Don't overuse but have to blank and counted off for it?
Posted By: Stumped on 2007-11-28
In Reply to:
Right now am really bumfuzzled as I do not know in my MTing career if this has happened before. I was just told from a company where I have worked for some time that blanks are counted off. I do not just leave to be leaving, absolutely cannot make out and really taken aback to be truthful. Do most places do this to their MTs? Is this just another way to make their pockets fuller?
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I thought Word counted blank lines using this method. I think the OP is looking for Abacus. nm
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How errors are counted
Unfortunately, there isn't a universal way of counting errors to quote a per cent accuracy. Basically, where I work, 98% accuracy would mean there were 2 noncritical word error in 100 lines (not characters).
When you hear quotes of alleged 95% accuracy in speech recognition, it probably means 5 errors in 100 characters, not lines.
Again, with offshore companies claiming 98% accuracy, who knows how they are counting?
But you are right, we all make errors, and I have seen stupid ones in my own reports that I would have felt bad if I hadn't caught them. I am sure doctors sometimes get laughs out of our bloopers the same way we get laughs out of theirs.
IC - 8-10 cpl but line is counted
The main factor really with IC work is the flexibility. So many companies offer IC positions, but they want you to work certain hours - wrong, wrong, wrong! JMO. It is so funny because I sit and think, "wow", "I can work online and not have to go anywhere", but it sure is nice to go old-school once in a while and throw a tape in the old microtranscriber and type away making $$$ out the ying-yang. 
The original poster got me, and that's what counted!
Sorry to disappoint, but she got my point!
How about counted cross stitch
I've been doing it since I was 16-17 yrs old and it is the one thing I constantly go back to after doing anything else crafty.... just so relaxing
MQ not paying for spaces -- just manually counted and it don't add up
anyone know? Just went from straight line count to DQS...
used to type 500 lph, now barely 150 lph....
AND NO COUNT FOR SPACES....
DAMMIT, THAT'S A KEY STROKE
Gross lines are not counted in characters.
A gross line = any number of characters on a line counts as a complete line. The actual number of characters per line will vary.
If you are typing in Word or WP, every character will be counted.
If you are being paid by keystroke, that would be different, like the other poster said.
I once worked for a company that paid per 1,000 characters.
My beginning rate was $1.25/1,000 characters (0.00125/character) which was the same as 0.08/line.
I was gradually raised to $1.85/1,000 characters(0.00185/character)which was the same as 0.12/line.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Really? I never save mine in .rft, only .doc, & they are counted just fine.
nm
line counts are counted within the report
and depend on how it is set up. They can vary the line lengths and also whether or not it counts blank lines. There is no spellchecker. I think the most important thing to learn is whether or not you sign on through a Citrix server. In that case, you will more than likely get lag, which will kill your radiology line count.
If the names are in the header they won't be counted by Word. nm
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Well, counted my lines for first hour and I made
602 at 4 cents = $24.00 for the hour. Not bad, huh?
It doesn't sound right to me. That one MINOR error should only be counted
as 1/2 point because it's not critical to patient care.
If they have access to how the lines are counted on the back end - see inside
They can go in and maybe make changes to what their counts actually were. Anything is possible. It does sound fishy to me. I would go to your supervisor and ask in such a way as could the other girls possibly show you any tricks they are using that might benefit all of you and open up communication that way. That way you are not accusing anyone of anything. Worth a try. 
Not included. Demos and ccs are headers/footers. Not counted. nm
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post thumbs down votes aren't being counted
If you've tried to vote thumbs down on the two posts by computerboy advertising illegal downloads of Stedman's items, you'll be interested to know that the forum is instead counting them as "thumbs up" votes.
I have a gender problem when I type! Seems everytime I get my QA eval I always get counted off
because I've typed he instead of she or his instead of her. It drives me crazy! I always pass with at least a 98%, but I'm always making this mistake and I feel like an dunce every time I see it on paper!
I know how it happens. I'm just not paying attention and I'll just forget its a he or a she or I'll forget what patient I'm on and think I'm still on the "the lady with the pelvic pain..." and type she when really it's a he.
