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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Too many variable. Suggest google and make

Posted By: calls, send emails request info from diff. cos. on 2008-02-13
In Reply to: COBRA QUESTION - Siren

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Google Suggest Rocks!
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suggest entering word in google-got 30 hits-nm
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or make sure its a good google source.
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Actually, the ratios are variable...

If it takes 20 minutes to transcribe 10 minutes of dictation, that is very fast at 2:1.  It is possible for an experienced MT on an account with which they are very familiar, if normals and lots of expansions are used and if no time is spent looking up or verifying any terms.  Demographics would throw this out the window as well.


Unfortunately, or rather realistically, the ratio is usually much higher than 2:1.  We figure about 6 or even 8:1 on a new account, and as high as 10:1 or more for new MTs or for especially difficult accounts.


Our "average" MT does from 60-100 minutes in an 8-hour shift.


 


Variable Income

You are so right.  Maybe we need to stick together and ask for hourly wage that is fair to us and to the hospital/clinic/private office, benefits that mean something, and all work our shifts.  If some of us don't keep up then we will get fired!  However, the rest of us will all benefit immensely and be fairly treated.  It seems in the world of transcriptiion that we, the transcriptionists, always get ripped off.  Consider that my husband has a "regular job" and has had yearly cost of living increases, bonuses, etc. forever.  By my estimation, my pay translated into hourly has gone down considerably.  Twenty years ago the hourly offered for our services has never changed one iota and now that we are home not only did it go down (unless we skip lunch and work over) but we have lost all our benefits unless we work for cheap line counts for big nationals.  I am tired of them taking all of my money, are you?  It is just like the health insurance racket.  They have all kinds of "middle men" who get their piece of the action from the people who really do the work.  My husband's share we pay for our benefits has gone up, his company's share has gone up and the offerings have gone down.  Why?  There is no real need for middle men.  All they do is drive the cost of things and the real workers get it in the neck or other body parts I won't mention because I am a lady. Face it, doctor's don't even know we exist any more.  There is no personal factor.  I don't need constant affirmation, but it was nice when the doctors I transcribed for vaguely or not so vaguely knew who I was and respected me and my integrity and realized I made some contribution to their practice by my careful attention to detail.  They also remembered that I too worked there when everyone else got a raise.  I guess I am done now, but this gripes me so much and we all continue to sit here and type and nothing changes.  Somehow others have insinuated themselves into our transcription business and are pocketing all the profits and calling all the shots.  Some days I feel like a rat in a wheel. 


My rewind is at 900 and 100 with the variable
s
What about the sometimes-variable pay period length??
Twice a month, it's usually 11 working days, but can be a day shorter or longer from time to time....

We have a very generous 125 LPH requirement, which in an 8-hour day would come to 1000. Multiply that by the number of days in the pay period.

We have to average at least 1200 lines per day to make the first incentive bonus level, and it stays at 1200 lines per day regardless of pay period length. I.e. if it were a 10-day pay period, the incentive level would be 12,000 lines. For the usual 11-day pay period, it's 13,200.

My sister works for a hospital in Oregon; they have a 1400 lines per 8-hour day requirement, which comes to 175 lph.
Will be variable depending on the normals and shortcuts you have and how
s
Yep, google has it goin on... I really like the google earth...
Have you tried Google earth? You can type in any address, street, city, state, country, etc. and it will zoom in and show the area and then you can hit the + button and zoom right in and see the exact house, building, etc. that you are looking for.
Mainly Google; I google the known words in the phrase (sm)
That's my most frequent tactic if I don't find the word in my word books. I'll play with leaving certain words out and adding them in, in various combinations, to try to get a hit that has a word which sounds like my blank. If I get a hit, I'll Google WITH that word, and see what hits I get, and what their source is (i.e.,checking the sources out for reliability). When I say 5 sites or searches, I mean I don't often try more than 5 different combinations without a serious hit. If I get a hit, then I will spend a little more time checking that out before I give up.

If it's a drug name, I use RxList, or more frequently the Drugs.com website. Since they redid RxList, I haven't found one that has quite as good a wildcard search, but Drugs.com works okay most of the time.

If it's a place name (like when they give names of outlying outreach clinics and etc.) I'll use Mapquest and look up the city my hospital is in, then "pan out" and look at the outlying towns.

