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Different types of errors are weighted differently ...

Posted By: MT'd out on 2005-07-13
In Reply to: Mistakes/errors - Patti

so more serious errors count more, less serious count less. I have 8 reports a month QA'd. My QA person listens to the dictation while reading my transcribed report and marks errors and classifies each error. The total is weighted on a percentage.

Last month on my 8 QA'd reports, I had only 1 error and it was a style format error (I used a "dash" as the physician dictated but the BOS2 says to use 2 dashes if dashes are being used and BOS2 prefers using semi-colons). That was the only error of any kind I had and it was not serious. My monthly QA score (because of how this type of error was weighted) was 99.9%. I have had a few times of 100% but I have never had below 99%. My QA person gives me a full explanation of why it is an error and sometimes marks information that is not counted against me but is given as "information only". Noncritical errors are only counted once in a document and critical errors are counted as often as you have them (ex: if you used perineal instead of peroneal --that is a critical error).


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At our company, errors are weighted. For instance...

a simple "a" instead of "an" would only be a 0.5 error, whereas an incorrect medication or such that could directly impact patient care would be 2.0.  No errors are more than 2.0, and we do not deduct for blanks etc. 


These dictators should be weighted
by difficulty and line pay or hourly pay by their difficulty so no one bears the burden of working for nothing. I have worked in-house where the dictators were weighted by difficulty, but as an IC I have not had that experience, but should have. We need to speak out and have that addressed so that things are more equitable financially, and from a "mental health" perspective. Sometimes when listening to a 23 minute report from an ESL you start wondering about your mental health when they do the two minute paper shuffling while you are sitting there tapping your fingers. No one should have a steady diet of that and those should be split up among the pool.
weighted lines
I may be wrong, but I believe a "weighted line" is one that is padded; for instance, a doctor says C-A-B-G and you type out "coronary artery bypass graft" (using the extension instead of the abbreviation to make more money).
weighted lines
It used to mean you would get more per line for the harder dictators. I am not sure how this works with voice rec though, just standard typing.
Weighted is different than padded.
x
I am in need for a weighted QA scale sm
I need to give some feedback and I'd love a weighted QA scale to use. Would someone be kind enough to email me one? I can't find the one I had and I didn't lift it off this site when it has been mentioned.

Many thanks.
Yes - weighted oblique view. nm

I think you need to see it differently ...
FIRST, we do not KNOW for sure the new MQ plan; it may be just be for particular offices at that.

Secondly, IF (big IF here) it is as some suggested based on 98% QA score and less than 15% of your work going to QA ... remember, this:
---that 98% is ONLY on the handful of reports chosen for actual QA'ing of your work;
---15% of your total work going to QA because of blanks is a LOT of your work; something is wrong if you are sending 15% of your work to QA for blanks and you need more training.

IF (again, big IF) the plan is designed the way one poster seems to think it is and everyone now ASSUMES it is ... you will still get paid if you don't meet this criteria -- you just won't qualify for production incentives.

The whole point is to REWARD those who have high skill and production in hand.

Not everyone will qualify. That is NOT just at MQ but at ANY place where there is a standard. Not everyone makes the cut.

Everyone CAN make that cut, though in varying degrees, by making a dedicated effort and commitment to improving their quality, learning ESLs better, learning to use tools/techniques for increasing their production, and mainly by letting go of this attitude that the company is out to get you.


I see things a little differently

>>>People want me banned because they don't like my point of view. That is childish. They want me banned because they attack me and get upset when I say something back. That is childish. If they don't like what I am saying, don't read my posts and don't respond to me.


If you're writing in a manner which is provoking  in people, then I would say the problem lies with you. Perhaps you are expressing yourself in a confrontational manner?


As far as "don't read my posts and don't respond to me," that's like telling people to stop rubber necking on the highway.


When time permits, I'll look at some of your posts and see what the shindig is all about.  Later.


Sorry - but I think you could have handled it differently
I am assuming you are an IC - which means who you work WITH is your biz and no one else's - and no one's business if you took on a second contract.  An IC works for who she wants when she wants and within reason sets her own deadlines.  A company understands this and does not give you a 2 hour TAT unless you request it or can handle it and you have an understanding with them
I guess I think differently.
If you really want this job, I think I would low ball it with a clause that says when his business picks up and you get more work that you will raise your rates.

