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I need sample dictations with their final notes.

Posted By: philips on 2005-10-27
In Reply to:

Hi,

Can someone suggest me a place to find a few sample dictations with their final notes, so that I could evaluate myself?

thanks

philips




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I love it. Expander is built into it, as are site notes, sample reports,splchk. nm
x
May be she's getting 100% ESL dictations
You sound like someone receiving the remaining 25% of the non-ESL dictations on the 75% ESL accounts.

There is a possibility that on the 75% ESL accounts, she is getting all the 75% of the ESL dictations (courtesy of the special-assigning of jobs department), which makes her ESL percentage 100%. Ever thought of that?

Poor dictations
Many companies seem to be going to voice recognition. The only reports they have to send to us, then, are the poor dictators, the ESL's, etc. Time for a new career.
DECENT DICTATIONS...sm
It's known as electronic cherry-picking by the Leads .. as the company claims not to outsource work.  There have been 1 or 2 who are very adept at this.  After 3 years with the company, I know generally the makeup, percentage-wise, of good, mediocre, ESL and dictators who just plain s**ck.  So when I get almost a whole shift of crap that takes me 3 times longer to produce, well, figure it out.  There is 1 lead in particular who likes to pick out the good dictators right out of my queue and replace them with garbage.  I have actually called her attention to this on more than 1 occasion.  I'm no tattletale, but this is my living, and my next e-mail will be cc'd to mgmt and all the Suits I can think of.  The Leads are literally taking food out of our childrens' mouths.  
The other poster is right about a sample

I used to transcribe SS Disability cases for a friend/attorney and they were gastly. They took place in a room with high ceilings (guessing here) and the echo and muffled conversations were so bad, it would take me forever to do them.


He wanted the transcripts done with Q: (question) and A: (answer) with double space in-between. Made half decent money but it wasn't worth my time. Thanks heavens, my transcriber went on the blink. It was the older larger tapes he used, and I only had that transcriber for his work. I never bought another one, so could never do his work again. LOL


sample reports

Does Transtech have sample reports and normals to go with all those ESL docs?


sample reports
You can look up a doc's previous reports to help you understand him or her. You can also send reports to QA and then look at their corrections or filling in of your blanks until you get used to the docs. I've been doing this for 25 years. You will never get away from doing ESL dictation. Acceptance helps a lot.
Thanks for the replies, everyone . . . I wish there was a way to just sample how VR is done before
taking on an actual job doing it - I wish I could try it out to see what I was in for:)
I've tried just a couple but one bad one is enough. Here is just a sample..

MDI-FL, TransHealth, Precyse, Focus Infomatics... and I just started doing this at-home thing for a little over a year. What a bad deal.. I've been turned down by Spheris and Wedmedx because I did not meet their qualifications, although I have been doing this for 13 years with approximately five in acute care so go figure. I have worked for hospitals locally etc.. I thought working at home would be a good change..NOT.. what a nightmare, terrible supervisors, benefits, low pay, disorganization and much, much more. I may have to go back to the hospitals.


Not my experience. I've gotten real dictations sm
from real dictators.
Conference dictations are generally extremely sm
tedious as the voice quality is awful. Consider that when I was in college back in 1970 I made $1.50 a page straight typing from text. You'll be transcribing, not straight typing, a conference or interview.
It they are 20-minute dictations with lots of blanks,
nm
Can anyone tell me where I can get my hands on sample radiology dictation as well as tell me what
companies would hire someone with no radiology experience.  I really want to go into that particular specialty.  Is the equipment for this field any different than acute care transcription or any other specialty?  What is typically the pay for this specialty?  How much training should I put myself through in order to get hired?  Any and all information would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!
(sorry) I guess I got cut off. Anyway, there are sample brochures there you can use. You will stil
There are also sample contracts there for you to review. It took me about 3-4 months of research before I could even start buying equiptment. Everybody is willing to pick up tapes, you have to offer a little more to be able to get your foot in the door, or at least I did. Check out the technical and equipment boards. There are some discussions about converting from tapes to digital. There is also some good information about line counting software. Check the archives. Again, research, research, and reseach some more. I have a notebook set aside with all of my info. There is also a very good book, The Independent Medical Transcriptionist. You can get it really cheap on Amazon. I thought it was very helpful.


