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HIPAA laws require that all pre-existing..sm...

Posted By: nm on 2007-07-23
In Reply to: Question about pre-existing exlusions on new - insurance if you have COBRA. nm

conditions be covered as long as there is NO break in coverage.


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That would be HIPAA laws....nm
nm
HIPAA laws being broken.

Since nobody seems to care about MTs losing jobs & work being offshored, and it doesn't appear that they'll start taxing or otherwise financially punishing companies for doing it any time soon, what if we instead go at this from a HIPAA law point of view.  If they would start fining companies who offshore for HIPAA violations for every single patient record, that might put a stop to it.  HIPAA laws don't apply overseas & can't be enforced, and in this country HIPAA is a FEDERAL LAW.  I'm going to start writing letters to Senators, Representatives, and the President, and I think if we all did that, maybe someone would take notice of this privacy law being violated....  We have to do something to save our jobs, we can't just sit back and complain amongst ourselves.  


times like this I hate the HIPAA laws

I would *love* to invite somebody like that to my home and give them a shot at this one dictator I do ... thick French accent, right off the boat. 

"Please, have a seat. Put on this headset. Press that foot pedal. 'Type' about 15 lines. Let me know when you're done."

(one minute later, as they push away from the computer with that "do what" look in their eyes)

"Done so soon? My goodness you ARE a fast typer!!!"   


HIPAA laws have nothing to do with font size.
Some in your office don't have a clue, evidently.

A summary of the HIPAA law is posted at the HHS website.
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HIPAAGenInfo/02_TheHIPAALawandMore.asp#TopOfPage

Or you can go to HIPAA.org.
Depends on the company. Some companies require it; others do not. Some don't require it
if you promise that you will seek your certification at some point in the future. Other companies could care less if you are certified at all at any time.
I think all state labor laws are pretty much in line with the federal laws as far as PTO SM

among other things.  Basically, federal law states that an employer is not required to offer paid time off or paid holidays.  An employer doesn't have to pay you for time not worked.  It states quite clearly that PTO is an agreement between the employer and employee upon hire.  So, if you have an agreement with your employer stating you accrue PTO and get certain Holidays off with pay, then upon termination or resignation, you are entitled to any unused time you have accrued.  However, since not mandated by any state or federal laws, if an employer refuses to pay you for any unused PTO, you will have to take legal action, likely in small claims court.  You will probably eventually win, but you have to decide is it worth all the trouble and legal fees?


When you actually get right down to it, labor laws really don't do much for the working class.  We are not guaranteed anything except minimum wage and a safe work environment.


If you currently have no pre-existing conditions and
are just worried about any problems that may occur between now and the 90 days get a temporary insurance.   Deductible is very high, but premium is very low.  You will have to pay out of pocket unless there is a catastrophic event.   You can't get this insurance though if there is a pre-existing condition and there can't have been a lap of insurance. 
If you have no pre-existing conditions look into
getting a private policy.  Should be able to get a good one for under $400 and maybe less depending on deductible. 
Question about pre-existing exlusions on new

I'm leaving my long-time current MT job.  The insurance at the new job  won't be effective for over 90 days (I"m not sure if it's PPO, POS or HMO).  I will be paying COBRA to my old job in the meantime, though I sure am tempted to go a couple of months without it and hope for the best.


I'm hearing that many insurances are not covering pre-existing conditions.  Is this true even if I  have COBRA? Is there a federal regulation on this or will it vary from company to company? 


Another thought . . . get the pre-existing clause in writing from your employer --

Not from the insurance company itself, because the insurance company may tell you something different from what the agreed-to clause between them and your employer says.


Insurance company interprets pre-existing condition in a different way than your employed agreed to in their contract with the insurance company. 


Again, get it in writing from your new employer -- that is what counts -- not what the insurance may interpret as preexisting.  There is a contract between employer and insurance company, and that wording needs to be clarified by HR person handling the insurance benefits.


I think pre-existing stuff may kick in if you have have no certificate of previous coverage.
nm
Here's the deal. The only way to avoid the pre-existing waiting period (usually 12 months) is to
insurances..Even at that, say you have coverage until the end of July miss August and get new insurance September 1, your new insurance cant do a 12-month waiting on you for pre-existing but they can make you wait that 1 month that you didnt have insurance so...in effect, if you new insurance starts on Sept 1..it wouldnt have to cover a preexisting problem until October 1 cuz you missed a month. My advice.. keep the Cobra.. I know it's a fortunate but if you had any kind of complication or anything related to a preexisting and you have to miss a month of coverage..it could be really painful. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Assuming your existing documents are based on the Normal template...
You can open the Normal template, make the changes you mention, and then save it. When you open your existing documents, they will be corrected. Hope this is the info you're looking for.
Need bridge policy ASAP. Where can I get it? Have SEVERAL pre-existing conditions and meds
Just one medication at full cost is half of the COBRA payment plus I have steroid and Botox injections scheduled. Need insurance. Can anybody tell me where I can obtain "bridge insurance" without going broke?
what they require
Summary of requirements: Work environment must include separate room in the house with a door that closes. Workstation must be free of any noise/music/TV or other distractions while working. PC password protected including locking screensaver. No one else in the room while working unless they also work for this company, etc. Dunno, maybe working for a hosp at home has more strict requirements than some of you.
All the require it, though ..sm

