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NEED TO VENT - Posted By: DOXIELADY

No, I am not a doctor and would not care to be one.  But over the years I have seen so many cases go bad and with doctors policing themselves, very few ever suffer any consequences.  My husband works with a doctor who was using cocainen while in surgery.  At one point he was doing a prostate biopsy and passed out on the patient, jamming the needle through the prostate gland.  The other doctors in the  group encouraged him to get treatment or they would kick him out of the group.  So, he got some rehab.  The patient sued, thank God.  But guess what, he is back in the operating room - snorting in the lounge before each case.  The surgery center personnel are afraid of losing their jobs if they report him to the police, so he just goes on doing surgery under the influence.  Perhaps my animosity comes from being abused by several different physicians at different times in my life - and regret at not reporting them.  However, knowing the system, I realize that it is a losing battle.  But, having been through these experiences I can spot these docs a mile away.  Sorry  if I offended anyone - but doctors are human and our lives are at stake, as well as the lives of others when a doctor practices bad medicine.  I appreciate all of the input and understand your anger.  I posted this more as a person than an MT.  I just thank God for what I do know - and wish that there was a way to fix the problem of poor physicians, drug abuse in the medical world, and the patients that suffer at their hands.



Need advice on marketing. - Posted By: CCAB

Got a call from a doctor. I have a questionnaire that I use to ask questions. Then I gave him the rate over the phone and included a proposal and brochure which I faxed to his office.

I did this before and nothing happened. I'm worried I gave out information prematurely. Am I doing this right?

Why do they call them team leads? - Posted By: sm-TiredToday

When they really do not seem interested in "leading" anything or anyone? Yes, I am a tad bit frustrated today!

Don't send me an email to which I answer your question right away, then wait an hour and a half to answer back, if you answer at all. And please, READ the email I have taken the time to send, trust me on this one, its obvious when you don't.*sigh*

I take great pride in my work. No matter whether I feel I am getting paid enough, or treated well enough, I still feel it is my responsibility to produce the best possible results in my position. It is my reputation I am protecting, not theirs.

Is this a lost art? Why do other act like since they work from home they don't have to take it seriously? If you have been put in the position of leading people, guiding them, training them to do the position they were hired to do. THEN DO IT! Don't leave me with more questions than answers! If you agree to take the position of "leader" then don't make me feel is if I am an inconvenience.

No, I will not name the company. I believe this is a good company so I am not trying to bash them. In the last few years I have worked for 3 nationals. Only one had leadership that actually knew what they were training you on and acted like they cared. Unfortunately, their IT department couldn't speak English and I found out they were outsourcing to India, had to leave.

Just my vent for the day!




General MT questions - Posted By: MTgirl

Recently, I was asked the following questions by a friend who is helping to revamp a medical transcription course.  These questions are also asked by individuals who might be interested in medical transcription and are posed at seminars.  
 

I would appreciate your input if you would be so kind.  Also, what is the industry-wide expectation on required number of lines per day and number of minutes per day (8-hour day).

 

1.  On average, how long does it take a medical Transcriptionist to produce 1 hour of dictation?

2.  Besides Word, is it essential for transcriptionists to purchase any of the transcription software that’s available?

3.  Is it common for doctors to transcribe into templates, which eliminates the need for medical transcriptionists?

4.  How many lines an hour should an average MT be typing?

 

Thanks I appreciate any and all input.


Article about Spheris in the local paper yesterday... - Posted By: nashvilleMT

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051125/BUSINESS01/511250360/1003/ARCHIVES

Any advice on switching to med billing from being an MT? - Posted By: mt to billing

I just can't seem to make any money working at home with the kids talking to me constantly with transcipriton so I am thinking about switching to something I don't have to listen to.  Maybe medical billing.  Any advice anyone? 


Thanks



What's your favorite sing-along song when alone in your car? - Posted By: anon

Mine are Rose-Colored Glasses and Crazy by Patsy Cline.