Good luck, (unless you are trying to get business in my area...HA, HA).
and the scariest thing is - doctors seldom if ever look at their dictations -
assume it is okay - it had been in the past.  They are not aware of any changes. It's not only a cost issue - it is pure ignorance.
Insist on sample of prior reports, lots of them. Then when you see it, sm
you will say, Oh, so that is what he is saying.  Then, put it in your expander.  Phrases work the best for me, not normals.  Phrases in the Expander for what each item these guys use.  But you need to see lots of samples of prior reports.
Do they provide sample documents? If so, it may be worth a shot. nm
x
Yes, if you did really well on the CareerStep final.
.
Ok, here is my final suggestion

would someone please apply and then post here what they REALLY meant.  For 16 or 18 cpl, I could QUICKLY become a RAD MT with or without experience (everything is relative, you know).  And if they upped it to 20 cpl, i would even take my C-phone and internet connection to Yorba Linda and work there!


So, I will be sitting by my IE just waiting to click on my MTStars link, click on Company Board, and find out that I can soon be making THE BIG BUCKS doing radiology transcription. 


But let's just keep this between us, just IN CASE they only have 3 or 4 positions open, ok?  Deal or No Deal?????



 


Test dictations are often bogus and not true voice files from the company. Need to ask. nm
s
There were post on another board about test dictations violating HIPAA regs. sm
Some people seemed to think they were using actual dictations, with actual patient info, in their test dictations.  I would leave them alone, way alone.
Final opinions about job offers
I have been offered as I stated below 2 positions as this point, one with Transcend and one with Softscript.  Both have been very nice and responsive, and SoftScript has been very organized about sending sign-on papers and handbooks, etc.  I also have the option since I only work part-time and have never run out of work of staying with the Q, but not being able to get a straight answer as to whether or not we will have jobs down the road.  Softscript's pay is comparable and even slightly more than what I'm making now, and Transcend's is less, but that's okay if I'm going to have a job down the road.  I have to make a final decision by tonight or tomorrow.  Thanks everyone!!!
The physician makes the final

We are transcriptionists, not physicians.  We don't make any calls.  We transcribe what we hear, and they read the report and sign off.  It's that simple.  It always has been that simple.


No one here deserves the salary of anything more than what they get or make production wise.


Do you really think these MTSOs are charging a million dollars or what?  They make money by bidding accounts and then sub the work out whether that be by hiring employees or by contracting with an IC. 


I don't know where people come up with this idea that we are the bread and butter of these companies.  We are the worker bees.  Do a good job and you'll make some money.  I make twice as much now working from home than I did hourly with benefits and the benefits were crap.


I can set my own tone.  I transcribe to the best of my ability but by darn it if I can't understand what the dictator says, I leave a blank, and they fill it in.  That's what transcription is about. 


Yes, I did e-mail Lee. Im still waiting for a final response. nm
nm
I meant I am the only one that is getting a final warning for not making
/
Do you get paid for grosses, then again for the final pathology? sm
x
IRS is the final arbiter on this unless their ruling is taken to Tax Court

Below, you'll the link to the IRS page on this question. Paste it your browser.  Or, follow the link at the bottom of the post.


As companies exert more and more control over the work, it gets harder and harder to see how most of them can take advantage of hiring people as ICs.  I think the IRS has taken their eye off this ball in recent years.


One thing of SPECIAL NOTE: On this page you will find a link to a form called SS-8, which EITHER the company or the worker can file with the IRS for an official determination of your status.


