MTStars :: Medical Transcription Forums

before I had children <g>. Nothing offensive, I promise, and it's the funniest thing I've seen online in ages. Enjoy

to get out of transcription completely. Anyone have any good or bad comments for coding and insurance billing? I have a friend that does this and thinks it's 10 times better than the transcription industry. Makes twice what I make. I need to find something that doesn't make me feel so bad at the end of the day and a paycheck that doesn't give me a stomach ache. Any thoughts?

The doctor I'm transcribing right now is SINGING his report. Not much of a melody, granted, but lots of tremolo.... wow.

Maybe I have an outdated BOS. Mine says the abbreviations such as q.i.d. and q.8h are acceptable, but I'd like to know what the current BOS says. Thank you.

2. You don't pay for headers, yet there are 4 different screens of demographic information we have to enter information into.

3. Your recruiter tells us we are paid for headers and/or spaces and we find we are not.

5. You quote us a line rate and then tell us you didn't get the account we were supposed to be working on so we will have to accept a lower line rate.

7. Your software is nowhere near as MT friendly as your recruiter and/or trainer portrayed it to be.

I am posting a tech (nonwork related) question on the gab board ... any help will be appreciated!

I'm looking into getting VR software for some of my projects outside of MT work and was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this software? Is it really as good as they say as far as accuracy goes? How long does it really take for it to "learn" a person's dictation style? Can I play recordings in ExpressScribe to be transcribed into Word? The site is not very helpful giving all the specifics as to how it REALLY works with other programs so I'm a bit hesitant.

Again, this is not for MT work so it doesn't need to have a medical vocabulary or be able to work with EMRs or anything like that.

Is it possible for carpal tunnel syndrome to cause a slight tingling feeling in the face as well as the arms and hands? I have had just the slightest of tingling in my face for the last two weeks. No other symptoms at all...just a slight tingling. I have also had, for a longer period of time, pins and needles in both arms, more on the right. I've been a steady MT for about 14 years, and I'm wondering if it's catching up with me? I sorta ruled out a stroke since I figured I'd be dead by now and there are no other symptoms! Any advice/help is greatly appreciated.

as i understand it. But cannot document in the BOS; is it there? Also wonder how this fits with the dangerous abbreviations...a 420-cc expander?

What do you guys do when you get a doctor or group of doctors that dictate past the point of warp speed and it all comes out totally unclear? I'm not just talking about medical terminology either but simple English words!

I'm about to flip my wig here with these docs. It is such abuse. I try so hard to understand them and spend a lot of my time going back and forth, back and forth to listen. I have a well trained ear, too, but it's not me - just that they talk SO INCREDIBLY FAST!

I've told them before to slow down a bit and dictate at a reasonable speed and that they can dictate fast if they want because I'm a fast typist, but they MUST enunciate. It goes in one ear and out the other!

I hate to give up the account, but really it's like every report I send in to them is filled with blanks because the docs talk past warp speed.

I received two files from a client with an .09 extension. When I try to open them, Express Scribe pops up a msg that says it does not support that format. Can this be changed?

I was just wondering how any of you feel, AS A COMMUNITY...about medical transcriptionists that take jobs, get equipment, but never work and suddenly dont answer calls or emails, but keep your equipment. I am not talking about just MTSOs out there, but even the little ole MT that hires someone to help with an account or overflow. This has happened and I am not sitting and waiting for at least four people to return equipment that suddenly arent available for emails, phone calls, anything. BUT they have hudnreds in equipment. I am not MEDQUIST, so cant afford to just chalk it up. AND PLEASE DO NOT SAY THAT IS THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS. I think that just shows the sad state we have entered into to feel that theft from someone be considered a cost of doing business. We are a small enough community that I would hope this is not truly how anyone feels....hey take a job...take the equipment and run. That is just plain horrible.

Why cant this board allow names like that to be posted? Enough is always posted about bad companies, but why not for something like this? Why should others take the chance of this happening also?

I am working on a VR system doing editing - however when I run the spellcheck anything that has been changed shows up with all of the incorrect letters wherever they happened to be along with the correct word or phrase that has been corrected. In other words if the word is not spelled correctly, I erase the word and type in the correct spelling, but in the spell check both show up. Does anyone know how to turn off this function or if there is a way to turn it off? It is driving me crazy - along with trying to learn to edit and the VR system. Other than that - all is fine with the program.

Just curious, I have been transcribing OP notes for 6 + years and have been with my present employer for about 2 years and was just told the most I can make here is only 8.5 cents a line. Is this reasonable?? I was hoping to be up to 9 or even 9.5 cents a line by now!

After reading the poll a few threads down, last night I asked my hubby what were the two things he loved about ME the most. Without hesitation he said: "your encouragement" (towards him) "and your intelligence." (This is coming from a learned man himself. That was truly uplifting.)

By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer 45 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000

Michael Brown, director of the

Before then, FEMA had positioned smaller rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged Tuesday the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged.

Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities."

The initial responses of the government and Brown came under escalating criticism as the breadth of destruction and death grew.

Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said Brown had positioned front-line rescue teams and Coast Guard helicopters before the storm. Brown's memo on Aug. 29 aimed to assemble the necessary federal work force to support the rescues, establish communications and coordinate with victims and community groups, Knocke said.

Instead of rescuing people or recovering bodies, these employees would focus on helping victims find the help they needed, he said.

"There will be plenty of time to assess what worked and what didn't work," Knocke said. "Clearly there will be time for blame to be assigned and to learn from some of the successful efforts."

Brown's memo told employees that among their duties, they would be expected to "convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public."

"FEMA response and recovery operations are a top priority of the department and as we know, one of yours," Brown wrote Chertoff. He proposed sending 1,000 Homeland Security Department employees within 48 hours and 2,000 within seven days.

Knocke said the 48-hour period suggested for the Homeland employees was to ensure they had adequate training. "They were training to help the life-savers," Knocke said.

Employees required a supervisor's approval and at least 24 hours of disaster training in Maryland, Florida or Georgia. "You must be physically able to work in a disaster area without refrigeration for medications and have the ability to work in the outdoors all day," Brown wrote.

The same day Brown wrote Chertoff, Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments. Brown said it was vital to coordinate fire and rescue efforts.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (news, bio, voting record), D-Md., said Tuesday that Brown should step down.

After a senators-only briefing by Homeland Security Secretary

"What people up there want to know, Democrats and Republicans, is what is the challenge ahead, how are you handling that and what did you do wrong in the past," said Schumer, D-N.Y.

Sen. Ted Stevens (news, bio, voting record), R-Alaska, said the administration is "getting a bad rap" for the emergency response. "People have to understand this is a big, big problem."

Meanwhile, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating storm victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon. The president of the Air Transport Association, James May, said the Homeland Security Department called then to ask if the group could participate in an airlift for refugees.

___

On the Net:

Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.fema.gov

Homeland Security Department: http://www.dhs.gov

The memo from FEMA Director Mike Brown to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is available at: http://wid.ap.org/documents/dhskatrina.pdf

A chiropractor called me today to see if I could transcribe his reports using a PDA with voice files over the internet. I told him that I am sure I could accommodate him but that I was unfamiliar with that process and would have get back to him within the week, yet now I am at a loss at what to do. What program do I use? Can it work along with my microcassette transcriber/pedals, which I use for other chiropractors and PT�s. I

If anyone is familiar or can point me in the right direction, I would be forever grateful.

When I go to the doctor, he types my visit into the electronic medical record himself as he is speaking with me. I guess it saves them time on dictating the report .

I always say I will train for something else but it costs to go to school. I have been in school forever, off a semester, on a semester. I just hope I can get re-trained before everyone switches to EMR.

Does anybody know anything good or bad about this company? I am looking for a good MT employment position, and I have been burned before (by Voice Systems--they don't pay!).

SPI Healthcare Documentation
Contact: Barb Batchelder
417 Welshwood Drive, Suite 201, Nashville, Tennessee 37211
SPI_MTUS@spitech.com
Telephone: 866-624-7672, Fax: 615-301-8423

Wondering if those of us on this board have noticed that credit card companies will be increasing their interest rates along with the minimum payment due soon. How will this affect some people who can barely make the minimum payments now. Any insight greatly appreciated.

Can someone tell me of some good OB/GYN sites out there? For that matter, any good specialty sites. I'm fairly new to transcription and still gathering good reference sites.

RAD MT new to Meditech Version 5.61 doing radiology - anyone know how to activate spellchecker?? Any infor appreciated.

Thanks.

when I have been working for national company for 15 years and cannot, obviously, list my immediate supervisor or any QA people I have encountered? The references I have are from several years ago. Are they still valid?

I'm really confused and upset about this. Do companies expect a list of 3-4 references with names and numbers?

I was SO looking forward to giving my body a bit of a break so I took a VR editing job...I was hoping my speed would be up before long, doing at least double the lines (or more!) than straight transcription, as they pay you half of the regular rate, and many can do triple the amount, so like many, I was seeing dollar signs...

I know some MTs do wonderfully, but my speed is only about my straight transcription speed. I employ all of the keyboard shortcuts too. I am thinking of going back to straight MT work because it's just not worth it for me. OR, am I missing something??? My dollar signs are fading...

Is that just a euphemism for the successful candidate will be placed on MULTIPLE accounts?

I would like to know why companies/MTSOs don't hire QA people and pay a decent hourly wage and let them be the ones to plug in all these physicians' addresses for the reports. I, as a transcriptionist, spend precious transcription time hunting for names, some of which are impossible to understand, before sending it to QA (because, I'm sure that is what is expected of me). I really dislike having to send a report back without the name, but sometimes it's impossible. I have to search by how I think the name is spelled, or by the city (if given) the doctor is in and search through the whole city trying to find something that resembles this name. I even search by first names if I can't understand last name, and there is the issue of how the names are spelled.... some impossible! I know I could turn out many more lines for the company/MTSO if I were not having to look for these doctors addresses and a QA person paid an hourly rate wouldn't mind the searching. I guess the bottom line is the companies/MTSOs don't care if the Transcriptionist spends hours looking for these addresses because they aren't paying them for it anyway! Someone tell me if I am wrong, please!

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