I need a shoulder to cry on as I feel I'm - Posted By: getting depressed

1. I can't make my lines and lose my FT status.


2. My self-employed husband goes for open heart surgery. Thankfully, he's doing good, but the insurance only paid 1/4 of the hospital and doctor bills, even though it states up to $100,000 per event. They refused to pay the ambulance, didn't pay the doctors at all, and only paid the hospital 1/4 of what they charged. Why bother to pay for health insurance if they're going to renege (sic) on their agreement?


3. My credit rating has gone from excellent to fair since I am the only one working. I can't pay all the bills now until my husband goes back to work and then we have to wait 5 weeks for a paycheck from him. In the meantime, his truck payment, 2 mortgages 1st & 2nd, truck insurance, etc. must be paid to the tune of $3500 a month. I don't make that much a month plus I need another $500 for utilities and $1000 for life, health, disability insurance.


4. His brakes failed on his pickup when he was coming down our hill. Thankfully, he has the knowledge as a big truck driver, so he was not injured.


5.  I decided to sell some extra things I have around here to make some money to help. I screwed it up and now am afraid to try again. Yet I have a houseful of "trinkets" to sell.  I'm even thinking about selling some of our antique furniture, but am afraid I'll get ripped off.


This has not been a good year. I am trying not to break down in front of hubby, but I'm having a hard time keeping back the tears today..



Add yours: All I want for Christmas is - Posted By: Poll taker

A kitchen where I can walk in every day and not have to battle stinking solider ants invading from the southern wall of dirt my home is built into. 

aboutnotgettingpaidforspaces - Posted By: MadamX

IthinkweallneedtosendalettertotheCEOinjustthisformattomakeitveryclearthatspacesare veryimportant



Escription here and wondering - Posted By: VR person

do you get the line count on the actual work already there - or if you have to change and change a lot, for example putting in words, half sentences it is not picking up, do you get count for that? Thanks.

hypenation! - Posted By: J-rob

Hi, all.  I am about to complete a med/trans college course of study.  Some things I find very confusing yet, particulary some grammar/punctuation situation,  and don't find rules to cover or a reference that may help.                For example, midinfraclavicular or mid-infraclavicular.  Hyphen or no? Can anyone tell me which it is and why? 

Nuance or OPUS systems - Posted By: diane

Is anyone out there in transcription land familiar with either of these systems?  I'm starting work for a new client (Pathology) and find them inefficient and require too much non-transcription work to look up doctor's names and demographics.  I'm wondering if I'm missing "something".  Thank you to anyone who can give me a clue.    d



Well, isn't this interesting - Posted By: see msg

A job ad on another board caught my eye.  It stated they pay on a 65 character line plus numbers and punctutation.  If they are stating they DO pay for numbers and punctuation, would that not mean that some companies are not paying for those items???  OMG, it just gets worse and worse the way MTSO's are finding new ways to screw the workers.  Gee, no wonder we were told to not spell out numbers any longer. 

Anyone working with Escription that sees the reports getting worse instead of - Posted By: Reports regressing

better? I have been on the present system for the past 6 years or so, same work, nothing really has changed except for the fact that Escription has in the past couple of months has gone screwy. The numbering is off, people who dictate whose work used to be letter perfect is really messed up, physician's names when dictated are left completely out- has anyone else noticed anything like this happening when on VR- goes from a terrific platform to where you just hate to work on it? Thanks.

Going rate - Posted By: Trisha

I was just wondering what the going rate is for transcription per hour.  I currently work for a national company and get paid by the line, but a friend of mine wants me to do some transcription for him and I don't know what to charge.  This is not medical stuff, rather educational/training.  He doesn't want me to short-change myself, but I don't want to over charge him either.  Any ideas? 

Thinking about career change..court reporter - Posted By: Jean

Have any of you ever thought about court reporting or gone through court reporting school? From what I have read they make more money than transcriptionists and there are jobs to work from home too in captioning for television and movies. 