Anybody have any suggestions to help me remember my genders?
Chars aren't counted in gross lines. If you have a 4-line paragraph...sm
you have 4 gross lines, no matter how long or short the sentences are. A heading on it's own line is 1 gross line. A signature on it's own line is 1 gross line. The date at the top of a document on it's own line is 1 gross line. Anything on a line going from margin to margin is 1 gross line, no matter how few or many characters, or if there are spaces or not, even if there's only 1 character on that line like 'A' for instance. Does this help? :)
to blank or not blank
I've taken tests like that before, and, yes, they seem impossible but point is to stick it out and put all the blanks that are needed because that is the point, to see if you will blank it or guess something st*pid. They know what the dictation is like. I recently took a test where one voice file was horrendous. I had a ton of blanks but I got the job. The other 3 files I still had blanks too. Then again, on the flip side, I've tested for places that had tests like that too and were indicative of their regular dictation, so you had to just test it out and see for yourself because you might be pleasantly surprised that it's not so bad.
Personally, I would blank it. You should
the spelling and for other reasons, i.e. privacy, I think it would be a good idea. Some tests I've taken have asked me to put in three underscores __ __ __ when items bleeped for confidentiality. Even if not asked to, I think that's the way to go IMHO ...
Since you had a bad ESL did you blank or put what it sounded like?
x
Blank emails-me, too
I have always used Spybot and Adware SE, but read they sometimes miss things, so I just bought NoAdWare. Was I surprized at the stuff it found compared to the other ones (including Norton AntiVirus, and my server software)! I had 4 "dangerous" and 92 "severe" the very first day...that have been on my system for quite a while.
Since then, I have also been receiving blank emails. I'm now up to 5 every time I receive my mail. I've been getting a lot of junk mail all of a sudden and have no idea why. My favorites are winning the lotteries. If I believed them, I would have a bankroll of well over $100,000,000,000. The other ones where I am named in someone's will. Love it. Dream on. 
Don't know what to say or what else to do about it without changing my email addess again, and I sure don't feel like doing that. I just did change it 3 months ago.
In my experience, if you don't know for sure, blank it. sm
It doesn't happen to often with my line of work as I only do clinic notes. I do know which drugs are used for what and the differences between similar sounding drugs. I have reference materials to help if I don't quite understand the pronounciation, as long as I have been given a particular diagnosis for which the drug is used.
If I am completely unsure (i.e. med list for PMH with no given symptoms or diagnosis) I ask or leave a QA note. That is much safer than putting the wrong med in the patient's record and that is the extent of what MT's should be expected to do.
As far as the doctor dictating the wrong side of the body for any reason whatsoever, there is no way an MT could possibly determine in a case of it being left rather than right. In the event of a dictator switching between left and right, that is a red flag to leave a note that simply says, "dicatator is indicating left and then right but does not clarify by end of note."
When my son had his mastoidectomy a year ago, the surgeon came in and drew a big blue circle around his left ear and looked at me and said, "This is the ear that I am operating on. This is his left ear. Are you in agreement with me that I have the correct ear that needs surgery?" Well, I kind of chuckled a little bit as my son looked rather strange at the moment and the doc said, very nicely: "In all seriousness, we are human and we do make mistakes, but I don't wish to make a mistake with your little boy."
No Blank Accounts sm
I heard about this but it sounds kinda strange. Anyone ever run into this kind of account? How do you not leave blanks if you don't know what they are saying?
What about when you leave a blank
and then QA goes in and "guesses" and fills in the blank? I have relistened after QA, and it absolutely sometimes is not what was said, it's just what the dictator "usually says" so QA puts that in. That makes me look dumb for putting so many blanks, and QA look good for knowing the answers.
blank lines also
When I started my surgical/oncology account 6 years ago, the gal that had been doing it charged for blanks, from first line to the last line on letters, consults, etc. All blanks were counted so I just continued, the OM, docs are well aware of it. Also, that is why my cpl is lower than others also, it usually averages out in the wash.
