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AAMT is a ripoff. And if you take a closer look .... (sm)

Posted By: An AMERICAN MT on 2006-05-14
In Reply to: Head's up! AAMT Task Force has posted about their name change - suggestions and their reasoning. sm

they are BEHIND much of the offshoring of MT work, and the decline in respectability that MT work has suffered in recent years. The poor shmucks who are giving their hard-earned money to that bunch are just paying to have their own livelihood taken away.


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VR is a ripoff
I think MTs should be paid the same for VR as they are for straight dictation. Otherwise, give it to a steno. We are supposed to get paid for our *specialized* training. I have found that VR can be even more stressful and take just as long because you have to be much more detail oriented in order to make sure you catch every wrong word. It is hard on the eyeballs not being able to take your eyes off that screen. This is just one more way they are trying to rip off the MTs. Of course, I realize this is a losing battle, but have you noticed that MTs don't have a union?
That would be a total ripoff - s/m
Works out to 5,500 characters per $5 - or $0.0009 cpl.

Just say NO.
You can't. It's a huge ripoff.
It sucks plain and simple.  If you're not terribly interested in making enough money to pay the bills it might be okay for you.  Not for me.
I get paid by the line. Pay by the page is a ripoff sm

I do a lot of MRI/CAT scan/neuroradiology, etc.  These are sometimes long drawn-out reports and sometimes go to 2 to 2-1/2 pages. 


Most companies that pay by the page only pay at most $2.00 a page.  You can make more by the line. 


RIPOFF REPORT link on AMERIPLAN MLM scam.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/results.asp?q1=ALL&q5=Ameriplan
To clarify: 6-8 CPL with NO BENIES, PAYING 40% in taxes IS a ripoff
Line rate with benefits and without is a BIG difference.

IC's get robbed. 7.5 cpl with no benefits is rediculous.

If you're making 15 CPL as an IC you're only making/bringing home the equivalent of a 7.5 CPL benefited MT.

So I can see why you would gripe.

Now with full benefits and taxes paid and insurance and 401K and PTO and holidays, etc...7.5 CPL is TOTALLY acceptable.
Getting closer
Thanks for your input.  Getting closer to an answer that I have been wondering about.
Let's look at that 1 cpl raise closer ..
Let's say you make 8 cpl and you want a 1 cpl raise. That is a 12.5% raise...quite costly. No company can afford to give its workers 12% raises.

I know MTs who make 6-figure incomes. You can do it in MT work. You can also get a degree and work your way up in a nonproduction job to get it, too. It's all up to you.

Thanks, just took a closer look and figured -sm
it out, boy do I feel like a dope, been using this for years since it first came out, actually tested it for them, but just thought you were stuck in that 34 char. phrase box. Guess I need to learn how to READ. Well I am glad to learn something new, and it will help me be a little faster in the future, thanks!
Your assumption that they don't know either is probably closer to the truth. sm
QA people love to gloat, and if they can't do that, then they avoid the situation.
Wild guess, but might get you closer

1.  of any murmurs.


2.  funduscopic exam


3.  Eyegrounds??


I used my word count function and got closer to 15.5%
//
That's ok, you now have a new hosp oppty and closer to home too -nm

Maybe "disappointed" would be closer to the mark than "deeply saddened" over SM
something that is a nice gesture at Christmas. Why would you be "deeply saddened" over this?
Are you plannin to move closer to your family and away from the area where you live now?

Right now, everything is rockin along ok, but he may turn quite ugly because he isn't getting his way and you need to protect yourself and your children.  Have you changed the locks on your house? Are there other ways he can get into the house and if so, you should take care of that immediately.  Have you had the locks changed on your vehicle.  If not, you need to also do that immediately.  Does the school have the papers so that he can't walk in and take your children out of school or pick them up after school? 


Believe me, I am glad you made the decision that you did, but I want you to know that I see on TV all too often, disgruntled husbands that come back and get revenge.  I don't mean to scare you, rather to let you know that because I went through a similar situation, you cannot take this lightheartedly.  If you can move away, far away from him and be close to your family, do it. 


What would it take for you to be able to move back where you family lives?


Broken down once, never again.


I hope you proofread your reports closer than you proofed this post
No offense, but it kinda makes me cringe. And, no, I'm not the OP. I just had to read your post a couple of times to comprehend it through all of the typos.


