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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Need an association who gets back to being for MTs!

Posted By: VA MT on 2009-03-08
In Reply to: AHDI should be investigated by the gov't. - sm - Topaz

I wish somehow we could start a new group from the bottom up, like AAMT did way back when - with a new mission that takes into account all the changes, as well as how AHDI has taken the MTs back so far in pay and other issues.

Anyone think it's possible?


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Not MT association, but a TRANSCRIPTION association.
This includes general transcriptionists, legal transcriptionists, etc. I did sign up because it was free for now. I am curious to see where this goes.
There is an association whom I believe has
a whole guideline of QA scoring on their website. I do know that having 2 critical errors in one job is NOT good, though, no matter the company. One critical error really brings down your percentage - can't imagine two.
Homeowners' Association
Most neighborhoods around here have a homeowner's association. I think at our townhouse we used to have we got approval for landscaping, but now we have a single-family house with a yard. We were supposed to check before changing the color of the house, but we just changed it from a faded cream-yellow to a very subtle, hard-to-describe yellow/green/beige. It's very easy on the eyes, so I knew they wouldn't take notice. I also had a carpenter add some extra trim over the windows and garage door. It looks a little less plain with more white trimwork. We also took out many small trees and big bushes and put in other trees and bushes, and have had no complaints. But I see somebody in the neighborhood painted their house a bright blue-green, similar to my Stedman's Equipment Words book. It's hideous, even if there is some brick on the front of the house to tone it down a little. Now they should be fined. I pity their next-door neighbors.
Do you have a homeowner's association where you are? If you do maybe you could
mention it to them or the landlord or someone else that will handle it.  She will probably know it is you, but at least you won't have the stress of having to deal with it.   I have a neighbor I have similar issues with and I told him off in not such nice language and told him I wasn't going to put up with it and since then things have been a lot better.   Our association as a newsletter and they were going to put an article in it talking about property line issues and respecting your neighbor, maintaining you property, etc.   We've been here 34 years and he has been here 10 years.  I keep hoping he will move as one daughter is getting married this summer and another graduating high school (unless she flunks again), but he keeps doing repairs to his house, keeps adding on to the deck, etc. so I don't think he is going anywhere soon.  
Am going for an interview for in-house RAD MT for association
in Austin, Texas. Can anyone give me an idea of the pay scale for this market--probably hourly? I've never worked in-house in a large city. I'd really appreciate any advice.
If they just add an E, they can be the East Asian Association for MT. nm
x
AAMT's new name: Association for Integrity of

They will accept a broader sector healthcare professionals involved in healthcare documentation.


 


Hmmmm.


 


Are these abbreviations taken? I'm seriously considering starting my OWN association sm

and calling it AMTS: AMERICAN Medical Transcription Society and leave the AAMT or whatever their new name is, to the transcription WORLD.


 


My "society" would be kind of like them but the only difference is that absolutely NO oversea members would be allowed; only those American MTs working in other countries who could prove to the society or association that they are, in fact, American Born and Bred.


What do you say? I would charge a minimal amount per year and begin local chapters.....by contacting local colleges and tech schools and employers telling them about our local networking, American, society or association.


I would periodically work with large MT companies and large hospitals telling them of our highly skilled MTs and DEMANDING that pay be increased and showing them why American MTs are the way to go......Doesn't that sound like fun?  It wouldn't be anything like a union, as I don't believe in unions, but a UNION of MTs around this great country I call MY AMERICA!


 


GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GOD BLESS YOU!!!!! Allah and Buddha could bless the AAMT all they want, but I just don't think they will do that.


Try the National Association for the Self-Employed. SM
They have lots of options. 
Someone should call AAMT out on its association with (sm)
Indian transcription. Also, maybe medical facilities should be provided with lists of MTSOs - those that offshore, and those that don't, and the reasons why they shouldn't send their business to the latter. Might at least open their eyes. If someone's personal medical record goes offshore I think whoever in a medical organization that allows it should be held accountable and liable in case something happens to adversely affect the patient's identity, credit, or healthcare. Food for thought for the Fat-Cats.
Association for Healthcare Documentation
"As a patient, I worry less about WHERE my records are being transcribed, and more about WHO is doing the transcription. I would opt for a qualified CMT in India handling my records over an unqualified individual transcribing from their dining room table with little experience and no security - where anyone could walk into their "home office" and access my information."