Hope that's what you're looking for. I do have bookmarks, but I find that even the ones I think I'll visit again, I waste more time doing that than with an intelligent google search. An example is the time I was looking for "banana bag." The only place I managed to find it with a degree of reliability was on a nurses' message board. I've found quite a bit sometimes on the various specialty message boards out there, but I think the quickest way to locate that is through a search engine rather than bookmarking each individual site and trying to figure out which ones to search for a particular term.
Thank you, Google God. My google icon is
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I would suggest
giving them a call.  I would imagine they would hire PT whether they're advertising for PT or not.  I work PT but do as many or more lines than is required for FT.  I know they bend over backwards for me in every respect and I doubt I'm treated any differently than their other MTs.  I think you'll find them to be incredibly nice folks even AFTER you're hired!     And, believe it or not, they do know how to coordinate hiring and work flow so it's unlikely you'd ever run out of work, might be ASKED to work extra but that with more than adequate compensation IMHO.
I can suggest one

AT&T CallVantage. - You can make all LD calls (including with your dictation system) directly through your DSL line. I've never been billed more than $35/month (I think that includes taxes), and I'm on close to 10,000 minutes a month.


So how to you suggest they do it then?
Unfortunately they have to keep track of who is getting these cards and they have to make sure there is no fraud going on, so they have to make some stipulations.

I think it's a great effort regardless!
Can I suggest something?
Two lines of thinking, actually:

1) Please consult a behavior specialist. There is an underlying reason or reasons for his behavior. It's much healthier for him to find out the causes for his behavior and design a treatment plan and work for changes rather than to just cover them up by changing the environment.

2) Please consider going against what seems to be the attitude today: Everything made-to-order. What I mean is that children learn quickly what is acceptable and what isn't. If we constantly are taking our children out of normal social situations and putting them in "specialized", "personalized", "made-to-order" situations they will never learn how to cope and get along with others. They will also be robbed of the joy of learning community-mindedness. Not teaching them how to get along in life is hateful. Not easy skills to learn as a teen, as an adult.

Just my opinion. I faced behavioral problems with mine when they were young. I know how it feels. My best wishes for you.
I would suggest..
going to a psychiatrist. I also suffer from anxiety and depresson. I take a combination of Wellbutrin and Neurontin, and this seems to work very well. I have had a hard time finding any medicine that works for me. I still have episodes sometimes, but they could prescribe you Xanax for those in between momements. I don't take Xanax though, just the Neurontin for the anxiety.
What do you suggest

How much do you guys charge for a late fee when invoices aren't paid in time? 


My terms are invoicing the first of each month and payment due within ten days. 


I've decided to impose a late fee since I'm having a horrible time getting paid.  What do you recommend?  Thanks.


Thanks! What do you suggest then?

I would suggest
investing in the Stedman's Medical Terms and Phrases book. It is kind of spendy, but it sure is a nice comprehensive reference book. Definately worth it..
oh, i was going to suggest
carboplatin and Paclitaxel...?
May I suggest

Shortkeys2?  That's the program I have at my office (I do transcription for a major medical institution) and at home (home transcription on the side).  It works with most programs and platforms.  I've only had one or two programs so far that it wasn't compatible (AOL and GMAIL).


I would suggest
If at all possible, I would suggest you get a job working in-house, so that you can get paid by the hour. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I first started out, I don't know how many lines I typed per hour, but I worked 8 to 2, and I only transcribed about 18 to 25 reports a day.  My speed and comprehension built up slowly and it helped greatly having co-workers to help me.  I feel that the MTSO will take advantage of you in several ways and believe you will probably not make a decent living in the beginning. You have to learn the system you are working on, the physician's style of dictaton, etc.
I'd suggest...(sm)
...using "AA (Photography)" or "AA (Media Arts)" in order to show the relevance of the degree.
May I suggest --sm
Shorthand V10 as an expander? It works just like autotext, which is exactly what I was looking for when I wanted an expander. It works with almost all platforms, and has a free 30 day trial. There is also an option for paying at the end of the 30 days. To receive all upgrades, I chose to pay once a year, at 29.99! It is the best Expander I have ever used and for the price, it's a steal! good luck.
and i would suggest
Your response does not surprise me.  I would suggest you read between the lines in the entire thread that I wrote.  I did not CALL FOR anything.  I was simply making an observation and throwing some thought out there.  As far as my spelling of HIPAA...... I am not an MT, nor a typist, nor grammar specialist.  I am, however, a very very successful consultant in many areas.  My expertise has afforded me very nice wealth.  How about you????? 
I would suggest only if you need benefits.
a
I'd suggest it if you want a job when you come back. nm
 
You need to be upfront with them. What you suggest isn't right.
 
To begin with, I would suggest
Paying for your rent/mtg, food and utilities without fail first.

I ended up in BK 13 so I can't help you with a company name but this is what I learned, food and shelter come first.
I would suggest getting a 9 pin pedal

With the new systems, the problem is within the wiring that causese the incompatability.  I've tried a total of 5 different coverters/adapters (including Radio Shacks) that did not work with the 9 pin pedal to my new Dell.  I found one converter than even the inventer is unsure would work and costs about $30.  I have a 9 pin foot pedal that I would sell to you for about that same amount if you want it.


