curious about Keystrokes - Posted By: Tata Rata

Hello to everyone!

I read so many positive comments about Keystrokes and am interested in applying.

I was wondering in anyone knew the following:

What is the minimum daily requirement for full-time employees?

Are they flexible with schedules?

All positive comments appreciated..........please no slamming!

Thanks to everyone!

Itype platform with MS word - Posted By: nannette kessler

Has anybody used this platform? What are its pros/cons? thanks for your input

Verbatim radiology. Should I not punctuate when punctuation is clearly indicated? - Posted By: When are there exceptions?

Should I leave it up to the doctors to add their punctation for this verbatim account? Not putting commas around the word "however" is driving me crazy!

Pay per word - Posted By: Jen

I am a contractor who has one contract, which is more than enough work for me. It is a multi-doctor practice. I have had this contract for over two years at 2 cents per word. Is 2 cents around the going rate for per word pay -- for an independent contractor, not a company? Obviously, I am paying my own taxes and I have no benefits.

How is using a 10" screen laptop/netbook in MS Word or doing transcription? Is it satisfactory? - Posted By: Shasta

I was thinking about getting a 10.2" screen "netbook" or laptop for use with basically Word and the internet concurrently. I wondered if it was feasible to use as a backup for doing transcription. And, I'm not sure what the difference is between a netbook and a laptop. Basically I'm wondering if a "netbook" could handle the applications necessary to do transcription, i.e., needing to have Word open, internet open, wavplayer open, and abbreviation open all at the same time. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks.

express scribe playback - Posted By: tibby

Just switched to a new computer and put Express Scribe on it and got my foot pedal up and running and just sat down to do some work when I noticed the foot pedal play back is weird. The timing is okay but when I let my foot up it does not stop until I press it again and then I have to give it another tap to begin playing again. I am used to letting up and it stops and pushing down and it plays! Simple stuff... until now.

Has anyone had this? I am getting really frustrated.. may have to contact Express Scribe with this issue but wanted to see if anyone has downloaded the current version of Express Scribe and came across this. Thanks!

Question regarding grammar - Posted By: typingforpennies

Please tell me because I am going mad here. I have a degree in novel writing -- actually sold a few short stories years ago. Anyway -- I was taught to set off independent clauses in a sentence with comas. If memory holds -- I believe this is also expressed in the Book of Style -- 1st one? I do not have the newest edition. Some QA leave my comas as I put them setting off the clauses while others say I am wrong. I believe that proper grammar dictates these comas -- at least according to my grammar books. Are the rules different in the MT world?

Need info on backing up Shorthand files. Also Word Autocorrect. TIA. nm - Posted By: searching

Data Hand keyboard - Posted By: Wendy Staus

I just received my new Data Hand keyboard and am starting to use it. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used one of these. Thanks.

RE: Question - Posted By: klownmom

How do you write OK in medical report? I think it is OK, my boss says okay. Think I saw where this was not right.

Thanks.

MTStars/Legal websites? - Posted By: probono

Hi, does anyone know of a similar website to MTstars (with forums and job board) for legal transcription? Google didn't really help. Thanks. javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','

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OldTymer, are you still with Webmedx? - Posted By: Cowgirl

I saw one of your old posts searching archives, I think 2003. You said you were very happy with company. Still hold true?

Christmas bonus - Posted By: Deeply saddened

Last year I got a $50.00 Walmart gift card from my company. Nice gift. This year I received a $25.00 gift card from Walmart. My company merged with another company, there are taking on new accounts right and left, I worked every single holiday, many many weekeds and when ever they would asked for help, and my bonus is half of last years. This is really sad and hurtful to say the least.

stools - Posted By: Vicsteria

melenic or melanotic?

Landmark Transcription - Posted By: krispy

Does anyone know anything about this company. I am thinking of working for them? Thanks.

Anybody ever considered - Posted By: hillbillymt

becoming a plumber or some other type of construction? My husband and I are looking at things we could do together. Don't even know if a woman could do the job and I'm 54 so might be too old to cut the mustard and been doing MT for 9 years so out of shape.

statutory employees - MQ - Posted By: wg

When you have to take off, do you call in sick like you would a regular job? In the past, I have and they have been quite unreasonable if I needed to take a day off for sick or personal reasons. What upsets me is when there is no work, Im stuck, no work, oh well, but when I need to take off, I better be there, I better work or they have been quite nasty with me..What has been others response? What have others done when they needed to take off? Thanks for your response!

caffeine motivation - Posted By: help shed light on this?

ok I feel sooo unmotivated to work even when I am right in front of my computer. I am just off task, thinking about other things. I lack the focus and brain energy to type. When I drink strong coffee or energy drinks, I am way more focused and productive. I enjoy typing and get lots done when I have been using caffeine. What is going on here?

