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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Try calling your hospital or local medical providers.

Posted By: uninsured on 2007-12-03
In Reply to: IC with severe carpal ts, what will I do for $$ - sm

I've been uninsured and in pain for about two years now requiring surgery. I've tried finding a job with insurance. I've tried working extra to save up the money to pay for the surgery. I just found out that the local hospital has a program in place for people who can't afford surgery or medical bills. Their income limit isn't really low either. If I had known this, I would have had the surgery two years ago instead of living with a ticking time bomb inside me and daily pain.


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My medical providers are worse than that.
Every single time any of us goes in, I have to verify and initial the insurance information. If the provider information differs from what my insurance actually is, I have to provide them with a photocopy of my new card. I do this at each and every visit, but they're constantly billing the wrong insurance companies. Then I wind up with EOBs turning down coverage and bills from the clinic wanting payment that should be coming from an insurance company. What I want to know is what happened to the photocopy of the card that I've given them for every single visit? We've actually had stuff turned over for collections because they billed the wrong insurance. I had to fight for two years to get my money back from the last time they did it.
The MR reports were being filed. Referring physicians/medical care providers reports were not.
This is a hospital radiology department with in-house MTs and a clerk who is in charge of the report distribution.
Try calling local RadioShack
See my post above. I would just call if you have a RadioShack near you or try calling the 800 number if they have one? Hope this helps! Happy holidays!!!
local hospital
I work for a local hospital that have all transcriptionists at home except for radiology. I have been working from home with them for about 8 years now. We are hourly employees and clock in and out on computer. We also have an incentive program (which used to be good, but they changed transcription platforms and it's not that good anymore), but it's better than having to drive into the hospital every day. I love it!
local hospital
I worked for local hospital for 11 years, then they decided to go to ASR and the Q took over their account! Seems like most hospitals are finding it more cost-effective to send it to large company with ASR!
I had a local hospital do the same s/m

even after explaining to them what E&O really meant.  Their previous transcription company had E&O, but that was because they had to have it for their copying services as well and the transcription just fell under it.  I found that Farmers carries it, but it was around $1,500 for a year.  They did have payment plans though too. 


Best of luck!


So did I!!! I left a local hospital
because I thought I could make more money working for the nationals.  Ugh, I threw away a good thing.  I tried to go back, but they said I'd have to start all over at the bottom working night shift again.  Not gonna happen.  Well, chin up, things will get better.
I work for a local hospital,
not a company. I know to stay away from Transcend.
local hospital work
i moved from a large city to a small town and i'm thinking about doing what you did. try to go to work for the local hospital. would have to probably work a set schedule, but the town is small so it's not like i'd be driving a long distance and i could go home for lunch. i don't have benefits right now and that's scary, so i'm leaning that way.
at my local hospital, they always call the

I think that is pretty standard. Calling by the first name only would be rather confusing. Especially if it is a busy hospital with a waiting room that is always full, like our local hospital.


I have a "questionable behavior" story for you! I went to the walk-in clinic held at our local hospital b/c I was having pain in my pinky finger. The waiting room was packed, as always. I go in, see the doc, and he tells me to go back to the waiting room until they call my name again. After a few mins in the waiting room, he calls my name & I get up thinking he was going to bring me into a room to privately give me my diagnosis. NOPE! The dope says it to me, loudly - not at all in a whispering tone, in the middle of the waiting room for everyone to hear!! He said "I think it is some kind of fungal infection" His actions were not only humiliating, but wrong! It was not an infection, rather a blood clot that developed on my nerve that needed to be removed surgically! Now, that, I think qualifies for a HIPAA violation!!  (Yes I did file a complaint with the Patient Care Rep)


I also work for a local hospital which is
growing in volume of work minute by minute. We have 52 remote transcriptions and still we need to send out work to two venders.
Local Hospital Accounts

I actually work for a Hospital Transcription Dept. My advice is to ask for the supervisor of transcription or Director as they usually have one or the other.


I actually had a person(who I know was from an outsourcing company from overseas) called and aske me if we were doing any outsourcing. We told her we were not interested, but I actually do send some out to an outsourcing company already. Just wasn't going to do that.


Alot of hospitals around where I live usually are small and have in house transcriptionists. The only reason we have our outsourcing is for people on vacation and when some emergency comes up and we fall short.


Carla


local hospital accounts
do any of you IC people have any tips on what is the best approach on how to find out info on who does transcription for local hospitals?  Thanks! 
I worked at a local hospital

It had its good points and bad points.  The good being it paid better and had better benefits than most outsourcing companies. We had a 4 tier incentive program.  The lowest pay being 0.087 and the highest being 0.10 cpl. You had a choice of working in-house or at home and we were all paid the same either way.   Also, if there was little work or no work you had the choice of using PTO or working in medical records at an hourly rate which gave us a little break from MT and a feel for something else.   