The only adapter that I found that does work is with converting a 15 serial port to USB with a product by Radio Shack with a game switch on it.  That is not a shelf item and has be to purchased through their web site.


I would suggest an inpatient
detox program if you are feeling really badly.  Your pain management physician or your primary care physican would be the best source for information.  Please call their office and let them know how you are feeling, they should be able to help get authorization for you to be admitted for inpatient detox.  Do not feel badly about this - OxyContin is a highly addictive medicaiton which should have been explained to you when it was first prescribed. Good Luck. 
It's not rude to suggest a job. (nt)

I suggest going to some place like Best Buy
that has lots of keyboards on display and try them out.  I have a keyboard that came with another computer that has a light touch, but you can't buy the keyboard separately.   I also have carpal tunnel and have had surgery twice.   What works for me is to use a pillow under the keyboard.  You can push your chair back a little, put your pillow on the edge of the desk or the edge of the keyboard try and then put your keyboard on top of the pillow.  It supports your wrists and arms and it makes you sit back in the chair, thus relieving back/shoulder strain.   My orthopod also recommended soaks, 15 minute cold, 15 minute hot, and then 15 cold again.  I also recommend wearing splint(s) at night because you may bend your wrists while sleeping and wearing a splint will prevent that, which will help the discomfort during the day.  
i can suggest a book that might help - sm
I started reading Melodie Beatty's "The Language of Letting Go" - helped me tremendously. Congratulations for finding the strength to leave that mess. I wish you lots of happiness.
I would also love to suggest the following:
Insert a picture of a happy MT transcribing from her beach towel as the kids and hubby splash in the surf! LOL!
She is obviously OCD, cannot let it go. I suggest we move on.
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suggest after that post that you do not.....sm
Here's a thought - don't move to Tampa, especially if you think it lacks culture, try SE Florida.....can't tell me SE Florida lacks culture; there are so many cultures, it feels like NYC!   If you could pay $2200 rent in NYC, you could find a 2 BR, 2 BTH in SE Florida for same or a tad less, $1500-$2000 1500 sq. ft.
Sorry, but to suggest that she use the questions...

from another company's test or website is just downright dishonest and is a violation of copyright laws as well. 


Good grief.  It just isn't that difficult to come up with a batch of test questions.


 


This is what I will suggest so we can all speak up.

On one day, say May 1, every MT that reads this sends a letter to the Editor of their local newspaper calling attention to the fact that protected medical information may be going overseas, complete with SSNs.  If people don't start becoming involved in protecting their own information, then they don't know or maybe even don't care, but I think many will start to ask questions.  But I could be wrong. 


Worked as MT for 15 yrs; I'm 60. Can you suggest another
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You suggest being less offensive ... yet
you are obnoxious!!!
I would suggest you give it a try and see if you like it. nm

I used to work use Express Scribe and out of all the employees (there probably was 10 or 15) only one that I knew of used the function keys.  It felt awkward to me.


Suggest to go to Amazon.com and buy SM
"When The Name Of The Game Is Saving Keystrokes" by Diana Rolland. You have to have a system. The book teaches you that.

Don't start just making them up randomly or you will go crazy. One thing I use is dividing word in half like nesc for nephrosclerosis, but, as stated, buy book.
Not only do they repair, they can suggest, and
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I suggest trying Medware

I'm starting with them 7/1, but I can tell you the hiring process was one of the best I've experienced. The recruiter was super friendly. Once I applied, they got back with me within a few days.  Also, the testing process was very reasonable. Great benefits from what I've read (on here) and they don't change your accounts frequently. Take care and good luck!


I would suggest trying some of the free ones out there....sm
There are plenty that can be found on line and IMO are WAY better than Norton. I tried it twice and both times got viruses. For the $$ they charge, I don't think that should happen! Do a Google search for "free antivirus program," which should give you plenty from which to choose!
Can anyone suggest a good company

Not perfect just decent, I have a year experience so deffinately still learning, I work as an IC on Acute Care but the work runs out and I want to keep this job and have another MT job for I'm getting tired of my office job... Figure I might as well do what I like for a living


 



I would suggest that you have your thyroid checked--sm
It is the number one cause of fatigue and most often overlooked by physicians. Have a complete TSH blood test. T3, T4, free T4, and an iodine uptake test.
I would also suggest dumbbels for toning. NM

 


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if you really want to know, I suggest you attend an EMR conference..
I did. I was considering selling EMR's for my next career. Omigosh, if MT's would get their fat rear ends out of their chairs and into the real world and see what these babies can do, you would really hear people sweating it.  Every year, the docs that come out of medical school are more and more savvy with computers. I've seen lots of young docs who can type as fast as I can... so be educated and make educated decisions about your future...don't guess!
Suggest she and the other office staff take a pay cut, too.
p