Any ho t dirt y bitc hes here! - Posted By: MARIO BOSIO

i am on het wanna fuc k hard and deep so that my 12 inches long black rod reaches the thoroat of all the old MT bitc hes here.

/HIPPA/MP count - Posted By: HR

Two questions,

1. What sort of things do I need to have in place to be able to say I am HIPPA compliant at home?

2. Can someone please give me the web address to MP Count?

Thanks

Faxing via computer - Posted By: Mama Puff

I have faxed documents through the computer at a couple of jobs I've worked in the past; however, I have no idea how this is set up. I am planning to buy a fax machine, but I was wondering if it would cheaper and/or easier to do by computer. Plus this would eliminate another piece of equipment on my desk. Thanks for any advice.

food for thought - Posted By: jd

Just out of curiousity.....with all the wage wars in this business, has anyone ever thought about a union for MTs. For what is expected from us, don't you think we should have a standarized pay scale that we will not go under. It seems over the past 5-6 years instead of making more money the companies are taking away from us. For example, many companies are now hiring IC versus employees so they do not have to offer benefits. They make whatever benefits they do offer horrible and we pay all the cost instead of the way it used to be that they pay for our benefits for what we make for them. Many companies no longer offer short term or long term disability. In this business that benefit is much needed. Just a thought... any responses on forming a union. My thought... if all of us that know what we are doing decided to stick together.... what choice would a company have but to offer what is necessary to have a good employee.

ARE SPHERIS AND MQ MERGING - Posted By: NH

anyone heard anything?

I need help in MS Word. I have a new doc that requires almost every page to have different margins. - Posted By: (sm) AzMT

I used to have an account that we could type Control and L and that would make a page break with the margins for a letter. I don't know how to create this. I looked into macros in Word and am totally confused and have no idea what to do.

Can anyone help me figuer out a way I can assign Control and L for the letter margins and control P for progress note margins. I'd really appreciate any help

scary echo techs - Posted By: barbie

doc says "However, the patient was terminated by technician who felt the patient was becoming diaphoretic and having his symptomatology associated with shortness of breath."

scribe types "However, the study was terminated by the technician who felt the patient was becoming diaphoretic and having symptoms associated with shortness of breath."

This has never happend to me before, need advice! sm - Posted By: gracie

What do you guys do when you don't get paid? I am an IC and the company I work for is a month late paying me and won't answer my e-mails or phone calls. I am ready to scream! What can I do?

Thanks

Medical Dictation Transcription Company - Posted By: Laura

Is anyone familiar with the transcription company Medical Dictation or know anything about them?

Need equipment to help clarify dictation whether it be better speakers, etc. tried Speech adust a t - Posted By: lamt

nm

CABG for grocery list - Posted By: Guess I'm an MT

Yesterday when making up grocery list I wrote CABG for cabbage and it was not on purpose!

RATES PER GROSS LINE - Posted By: c. jackson

WHAT IS THE GOING RATE (GROSS LINE) FOR TRANSCRIPTION AT HOME. I AM SETTING UP MY 1ST CLIENT A DOC IN UROLOGY.

changes in DQS line count..sm - Posted By: dummi

Apparently, now the ASR count is included in the "transcription" count. As of yesterday, I had to
look under "correction" to see ASR count and as of today, there is no "correction" listed. Hmmm.

would you type chem-20 or - Posted By: me

chemistry-20, if dictated chem-20?

Interesting article about EMR - Posted By: SM

August 9, 2006 - EMR has revolutionized the healthcare industry in recent times. Many experts felt that EMR & Voice Recognition would totally replace Medical Transcription - however; the industry soon realized that transcription has certain advantages over point & click charting and many physicians preferred to dictate notes rather than document the data at the point of care themselves.

The most critical part of any Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is the method of data entry. EMR is about aggregation of patient encounter data at the point of care in order to provide a complete, accurate, and timely view of patient information. An electronic medical record is not just a typed record of the patient encounter, but an extremely useful decision support tool. The data can be entered into the EMR via any of the two general mechanisms: direct entry by the physician using point and click templates or transcription of dictated notes. Point and click template indicates that each data element, which is to be inserted, requires selection, navigation, point and click process for capturing patient information.

