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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Ugh! A STAT, no doubt!

Posted By: Misha on 2005-11-19
In Reply to: Oh man, I'm working on an 18-minute brief dictation. - If this is brief I'd hate to see long!

When I used to do hospital dictation, there was one MD whose dictations were always in the 20- to 30- minute range. What was worse was that he was the kind with long pauses followed by speed-dictated phrases. That's my least-favorite style. And he'd have the audacity to mark many dictations STAT. I think there should be a rule that 9 minutes is the longest a STAT report can go on, so the Transcriptionist has time to do the other, real STATs!



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Maybe a stat stat because patient is going to surgery or being transferred somewhere immediately? nm
s
Oh, that's hilarious - a STAT STAT! Never heard THAT one before!!! Heheheheh

How about....a STAT that's hot?? SM....
Ya' know, Paris Hilton's always saying, "THAT'S HOT!!" Maybe your boss is trying to be a Paris wannabe and figures if she says "HOT STAT!" that's her way of being "HOT!"
"HOT" STAT please ?
  Supervisor keeps referring to a "hot" STAT.  What the heck is she trying to elucidate?? 
HOT STAT TO "MTme"
To MTme:   I'm perfectly aware that I can ask the person this question.  HOWEVER, perhaps you cannot understand that I only broached the question here in this FORUM to inquire whether or not ANYBODY else IN THE GENERAL MT WORLD had ever heard of this phrase.  Do you have some kind of problem with my asking this question?    Get over it!!!!
STAT dictations

Re:  Stat dictations.  Does anyone out there charge extra for STAT dictations that come in during the day so that we have to put aside what we are working on and type a STAT letter/document and send in?  This sort of thing can keep one behind in Turn Around Time if it happens on a regular basis.  If anyone charges extra for STAT dictations coming in, what would be a good fee to charge for these besides the line count?


 


Ginny


IC STAT work
We generally find out when our ICs will be working on our accounts and ask that they be available for STAT work. If they are not available within one hour of the request, we have one of our editors pick it up.
After typing the STAT, do you have to
take it to them the next morning also???? When I worked for a doctor as an IC who used tapes, I charged double when I had to scan a tape. It wasn't much, but they did not call too often for them; and I did not have to take the report in. I just e-mailed it to them and they waited for the original to get there.

If you have to then drive it over to them out of your normal time to do so, I would charge them mileage at least and double the rate you charge per line/report, whatever.

However, if this is a constant thing, I agree with the other poster, charge them by the hour to look for the dictation.

P.S. As an IC, you are allowed to set your hours. They cannot force you to work when you don't want, unless it is in your contract that you are on call 24/7.
Stat reports

Since they are still on tapes and it is an office and not an entire hospital, can they que the tapes for surgical patients, or can they put next day surgical patients on a seperate tape?  It might take some training on their part but I worked for a group of 11 Radiologists and we did get them trained to use a different tape for in-patient vs outpatient reports.  Seems like if they want you to get the reports to you for the next days surgery that they need to implement a procedure in the office for identifying where those patients are on a tape.  If they were on a different type of system it would be a different story.


How much easier it would be for to to have one that that is nothing but next day surgeries that need to be transcribed stat, beats searching all through a bunch of tapes.


STAT reports

Right - the MT profession has changed a lot since the inception of offshore outsourcing, VR, salaries going down instead of up, and sadly there are those MTSOs taking advantage of the situation, especially with today's economy and in effect saying, "Like it or lump it, you're lucky to have a job." and whom I would tell likewise, "So are you."  So its often hard to draw the line, and it is often a fine line, between bending over backwards to do your job and feeling exploited. 


As for refusing to do a STAT job on maybe the weekend, well, this should be made clear up front before hire ... will you or won't you?  I agree with the former poster re. family ... when my late husband was still around, and he was essentially bedridden and required care 24/7... he came first, even though I had a full-time schedule to maintain with production requirement.  But if my supe should call me for a rare STAT job to be done, he/she must have had a reason.  One Christmas, a supe from my company (whom I did not know) asked me to do a STAT radiology job (I wasn't even on the radiology account) bec. a patient was waiting to go to surgery and they needed the MRI report before they could do the rather urgent surgery.  While I don't defend all of a company's actions all of the time, if a supervisor calls me in the middle of the night for a STAT report, I know there must be a good reason for it.