If you are getting in on the beginning of this company, there will be room for advancement. You might want to discuss with him that aspect, whether it be an office manager or supervisor, etc. In that case, he might be offering benefits.
I handle it differently I guess ...
One thing I have done is designate an amount of money I will spend on me (be it travel, clothes, makeup, cologne, entertainment, etc.). I worked that figure into my budget. It is part of what I earn on a regular basis so I don't have to worry about doing what you described.

I used to do that. It got really old really fast. I felt I was overworked all the time (not that I don't feel really stretched sometimes now but it is a rare occasion and it always has to do with something other than work when I do). Seemed like I was never going to "have enough" to go on vacation without killing myself.
Okay, I'll say this differently this time
flaming face - to me, denoting hostility, then complains essentially that all the people who make less than nice comments should go somewhere else. My point was that the original post seemed to be contradictory, starting off with a hostile style of emoticon, then wanting everyone to just get along.

I hope my point is more clear.
Every company calculates differently.
x
those are set by the client but can be set differently per typist.
you can call them and ask them to set it. 0 being no backup, and up.
Stedman's is organized a bit differently sm

and that is probably why I didn't like Tessier's at all.  I have other word books besides Stedman's and I don't like them either!  The only thing I like as well would be the MPI and I hardly ever use mine now.


In all fairness, I probably Google more than I do anything.  If I am looking for a ronguer or scissors or suture or needle, I use the M&S word book to find that.  If I am looking up a new drug-eluting stent, I google, BUT I can make what I am looking for so specific that I find less than 100 sites for most things.  I don't ever file through pages of it because that is useless too. 


I dunno...only ever do OPs, have for a long time and it is to the point where I rarely have to search for anything.  Despite my advanced age, my near photographic memory is still highly functional. I thought that would be the first thing to go, but it wasn't.  In other ways, my brain is a junkyard.  I can remember a piece of equipment I transcribed only once 4 years ago, but I can't remember where I put my purse or keys! 


I'm thinking somewhat differently. But good for you for SM
taking action. Since I don't believe fighting the Information Age is a good strategy (sort of like hunters-and-gatherers laughing at people sticking roots in the ground, to my mind) I'm signing up for classes to broaden my skills. I'm also looking into reactiving my appraiser's license (in case of future need. I appraised lots of foreclosures in the Reagan era and would definitely prefer to pass now).

Back to the healthcare industry, I would ask you, how does having IT performed on this continent fit into improving the delivery of good affordable healthcare to all of us? What has to be done so that this does serve that purpose? How do we fit into it? Best wishes for sure.
Two errors per page is a LOT of errors! nm
x
not true. Crux is, she is being treated differently than others

No, as I said both times same context but qa'ed differently.
p
I feel differently about the whole anti-Wal-Mart thing...
If you don't like them, don't shop there.  If enough people don't like them, they'll eventually wither away.  If the little mom and pop stores didn't charge so much, people wouldn't go to the big department stores instead.  It's called competition and capitalism, neither of which are illegal.  At one time there was an uproar over supermarkets?  Are you still shopping for your bread at the bakery, your meat at the butcher, and your fresh produce at the vegetable man store?  No, of course not, you go to the supermarket without any sorrow in your heart for the little grocer who was put out of business decades ago. 
Every version of Word seems to do auto numbering differently. sm
The last two versions have a number list style that will keep numbers at the left margin and do the hanging indent automatically. Alt-Shift-left arrow will take your list back to the left margin if you don't use the style but want to use automatic numbering.
Female heart attacks manifest differently than a man's. Get someone to watch the kids and get che
n
I'm 45 and have done all types (sm)
of transcription. I did formal training for MT in 1998, after my training I was doing pretty well. Now that I am getting nothing but leftover, terrible dictators doing medical transcription, I make more money doing general transcription.
NOT planning on taking on anymore medical dictation since the offshoring got going. It has been a nightmare to find decent accounts, companies and decent dictators in the last year or so.
How come whenever someone types a lot of

lines in a day it is considered cherrypicking? I just finished my shift for the day and had 3897 lines. Did I cherrypick? No! I can't see what work I'm getting until it shows up on my screen. I worked a total of 11 hours with my 3 breaks figured in. Yes, I did work 2 hours OT but they asked for OT so I sat and worked. I can work steadily for 3-4 hours and then get up and stretch. I had no normals except the ones that I put in myself for the doctors. I've been doing the same accounts for about 8 years and have tons of "normals" for a lot of the doctors. Once in a while they will change their wording to throw you off course. The only doctors that slow me down nowadays are the new residents who must talk for no less than 30 minutes for each patient. Out of the 132 charts I transcribed, I had about 65% ESLs. Just because some people type a lot of lines in a day does not mean that they are a cherrypicker.