Question about IE - Posted By: please help

Is there a way to send my entire Favorites list of websites by email to another computer or put it on a disk to put onto another computer?


Thx



My favorite moment last night of American Idol... - Posted By: SM

I loved the moment when that Clay Aiken wannabe was given that razzie award and was singing Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (much to the regret of my ears, LOL) and out walks Clay Aiken, the crowd goes wild and I'm sure the wannabe thought they were cheering for him.  LOL  I think he was truly shocked that Clay was there.  Nobody could have acted his reaction out!  I loved it. 

How many minutes of dictation do you type a day? - Posted By: Sue

.

How many participate in local AAMT - Posted By: SCMT

I'm must wondering how many of us participate in local AAMT chapters.  I know that many on this board have no respect for this association - and I do not participate because of my work schedule - but I have a friend who is very active in our local association - although as an MT, well, she really lacks the ability to transcribe (I found that out when I had to do her QA - and then she was let go).  I just wonder, too, why she is so active when she doesn't have the skills to work as an MT and does not work as an MT.  Maybe she just likes to organize things.  ????

SR on new computer - Posted By: Judy

I just purchased a new computer that came with some sort of SR program.  I'm wondering if I could teach it my voice and then respeak a doc's dictation that would create a typed document in Word that I could then paste into the work platform?  Sounds like a neat idea, huh?


Certainly, I would not speak or do anything that would conflict with HIPPA laws.



Going camping and already I'm tired...... - Posted By: Jeanie

Does anybody else find that they end up taking half of Friday off to get the camper stocked and ready to go for the weekend?  I would sure appreciate any suggestions on how to have it ready so all we have to do is hook up and head out.   It's especially hard when we have an event that we are taking in while camping because that means special clothes, maybe special foods (potluck), etc.  Suggestions?

The patient lives with her parents, who are both alive and well. - Posted By: today's silly dictation

I would hope they'd be alive. 

Waiting on new Dell computer, anyone else? - Posted By: SallySue

What in the world is going on with Dell, does anyone know? I have had a brand new computer ordered since about a month or so ago and today has been the 4th time they have prolonged the delivery, stating needing to get parts. I have ordered several from them before and never this problem. Has anyone else had a problem with them?

word97 versus 2003 - Posted By: tjurs

All of my accounts and clients are in Word97.  I was from the old school of wp5.1 so took me a long time to transition forms over to word97.  I was wondering if anyone working originally in 97 could tell me what the differences could be and how hard transitioning forms, etc could be. 


I seem to be getting a lot of error boxes all of a sudden with word97 and was just thinking may be time to move up....


thank you for any help in this matter


Tiffin



message abbreviations - Posted By: locust555

What do sm and NM stand for? Is there a place to look up abbreviations used on this site?

Question about computer speed - Posted By: Missy

Aside from needing more RAM, it seems there is something else going on with the companies system.  It is taking longer and longer for our email to open (have talked with others in the company who say it's happening to them too), to connect in general, to get web pages to open etc.


Does anyone know what else (beside RAM) would be causing this? 


It's hard enough to get faster (and being ragged on for it) without additional slowness of the equipment adding to it.  



Windows Vista - Posted By: Irene

I need to get a new computer, having decided I need one dedicated solely to work, without my 13-year-old's sites and fun and games. But I'm wondering how the new thing, Windows Vista, is going to affect different programs and platforms. All the job ads I see where you use your own computer specify Windows XP. And I don't really want a buggy new system. Amybody facing this?

What's a good unlimited long distance plan?nm - Posted By: How much should I expect to pay? nm

nm

Internet faxing - Posted By: B

Is internet faxing HIPPA compliant?