I have two artificial flame resistant trees in my garage. Too bad you're not closer!
DH has to have the real thing, which I don't care for.
Oh, someone benefits from AAMT - AAMT DOES!
x
AAMT BOS
Well hey, spelling a lot as one word is commonplace too; does that make it okay?? Do they really think MDs keep up with all the illogical changes they come up with? Do they realize that MDs actually take the time to edit stuff they don't recognize to be correct? What good is it if it actually causes MDs to stop and edit??

AAMT
It's just too bad that AAMT has not taken an assertive stand for the American MT and keeping confidential patient records in this country. For such a long time medical record administrators have fought the concerns of medical transcriptionists since the 60's. There was always a divisive agenda from medical record librarians (as they were called then) toward the transcriptionist. They didn't want to see the Transcriptionist come to the forefront of the medical records industry, nor did they like the income transcriptionists made(then) -WHAT? a transcriptionist make more money than a medical records librarian? I still see it now - you see AHIMA's hand down the back zipper of AAMT puppeting what direction they want AAMT to go - minimize the importance of the professional medical transcriptionist and rushing to automate the medical record with ASR and EMR. Ask youself this question - how many of you believe that many of the "QA" people at the nationals are discarded or displaced medical record technicians or the like? Many of the medical record administrators lost their jobs about 10 years ago during hefty layoffs when hospitals began a surge of outsourcing and many of these people had to seek jobs in the transcription industry for national companies as sales people, administrators, and QA people. I can't begin to tell you how many RHIT people haven't a clue about medical transcription. I've worked with so many who got a lot of things wrong legally but hey, because they were above the transcription department, they were right. Don't question them.
AAMT
Have to afford those trips to Hawaii somehow.
AAMT
I know.  It is so strange.  I was just on the AAMT forum.  I know if I start making "waves" I'll be considered a troublemaker.   It is really said what is happening in that organization when it could provide such a boost.
AAMT
That is how I have been feeling.  A friend of mine says I need to run, but I'm afraid of how it would be handled. -
AAMT
Thanks so much.  You are right.  I will contact this gentleman.
well, according to the AAMT BOS...sm
"Always place periods inside quotation marks."  <<< see, like I did!
Ah, yes. The AAMT.
Medware offshores. They don't pay well, either. I see by your other post that you won't work for acusisindia, what's the difference? Offshoring is offshoring.

AAMT = Against American Medical Transcriptionists
AAMT
I don't think you read my message clearly.  There are many options to AAMT, not just one.  AAMT is pushing for licensure as it is.  That will do just as much harm as anything else in the end.
AAMT
AAMT is nothing but a poor parody of a high school sorority. It touts itself as being a professional organization. It is neither professional nor organized and needs to go the way ot the dinosaur and die.
AAMT
What I blame AAMT for is for touting themselves as a "professional organization" when they are neither professional nor organized.
AAMT/BOS??
I hear the rules are always changing in the AAMT/BOS.

And you have to admit, it doesn't really matter what the AAMT/BOS says, it's what the doctor prefers, right or wrong.
According to AAMT BOS, you do put
an apostrophe to form the plural of single letters and symbols. The values will vary from patient to patient.
AAMT
AAMT is totally useless; everyone knows that. They're a bunch of aging prima donnas. You would do better to invest your money in a good basic grammar book than anything AAMT has to offer.
Jim
Where is AAMT
They're too busy deciding who is white enough and straight enough to belong to give attention to relevant issues. I abandoned them in the 90s when I saw first-hand what their agenda was. It isn't to help the average Joe or Jane Transcriptionist, believe me.
AAMT
AAMT is a dinosaur.
AAMT BOS
Yes, and dangerous abbreviations list instructs cc should be replaced with mL as well. I agree a lot of it is silly, but there is some useful information. Some doctors appreciate it, other doctors want verbatim always and don't care for it.
AAMT
I will conveniently stay anonymous, but I completely agree with you. I cannot afford the membership dues. My former employer is sponsoring a discounted membership with AAMT for MTs who want to join. I think this board is invaluable and agree it probably does have a lot better information. I know of other MTs who used to be AAMT members who could no longer afford the membership and dropped it. Besides, I think you can visit their website and obtain info that way. I bet the book you purchased is a good resource as well.
AAMT
AAMT does not only support offshoring, I believe they are responsible for it. Apparently, you don't know that they offer their CMT test and credentials to MTs in India? Nothing very "American" about that.