That's one of the things I hate about some nationals. You should NOT be allowed to see the other line counts of your fellow workers because all these accusations happens. If you see someone with a constantly high line count, you automatically assume they are getting all the "good" doctors when it is not the case with a lot of people. It may be true in some cases but you're lumping everyone with a high line count into one group.


There are these types in QA and in MT, too.
NM
so who types it? they only way around that would be to outsource
and that seems ridiculous.
Report types.

Easiest-family practice.  Hardest-OB/GYN.


skin types
It does depend on the skin type and the type of laser machine they used. Many of them do not do darker skin. They all do tend to work better on lighter skins. I have dark hair due to a hormone imbalance my whole life since childhood. Dark hair on my arms, etc. Some laser brands of machine are better than others. Let me know if you decide you want information on the one I work for or I can give you the name of the top selling laser brand out there that I would recommend from what I know.
you can ask these types of questions
such as laborlawtalk.com

There are different types of USB pedals

There is Olympus, VEC, Infinity, many, many.  Look at the bottom of your pedal to get the code.  If it is an Infinity, you will see something like IN-USB1, or IN9B (for 9 pin) or IN-DVIUSB.  All the Infinity foot pedals work with ExpressScribe EXCEPT the DVI because it is a higher technology than is compatable with ES.  Run the foot control wizard on ExpressScribe to help it locate the foot pedal and recognize it so you can use it.  You may have to try all the COM ports on the wizard before you hit the right COM port and the foot pedal is recognized.  My Infinity foot pedal USB1 is recognized in ES as the _VEC_ if that helps you.


I have had to do the hand control thing and it is very frustrating and can make the test take 4 times longer than with a foot pedal.


There is a whole list of these types
of things I got through my MT training classes. To make the ' over the e in debride, you would do Alt + 233 on your number pad. Let me know if it works. good luck.
Others have other types of jobs?

Hi everyone,


Do any of you have other types of jobs besides MT, QA, Editing, etc. like me?? I just started another type of job for evenings to help out financially, and I like doing so.  I still do my main MT thing, but the other one is actually fun for me, and not just slaving away all day at a computer!! 


Work types
Has anyone ever quit a position because you get work types you were assured you would not have to do?  I absolutely despise discharge summaries and was told upon hire that I would not have to do them, there were plenty of other reports I could do, now I get big chunks of DS throughout the day, I never have liked them, I lose about 75-100 lines/hour doing them.  Does anyone else have this problem?  I am not a newbie, I just do not like discharges and get a real mental block, I think mainly because I get so tired of sitting while the dictator is trying to figure out what to say.
Work types
Yes, they all have to get done but I used to work for a company that you were given a certain work type all day long, and it either rotated or if there was one person who liked ds or op, they were routed to them - the work got done, the MT had more production, thus the company benefitted also, why take an MT who can do 300+ lines on everything but DS and put them on DS when you have people who do 150 on everything, including DS
work types
Most won't allow that.. Especially the ones that pay well. The one I work for requires you to be skilled in all ares, even radiology.. It is a great job.. Have them for 20 years and 10 years in the MT department working from home. Hospitals are the way to go.
other types of transcription

I have been doing medical transcription for about 5 years now and I am very interested in getting into other areas such as auto insurance claims, police reports, interviews, etc.


 


I was wondering if anyone has ventured into this area  -I would like to try something new but do not even know where to start.


Thanks for any advice!


I have had many different types of jobs s/m

from the lowliest to corporate level, and I take pride in all work that I do.  I do not find this profession in any way boring -- there is always something new to be learned and every case (usually) is different and fascinating to me.  Sometimes they make me laugh, sometimes they make me cry, but it is never boring!!.  I just get so frustrated with the regard that everyone else looks at this profession -- that because I work from home, it is not a "real" job, or that what we do is not important or significant.  This job requires a myriad of language and technical skills that I believe an "average" person could simply not do. I have done brain-numbing data entry, and this work is far, far more involved than simply transferring numbers or names into a format. 


