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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Beg to differ with the adding of words

Posted By: T on 2008-03-25
In Reply to: more characters - southernmt

to report if not necessary. That is commonly known as "line padding," especially adding "the patient" when it is not said. I know MTs who have been let go for doings things like that.


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Line padding is also adding extra words. See inside.

Doc says:  "General. Alert and oriented, no distress. HEENT:  Eyes clear. Lungs:  Clear."


MT types: GENERAL EXAMINATION:  In general, the patient is alert and oriented. The patient is in no distress. HEENT EXAMINATION:  The patient's eyes are clear.  LUNG EXAMINATION:  The patient's lungs are clear.


I kid you not. And there are companies out there that will defend the MT's right to do so. But, would the client's approve of it? I seriously think not.


 


Lots of 'em, but use a Lab Words, Sted's Ortho/Rehab Words, & Tessier's Surgical Words most
s
You'll need a lab words book and maybe the Derm and Immunology Words..nm
s
I beg to differ

When you do those awful dictators, do them consistently time after time, the supervisors see this.  Therefore, they assign you those jobs, knowing you will get them out.  They know its not good for the company to have newbies, lazies, greedies, getting these reports, because they will either guess and make tons of mistakes, or bypass them anyways.  So they figure, give em to the gals who can do them!  Therefore, they look good to their boss, everything is nice and tidy on their end, and we're all happy. 


Except those of us stuck with the horrible dictators.  No matter how good you are at them, if you get them over n over n over, it will reflect on the amount of lines you do because it takes time to not only decipher what they are saying, but also research on that one word which he "might" be saying but your not sure.  The cherrypickers and whiners and lazies are the smart ones, they're making the $$$$


I beg to differ
It that your reasoning behind your accusations of who Barney is and who she isn't.

That is pathetic.

It seems as though Barney has not responded lately and you know what, I don't blame her. I am outta here as well. Good day!
Beg to differ!
This board DOES allow this company to advertise here, although it admitted to offshoring once it got caught. There are ads here all the time posted by this company.

Is is this the email you are talking about from Mr. R?

"Whether we think offshore labor is right or wrong, it has become a fact we cannot escape from. XXX will not actively pursue offshore labor contracts, but we have made the decision to experiment with using some offshore labor to save this large XXX client from going elsewhere. We believe this is the best decision for our employees assigned to this account and the company because this account is growing and we can assign the offshore part to the future increases and not have to reassign any XXX MTs. XXX is committed to continue using US MTs for the majority of their work and we will continue to resist going offshore."


I do have to differ
My doggie DOES go to the bathroom in his crate.  I had always read that dogs won't go in their crate, but this one DOES and he just lays in it until we get get home.  That's why I stopped putting him into the crate, because every time we would leave him in it and then get home, he'd have to have a bath because he had "whizzed" all over the crate.  He's a little pill, but I love him so! :)
I beg to differ
I also was in court reporting school 15 years ago, and even I know that the court reporting machines automatically translate the ShortHand into English, so what you are saying about having to retranscribe it into English, you must be mistaken, and not to be mean, but I can't imagine going through a 3 year course that has an 85% drop out rate passing the exam and then saying you were burned out, unbelievable, but then I am not you, so I can't really know.
I beg to differ here about...

My dad and my husband's dad both make an excellent living driving a truck.  My parents raised 4 kids on a trucker's pay, and we lived very well. Now, as far as couples trucking, I don't think I could do that, just because I wouldn't like being stuck in a truck with my husband for days on end....although I love him passionately...enough is enough, know what I mean???


Good luck, though, with whatever you choose to do!


I beg to differ -
The labor board will get involved in certain situations, check your local office. Also, there are many other government offices that will support a independent contractor - and non payment of services, considered theft of services - I ask that you review the news regarding A&B fuel in PA, and look into what is happening with D&L Typing. The Transcriptionist is a business owner, independently just as a plumber, electrician, or other service professional - time that the transcription companies start remembering that. And time we start to treat ourselves that way too.
Beg to differ
I was paid by the minute of dictation - it's actually the fairest system - depending on of course the rate per minute...
Sorry but I beg to differ on this on
Phillychick was not bragging. Simply stating the way she lives. There are those of us out there who choose not to live beyond our means. Just because some of us do not have to work our fingers to the bone to pay the bills does not mean that we are bringing this industry down.