That's a laugh. She'd rather have a "qualified CMT in India" (where there is no HIPAA or anything like it) than an "unqualified individual transcribing from their dining room table..." Why am I supposed to assume that this picture of a dining room slacker is the opposite of an Indian MT?

How about another option, Ms. Fox: (Lemme guess: Karen Fox???) How about entrusting your records to a highly qualified American MT with professional standards & work ethic & who would do her/his best to protect the confidentiality of your records even if there were no laws against doing so, whose native language is American English, but who hasn't bothered to take some bogus test thought up by the chicks in Modesto to fund themselves, self-appointed guardians of all things MT? Now there's a novel idea.

Apparently she hasn't read the publication
http://mtindia.info/news/latest/heartland-information-services-spryance-inc.-merge.html

which would beg to differ with her contention that Indian MTs don't get any special pricing.

Well heck. My workload was cut to less than half after the hospital I work for began offshoring to people AHDI credentialed, people who have a cost of living that is a small fraction of mine & who can do the work I do for a small fraction of what I can do it for. I feel so much better knowing that at least they don't get a lapel pin.
National Mental Health Association
has a web page with some good information on bipolar FAQs, symptoms, treatment, etc. Here is their address: www.nmha.org/bipolar/public/signs/cfm.

My daughter is totally fine on medications. The most important thing for her to do is get back to the doctor and get back on or have her medications adjusted.


"American" Association - yet they are encouraging outsourcing?
x
Indian Association for Medical Transcription?
I hear you. It is to bizarre to see that the only way AAMT can continue to exist is because of their financial support from the Indians - HELL-O - last I checked wasn't it American Association for Medical Transcription? Ok, let's see, maybe if I transcribe work for France I can get certified there even though I live here, no I think the Australia sound better, oh wait... I like Thailand, maybe I can .....
National Association for Medical Transcription
or international...something like that. I think they should pack up the whole thing and move to those places they are promoting so much.
Well, this site doesn't allow mention of the Association.
t
I have a 100% discount for you. Don't take the test! It's worthless as is the association be

Association for Healthcare Documentation in India
Good for you for helping her make an INFORMED decision before taking the CMT exam. I can't imagine anyone knowing the full scope of AHDI's nefarious practices still wanting to take their exam.
Fellow of the American Association of Medical Transcription
x
What do American MTs expect from transcription association like the AAMT? SM

I posted this question over on the company board as there was some talk abou the AAMT changing its name and how they dropped "American" from their name because they basically have opened up memberships to the whole world and then something was said about American MTs needing an organization that represented us.


So my questions would be what kind of benefits or services do you expect from an MT organization or association?  Would change any of the BOS rules or would you want a new style guide to be created?  Would you want the association to function as a union, insuring job security and fair pay?  Would you be willing to pay union dues or membership fee and if so what do you think is a reasonable fee?  What about certification - should it be offered or is it unecessary?


I've felt for some time that we (MTs) weren't adequately represented by the AAMT and there was a need for an organization that could effectively stabilize the MT industry especially in recent years with outsourcing work overseas and taking jobs away from American MTs.


Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI)
nm
Have you Heard of American Transcription Association? Check it out!

I am copying this from the MQ board and feel it is so important that it belongs here!  We may have some new muscle here.  At least there is hope....


"I found out about this by reading an MT blog written by Jay Vance, CMT. This newly formed organization is addressing off-shoring of transcription work. Membership dues for the first 500 members is free. American Transcription Association. Check it out here:

http://www.ataus.org/


Let's see...American Medical Association vs. the AAMT Book of Style..
o
American Association of Medical Transcription Service Owners
They do not represent the rights of the individual Transcriptionist it seems but rather promote their organization in order to continue to exist and to continue to survive, they seem to think they should stand up for the service owner and not the MT.

You'd think they would be giving information on how to get more production since our wages have stood still and unless speed engines are used, we make much less than what one would think.