Screen blank for me too.
nm
Take out all blank lines
Go through and take out all blank lines and count or put on your line count on your file and see how many blanks there are and subtract. Remember if you have a header though on pg 2 and 3, it does not count those lines. Also I think that Sylcount will count lines only and no blanks. Also when doing your line count in MS word, it gives you the paragraphs and so if it is 20, subtract 20 lines, date to address is 4, address to RE is 2, RE to salutation is 2, etc. Usually there are ten blanks from date to Dear. Good luck.
Leave a blank
Definitely an error on the MD's part
Always flag/blank something so odd it is likely
x
Mine will go to QA if I have a blank.....sm
I do sometimes put that in though.
oh, the dreaded blank
I always do much better filling in the blanks if I don't stress too much over it, finish the report, and go back and listen again after the report is finished. So often the blank can be figured out with the context of the rest of the report available.
oh, the dreaded blank
I always do much better filling in the blanks if I don't stress too much over it, finish the report, and go back and listen again after the report is finished. So often the blank can be figured out with the context of the rest of the report available.
oh, the dreaded blank
I always do much better filling in the blanks if I don't stress too much over it, finish the report, and go back and listen again after the report is finished. So often the blank can be figured out with the context of the rest of the report available.
right click anywhere on your desktop that is blank, sm
and go into properties; click on the last tab that says settings and on the bottom left-hand corner is screen resolution. slide that bar left and right until you see what you are used to. FYI mine is on 800x600 pixels.
Either blank it or sound it out--no big deal either way.
Good luck!
Fill in the blank: You know you're getting old when....sm
1. For me, when a person I used to babysit from infancy until school age has completed his internal medicine residency and is in a private medical practice.
2. When I get up in the morning my knees and back crack so much that you can hear them at times in the next room (daughter asks "what's that cracking noise" will confirm this!)
You charge for blank lines? WOW! That's a first!
charge for blank lines
not my idea, but I'll take it!
When you test they usually blank out the names - sm
since it is confidential information. If they do not give names, leave blank. If they are saying actual names I would look them up. Tons of resources on the internet to look up Dr. names, even nurses. At my job I look up doctors names and addresses regularly, I macro the info. into a folder though so I don't have to look it up more than once, and update accordingly. I also look up hospital names, etc. when necessary, though I work for a local company that works for one of the local hospitals so I am familar with most of the places mentioned, but if I am not, I look it up. A big part of MT is knowing how to research. Good luck in your testing.
If you can't get it, leave a blank. You always have that option. sm
If the MT cannot understand the dictator, they always have the option of sending it upward for clarification. They are doctors, not English language specialists. I know you would like them to be, but that is not the way it is. We listen, we transcribe, and if we don't get it, we send it upward for clarification.
It isn't easy, no one said it was. But I hate to see people complaining about foreign doctors all the time. They give excellent care, and a lot of us can understand them. It is a knack. If you don't have it, then send it to your QA.
You could just go through and delete all the blank lines.
Since it is just a test, why not try doing that?
I cant see any replies either. Blank screen ? nm
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Couldn't be anything NEAR how a 20-blank report
What a bunch of hot air you people blow. And QAs DO blow.
They whine when I send them a blank, and tell me
Among other things.
You left out blank dictations
The ones with no dictations - I have a feeling doctors probably pay the MTSO by dictated minutes - but how about MTSO paying the Transcriptionist who has to waste their time listening to them, signing them off and sending them to QA multiple times a day?
Example: If I leave a blank or want to hear something again
is there a faster way to get back to the point I want without using the arrow buttons and waiting for it to go back and forth? There must be, I appreciate your help.
One blank is not reasonable, what if it is a horrible ESL - sm
that you can only understand 1 word in 10? I have had those. Years ago worked for a company that only allowed about 1 blank every 10 reports or so, which was crazy especially since it was acute care and nothing but ESLs. If you went over your daily allotment you would be reamed via email. I understand trying to keep the blanks down but some are just unavoidable.
do you blank it, change it, question it?
nm
I mean without blank lines in between patient notes
Thanks! Been a long night and drew a blank, LOL.nm
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