Transcriptions have been around for years for documenting patient encounters. A medical provider dictates the medical note into a phone or a recording device. The Transcriptionist receives the dictation and transcribes it. It may be reviewed by the supervisor for checking errors. The final computerized file is then either emailed directly to the healthcare provider or the file is transferred to a web site and is later downloaded by the provider.

Each method has its pros and cons.
Point and Click Templates
Most EMR systems allow providers to generate clinical documentation, by selecting variable terms from pre-structured point-and-click templates. Users simply point and click to select appropriate choices from lists of choices to record a patient encounter. The end result would be a document that closely resembles a transcribed procedure note.

Advantages
Completely customizable templates. The doctor can specify the layout of the template, which helps him to adjust the template as per his practice & procedure.
�    Provide consistent, complete and accurate data. The chances of medical erros are reduced since the data is documented in customised forms.
�    Notes for similar type of exams will appear to be standard and similar
�    Store / organize data for subsequent retrieval.
�    Each click adds data elements to the database. Point-and-click systems create data that can be used to generate clinically useful reports, such as health maintenance reminders, disease management etc.
�    One of the major advantages of template based charting is the time needed to make the document available as a medical record. Since notes are created within the EMR, they are available immediately upon completion.

Disadvantages
�    It takes more time, and definitely more concentration for a physician to navigate through large data set and create progress notes using point and click templates.
�    Templates must be customized as per the physician�s requirement. Customization can be inflexible and costly.
�    Well accepted by only tech-savvy doctors.
�    The approach of direct data entry by the physician has generally failed because busy providers reject it altogether.
�    Output from these templates is too canned and identical. It loses individuality for each patient.
�    It is difficult for a provider to capture complete patient encounter on computer in front of a patient.

Medical Transcription
Transcription has long been the standard for documenting patient encounters. It is more convenient for a provider as compared to handwritten notes or electronic data entry. There are many advantages of transcription in comparison to point and click charting. There are a few disadvantages as well.

Advantages

�    Corresponds intuitively to the physician's usual method of working. Dictation remains the most intuitive and least time-consuming means of data entry.
�    Physicians can dictate anytime, anywhere using PDA, Dictaphone or telephone at their convenience.
�    Providers need not change the way they practice just to accommodate an EMR. EMR can interact with transcription service so that transcriptions can be attached directly into the patient�s electronic medical record, if such a facility is provided by the EMR vendor.
�    It requires minimal training for physicians.
�    Provides expressive power to describe patient�s condition and other health related events.

Disadvantages
�   Details of the exam can easily be forgotten and omitted while dictating, if dictation is not captured immediately at the point of care
�   It cannot be queried for generating reports unless transcribed in pre-formatted templates
�   Transcribed reports are not immediately accessible. Physicians would normally have to wait for 12 to 24 hours for charts to be delivered, unless few vendors supporting 2-4 hours short turn around time.
�   Transcription provides for more efficient use of doctor's time.
�   Although average transcribed report costs $2 to $4, it can reduce the doctor's time spent on data entry. Considering the value of doctor�s time, transcription is not a costly proposition.

EMR should give the freedom to the physician to decide to use either Point & Click or Medical Transcription. For a physician, the EMR that fits into his practice workflow would be invaluable. A competent EMR must have a template driven charting feature and the ability to interact with a transcription service at the same time. Both are indispensable features of Electronic Medical Record Software, as doctors are not unanimous on point and click charting or transcription. Such an EMR will be both efficient and cost effective.

The trends in transcription itself are changing with Medical Transcription service providers aiming to adopt new technologies. These technologies will evolve to increase efficiency & accuracy, decrease turnaround time and support data capture. While many of these technologies like such as digital dictation and electronic signature exist today, several technologies are still on the horizon.

Question about selling used Stedman's - Posted By: electronic word books

I was hoping someone here could help me out. I was thinking about selling 2 of my electronic word books since I don't use them any more and was wondering if I have to call them about the whole licensing thing and get that taken care of...or can I just sell them right out?

Thanks!

I just bought a new electric can opener at Wally World - Posted By: laughing

and, get this, it comes with a "Users Manual."

This is the el cheapo $6.74 can opener and I'm thinking "hmmm, am I missing something here?"