 


The bad, if you were at home they would pull you in at any time just because.  Also, at home we had a lot of problems with their computer locking up, getting kicked off the VPN, slow moving from one screen to the next etc.  The tech support always blamed it on our ISP.  Also, they always made sure you never moved up to the next pay tier.  Only their favorite ones could do that.  They made excuses of why you cannot move up even though the numbers were there.  The one they used on me was that I took off a day during the last 6 weeks.    They told another girl she walked around in the halls and talked too much to bump to the next level.   However, if you did not get your line count they were all over moving you down.


Look at your local hospital's websites
jobs open.  The reason you don't see them advertised is a lot of hospitals outsource all their dictation.  But some still have in-house (or at home) MTs.
When I worked at a local hospital
this happened.  I just transcribed it like any other report.  I would not even mention it to the family member.  When you work for a small local hospital it is bound to happen. 
Wanna tell that to the local hospital MTs whose....sm
...staff was just decreased because EHR came to town? They were told only a few would be staying now because even in the hospital most reports could be handled by EHR. I think you need to reserve your opinion till we really find out what O has in mind for this field.
I worked at home for the local hospital here.
It was fine. They paid hourly and provided equipment. We had plenty of work and had to stick to a set schedule. They do use a service or two for overflow, but it is strictly overflow. The hospital still has employees working at home. They don't ALL outsource. (And ironically, some hospitals are taking back their transcription and hiring in-house and at-home MTs!)
Wow! VERY well written and said! My husband works for a local hospital and
there is one patient who is an illegal that has been in the hospital there for 2 weeks and has racked up a bill that is now over $200,000.  One of the other nurses on staff there called the police department and explained the situation and they are in the process of deporting the patient back to Mexico and admitted to a Mexican hospital.  We can't cover the cost of every single person in the world.  The US is just so big and sorry, but my family, all American citizens comes first.  Does that make me a cold hearted person?  I don't think so.
I worked for a local hospital that used the same formula for our incentive pay.
x
I tested at a local hospital on the East Coast...
The pay was $14.82 per hour to start. They were paying medical unit secretaries $14.60. Also the job was per diem, needless to say I didn't take it.
The easy answer is to go to a local hospital and get experience.
The other answer is to ask anyone and everyone out there to give you a test, prove yourself, put your best foot forward.

Be very careful tough, because in your post you even used a wrong word "there" for "their" and I just wanted to bring this to your attention not to give you a kick but to caution you that you really need to "know your stuff" to get into this business. What you put out there tells about you, so make sure it's your best.
Just got an offer from a local hospital and wanted to run it passed you all before I say yes...

Employee status w/benefits


$13.50/hr with 0.05 cpl incentive fo anything above 1200 lpd and $2.00 shift differential (for 2nd shift which I will be working)


1000 lpd minimum productivity requirement


Work in the office first month for training and then home with hospital provided computer.


Dictaphone EXText Word Client transcription platform


Is this a decent offer?  I've worked at the same place in the office forever and haven't actually been out there  looking in several years.  I tried working for a national part time at one time because I wanted to be working from home, but couldn't see how someone could make a living on 0.08 cpl without working yourself into an early grave, so I gave up the part time job and kept the full time in office job.  Now I have a new boss who doesn't know her butt from a hole in the ground and I started looking around and came across this current job and before I jump ship, I want to make sure I'm getting a good deal.


The $13.50 seemed kind of low to me given my years of experience (13 years), but because I was at my other job for so long I maxed out pay wise.


How do I find out if a local hospital's transcription is done in-house or not?
Can someone please give me some advice?  I am trying to find out if one of our local hospitals has in-house transcription or what company they use for their transcription.  I called the MR Dept. and the lady acted like she did not want to tell me anything.  She said some was done in-house but most of it was done electronically and would not elaborate as to what company they used.  How can I go about finding out who does their transcription for them.  I never see any actual job opening in the MR Dept. or for transcription for them, so I am assuming they outsource most to a transcription company.
Try working inhouse at a local clinic or hospital.
That's what many MTs end up having to do to get their foot in the door & gain experience. IMO, that's the best way to start anyway since you have experienced people nearby to ask for help because those first few months can be very difficult. Good luck!

