another voice in agreement with yours...
Posted By: MTgal on 2007-09-05
In Reply to: the downward spiral of the MT - time to get out
I've been doing this 13 years, some of it as a QA Editor (the only time I've ever heard of being promoted to a "higher position" yet making significantly less money...)and I agree with all of the above. My favorite is when you put in for a raise and get ignored, time and again, even though you are called a high producer and put on difficult accounts because you "do so well on them". Also, voice recognition is going to destroy this profession entirely probably sooner than later. It's all changing completely. I finally decided I'd had enough and went back to college a couple years ago to change professions entirely. In a year and a half, I'll have my new degree and be done with MT forever and it will probably be the happiest day of my life.
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Should be voice to voice (talking), not transcribing. nm
nm
I am in agreement with you. sm
I haven't seen the word type ever, either. I use the hyphen non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Am in 100% agreement with you...
this is what I have been talking about. This is a job and should be treated as such and not just a vehicle for you to be able to stay home. Thanks for the good post. Most of the MTs answering are really, really touchy about this because they are the ones trying to be supermom, wanting to put all else before their job and then wondering why falling short in pay, time to actually work, etc. I have never said not to love your family- you just really need to have a separation of work and family.
I am in agreement.
I doubt anyone is working for a national making that kind of money the OP asks about. You need to cut out the middle man, take the initiative, and gain some accounts for yourself unless of course, you don't want to leave the house and don't want the responsibility of doing just that. It does take more than just sitting at the computer to gain accounts. JMO. I have my own accounts, not large, and I'm not an MTSO, but I'm making $35,000.00 a year, and I don't work that hard, but I do have many, many years of experience. The accounts I have were through the docs watching me transcribe on-site and being impressed and I'm not patting myself on the back, but I do believe being on-site for awhile can do wonders for your career. 
total agreement with you - sm
I myself am in favor of trying to find out which hospitals outsource the work to India and then writing letters to the local newspapers as "letter to the editor" kind of thing to let the residents of the area know that their medical records are being sent out to India. But that's just my opinion.
do NOT sign any such agreement
x
I'm in total agreement with you.....sm
Do not kill them....unless poisonous or unless they strike! They can be caught and released or given to someone or some group who specializes in handling snakes.
Killing is the coward's way out...killing something that you are 10 to 100+ times bigger than......unless of course it's about to strike or is poisonous!
non-compete agreement
GA girl, where are you? Do you have experience with a n.c. agreement in GA?
non-compete agreement
I read the posts below about the n.c. agreement and wonder if you have any knowledge of them. Any info is appreciated. Thanks.
Exactly, a mutual agreement...sm
Where you find someone you can trust to do quality work and help each other out.
As I am preparing to go out on my own also, here's what I was thinking. (Now this is just a thought.)
You tell your prospect up front in the agreement stages of obtaining the account that on the rare occassion that you need to take time off - i.e., vacations, etc., that you will type the most important charts, up to a limited amount of charts, during that timeframe.
I thought I would take a laptop with me (yes, even on vacation) and type 1 hour or so.
Then, when you return, you will have the backlog typed in xxx amount of days at xxx discounted charge.
Just a thought. I'm also trying to network with local Independent Contractors to work out a mutually beneficial relationship with them.
You need to consider formalizing your agreement with them. sm
You don't sound like an IC to me but more like an employee. I would suggest that you clarify your status with this office by way of a contract that states the services you offer and what your charge is for your service. This should include the definition of a line and your per-line rate. Then, if they increase production, you increase your income, and it shouldn't really matter to you if it's thank-you letters or patient notes as long as you're getting paid. This also allows you to outline exactly what you are willing to do for this office. As a compromise, you may want to consider stating that you will supply a missing patient list at the end of each day. Then, stick to it.
This office sounds like it needs a REAL office manager and not the doctor's wife who fills in or a manager who apparently doesn't know how to manage her own job.
Good luck!
I am in total agreement with
I also have many, many years of experience and find it hard to believe that the pay is only 7 cpl when in fact you must have a lot of experience and learn new platforms, accounts, etc. Production suffers initially, and then all of a sudden these MTSOs want to switch you to another account, which makes it almost impossible to make a decent living at 7 cpl. 
Here's a wry smile of agreement instead. NM
NM
Confidentiality Agreement
Does anyone have a generic confidentiality agreement that they use for their clients. I have new doc, and I don't have any agreement in my file. I have signed theirs, but do not have one to offer the new doc. Anybody have one or know where I can find one? Thanks so much.
Confidentiality Agreement
There was an Agreement of Confidentialty that was posted on 05/20/09 by DeeAnn. that was really good. Hope this helps.
I just checked my employment agreement and...
it only says you have to return the equipment, it doesn't say who pays for it. Should I just shut my mouth and pay for it so they don't hold my last check for ransom?
The scope of the agreement is much broader
It gives them the right to look at ANY document on your computer, any email you have sent. They want to see who you communicate with, what you say to whom. They want to manage what information about the company is sent out on message boards or anywhere on the internet. They want to restrict any negative comment about the company from being posted anywhere on the internet or in private email.