My take on this is that if you don't know how to plug in and use a $6.74 electric can opener, there is a very good chance that you probably can't read to start off with.

It's 4 pages!

HOW TO USE: (Page 3)

1. Raise lever, place can under the guide bar and against the geared wheel (See DIagram A to identify parts)

2. Press down on lever to pierce lid of can (Daigram B). This automatically starts thye cutting action. the can opener will continue to cut until the lid is completely severed from the can.

3 Grasp the can, then raise the lever to release the can.

4. Carefully slide the lid away from the magnet, using caution to avoid being injured by the sharp edge of the lid.

I'm sure they do this so some stupid bozo won't sue the company because they weren't instructed on proper use of the can opener.

Bayscribe tips? Anyone? - Posted By: ima

I imported my MSW AutoCorrect file into Bayscribe but a lot of it will not work. For instance, in MSW I use YO as the expansion for -year-old, but this now will not work after a number nor will YO work after a number followed by a hyphen either. Seems it only will work after a space. Any idea how to design an expansion that will work after a number or hyphen without a space in between?

Also, all the capitalizations I built in for headers get reversed to lower case when I follow them with a colon and I have resigned myself to having to re-enter all of those. Any Bayscribe experts who can shed some light?

So, is the company in the discussion below - Posted By: wondering

that is going to VR and dropping the rate from 10cpl to 3cpl MDI-MD? I am dying to know what they are going to be paying for VR. If they are dropping the rate that much, with their stellar reputation for caring about their transcriptionists, perhaps all hope is lost.

Can somebody please spill the beans!

OP notes - Posted By: Lori

Any good sites for OP notes?

thanks Lori

DocQscribe update-help - Posted By: nannette kessler

We just updated to 5.13 version of docQscribe..and now I can't connect--I turned autoprotect in norton off--and it still says 'docQscribe cannot connect' when I try signing on...HELP!

DD is a 1st grade teacher, and is ready to throw in the towel - Posted By: venting for my daughter

already - not because of the kids, but because of the interferring parents (mothers) who cannot bear to let "little Suzie" out of the nest, cuz, you know, she is my baby, so I want to be with her as much as I can. She thinks these mothers cause more harm psychologically for the kids that anyone realizes. They lose coping skills, other kids make fun of them for being a big baby, and they lose all identity. Can't these mothers get a life away from the kid's school? She has 3 or 4 that think they know everything and are constantly interrupting her to "correct" her way of teaching. She is not a new teacher, has been teaching for over 10 years now and is rated one of the top teachers in this area.

Seeking accounts (sm) - Posted By: midwestMT

Edited by Moderator.

We do not allow employment/client-seeking posts.

QA/Medical Word of the Day - Posted By: NightOwl

Bezoar: Taken from Wikipedia:

bezoar is a mass found trapped in the gastrointestinal system (usually the stomach),[1] though they can occur in other locations.[2][3]

There are several varieties of bezoar, some of which have inorganic constituents and others organic.

Instant Text to Shorthand question... - Posted By: Shortcut MT

I just accepted a job with a company that supplies the ShortHand program and has a platform that is not compatible with Instant Text. Is there any way to convert my IT entries into SH? The tech guy said he's tried to no avail. I literally have years of Expanders built into IT and the thought of starting from scratch makes me want to

I'm getting another flashdrive and guessing who is on it - Posted By: Lisa

Okay, last Thanksgiving weekend, my new doctor gave me a flashdrive and I did all the patients, and then she told me nine of them had been done, how did I want to handle that? You all were very kind in giving advice. This was after a girl walked away and left them not knowing up or down on who is done and who is not.

Today, she called me and asked me questions about dates and patients. She said she is busy and doesn't really have time to see what is actually on the flashdrives. We're meeting in the morning and she is going to give me another one (or two or three). Should I volunteer to listen and make a patient list, or should I tell her I will type all the patients and expect to be paid for them. I don't want to spend my time listening and not getting paid, honestly. But then I want to try and hold onto this job, having just got laid off from an office with more than one physician (thanks to Cbay). You guys are experts and thank you.

Has anyone used acai berry? See message. - Posted By: Pokey

A friend just told me about it and swears by it. It is from Mona-Vie and contains a gazilliion types of fruit juices as well as acai berry juice from Amazon Rainforest. It is supposed to help with blood pressure and other ailments and make you lots more energetic. It is fairly expensive, too, so I just wanted to hear if anyone else has any experience with it before I buy some. Thanks in advance.