P.S. Agree with the other posters below that you need to specify you have your certificate in MT, not referring to yourself as a Certified MT which is a completely different thing and can only be obtained after a few years of experience & testing with AHDI. However, that brings up another topic... many MTs choose not to become certified now that AHDI has sold us out & encourages offshoring of our work. I've been doing this nearly 20 years and only once have ever been asked if I had my CMT, so it's pretty much irrelevant anyway. As long as you have experience & test well, that's what they care about.
Mammograms are going to PenRad in the local hospital's Radiology dept.
dd
Local hospital and state sponsored class. (see message)

This was way back in 1980-81 (age 19) in a pretty small town.  Our local hospital in cooperation with state funding had 3 different programs:  Medical Secretary (note--not transcriptionist) which was an 8-month program, as well as Respiratory Therapist and LPN, which were both 2 years if I recall correctly. 


The cost was about $300 (my parents paid) and included ALL materials (books, paper and pencils) for classes 8 hours per day, M-F, from Sept thru May.  The classes consisted of anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, typing and transcribing, English, accounting, and general office practices, all, in 1 room with about 10-12 students in the entire program. 


The last month was spent doing 1 week of practicum for 4 weeks.  We could pick just about any situation we wanted and as long as there was approval by those "offices," it was all right.  I did 1 week in that hospital's pathology dept (transcribing, charting, answering phones--almost got to see an autopsy but was a burn victim, so couldn't); 1 week in another town's hospital MR dept (spending a day or so in each subsection--MT, coding, filing, etc); 1 week our local area's cancer treatment center (again, in each MR subsection), and the final week at our area's tumor registry.  I felt sorry for the 2 girls in the latter; they had ARTs (don't even know if that still exists as a 2-year associate's degree for "accredited records technician"), and all they did was file cards all day long. 


After that, we graduated with a "Certified Medical Secretary" certificate and pin.  I've been an MT ever since, working inhouse (both hospitals and service office for 10 years) and now at home for the past 17 years. 


 


Keep applying at jobs is my opinion. Find out where your local hospital transcription is done
dd
I'm a hospital employee, working local at home, so I get a raise every year.
x
Any chance of taking a tiny ad out on local hospital websites, if not too expensive? Perhaps Drs wo
xxx
If you want to work at a local hospital or doctor's office, go to community college. Otherwise
if you want to work from home, for a national company, you need to take the course from either Andrews School or M-TEC. It does you no good to save money by taking the Penn Foster course, because most companies will NOT hire grads from that school, it is a poor course and does NOT prepare you sufficiently for MT work.
It even extends in some hospital medical records depts too
After my first week in the MR department in a state I won't mention, I came home and asked a friend if it was customary in that state for the department manager to call her employees the B word and yell at them like dogs and then (to my shock) watch those employees yell right back, also using the B word.

I didn't last long there.
Started in-house at a hospital, medical records department, on a typewriter in
1983, earning $6.00/hour, eventually moving up after 7 years to $10.00/hour. All hospital work was then outsourced to a national service in 1986 (beginning of our downfall), went to work for the service and made $2.10/page. Service was bought out by another service, rate changed to $1.90/page. Rates changed again to $0.08/cpl. After many years of experience in all services, found my first account in 1992, charged $.09/cpl/gross lines but blank lines not counted. Business has grown steadily through the years through word of mouth. Now charging $.16/cpl or $25.00/hour or $6.00/page, and having to turn down work at this point. If you have the experience and are detail-oriented, you can find your own accounts eventually like I did. But you have to pay your dues first and be able to transcribe all ESLs accurately. If you learn how to transcribe ESLs well, those doctors are the ones to target for work. I do work an ungodly number of hours, only because I am trying to save at a faster pace for retirement because of all the uncertainty in this line of work.
Well that is real mature, calling me a rimrod. Why the name calling?
I am not telling everyone to leave this site. I gave info about MTSTars.net to let us, who have been on this site MTStars.com for many years to make up their own minds. YESTERDAY, I never got a straight answer about the owner of this board and now I know, but I was in the middle of asking questions earlier and my posts kept getting deleted. I was not calling anyone names, like YOU have and I am not insuling anyone like YOU have. NOT offshoring? Well he is from Pakistan am I right? I still do not know the truth. Can you supply me with more information about Dr. Ahmed?
Wanting to make providers accountable
Love your message! I have done some writing and other things, but it is still the same and, in fact, out of control now. I wish we could post a list of all providers and companies who are outsourcing so we could know who to avoid. Is there a comprehensive list yet? I find it relatively easy to find out who transcribes for individuals in my area, but not the hospitals and clinics and I have lived here for years and years. It is some "big secret" or something. I wish we would share information in order to avoid having our personal information doled out to foreign sources. I would choose the hospital or large clinic staffed by Americans.
long distacnce providers for working from home

I was hoping someone could help me a little. I have been an at  home MT for the last six months and loving it. Yesterday my phone company calls and informs me that the "unlimited" long distance plan that I have been using ever since I started working, that I am now in violation because of my long distance number I have to dial into for my work. I use so many minutes a month that they consider me a businesss and the plan does not allow for business use. (they just want more money for the minutes I use- so much for unlimited). They suggested switching to a different plan and paying per minute for long distance or switching  my line to a business line and still paying per minute.. which would cost over $200-$300 a month just for long distance..... any one have any suggestions. I figured I couldn't be the only one dialing in long distance to do work?