I have 3 teenagers at home presently so I do understand how tough it has gotten just to buy the everyday necessities, but what we consider necessities has also changed with the economy.

If you cannot make a living doing MT, then you need to get a job that you can make a living at, plain and simple. It amazes me the bitterness that I hear come through this board regarding this profession. If its not right for you then find what is and stop blaming the rest of us who have made a go of it, and succeeded.


Ah, beg to differ
What you saw was very one-sided and probably paid for by WalMart. I was not a bad employee. Never missed a day of work, always on time, good reviews, etc. They pay minimum wage, always changing your schedule around so you do not get enough hours to qualify for benifits, poor management, when you ask for a raise they make things very difficult to get you to quit, etc. Employee discount was 10% where I worked. The worst employer I have ever worked for and thank God I was only there long enough to graduate from school to do MT.
I beg to differ

I would like to know where one of those jobs is.
I beg to differ.
I do operative notes only but for every single account in the company. I never know where the next report is coming from. Good dictators, great dictators, mediocre dictators, awful and absolutely horrid dictators.

Again, really sound experience and lots of investment in my expansions combined with a positive attitude allows me to be productive, steadily, even though I am working on so many different hospitals and dictators.

Everyone will have good days and bad days in this work but it happens with all other jobs, too.

Please don't try think and try to make others think that everyone in this line of work fits into that limited box. It isn't true.

I bet to differ
When I worked in house in several facilities our desks were lined up directly in front of the charts.  If the clerks were making a floor run, we had to answer the phones and pull charts, etc.  I've never seen a facility where the MT department was totally separate, except for one hospital.  They didn't have the room so they put all the MTs in a storage closet.
I beg to differ, OSi DOES offshore.
Or, trying to kid, it is a very well known fact that OSi offshores.
I beg to differ with you. An MT transcribes,
she/he should not have to translate/decipher what a rude person is trying to say. Doctors should realize, just as the MT does, how important that medical record is and that their dictation of that medical record is vitally important. Maybe they should be taught dictation and manners and grammar, etc.
I'm sorry, but I beg to differ -- my company would never
try to pull a fast one -- and, if that's the case, then there are tons of other companies out there doing the same thing, I see them every day on the Job Seeker's Board both here and on MT Daily.
I beg to differ Hayseed
Ebonics is a term coined, originally intended and sometimes used for the language of all people of African ancestry, or for that of Black North American and West African people, emphasizing the African roots of the former; since 1996 it has been largely used to refer to African American Vernacular English (distinctively nonstandard Black United States English), emphasizing the independence of the latter from (standard) English.


The original poster most definitely was referring to a particular race here in her commentary.

You missed the point entirely.




Beg to differ on Heinz
Kerry's wife has no involvement in Heinz Int'l. Never has. Neither did her late husband, who worked for his father's company for a short time just after college. He inherited the Heinz fortune, as did she when he died. She does, however, have much involvement in the philanthropic organization with the Heinz name, also not related to Heinz Int'l. This information can be found and is public to those who wish to find it. A lot of people have been blathering for years about how Heinz "outsources," etc, ad nauseum without actually checking the facts. Heinz Int'l is a multinational company. Not the same as "outsourcing" by a long shot.
Beg to differ - Schedule C with your sm
business expenses - 100% deductible. 
I beg to differ-EMR will take our jobs
I beg to differ but I know from firsthand experience that EMR can take our jobs. I lost a really good acct about a year ago that went to EMR, yes it was clinic work but I still talk to the doctor and staff and he said the whole hospital is on it and they have no transcriptionists at all.  They even sent me a clipping of a story that was in their local news about it.  Also my own doctor and the hospital system that was my main account when I was MTSO has been using EMR without transcriptionists for 3 years. I've seen it in my doctor's office, the ER and my friend is a manager of a hospital department and says they had to let the transcriptionists go.  Sorry but hospital work can be done with EMR.  Also just because EMR starts with transcription does not mean it will stay there.  I have a friend in Texas who is going through that right now...they are phasing her out.  So girls be afraid, be very afraid.
I beg to differ with your comment
When I worked in house MANY years ago, doc dictated in the "allergies" section that the patient was allergies to pencillin -- I then got to the "medication" section and lo and behold the patient was on GUESS what? PENICILLIN -- I went upstairs, pulled her chart looked through it and sure enough, the patient WAS allergic to penicillin -- I pointed out to the charge nurse who IMMEDIATELY called the doc and doc later came down and thanked me for saving the patient's life -- so yes, in a SMALL way we DO count!!!!
I beg to differ - I love my company!!