Anerican Association (located in America) not Asso of Amer MTs

With short arms, I need chair with shallow seat, good back support and high back. Want arm rests
:+
OK! I'm glad you're back down here. Now don't go back up there and read those evil posts ag
Okay? But I have to leave you now, sadly. Thousands of noble dictating doctors are anxiously awaiting my help with their "dictations"....They're all loading up on chips, drinking lots of soda so they can burp, and then have to go to the bathroom...You know the routine! Off I go to earn some pennies!! But, truly, I am thankful that I have a job!
PS.. It apparently worked..I heard back and already submitted the paperwork back.

I'm not sure how many people they are hiring but you shouldn't stress too hard over it. Do the best you can.


I would not do them back to back - I have done 2 and 3 jobs at the same time -- all PT - sm
It is possible to do of course but you will burn out fast. Now I do one almost FT (about 30 hours a week) and the other is about 8-10 hours a week-- I still get beat doing that and that is w/o set hours. I find that the older I get the harder it is to work late and I am only 40! But a mid afternoon 30-minute cat nap helps a lot in order to keep going on busy days.
How do you set your computer back 1 day. I messed something up and need to go back 1 day.
NM
Yes, you get back to work now. Go back to
some routine, and it does start to hurt less. I know  And remember, she is still there at work with you. Always will be. I figure at this point I have a whole herd of loved dogs under my desk each day - along with a couple horses, hamsters, parakeets, rabbits...If only I could see them - must be quite a happy zoo! But I know they are all there I sense their love.
Can't anyway. Just get them back. sm

I actually tried to dump a report today, which I never do, because it somehow got into my pool in error (not my area of expertise), but it jumped right back up at me after the next report.  So I decided to just do it.  I don't know how well I did, but I did it.  It was over 150 lines long and took me forever.  Lo and behold, 5 reports later, same guy, same type of report 145 lines. Second time around was easier and faster though.  The way I see it is that if I get negative feedback, I'll let them know that those kind of reports really shouldn't come my way.


But cherry picking for line count is just plain wrong.


I did, but then I came back to it.

The other jobs I took involved quite a bit of computer use, too.  I got tired of the office politics and other garbage, so I'm doing MT again.  Now, I prop my keyboard up with a block of wood, although you can use a telescoping keyboard drawer/shelf to do the same thing.  I have a habit of letting my wrists rest on the keyboard, so I had to modify it to get my hands into the proper position.  It might have helped if I had taken piano lessons.  LOL  The only time my wrists ache now is if I work too much, which has been the case lately.  I don't know if it would be helpful for you to try.  I've been doing data entry or some form of computer input work for 17 years now, so I'm hoping carpal tunnel or repetitive motion injury isn't definitely in my future.


Going WAY back here
It's been a long time and I'm not "up" on the lingo, but by reformatting, do you mean you re-indexed?

I would go into whatever function that is where you can re-index all files or functions and do that.

If you still have problems, it might be that a file has been corrupted somewhere. That happened to me on that program a couple times. I'm not sure if it was the dictionary, but something somewhere stopped working right and I had to reload the entire program.

Be SURE to back up your autokeys immediately just in case you have to reinstall the program.


Can I get back to you about this later?

WAY BACK WHEN
It used to be that we were treated as valued employees, treated with dignity, and actually felt like the higher-ups gave a damn about us.  Length of service meant something and those who were dependable never had to worry about running out of work.  I knew I would be taken care of.  Never did we get cheap plastic crap as a Christmas present - we got real, thoughtful presents to show their appreciation for the hard work that they knew we did.  It's pretty much like night and day - nobody gives a damn anymore about us.  It used to be the only thing I knew I could depend on to be stable in my life was my job.  Not anymore. 
Yes, they could pay us better back then
because they weren't paying 2 people for one job (speaking of QA here). If you weren't a good, accurate transcriptionist, you didn't have a job.
Way back
I never heard the word at the time. It was fabulous! No turnaround time. I could shop all day and work all night. The service I worked for told me she wished she had 10 of me! Nice? Christmas parties and $100 bonuses! Flowers when a relative died. It was fun!
I think I might even go back further...
I recall using white-out and yellow-out for carbon copies (the REAL carbon copies) which had to be corrected separately. OH my... but I'm afraid I don't miss all that at all! LOL. I think it was okay to use the white-out until a couple years later, or maybe 10? Yeah, I'm old.