Did anyone hear the full story on the news about...sm - Posted By: Casey

using your bank card as credit instead of debit and being charged $20-50 extra.   I just keep catching the tail end of the report but really want to know if I heard it right??

express scribe - Posted By: Dori Garafola

I'm having a very strange problem with my express scribe program and i don't know what to do.  Has anyone ever heard this:   I will have my foot on the pedal, I'm happily transcribing away and sometimes when I take my foot off the pedal to catch up, then we I try to go again, I find it has gone back to the beginning of the transcription.  The time is still set to where I was before, but what's coming out is the beginning of the file!!   Please HELP!!!!!!!

help w/obgyn... please - Posted By: tlc

The pain is in for continued pelvic pain, pelvic adhesions, and enlarged uterus.  Old either PID, endometriosis, entrapped s/l **left fallopian** tube.  Her breast exam is negative.  There are no changes.  Mammogram was ordered; her last one was in 2006.  She is gravida 2, para 2, AB 0. 


 


OBJECTIVE:  PELVIC:  Shows a marital introitus.  Her cervix is not s/l *enlarged*.  The uterus is positive on the left side.  Lots of adhesions.  Will consider a TAH and left s/l *S&O*, possibly preserving the right ovary.


 


Would my s/l make sense?  thanks for your help, am very new to ob/gyn, and the dr is quite the mumbler, thanks



Anyone know how to erase tape with... - Posted By: dawnsun

a Lanier transcriber?  Bought it on ebay and do not see an erase function.


TIA,


Dawn!



Keeping the following post going... - Posted By: Lolabug

Okay...here goes...



So, currently I work in-house at my local hospital.  (Probably shouldn't mention this cuz it's rude, but just trying to give accurate information)..I make 16.47 an hour, plus benefits.  I love my job and it is supporting me and my husband (who is in college at the time...graduating in JUNE!!!)...So, it's worth it.  However, I have to deal with a LOT of crap from the other MTs in-house.  Lots of bitterness, competitiveness, bi*chiness, etc.  I am dealing with it because I know I am not going to do this forever.  Which brings me to my next point:



Don't stay in this job for a long time!!!  You won't go anywhere with it, if anything you will probably get laid off due to outsourcing.  I, myself, am starting school for medical coding.  I will be done with school ($2000) in June and then get started in my new career.  If have been a medical Transcriptionist for 6 years and have done everything from psychiatric to internal medicine to sleep studies as an IC (and it's not worth being and IC in my opinion because of all the taxes you have to pay...big bucks) and my best job yet has been working in-house at my current job.  However, like I said, MTing is not going to get you anywhere fast.  If you want a job that takes you to the next level, go into coding.  There are a lot more career opportunities out there and you can eventually work from home being a coder as well. 



If I had to do it over I would have gone straight into coding (except for the fact that I got a lot of medical experience working as an MT).  Good luck to all of you who decide to stick with MTing, but I don't think it will reward you in the future.  I believe it is a dying profession and we all need to move on while the opportunity is here. 



I pray for all of us to be able to support ourselves and our family!  I know it's tough out there and we all are struggling to make end's meat.  Just keep on keepin on and we'll all make it through some how. 



WordPerfect X3 - Posted By: Rebekah

I just bought & installed WP X3.  My office requires that all documents are password protected.  As I save my documents, I can 'see' the password protect box, but the program does not allow me to check the box & give a password.


Is there something in X3 that I need to go to that will allow me to use passwords?  I can't find it anywhere in the program & I've used Help, etc.


Thanks!



Question re: bytescribe please! sm - Posted By: zoo goer

I am a newbie who has been working about 8 months now. I have a standard wav player and Express Scribe and Play All Extra. I am looking for a change in employers since my current job has lost another account. I applied, tested and have been offered a job that requires a bytescribe wav player. Is this another program I have to purchase to make my regular foot pedal work with their program?Please forgive me if this has been addressed before. I have been up all night working and just cant seem to find what I am looking for. I am a little confused about all the different programs for the foot pedals. Since I have Express Scribe and Play All is that okay, or is this bytescribe thing a whole ball of wax? Thank you so much for any help!