I beg to differ - not all kids need medication....sm
Many with ADD/ADHD can learn just fine without medication as long as you break the tasks into smaller segments and implement visual aides.

No drug is completely safe. They all have chemicals in them. Ritalin, which you mentioned, caused my nephew to have growth retardation while he was on it and it was only after he came off that stuff that he started growing.

It's not the media afraid of drugging kids. There are many of us out there that don't believe that drugging a child is the correct answer. Sure there are kids that really need it if they can't stay focused at all, but asking a child to stay focused for an hour or more without a break when they're say 7 years old is extreme, especially if they're able to learn the same information if it's broken down into 3 20 minute sessions in the day.

Kids are now being pushed to learn more at a rate that for some of them taxes where their maturity levels are, and this can aggravate things like ADD/ADHD, especially when they don't have the recess breaks at school to give them a diversion from the classroom for a while. I'm glad that in my state some of the school systems have started mandating recess again - and those schools test scores have improved.
Stedmans Med $ Surgical Equip words, Path and Lab words, and Tessiers Surgical Word book (3rd
edition).  I never buy drug books anymore.  Waist of money in my opinion.  New drugs come out so often, it's best to use the web.
EXACTLY! Thank you for adding.
x
And that is without adding in the
Ouch, ooch, eech, (walking out to grab the paper off the step this morning).
And adding to that. ..
What happens when the company runs low on work, which is known to happen.  There is nothing in the contract about the "penalty/incentive" does not apply.
I beg to differ. That is what the companies want you to believe. Not all clients are paying Less!
The companies are lining their pockets more and more. AccuStat-Carolinas is not a "good" company to work for anyway. Read the archives!
I beg to differ. I work 35-40 hours a week
FT and have an IC job I work maybe 3 evenings a week for 3-4 hours. I easily make over 50K a year. There are good jobs out there that pay wages one can live on.
Accounts, companies, platforms differ...sm
To my mind, the only true barometer of compensation (aside from benefits) is one single number: What do you make, on average, per hour of labor? By "on average", I mean, for instance, as measured over a period of time such as a week or more.

Think about it: This one number takes into account all of the variances that we see between accounts, companies and platforms when it comes to nonproductive "clerical" demands, dictator variances, quirky site specifics, technical level of the content, sound quality, the usability of the platform, and even work availability.

I've found that those who wish to be paid by the hour are often being overburdened by nonproduction requirements, challenging site specifics (for instance, in one case, over 100 different worktypes with the need to listen to the first part of the report before you knew which template to choose!), or by platforms that are not "transcription-friendly", while those who are happy with production pay are more fortunate in one or more of these regards.

It is so difficult to compare the variables among accounts, companies and platforms individually that you need a single number like this to bring things into focus. That means that an essential question to ask any prospective employer is this:

"On average, how much are people in your company who have my level of experience earning per hour once they learn your system?"

You'll get one of three answers:

1. One that sounds knowledgeable and frank.

2. One that sounds "hedged" or questionable. Probe further. "How sure are you of that number?"...etc.

3. "I don't know." I would run very far and very fast from any company that is so poorly managed that they do not know how their production numbers relate to hours of employee transcription time. Such companies are likely to overhire and to make errors in creating their client teams, and they don't have a handle on the basic business metrics that apply to this industry.
Nothing about MQ is adding up anymore.
x
adding my 2 cents
It can be done, as I have been in your shoes as well. It will be tough without family close by, but thank goodness you have a job that can keep you close to your children. When I did it my job was 12 hours a day. Just wanted you to know that you have support here, and by the looks of it you have alot of it. You and your children are in my thoughts.
lol.. thank you for adding humor to my otherwise
nm
Keep adding to that expander SM
Just backing you guys up. I'll never have those quick fingers either (nv hv tos qk fgs eir), just not in me, but by continually creating and memorizing abbreviations, I transcribe fairly challenging acute care hospital work somewhere between 330-340 lph--including short breaks for coffee refills and so on. It wouldn't add up to 3000 over 8 hours (most of my work is actually editing these days), but could be if I were doing work I could make more templates for, clinic for instance. Zero stress, BTW.
Adding Expansions

I was wondering how you build your expansion list, meaning, about how many words do you put in day?  A few, 20, 50?  And do you review them daily so you know what you have?  I tend to create them and then forget I have them and then do not use them.  What are you tips?  Thanks in advance!