It can take awhile to get this back, but in the meantime, if you're an IC you might want to ask your company whether they have filed an SS-8 for this determination, as the IRS recommends companies that use IC's file this form.


http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99921,00.html


Lawsuits? YOU are responsible for final product, sm
VR doesn't claim to put out a perfect product and never will.
No, the MTSO is responsible for the final product,
and when they give you a garbage platform and force you to fly through reports to make minimum wage, it's too easy to make mistakes. They know this & don't care, and THEY are responsible for the product they are selling. If your brand new Toyota explodes, you don't sue the assembly guy, you sue Toyota... so bwahaha to the MTSO.
I can't wait to make the final decision today!!!
I am sooooo tired!!!! This is exhausting. LOL I know SoftScript was very organized and already has me ready to go with signs and everything, but am still a little leary of them as far as rigidity and strictness. Transcend seemed a little more flexible, not that you don't have to follow your schedule, but they give you 90 days to get up to speed and Softscript only 30.
I have never heard of that....always waited until regular pay day to receive final check.
Any company I have resigned my position from, I just received my final check like usual on the regular pay date scheduled. No big deal, it was always in my bank when it was supposed to be.

I was told this morning that it is in the works, final paperwork signed last Friday. sm
My single coverage is only $184 a month. I do not know where you heard over $500.
I gave notice and was told had to work final weeks in order to be eligible for rehire. Had no
:[
Why do you think there are so many notes SM
on this board pertaining to how long it takes to get a decent line count?

They will tell you it is a 65 character line. It is not. As stated, more like 75-80. There are ways to work with it, make tons of macros, etc. But it is tough.
I only wish I had ER or OP notes, mostly
consults, discharge summaries, H&Ps and the occasional progress notes. I've been at this for almost 20 years though.
op notes
I do acute care which includes a pretty good many op notes but there are other work types too. I dont know if you are looking strictly for only op notes. I work for Alphamed solutions who is currently hiring. I have DSL. I believe it is required. There is usually plenty of work on my account. I hardly ever get on and no work. Rare. I work on the Dictaphone Extext with Transnet. But they also have other platforms. I hope I was of help.
ERS/OP NOTES
Does anyone remember seeing the job posting for someone to do ERs and op notes?  What company was it?  I cannot find it.
Can't you do everything but op notes?
H&P reports and consultations are similar whether acute care or clinic work. Discharge summaries aren't that difficult either for someone coming from clinic work. I agree that the op notes will take lots of time to learn. So why not ask if you could just do H&P reports for a while and then consultations, and then discharge summaries and maybe later on the op notes? I just received the opportunity to do discharge summaries after having only clinic work experience, and what I like the most is that this offers the opportunity to expand my knowledge because I get to transcribe reports in so many specialties. I understand that you are mad at the recruiter and somewhat unhappy because of computer issues, which means there are several things going on here. First you might want to figure out whether you want to stay with them or move on. If you like working for Precyse, then I would try to find a solution as mentioned above. If you do not like working for them, then it would be best to move on.
PO/OT notes
I agree. Not only are they boring, good grammar is lacking on many of them; they slur through the reports and don't seem to have any continuity of thought or format. I had one very good dictator the other day; I could have kissed her! Otherwise, I don't consider those medical reports, just a mess of words on a page. This is from my experience. You can also nix about 50% of the psych dictators. Just my take on this.
Vet notes

The trend has always been that vets handwrite their own reports in order to save on costs, but that may be changing now that they are hearing other vet groups are using transcription services?  The company I work for only types veterinary ophthalmology reports, along with a few simple op reports.  The ophthalmology terms and medications are pretty much the same as those for humans, but the reports can be a lot more interesting at times, since the animals don't always cooperate!  Once you are comfortable with the terminology the doctors use on a regular basis and the company guidelines as to how the reports should be formatted, the work is a breeze!