 


"Pay for stat work"
What is the "going rate" for stat transcription?  I work for a hospital and get calls for stat work at all hours but do not get paid for this extra service.  Would love to hear from other MTs as to what they are paid for this service.  Really getting tired of it, but it is my largest account - still it's not worth sitting by the PC or phone all day just in case they might have a stat!
try a dermatologist! and/or internist stat.
x
Going rate for stat notes

I was wondering if anybody had any information on what the going rate for stat reports currently is?  On MTJobs there is a posting for 14 cents per line for stat work and I was wondering if this is the norm.


Kay :)


Did you type that stat report? What did you say
x
Yes I did type the STAT. It is not the patient's
evening.  You have to understand that I am a professional.  I will not refuse to do work as that adds fuel to the fire.  I'll get my money in due time.  This field is full of pay-laters!  I'm not the only one waiting for my check, I'm sure. 
rate for stat reports
Hey, does anyone on here charge extra for stat reports.  I receive work in the evenings and the doctors need some stats done before the next morning for surgery.  I wanted to know what the going rate for stats are, as I have to stop what I am doing, work in the evenings, plus, they are on tapes so I have to search the entire tapes looking for the stat reports to type.  It is very time consuming and wondered if anyone charges extra for those, more per line, or a flat rate, etc.  Any information would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!
So, if you were dying in the bed and needed a STAT
You wouldn't mind that the person behind the document only cared about the money? You wouldn't care they put a post on this board like "why does anybody do this?"
Patient would feel slapped in the face.
That would be dying you slapped in the face.
I am really shocked and saddened to see who we serve is forgotten for the sake of money. Yes, we have to survive, and we do well. I have 3 jobs, am exhausted, but proud to say I am behind the document to help a very sick child or dying person, or recovering person, or person who was saved from suicide. I guess the idea of self rather than others is prominent around here, but not where I come from. After 27 years in the business I am proud to say I work behind the scenes and give the best I can for the patient, the doc, the nurse, my boss, the patient's family and so forth. After all, I would expect the same for me and my little boy.
Were STAT reports addressed in contract? sm
I had a doctor that did this same exact thing. He would procrastinate on doing reports, or just overbook himself so he never had time to dictate, and then when someone called wanting a report, he'd call me to see if I could do it ASAP. Of course, he didn't want to pay extra for this service, though. He would also call me night or day and expect me to drop whatever I was doing for other (better-paying) clients and do his "urgent" report. I go by the old saying that poor planning on his part does not make it an emergency on my part. I will do it for them IF I have the time and IF they pay a higher rate. Otherwise, I will not cater to this behavior because the poster above is right - they will continue to do it as long as you oblige. You have to be the one to set the boundaries. Get voice mail and caller ID if you don't already have and screen your calls. I found that sometimes just waiting a few hours before calling them back allowed them to calm down and realize it's not the end of the world, and they'd then say it was okay to get in by the next day or whatever. Sometimes it's not so much that it's a stat report in terms of the patient's need but that they need it to get paid, in which case they'll sometimes back down if you quote a higher rate or tell them you simply cannot fit it in right then. Same doc would pile me up with a week's worth of dictation and expect it all back in 12 hours, too, so it was an overall mentality with him that he wanted everything done NOW. It wasn't even humanly possible most of the time but try getting them to see that. You should have no social life, after all, and live to work! LOL

Good luck with that. I got rid of the client that did it to me. He felt I should be at his beck and call but argued the rate at every turn, and it wasn't that much to begin with so it wasn't worth the aggravation! Seems like the most demanding ones are usually the biggest cheapskates, too.
rate for STAT reports after hours

I currently work for a group doing transcription all day as an IC.  I am delivered my work at night by the office for the next day's work.  But, often they have a need for me to do STAT reports that night for surgery the next morning.  I work all day full time for them and then have these to do in the evenings too.  They also use tapes still and I have to spend and hour or two searching the tapes looking for the dictation to transcribe.  It is so frustrating and time consuming on my part and I am making NOTHING for the time I am spending on this, 2-4 bucks tops for an hour or two of work.    I just wondered if anyone knew of a good line rate, flat rate, etc. to charge for this turnaround time and the time I have to waste searching through these tapes!!!!!  They will not go digital, which would be so much better.  Any thoughts????  Thanks in advance. 