And 8 or 9 books? Did they even make that many back then? I can recall having a PDR and a word book that was separated into specialities. Oh, and the surgical word book. It was red. I am visualizing it now.

My form of research was more like finding the chart and going from there. Ah, but that was before production. Remember those days?

I wish I could remember the name of the first word processor I used. It was a mess!! More trouble than it was worth, but on the cutting edge of technology... and I was there!!

And here I am now, an MT dinosaur, getting ready to start using ASR...

Yeah, DixieDew, we have come a long way.

But miss it? Do you remember the noise those Selectrics made? And I complain sometimes because I can't stand the clicking of the keyboard when I have barely audible dictations.

One more thing... and please tell me if you miss this... "Standard" reports that you had to copy type instead of just having them appear on your screen with a few keystrokes. I used to HATE standard reports to the point of tears!

Okay, my ranting and reminiscing is done for now.

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. :)
Come back
That Alice was bad, bad, bad. Are you and "her" coming back tonight though?
I will back you up too

I was told the same about two years ago by recruiter in Midwest.  She did not give specifics, but basically said that the full time employees would get priority if the work was low. 


 


I wish they would come back!
No doubt Zipper, Chucky, MQLOVER, and Frankie Boy made this board alive - I would rather laugh in hysterics with their words than to listen to the same ol, same ol'!

By the way, admin confirmed it was not the same person posing as all of them!
You never go back
Truly - once you make the switch, it is absolutely impossible to switch back to a standard. Give yourself a couple of days is all.
I know .....been there....won't go back.
A person can only take so much hurt ......I keep my distance now. Family can hurt you the most because you love them the most. For me, it is easier and less hurtful to pull back and keep my distance. The less I know, the better off I am.

My children and I always were disregarded in a similar manner. We just see some family members on holidays. I tell my kids, mommy and daddy will always remember you and give you gifts...not to look elsewhere for them.

Be proud of your sons..they are real gentleman and not materialistic. It hurts, but guess what, they will be stronger for it.

Hugs and more hugs to you!
Yep, I would back off..
When she's 18, nothing you can do about it anyway. There are lots more important issues at this time of her life, and she sounds like a good kid! My 18-year-old graduated last year, and as soon as he did, he dyed his shoulder-length brown hair completely white and started dressing in all black. It never amounted to anything but an outward appearance, and he's a good kid, too! So try to keep it in if you can, Mom!
BACK-UP
I have a complete back up system of everything I use, computer, transcribers, foot pedal, etc.  When I buy a new one I keep the older one for back up.  Buy a new computer every three years.  It has come in handy when things happen as without them I make no money.  Also have a place I can go and work should I be without power.  That is just me. 
Back at Ya
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving to you also.

Better back then
Made way better back then. All used gross line count. Worked for smaller, friendlier services, had better dictators, thoroughly enjoyed work. Made approximately $50,000-$60,000 a year back then. Some days now even hate to touch it because of the way it has become.
going back...
As the other 2 posters said, finishing the dictation and then going back to listen to the blanks works best for me. Most of the time I can hear it then. If I'm really get uptight and frustrated with the job, I'll walk away for a minute or two and come back - sometimes just a "mini break" is all it takes.
really going back
remember the old belts before they even had cassettes? 1967-68 or thereabouts?
How far back do MT's actually go? sm

I have a 1936 medical dictionary that the hospital I used to work at was going to throw  out. It's leather bound, but the cover is missing. There is actually a section on using leeches for medical treatment.


Think about it. How far back does MT go? The docs used to write notes and then they had the nurses write the notes, but how far back does the first actual typewritten MT report go?  Did they hire someone to type while they talked to them. Someone posted below about an MT that sat in on autopsies to type the findings. Hmmmmm. Interesting.


The old doc I used to work for (with the typewriter) was from the old school and always did handwritten notes until the insurance companies required them either printed or typed. He reluctantly hired a Transcriptionist but this was in the mid-1980's and he was still grumbling about paying someone to type what he could write when I worked there in 1994.