soap notes
Does anyone know of a company that does strictly SOAP notes?
If you like doing chart notes at 7 cpl! (nm)
xx
After reading the below notes sm
After the below notes, along with things posted here in the past, I'm truly beginning to believe it has something to do with who is your supervisor/QA.  I have been there for a number of years, have been very happy and still am; however, I have heard a few things about other supervisors that makes me believe I am one of the lucky ones.  Sad, but I believe it is true.  I believe Amphion's management reads these posts once in a while.  Maybe they'll give this some thought.   
Surgical Notes
This is a company based in Dallas, Texas. They do surgery centers. QA staff are just ordinary clerks--not transcriptionists. There is a lot of orthopedic, plastic surgery, ENT, and GI surgery. Any work up to 5 p.m. is due by the next day--usually by 9 or 10 a.m. This is for weekdays M-T. Friday's work up to 5 p.m. is due back Monday. After 5 and Sat and Sun due back Tue. Pay is always on time and is very good, 0.09 to 0.12 cents a line.
Why do you prefer OP notes? nm

+++


progress notes
My company, XXX, has been out of work quite a lot lately and their only explanation is you know how it is during the off-season but the off-season now has been pretty much all of this year. My question is are MTs now all paid the same way for notes as opposed to reports. I distinctly remember that MTs who did progress notes and ER notes were generally paid differently because the notes were so short it was next to impossible to get an adequate line count. I feel like I am getting shafted because I am reduced to doing progress notes on a daily basis and I am generally spending 10 hours a day just to make my 1100 lines. Keep in mind that these are still ESL doctors who either don't know or don't care about putting in demographics so that too still has to be looked up and in the end I may get 5 lines per report. I understand that things do change but if its gotten to this point then maybe I need to be the one to make the change.
No ESL docs, no op notes (as far as I know) SM

They are mainly consults, soap notes, some radiology.  You use their templates and get paid for headers/footers.


I don't know if everyone makes the same, but I make 8 cpl (55 characters per line) without spaces.  I compared it to the normal 65 characters per line with spaces, and it is equivalent to 8 cents per line with spaces.  So, not too bad...just average I guess. 


But the dictators are really clear and there are a lot of samples.  I think the work is pretty easy.  I think it makes a really good p.r.n. position. 


Good luck with whatever you decide to do. :)


Chickadee


Op notes exclusively

Try Deventure.


 


Surgical Notes
Yes-- I worked for them indirectly. I subcontracted to a contracting MTSO. Their virtual private network is just horrible. It is slow and you get kicked off frequently. I know of MTs who worked an entire week and only made $10.00 because of the system. They have an FTP site system that I loved. You could just download the voice file and type in Word then return it; however, when they changed over to this new program everything went down hill very quickly. My doctors were not happy with it either. SN raised the rates, went to this system -- by the way you need to buy a 15-pin pedal and forget any tech help. When I was there it was also lacking. Anyway my doctors took their accounts and walked away. I ended up leaving for that and other reasons. I haven't worked indirectly for them since July of 2006.
Surgical Notes
I should also add when I was working for them indirectly, for several English was second language.
My notes from the meeting - s/m
Apparently Acusis started in India, not the US. It's not very old - only 6 years. The CEO seems to know alot about business & making money, but not much about MT-ing. Says he's learning. They apparently have aspirations to be THE largest MT company not only in the US, but globally. He thought he could do it from India, but found he couldn't, partly because of the fact that some US medical institutions don't want offshored work. Others will allow PART of their work offshore (like radiology, etc.), but not other work. So instead this would be what he called a Hybrid US+India company. Hmmm.

So, according to what he said, he feels the best way to grow the company FAST is to also have a US MT force, so clients have a choice. They will have to pay more for US transcription, though he assures us the Indians are also good. (Yeah, RIGHT!) Initially the two-tiered business platform made sense to me. But other comments made later in the meeting made me wonder about what the REAL truth might be. Among other things, they plan to buy many other US MT companies, as well. DRC is just the first. He seems to think bigger is better. Having worked at PAMC since it was smaller, and seeing how nasty it got when it was bigger, I certainly don't agree.

Someone asked the question about the less-skilled, or even the accurate, but slower transcribers' role there. For now he seems to want only top-notch people, but later says how having a plan for bringing less-skilled MTs up to speed would be a good thing. Some questions sounded slightly hedged or evaded, and sometimes had the words for now thrown in, like maybe we weren't going to notice them or something. This had to do mainly with questions about change as it affected us. Red flag.