I am in total agreement with what you have written
This job was quite enjoyable in my younger years and while it sounds like pay was low back in the 1980s, the cost of living was low as well.
Another 4-5 years of serious studying and I could have possibly obtained a degree in an area which had better job security, had a future I could count on and didn't require 50-60 hours of week of work to bring home 50G.
Plus, at 48, my hips, hands, hearing, have taken a beating that I am not really being compensated for, most jobs after 20 yrs, land a person into a supervisory position of some sort that allow the worker to teach what they know, and yes, to relax somehat and let the young and spunky ones keep up the grueling schedules.
So, in retrospect, I would have gotten student loans, applied for grants, did what I had to in order to acquire a higher education (I wanted to be a doctor).
You should have signed a confidentiality agreement which allows you to type this unless-
you do not feel comfortable typing it, in which case I would ask my supe to reassign it.
part of the agreement is to not portray the company in a
.
I'm in TOTAL agreement with you, I just hope they don't retaliate.
x
This is not illegal in most states. Sometimes it's in the divorce agreement.
nm
Try calling back about a payment agreement.
deal with compared to my state department of revenue! I owed taxes over $10,000 in taxes two years in a row to the IRS, so over $20,000, and they let me make payments on it and I got it paid off. I also got the INTENT TO LEVY notices, but when I called and set up a payment agreement they stopped with the threats.
Right now I owe the IRS about $5000 and when I called to set up payments I asked them if I could make payments of $150 a month and they accepted that without question. I was a little afraid to suggest such a small amount, but they took it.
Now my state department of revenue is much meaner than the IRS. They told me to pay what I owe them in six months or else. They put a lien on my house. They will only accept payments if I take the total and divide by 6 and pay that amount each month (impossible for me to pay that much) so I am just in a holding pattern seeing if they are bluffing or if they really are going to do something.
I'd say if you really have nothing of value the IRS can get, then it is to their advantage to work with you. I think you just got a bad agent. Call back and try to get another one that will work with you.
Despite having just read the Subscriber Agreement, Section #10...
Re: Limited warranty on Equipment (stars); their legal people pretty much covered their ass. However, based on my experience with IPs, if you keep plugging away (it may takes months), eventually they will tire, thus removing said charges. Again, be prepared for a long battle and make sure to document everything, and I do mean everything. Please keep me posted.
Our agreement with our clients regarding referring physician names
When we accept a new client, we request a listing of all referring physicians and their addresses. We enter those names and addresses into our address database which can be accessed by the MT at any time while transcribing the report. They can search by first name, last name, partial name, city or state. We also instruct the physicians/dictators (and their staff) to SPELL physician names if they have not been provided on the initial list. If the dictator dictates a name not found in the database or does not spell a name, the MT has permission to leave a blank (or spell phonetically with a flag for the dictators staff). Our clients print their own work and can make changes/corrections to documents at their end. Therefore, it is THEIR responsibility to fill in the blanks if the dictator uses a name not provided or if he/she does not spell the name. QA staff does not have TIME to look up addresses, and in my opinion, doing so would be a huge waste of our skill. We edit hundreds of reports daily and if we had to research names and addresses in each report, we would never meet our turn-around time agreement. Additionally, we have a customer service department at our home office who can assist MTs with issues such as this. Check with your supervisor/QA staff to confirm what your company policy is regarding names and addresses. Perhaps blanks are acceptable for physician names. As we all know, even if the dictator dictates John Smith, it's possible the name is spelled Jon Smythe. There is no possible way for you to know that; therefore, it should be the CLIENT'S responsibility to confirm the spelling and add the address.
when you work for a national, you sign a confidentiality agreement...?
the same rules would apply, and you must have signed a confidentiality agreement with whomever you work for. you can be fired, if breached.
my opinion, as a professional, you transcribe it and mums the word...
when I worked in a hospital, someone was caught 'sharing' information about the CEO from a transcription report, and was fired on the spot.
It's a written rule in some companies confidentiality agreement.
I know my company has it as a written rule so it just is not good business. I would think an MT would know this
In total agreement, Chris and ManDIVA rule, Taylor
Does this mean you don't have a business associate contract/agreement in place with your doctors
nm
STAPLES is now carrying Dell PCs, laptops, exclusive retail agreement. nm
Paradox
Thank you: We need a voice...(nm)
c
voice rec
Hi,
I use it for my docs who get real wordy in history and physicals......it is accurate to a point, but you have to really proof it.
Cindi
Voice
recognition...
Voice recognition
There's an ad on Mtjobs.com for editors for a voice recognition account. The company is called Focus Infomatics.
Voice recognition?
Hello, new to these boards and I have a question.
Is there a voice recognition software that will work for medical reports? I'm not sure how it would work, if it would actually translate the speech directly from the dictation you are listening to on your computer, or if you'd have to listen and speak it at the same time for the software to translate it?
I've been doing MT for about 3 years now and I'm developing hand/wrist pain, and I'm afraid my time in this profession may be running out. I really love this work and I'm hoping to find a way to make it work.
Dee
Voice recognition
Naturally Speaking v.8 works great if,
The digital voice recorder can deliver at 44.1 khz. However, these are .wma files and are HUGE!