Rates for working, paid more for stat?
Maybe others but I think mine are probably the average, 8 cents per line for straight and 4 cents per line for VR. My standard 4 are considered history and physicals, operative notes, discharge summaries and consults. A transfer, I think, would be a discharge summary. No extra pay for experience or lack thereof.
stat report. Under PMH: (female) vesiculopublic sling.

Off topic but need STAT ADVISE on deviled eggs

Hi,


I need help as I don't want to make anyone sick LOL.  Baby shower tomorrow night, my co-host who was making the deviled eggs along with other things broke her wrist this morning...soooo, I am in a time crunch and would like to know if I can make these things tonight (36), just boil them tonight, maybe do the prep just fill them tomorrow??  I usually make them & take them or serve them, but don't know about preparing them this 24 hrs ahead of time.


Thank any of you experts in advance for your opinions..this is so much easier than trying to call Betty Crocker


2 hr 30 min stat psych eval -- MD paid double rate :) NM
x
You need to charge for this extra service. Stat reports should be charged at a higher rate or per r
Never lose money. I have unlimited long distance and when my docs what things faxed, etc, I charge them per report to fax the document as well as charging them to transcribe it.
i am like you, i doubt it was even sent given her sm
flakiness it sounds. i would send her a certified letter demanding your money back within so and so days or you will contact the police dept for theft as well as sue her in small claims. however, small claims doesn't help much. you have to file in the county she lives in, which you can do via fax, but around here it costs like $60-70 just to file. then i assume you would have to go to OK for the court date so a lot of added expenses adding to much more than the $100. even if the court orders her to pay, there is no follow through with small claims. hey, you can contact judge judy, lol, and might even get a semi-vacation out of it for free. i would threaten her though and call her with a blocked # or use someone else's # to call her.
yep, when in doubt
Just laugh at them.   In the olden days of the Lanier stations, we had a female dictator that would keep cutting herself off like that.  The report would be in like 20 pieces, and she would keep coming back on, didn't even sound frustrated or anything, just kept saying, "I am continuing."  What a DOPE  - SPEAK UP!!!!
NO DOUBT
This country is so screwed up right now it is not even funny. Do not believe the "lowest unemployment rate ever". It is LOW because people have RUN OUT OF unemployment and are off the books. He needs to be on unemployment, waiting for his checks and see how he likes buying gas at these prices. By the way, going up another 10 cents per gallon here today so they say.
Doubt it
Probably not qualified.
Doubt it.
x
Doubt it.
x
Doubt it!
I am sure someone else will come along before too long and enlighten us! At least we can hope so or this place is going to the birds because it is b-o-r-i-n-g!
No doubt....
Saw was scariest I have seen in a long time.  Not for the squeamish!
I doubt it would help.
Not being negative here, but I've tried it. I don't think your company would approve of you using it, and I don't know if it would even work with their platform since it's not Word-based. Do you use an expander? Which platform are you working on? How many accounts are you bounced around on? Have to look up patient info?
I Doubt That. It happens all over.

8 years working for a hospital and we always had our "dry" periods around the holidays. Sometimes, it would be a month, sometimes 2 months. Last year it was 4 months! There was work, but very, very slow.


I now work for a national and am in the same boat. It started drying up around the holidays. I'm working a couple days a week, but not a full week. . . but I really don't care. I worked 7 days a week for 8 years and with everything else I do, time off is like heaven...but in the end, it will be like the 'other world' when the bills start piling up.


without a doubt (OP)

I think the MT profession needs more respect, and no, we are not losers.  Its work smarter, not harder.  We earn what people with BA's earn, without the stress, in the comfort of our own home.  Who wants to be stressed their entire life??  The corporate world is taking over, but they are all having heart attacks in their 40s.