Did you try leaving the .09 and adding .09.vox? nm
nm
Are you getting paid for adding the
demographics, such as the patient's name, the medical record number, the dictator's name, two spaces instead of one at the end of a senstence. Is the space included in your line count? Some companies are now paying by the character only. Unfortunately, a lot of these things we used to get paid for have been taken away, thus you need to work a lot harder for the same amount of money. Try to master the more difficult dictators, and once you do, then ask for a higher rate.
just adding my 2 cents; not sure where you have
worked with 'Indians' to have such a negative viewpoint, but my experience was pleasant and the people I knew from India were polite, quiet, respectful but probably mistrusting of Americans I supposed. Most everyone is India gets a college education, not like here. Even on the phone from call answering centers, the 'Indians' I have spoken with for the most part are very soft-spoken and polite.

They were given an opportunity and are taking it and making the most of it and for that I don't blame them. It is our American companies that sought them out and went over there and started these transcription companies, yes?
I had 6346 and adding each day. :) nm
.......
I am talking about adding a few more notches to
make the playback speed increase, only if you want it to, such as if you have a really slow dictator and you want to go back and proof the whole report. Since I proof every report by going back and listening, it really would make the proofing go faster to be able to increase the speed more than we are able to now.
td = 10/13/2005. in IT I just keeping adding them as td.
dd
We got plenty and adding new accounts every day it seems - nm
x
Stuck adding dictionary
  I've downloaded Stedmans 6.0 to Word (program files) and am attempting to add the dictionary for spell check.  I can locate the file but when I try to add a file name, I get hung up.  I'm sure the problem lies in the file name, either the original download or my efforts to add the dic.  I would very much appreciate an assist, pulling my hair out.  TIA - I have googled extensively and followed the instructions but I am missing something here.
adding 5 a week would not work well IMO

I currently have over 1500 entries in my mail abbreviation program file.  If I had built this by adding 5 entries a week, it would have taken 300 weeks, or almost 6 years to build my main file.  I have an additional 6 other files with varying numbers of entries built specifically for different purposes - one for medications - one to correct misspelled words in my current MTSO's spellcheck - and one for each of the different accounts I work (mostly entire op notes and templates).


I believe the one on ShortHand's site is a good start.  Once you get familiar (or even while you get familiar) with it's pattern, you can add your own.  I constantly add to my main file.  Sometimes when I come across something I haven't seen in a while and don't know for sure it is in the file, I follow the pattern, and voile'...there it is and I don't have to guess at the spelling or look it up.   


In addition, if you activate the prompt screen of available entries on your screen, you do not necessarily have to memorize all the entries.  You get to chose from a selection of 9 entries to help jog your memory if needed.  I am a firm believer in the use of expansion software, even though the first one made me dizzy for 2 weeks


Adding some info to this post...

Here is an interesting bit:  http://law-wire.blogspot.com/2008/02/india-to-adopt-data-privacy-rules.html


Also, you may want to look into the Information Technology Act (India).


And adding insult to injury,
I have a few that dictate like they're trying to keep it all a big secret; ironically, it usually sounds like they are trying to keep their voices down so they don't disturb the people having the LOUD conversation 5 feet away! Hello, get a clue! Gaaaah!
Adding up line counts
I am about to start as an IC with a company.  Up to this point, I have not had to add up line counts at all.  What do you use to figure this out to invoice the company?  Any favorite softwares?
Adding insult to injury,
it's IC (independent contract) work with an insultingly low line rate. If I were going to take THAT big a pay hit, it had BETTER have one KICKER of a benefits package attached to it. No, thanks. Don't call me and I won't call you.

In addition to the various fees charged if you don't jump through all their hoops (and they were a bit fuzzy about whether those fees would still be assessed if the failure to complete the required work was THEIR fault not yours, there was also some verbiage in their contract that sounded like they might require you to use a dedicated computer--i.e. you can't use the computer you use for their work for anything else. Naturally, they do not supply this dedicated computer. Excuse me, if I own the computer, I can do whatever I bloody well please with it.