The user takes the time to teach the software the nuances of his/her voice. This takes weeks.
The user knows how to punctuate. There are a lot of smart people that don't know where the hypen goes.
The user uses standard dictation commands ie. full stop, new paragraph ect.
If not, you end up with a blob if inaccurate info that's going to the MT for clean up.
If so, you end up with a relatively accurate doc that still should go to a MT for proofing.
IMHO, there's a lot of speech recognition software on shelves all around the world.
Brad
That too has now gone to voice recognition
f
Does anyone use voice recognition to help them do their job?
Voice Recognition
After hearing about it for years, I finally did my first VR work a few days ago. My fellow MTs, I think we have nothing to fear from this technology. It will take years, probably a generation, before it is perfected enough to replace us. I actually found it rather entertaining to edit - it just prints out exactly what it hears phonetically, including the instructions - "Go back up and add...."
I think they should show some Voc Rec printouts and transcribed reports of the same dictations at all Medical Staff Meetings so dictators can see just what we do in our job.
Voice recognition
...I agree with your post Desertflour, but for a different reason. Medical language specialists should keep statistical analysis of what VR types and present it to administrators to show how much they are foolishly throwing their money away! By the time the MLS edits and corrects, it is almost like retying. Where's the savings?
Voice Recognition
I've done voice recognition in the Radiology department for a hospital for two years. I wasn't there when they first started using it, but I'm told the goal was for them to have only one Transcriptionist (editor). We're fully staffed now (actually today was my last day there - I'm working at MQ now) and let me tell you, those docs are not even close to being ready to solve their own problems and self correct. There is only one doc out of 17 that self corrects, and his reports don't look good at all.
I'm not saying it'll never happen, but I think we're going to be needed for awhile.
Voice Transcription
Voice Transcription is the company that I've been having trouble getting paid. Is this the same as you? I sure hope not, as I still have some hope that she'll get around to paying me.
voice recognition
Could somebody tell me about voice recognition as far as transcriptionists using it? How does that work? I'm really interested. I know that several years ago it was the talk, but I think everybody found out it was not very good or easy to train. Are transcriptionists now using it to transcribe dictation? and how do they do this?
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition (VR) software does require some change in discipline for the dictator. However, today's VR programs are much more intelligent than in years past (and not too past, either).
The key to successful VR is the "training" of the software for a particular user. Once that's done, the software can do a 95%+ job in accuracy. And, after correcting any errors, the software gets even more accurate.
I'm a speaker this weekend at the San Diego AAMT chapter meeting. I'm giving a talk on how VR can be used to make MT's more efficient. I think it's time more MT's took a serious look at letting VR help them get more work done more quickly. I have 3 MT's in my family, so it's not just the salesman in me speaking - I truly think you could get ahead of the game and negate your doctor's switching on their own ("Hey, Doc, I'm already using VR, so you don't have to go through the hassle"). And Dr.'s don't have time to be fooling around with software, training, corrections, etc.
Just my two cents.
Bret Williams
NovuScript
Voice Recognition
We're moving to use Packet8 VoIP service. We've been studying VoIP solutions for some time now, and I think they have the best program (we'll see when we begin testing it soon). Their calls use less bandwidth than Vonage, which we like. As for back-up phone lines, you can configure the Packet8 system to route calls to your cell phone (or another land line) if your Internet connection goes down. We like that feature particularly. We're on a fixed-price LD plan with SBC right now, so the LD savings aren't much, but for our toll-free line, we stand to save a bundle!
It is voice recognition...probably 2.5 cpl.
You edit what the system/computer puts out which could sometimes be nearly the entire thing for that amount per line! No fun!
Voice Recog
If anyone has a VRS would you let me know if it's worth the money and time? I had Dragon a year or two after it came out and was not too happy with it. I just wonder if there have been improvements. I probably won't use it for med trans but have an idea to use it for data entry which I also do. Thanks!
Yes, it was bad, but they can take an every horrible voice
and make it better in a recording. She does not have a horrible voice, just not the strong voice that she THINKS she has. It will be a lot better when released on a DVD, just watch and see.
TAYLOR ALL THE WAY TO WIN!!!
voice recognition just got
Some people have asked if it was possible to install Dragon on their system and then play the physician's dictation into the microphone. (wouldn't that be nice?) Well, things have moved that much closer to this happening.
There is a product called TranscriptionAID, which is sold by TranscriptionGear (click on link below). It is used in conjunction with DNS. I think the article is fairly self-explanatory.
Voice recognition
I tried it years ago and it was a joke. I'm sure the technology has improved so I would like to know too. I may have to look at it again.
EHR and voice recognition
I don't know about the EHR part, but I know the voice recognition part is not true. Many doctors still do not like voice recognition from previous years when it was introduced, and many will never be able to use it. Dictating so that it is understood by a computer program is a skill that many doctors will never have (or take the time to develop).
Also, even if everyone did go to voice recognition, the work would still need to be edited. I have used voice recognition in my work, and it takes a long time to train, and even then it gets confused because it cannot 'think.' It also makes many errors that are hard to catch without very diligent proofreading.
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