even though DOL states you must be paid for all mandatory work performed.  If you were to volunteer to do it, that's a different story, but we are REQUIRED to do all this BS clerica/bookkeeping for the hospitals, demographics, notes on discrepancies, CCs, look up names, bombarded with e-mails, phone calls, reviewing account specs every time an account is changed, told to do "exhaustive search" if name cannot be found (easy for THEM to say, isn't it?).


I could go on and on and on.  VERY PROFITABLE for the MTSOs, who use it either as a selling point to keep the account or are actually being paid for it. 


Which companies require ULD???

I'm looking for a job right now and obviously can't afford this headache (or added cost!)  Can you give us names of MTSOs who you know "require" LD??? 


TIA!! 


Sorry, not require but WILL HIRE
I'm sorry. I meant hospitals that will hire remote MTs, not require! :o)
Why do you require 50% of the money

I am not so sure that will go over well.  What are they paying you for if they have not given you work yet?  Big turn off in my opinion. 


How about offering a free trial? 


Do most companies require you to keep a handwritten log?
nm
Do most companies require you to keep a handwritten log?
No.
If they want to do many things that require money
then they should work. If they are happy doing without many things, then no. It sounds like that friend of your daughter has FOUR very irresponsible parents. Not her fault. Another product of divorce it sounds like. I have read that many parents of divorced kids spoil them rotten out of guilt because they broke up the family. Sounds like you got it together, though! ;)
Keystrokes has accounts that do not require ULD. Some do, some don't. nm
nm
they require your uncle to travel; thus, pay him to
nm
No---all companies require you to test - sm
one way or another. Some will hire w/o a test based on your resume and experience, and will know rather quickly if can do the job or not. I have gotten 2 jobs that way, one as an employee and another as an IC, however this was after I had a minimum of 3 years experience for this ever happened to me--at 6 years now. I am still with the IC one (since 06/2007), had a falling out with the other one but did work for them for about 9 months and they were happy with me; left as I was unable to continue working a firm schedule due to change in circumstances and they needed someone to work a set schedule, so we parted ways. But as a newbie no one will hire you w/o a test. So just keep plugging away and test a lot, they are a very good way to learn what to expect.
Most state they 'PREFER' a CMT, not REQUIRE.
I think the reason that's put on most job ads is that considering what they're paying, they're going to get a lot of applications from newbies. The companies THINK the CMT guarantees a good employee, though this isn't true, either. If you're an MT professional that's been around a long time and can do the work, you are still, without those three meaningless letters, more of an asset to any MT dept. or company than at MT of lesser experience WITH a CMT.

Another take on that: Often those of us without CMTs have been around longer than that dubious organization has, and we know what MT is REALLY worth, because we used to be around back when it was a respected position. Lots (though not all, I realize) CMTs are younger, have been in the biz a shorter time, and have been told while they were in school (and possibly a school associated with AAMT/ADHI) that a CMT was 'necessary'.

Nowadays even the best national companies out there pay 'rinky-dink' wages, which has nothing to do with whether or not an MT has one of those useless 'credentials' after their name, and everything to do with greed, and competition from cut-rate transcription companies in other countries.
In future, require a deposit sm
equal to the cost to replace the equipment and put in a contract that the deposit will be returned within 2 weeks of receiving equipment in good condition.  Anyone who truly intends on returning the equipment will have no problem paying a deposit, especially when the terms are in writing.
Most companies these days require even
FT employees to work at least part of the weekend. I tend to work almost every Saturday, 3 to 4 hours. I am a FT employee working a 40-hour week and just take off early a couple of days during the week.
do the Bose QC2 require batteries?
If so, how often do you find you need to replace them - and/or do you think there is any health hazard to having batteries up next to your head?  thanks.
And does your state require an exam like that?
You know it doesnt and neither does any other state for driving nor for working. This person sounds like not only under stress but more going on and perhaps she should see a doctor.
The industry does not require QUALITY because
there is no reimbursement to the hospital or the physician for the actual transcribed report. The insurance companies are requesting written documentation but do not pay anything for it. This is why the hospitals are willing to settle for the cheapest rates.
Amphion does not require weekend work. sm
Set your own schedule.  No holidays or weekends required.  Good pay, good people, good accounts. 
Does MDI-MD still require the mt to have unlimited Long Distance? nm
Thanks
Maybe my hospital is unique, but they require their MTs to be fairly
x
Dumb question about companies that require
you to live in a certain state but want you to work at home. I don't understand. What if you had unlimited long distance? Are there other reasons?
There are companies out there who do not require weekend work...sm
I have two right now that don't, but I can if I want to which means more work for me on Monday. So, sometimes I work and sometimes I don't. It is nice. I'm an IC.
Hospitals that require remote transcriptionists

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how to find hospitals that hire remote transcriptionists. I've been googling all morning, and I'm not having any luck. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it!