Also, you will find that most AAMT officers are from MTSOs that offshore work. If you dig deeper, you will find that these MTSOs were pioneers in offshoring work. I belonged years ago, but then I decided they were just a bunch of egomaniacs out for their own glorification.

I can't see that they have done anything positive for the MT business. I think it's gone downhill since AAMT came into the picture.
Like she said, AAMT...
Yes, the AAMT website has a great instruction guide for setting up and maintaining a QA department.  It is the QA Primer 2004.  I used it to establish a QA department for one of the medium transcription companies and they love it. 
Can one sit for the AAMT's CMT
x
AAMT

If the AAMT gets their way and gets an apprenticeship program apprvoved, MTs are sunk.  Students will come out of the top 3 schools ready to work, but will have to work for lower line rates as apprentices.  So who do you think the MTSOs will hire? 


 


The AAMT has applied to the Department of Labor to get this scheme going.  We are sunk unless we oppose it and state that the AAMT does not represent the majority of MTs.  The group that wants to represent us is sending us right down the tubes.  We have to stop them before they go any further with this scheme. 


Did the AAMT ever ask MTs
whether THEY wanted this apprenticeship program? The AAMT wants to pretend it represents MTs. If you want to represent someone, you take the time to do the groundwork to find out what the people in the industry want. You don't sit down and come up with a deal and send it to the Dept. of Labor, letting the Dept. of Labor think that this is what the majority of MTs want, and THEN try to sell it to those who make up the working body.

That is NOT the way to attract support. This is why the AAMT is accused of being elitist. The AAMT does not use the boards to poll working MTs. It tells MTs what they SHOULD want, SHOULD do, SHOULD think.

Ask first, then act. Don't try to sell us some scheme after it's all put together, and don't try to fob it off as something the majority wants. That is dishonest.
That turns the majority of MTs against the AAMT.

When we are making the same wages as the MTS who live in other countries, maybe the AAMT will wake up and feel a little bit of guilt about their part in taking us down.




Thank AAMT for this. nm
x
AAMT now just AMT?

This is in reference to their now teaching overseas to outsource our work:


 


I myself do NOT feel comfortable having my information sent overseas, including my name, DOB, and often SSN listed in the demographics screen of each note. I have heard stories of prosecution (or lack there of) by identity theft from people in other countries. Maybe Americans should start boycotting or protesting the healthcare industries that outsource overseas!!!!!!!!!!!!


 



Re: AAMT BOS, etc.
Thanks for your honest, non-rosy answer about switching from in-house to at-home. We have actually been gradually switching over to a more rigid adherenct to the BOS, but it's been a hard sell for lots of the older docs, who want it their way or no way at all. And some of us older MTs aren't too thrilled with lots of the idiotic, picky-picky stuff the BOS throws at us. So far we've reached a compromise, where we MOSTLY adhere to it, but other things we do the doctors' way to keep them happy. I would have a hard time with with verbatim, because one of our ways IS to do SLIGHT changes in grammar for some of the ESL docs. But they can be only very minor, and the rule of thumb is when in doubt, don't do it. For the most part I sort of like the ESL guys better, because at least they try harder to be understood than many of our English-speakers.

I found your answer very forthright and valuable, and will definitely add it to my "cons" list! :)
AAMT
Throwing good money after bad, and sending our work to India.
AAMT
What a waste. You can get all of that free off the internet. Those CEC's you are talking about are worthless and not transferrable.
AAMT

Is it still the rule with AAMT to spell out WHOLE numbers zero through nine, use numerals for 10 and above or did they change this with the 2nd ed.


Also what is the standard font and size used nationally.


Thanks - Sandra


According to AAMT BOS 2 sm

"With proper nounds, capitalized words, numbers, and abbreviations use a hyphen to join a prefix to a proper name, capitalized word, number or abbreviation, i.e.:


non-CMTs


non-Hodgkin-type lymphoma


 


AAMT
What is the AAMT guidelines for position of the discharge diagnosis. I have docs who dictate at the beginning of the script and some who dictate it at the end.
I don't think AAMT....
addresses this formatting issue in the BOS.  I just type them like they are dictated, but would like to see standard formats for all reports.  Unfortunately no one has ever asked me!
aamt
I have never used them. My Manager agrees with me. AAMT is using the acceptable English language in the BOS. Well I have been doing MT for 20 years. Never needed other MTs to tell me how to do my job.