Thanks for any help you have.


Val


I've got a stupid question about wireless internet providers. SM

Simply put, I want a PCI card that I can insert into my laptop while I'm at the pool that will allow me to connect to the internet and work.  I have a PCI card that I use, but can only connect through my own wireless network at home.  I want to know if there are services that provide such a service and how much am I looking at spending.  Basically, I want to take my kids to the pool and work while I'm there, but I'm too far away from the home network to connect and there were no other available networks in range of the pool.  I tried!


Thanks!


Depends on what kind of hospital? Large urban hospital or small community hospital? SM

Also, is it a large teaching hospital? If so you have to consider there will be A LOT of different residents dictating, usually a lot of ESLs at teaching hospitals, and the residents rotate out and new ones rotate in every summer. So you can't expect to get the same dictators and build up your macros because the dictators change all the time.


I would say 9 cpl would be a pretty good offer for a small to medium community hospital where you will be doing the same dictators on a daily basis.  But for bigger, urban or teaching hospitals I would want at least 12 to 15 cpl. 


Buy local. The local stores pay taxes to support your city and state. (SM)
Using online and catalogues does nothing to promote the local economy.  We complain about outsourcing and about the big companies gobbling up all the work so the jobs at local hospitals are gone, yet we do the same thing when we buy on ebay, catalog, and these web sites that may be located any place in the world as their primary business location. 
I went local. Great local tech support, they know what I do and were able to set it up just for me
:)
I would buy new a Dorland's Medical Dictionary, Stedmans Medical and Surgical Equipment...SM

and Tessier's The Surgical Word Book, 3rd edition.  Books you could buy used I would say would be Stedman's Pathology and Lab Medicine and Cardiology/Pulmonary word book.  These are all the books I use the most during my day.  You could buy other speciality word books as you need them and could probably go used with those.


I wouldn't bother with buying a drug book, new editions come out every year and I just stick to the FDA website and RXList as my drug references.


Also FYI, not a book, but I use my Stedman's Electronic Medical Dictationary a lot.  It's easier to open the program than it is to pick up a huge 30-pound dictionary.


Medical Transcription In The Era Of Electronic Medical Records
EMR has revolutionized the healthcare industry in recent times. Many experts felt that EMR & Voice Recognition would totally replace Medical Transcription - however; the industry soon realized that transcription has certain advantages over point & click charting and many physicians preferred to dictate notes rather than document the data at the point of care themselves.
But YOU are the one doing all the name calling
She simply asked you to knock it off....as so many of us would like to echo.  Get over yourself and quit knocking everyone who posts on the board.  There are some of us who would like to be informed and knowledgeable about our sister MTs and our industry as a whole.  If you are not one of them, don't waste your time or our time by coming to this board at all, okay?  Your whining is annoying
Hey, who is this guy calling old! How
aa
Name calling
Name Calling or Substitutions of Names or Moral Labels:

This technique attempts to arouse prejudices in an audience by labeling the object of the propaganda campaign as something the target audience fears, hates, loathes, or finds undesirable.

Dangers inherent in name calling: In its extreme form, name calling may indicate that the propagandist has lost his sense of proportion or IS UNABLE TO CONDUCT A POSITIVE CAMPAIGN INTELLIGENTLY.

Before using this technique, the propagandist must weigh the benefits against the possible harmful results.
Have you tried calling?
I know when I had A problem they were able to answer my questions. Have you tried calling them? :)
If he keeps calling you, tell him

him for harassment.  I'm pretty sure he would not have handed the title over like that without his money.  If she owed him money, where is his proof? receipts showing balance due? Please do not hand over money to someone who may well be a heartless opportunist.


I'm very sorry for your loss.  Be well.


calling you?
they say that girls in the trailer park go round the outside, round the outside.  I wouldn't be bragging about servicing the neighborhood's husbands. 
No need for name-calling here.
The tone of this chain is not malicious nor judgemental.  Please don't come on here carelessly calling people names.  This woman had a life or death situation on her hands and handled it the best way she could.  She came here to help another human being in trouble by giving her valuable first-hand information.  In other threads, this malicious tone may be okay, but not here, okay?  Please just stay away if you can't bear the comments, okay?  These people are hurt enough already.  Thank you.
OK without the name calling....sorry
So do you think a nationalized health plan is a good thing for this country?
No name-calling, please. NM
NM