Most MT co's REQUIRE 98% accuracy in order to stay - sm
employed. I've had to do 98% accurate work for years - it's no big deal. There's not an MT alive who is always 100% accurate. There ain't no such animal. But what I'm talking about is QA's that take a report that IS 100% accurate, and 'create' an inaccurate report out of it. I don't know if they're just bored, or spiteful, or if they have a minimum work quota like all the rest of us do, but jacking up a perfectly good report and sending it back with 'errors', (and no initials, so you can't call your co. and COMPLAIN about them), is a royal pain. I think they get paid more money, the more reports they mark up, and as is so often the case, in that field too, it's 'quantity over quality'. The Almighty Dollar, again.
Does the first company require 2 weeks notice?

If yes and they opted to waive it in your case, they should pay you for the two weeks.  You were only following their rules.   Good luck. 


Two VPNs I use require Java to open
xx
Physical fitness exams DO NOT require
breast exams. We are required to have them for school before certain grades in our state, and never do they do breast or GYN exams on kids.
Does you company require a specific number
of lines per day? If so, what are they?
I wondered the same thing. A lot of companies require CMT for editing and

I think it would be interesting to know how many people passed the CMT exam 2 years after graduation.


I agree with you. What in the world would one want to do with a report, that would require screenin
work-at-home job. Medical reports are sensitive information and valuable to WHO? I mean I give more sensitive information to credit card companies and IRS who are obviously outsourcing offshore. If someone transcribed a report about my migraines, what in the world do I have to fear regarding sensitive medical records. Every insurance company has access to my medical records. I don't get this big deal about investigating who is typing at home for 4-9 cents per line in their pajamas to ensure they don't do what with my medical info? Sell it to a tabloid? Blackmail me?
Shorthand and Instant Text do NOT require memorization.
Both have boxes or suggestion windows that you can stretch across the bottom of your screen that will list your abbreviations for you. For example, if I type tp, the suggestion box will bring up every "shortcut" that begins with tp. Tp = the patient, tps = the patient stated, tpwa = the patient was admitted, tpwbh = the patient was brought here, tpwst = the patient was seen today. I can either finish typing out the expansion, arrow down to the proper one, or hit a hot key or function key to insert the proper expansion. It doesn't slow you down at all to glance down, hit a function key, and continue typing the sentence. It increased my productivity anywhere from 40-65% depending on the physician, and my memory's not great.
My mom had a rambler. We used to go to the drive-in in our pajama's. Seatbelts were not require
































Okay, I guess I'm asking how can a company require you to work 8 hours a day, SM

require you to produce a certain amount of lines, but then only pay you for the lines?  My personal opinion is that we need to redefine this whole production pay thing because the MTs are getting screwed in the deal.  If we are paid on production, then we should be able to produce the minimum and then our work day is done unless we choose to work the entire 8 hours.  If they want us on the system for 8 hours a day, then they should pay us hourly plus incentive line rates.


I personally think that companies should pay all MTs a base hourly pay, like say $12 per hour and then 5 cpl on top of that or something to that effect.  Or say $12 an hour and you have to produce at least 1000 in an 8 hour period and anything above 1000 in that 8 hour period you get an extra cpl rate as incentive.  I would be working my tail feathers off if I was offered that.


My account specifics require it typed out, so I can't really comment
I have been on accounts that did not require it. Unfortunately, you have to follow account specifics. I had all abbreviations in my Expander to type the full word or phrase because the account I worked on previously did not allow ANY abbreviations anywhere in the report. Needless to say, anytime you switch accounts, you likely have to adjust your expanders.
Access to a computers IT would only require a VPN client number
and my supervisors and the helpers are now able to get on via the internet through logmein.com.

The Ctl Alt Delete did not bring up a tab for "users." What are you talking about?


laws
In some areas there are laws against leaving a dog tied in a yard like this.  it is considered neglect or abuse or something
OT laws
What you're talking about here is illegal and violates the Federal labor laws. It is also not legal to just not pay someone if they work OT. You still have to pay them, and then deal with not following policy through whatever disciplinary action you have in place. But over 40 hours means OT pay, period. There is no exception to that and if your supervisor is advising you differently, he/she is asking you to break the law.