Anyone who types enough lines
to survive on these days cannot be called a 'slacker'. No way.
What types of reports were they?

Did you leave a lot of blanks or guess?  Were you familiar with those work types?  Were the accents difficult?  Did you follow the BOS (BS)?


Of the 10 years' exp you have, is it well-rounded (including acute care and clinic).  Have you ever worked in house (in a hospital or clinic)?


Just some things to consider.  I wouldn't throw in the towel just because some national didn't like your test.  Consider a local service with specialties you are familiar with and ask the owner/QA person to help you with learning new ones.


types of keyboards
I just recently purchased a Logitech wave computer, switched from the ergonomic ones I have used for years.  This one was easy to adjust to, my spend is just as fast and yet the rest of the family can use it, they were so confused by the ergonomic ones.  I just want to know who makes a keyboard that the letters do not wear off, have had this one only a month or two and the L is just about gone along with the S, E and N almost unrecognizible.
Do you get choice of which report types are sent to you?
>>
There are all types of cherry picking

Sometimes it's like the game of Monopoly - I'll trade you St Charles Place for Marvin Gardens. You take a couple of choice dictatators in exchange for doing a couple that other people have trouble doing.

Another example is giving a "good show." By that I mean ... there are 20 reports on the system - Two of them are 10 minutes each and the rest are 2 minutes each. You've got two hours to get the work done, so, you do all the small reports. Changes are it'll be the same amount of lines either way, but it's psychological for the client. They think they're getting more work back.

I remember years ago when I worked in a hospital. There was one doctor who sent me screaming from the room (he sounded like a deranged chipmunk). They hired a new gal who had no trouble doing him (she also had a lot more experience than me). She knew I hated him and said, "I'll go him if you let me down so-and-so." You betcha!! We were happy as clams. I got rid of the worst one, and she got to do her favorite one.

The truth of the matter is, I would speak with those in charge and explain the situation. Tell them how you feel (very frustrated). See what they can do/say. If they won't ... personally ... I update my resume and look elsewhere.

Then again, maybe I just have a lower tolerance level than others. 


The transcription manager types it.
x
Is my post about different types of glossaries
nm
I agree - there are those types in every profession - SM
I was just making the point that we can't expect to make the same amount of money that a doctor does when he has gone to school for at least 8 years of his life to be an expert at what he does.........
Realistically with all work types
and various dictators, I average about 17.5 minutes per hour at the end of the day.  But the first few hours I'm still working with my coffee buzz, so it is a little more, maye 22-25.  I get a lot of 10-15 minute reports with a lot of dead air time, then will get a 2-minute report that is two pages long.  I could never go by minutes unless it is the same thing over and over again.
I think there are two types are care/discussions going on here(sm)

On the one hand there are the elder parents who are still very functional but maybe not able to live alone.  In that case I feel they should move in with the middle-aged children or vice versa. 


However, on the other hand, there are those elder parents who are no longer able to function and require 24-hour nursing care.  In this case, I think it would be better if they were in a nursing home setting where they could get the around-the-clock care rather than the children having to pay a private-duty nurse.   Yes, the elder parents, when they are young, provided for and took care of the children.  However, we're talking nursing care at this point.   And the other argument is:  How far do the middle-aged kids take the nursing care?  Do they get to the point where they're having to sell their house and belongings in order to keep the elder parents at home?  JMO


What types of procedures? I love doing

cardiac caths because most docs will say the same thing over and over, same for bypass grafting, just different grafts and locations.  All in all the procedures stay basically the same.  This also works for cardioverting, just change the joules where appropriate.  When I do a cath or other procedure for the first time. I will make a normal for it then make changes as they come along.  These procedures can be good for the line count!.  Also, in your short keys, make short cuts for left and right anterior descending, ejection fraction, end diastolic pressure, etc., you get the picture.  They will use these a lot. 


I have found that most of the time the more difficult dictators are the ones that will basically go word for word in dictating their reports.  Good luck! 


Talk to the doc about what types of screens are
time on the PC.  Also I was told that stigmatism is a common thing to have but a lot of people do not know they have it.  I wear glasses now, but I think my eyesight is getting worse from the looking at the screen as well.  You should probably take more breaks from the PC. 
Rate differential for job types
so, is it just me or are operative reports on the whole more difficult/time consuming than other types, like ERs or discharge reports?  Seems like a more thorough knowledge of anatomy, not to mention surgical equipment, is needed for ops...