My hats off to you for going back to school.  Sometimes it takes a no choice situation for us to get out of our comfort zone, and just throw ourselves out there and see what income we can scare up.  The past couple years I have really been exploring my passions, and that is what I want to take into retirement, something I feel fulfilled doing.  Like you said, creatitivity. Even if I have to work 2-3 jobs.  Thanks for your post, I figured I wasn't the only one a little worried.


Don't know, I doubt it - sm
but perhaps a system restore if you have Windows XP

good luck
I doubt it.
,
I doubt you need it

If you are an employee, you don't need it for sure as the finish product belongs to them, not you.


If you are an IC with a contract that the notes belong to them/the provider, you don't need it.


If you are working for  a clinic on your own, always put a clause in there that either you don't support electronic signatures or the CYA "dictated but not read" at the bottom of the note. 


In any case whatsoever, if you are doing your job properly you shouldn't have an issue.  Also it is very plainly the physcian's responsibility to read their notes before signing.  I know most don't but it falls on them.  We are not the MD, PA, whatever.  If you question things you think may not be right and don't guess, that should be enough.


Thanks, but I seriously doubt that she will--sm
It seems like she has already made her decision, as I have read previous posts from her on the same subject. Personally I think she knows this is a subject that is going to evoke responses and she is just trying to stir things up, but she is pointing her blaming finger in the wrong direction...in my opinion. I wish her luck.
Sorry, no doubt BOS says that..nm
nm
#6 without a doubt
I was a legal secretary in litigation for many years.  Only time I worked under daily pressure like this was right before a trial and that wasn't that often and I got paid supremely well for it too, especially before a trial, and I didn't know squat compared to what I need to know to do this.  Then I ran a word processing/editing service with an emphasis on doctoral dissertations.  Compared to each, THIS is by far the most difficult.  We are typing and UNDERSTANDING and CORRECTING DICTATED ERRORS IN a foreign language all day under pressure day after day.  Our job requires education and experience and skills the former did not.  Besides that, what we do affects human lives and our mistakes will follow them the rest of their lives so we must be accurate.  By all means it deserves a least a #6, especially if we go EMR and most docs don't check our work and that's pricing it LOW. 
I rather doubt that, but if that's what you
then go for it.

I actually don't send mine very much. But even if I send them just ONE question a month, they still gripe about it. Pulls them away from their potato-chip and cookie binge-eating and their soap-operas, I guess.
Yes no doubt you do
And if you are good at what you do, filling in the blanks, the more power to you. I am sure it is not an easy job unless you are a superduper MT/QA person with a ton of experience. There is no silver lining in QA work from your perspecti
I doubt it has anything to do...
with creating an electronic medical record; in fact, the documents may already be uploaded to an EMR format.  It sounds quite simple.  They are trying to save money.  I have had many clients over the years who operate in a similar fashion.  It's not something new.
I seriously doubt it

I think it is just when the doctor dictates an "abbreviation" such as 'insert my usual physical exam,' or something similar to that.  Obviously I can't know for sure, since I don't even know which company you are talking about, but it does say "after an abbreviation has been dictated," not transcribed. 


I for one had little doubt when you

asked the question in the first place that Welfare would be your choice. 


Why don't you rise to this new challenge in your life and get another job just to prove to us that you can pay your baby?  Do it just to spite all of us @*?ches. 



I doubt she has done this very much
She says - To do this for a living, do all mt's have to be 100% accurate ALL the time? I thought that was what the editors were for or was I mistaken?
I am not new to this, just new to doing it full time at home (with no other job duties in between). I see no where she has told of any training, reminds me of another poster that came on her and never told where she had worked or if she had and asking questions, loads answering and yet did not know beans about the work.
When in doubt, MYOB
nm
If you are really in India, which I doubt, but is entirely
possible, you may be interested to know that legislation is in the works to STOP all offshoring of any/all work which might "compromise the security" of U.S. "entities."  This includes, of course, healthcare records. 
I don't doubt you, anyone knows statistics
can be manipulated to show anything you want them to.
I would highly doubt that considering
you had been "riding" your horse all day. That stench will carry for awhile!