When asked about all the extra management people after the merge, he said that for now there was a seat for everyone on the bus. But he also allowed as how his company has always tended to have more execs than they really needed. Well, that certainly is one of the problems at PAMC, and it seems to cause them to continually find fault with the MTs, if for no other reason than to make themselves look good. So that was another rather loud warning-bell I heard.....it's a management-heavy company.

Re: Pay/Benefits - He says so far it'll remain the same. He wants it well above average, but doesn't specifically say whether or not MTs are part of that plan. He does say that by improving the software, etc., they can make the MTs more productive, and thus enable them to make more money. I didn't particularly like that part, either.

One thing that DID sound good was that although we would have to change over to Acusis' 401K (and who knows how good it is.....), he says they'll match it with 3%. Well, to me that isn't exactly MATCHING.... but I guess if you put in $100, they put in another $3.

Their company goals were:
- Global world-class customer satisfaction (sounds kinda' generic, but whatever...)
- Service flexibility & choice of options (the Hybrid-thing).
- Create the strongest organization (so they can gobble up & digest the competition?)
- Have the best technology (boys do like their toys.....)

I guess we'll lose the nice DRC software we're using now. He says he wants to have a new, blended software platform that will be called AcuSuite 3.0. It is supposed to have enhanced user-friendliness (hard to believe, if it's not written by someone who knows a LOT about MT!). He also mentions back-end speech-recognition.

He also mentioned that he was a leader in his church. (Oh, pul-eeeze! Not more holy-rollers trying to take over the healthcare industry!?!?) Definitely a red flag in my book.

The Future Plans are:
- To acquire more MT companies.
- To develop a repetitive model to acquire and integrate future acquisitions.

Again, all this talk about growing, merging, acquiring -- has nothing to do with the nuts & bolts of MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION. He talked about MONEY, a LOT. But not MTs making money - but instead about his goal of having this be the world's BIGGEST and WEALTHIEST MT company. I don't think anyone can have those kind of aspirations and stay honest or have their employee's best interests at heart for very long.

One person brought up the fact that the Chief Officer of Acusis-India desires India to dominate the medical information field worldwide, and wanted to know if he intended to convert the clients from US-transcribed to Indian-transcribed. His answer was very ODD, and most certainly got me wondering: It was that it was his belief until 55 minutes ago. (Whaaaat?) He tried to clarify that by saying he used to think domination of the MT industry could be done solely through India, and that now he believes it cannot. But, either way, all this domination talk makes me uneasy.

Another question was How do US clients view the above statement by the C.O.O.? He admits it was viewed with skepticism. He also says hes been trying to take our clients for a long time, now. (What???) (I guess he tried from India, couldn't do it, and so now has come onshore.)

When asked about accrued vacation time, and would the MTs be able to keep it, the answer was YES. (Though said he doesn't yet understand DRCs system of accrual of vacation time according to Keystrokes typed, or how much can be carried.

In the first 100 days they plan to:
- Integrate talent, IT, Processes, Benefits.
- Establish performance goals, alignment.
- Retain only high customer satisfaction performers who get results. (Does this pertain to management? MTs? Everyone? What exactly does this mean? This wasn't clear).
- Continue to have quarterly conference calls. (Jeez .... even semi-annually would be more than I could stand.)

Later he says the MTs are where the rubber meets the road. (Good analogy, but will Acusis follow through on their statement that they consider the US-based MTs to be a valuable part of the company?) I wonder if he is aware of how many people are ready to walk out RIGHT NOW, just based on their strong ties with India?

Well, anyway, that was my take on everything, from all the notes I took. I don't plan to do anything rash.... and will instead just keep on typin' and see what develops. If I like it I'll stay, if I don't, then I guess I'll leave. But I won't cross that bridge 'til I come to it, as it's still too early to tell how the takeover will ultimately go. What we were told could be the truth, or it could all just be smoke and mirrors.