Lanier repair? - Posted By: Patty M

I have a Lanier LX-219-1 with the extended screen, and all of the backlighting is out. Does anyone know of ANYONE who repairs these? I live in the Sacramento, CA area but might be willing to ship out to someone reliable.

I need some advice on digital dictation systems - Posted By: please...sm

I am talking to a psychotherapist about possibly doing her transcription.  She does not dictate presently, but is interested in getting started. I am thinking of asking her to go digital, but I don't know the first thing about getting started, what equipment we'll need, etc.  I currently work for a national, so they sent me the PC and footpedal, and that was it. Any advice would be so appreciated.  I don't wanna sound like a dummy when we talk...thanks y'all!

Anyone's kids had really high fevers when teething? - sm - Posted By: MtMommee

My son, who will be 2 next week, has had a high fever off and on the last three days. He has his last two teeth coming in, and he also got sick a couple weeks ago while we were on vacation and two teeth were coming in at that time. That lasted about two days, but he didn't have a high fever, just a low grade fever and throwing up. I've been giving him Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever at bay, but it seems to start to creep back up before four hours has gone by when I can give him some more medicine. He didn't have any problems with his other teeth coming in, and it looks like the new ones have already broken through. Any insight is appreciated!

How do you copy your SH file to text - do you copy each dictionary separately? nm - Posted By: katydid

nm

Not mt related but need info - Posted By: jenny

on drug and alcohol addiction intervention - my sister is doing one Wednesday night at church for both her husband and her 23 year old daughter and I would like to know what to expect.  I think the husband is so far gone nothing will help.  The daughter is into alcohol and recently got into meth, has a 2 year old and am terrified of what is going to happen to her if she does not get help, she went into rehab but they only kept her 3 days and now is going to 5, 8-hour days of therapy.  Her and her mom are always at each other, do not get along (mother is also bipolar),  Any ideas as to what I can expect?  Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Good thing I proof read LOL - Posted By: Kaydie

I was just proofreading my reports before I send it and instead of typing that the lady hit her head on a window, I typed she hit her head on a widow.  Ha Ha.  I thought to myself - hope they weren't on the way to the funeral.  Okay, having way too much fun here.

Any work today? - Posted By: Gator

Since there are no updates from the supervisors, I don't want to log in unless there's a reason.  I'm in the south region. 


I think the idea of the time for posting re this stuff is a good idea.  It's 1:00 PM CST here.


Thanks.



cost of transcription - Posted By: Ruth

I am hoping that someone can help me.  I am wanting to go into business for myself.  I actually have the physicians lined up, but I am having a problem with cost.  It seems to be a big secret on how much MT companies charge the physicians.  Is there a ballpark figure?  Do they charge by the line or how do they charge?  And how much?  Any help or information I get can would be helpful.  Thanks.

Oprah show Monday-have you let yourself go?? sm - Posted By: MT 10 years and then some

I must admit this is me ever since I started working at home 6 years ago. Too easy to do. 6 months since a decent haircut, too many kids to look after and too much work to get done. I thought others might appreciate thesubject matter. Happy watching.

to all MQ'rs sm - Posted By: MQgaMT

I do not understand why all the MQ MTs continue to get all riled up and make fools out of ourselves.  If you have been with MQ for anytime at all, you should know that any major changes made, you will be advised! Especially if it affects your pay, production, etc.  Apparently, policies vary from office to office, so what is going on at one office may not pertain to your office.  If you have a question, the best place to address it is with your TC, not on this board, where you get answers from God only knows who! And no, I am not MQ management, I am just an MQ MT, but a happy one. I work for Monrovia, as many of you all do, and never has a policy been changed without my prior knowledge.  so please, people, quit making fools out of us and get a grip!

Anybody know if Shortcut for Windows works with Chartscript? nm - Posted By: MT in GA

x

Psych MT's - Posted By: PJ

Are any of you Psychiatry only MTs - if so, who do you work for-are they hiring?