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Unless a facility name accompanies the phrases you hear/type, you should not capitalize.

Posted By: sm on 2007-10-24
In Reply to: CAPITALIZATION ??? - Rooney

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Ever hear the phrases "Don't let yourself be a door mat" and "stand up for yourself?"
:+
I used to type for a pediatric psych facility.
At first I used to laugh, thinking maybe I'm not so dysfunctional after all.  Some of the cases were just out of control kids and this was the only option, but there were 7-YO or younger who had attempted suicide.   I don't do them now and don't know how someone can do them for very long.  
I learned this many years ago: I type in phrases ,even when I'm not expanding but SM
I use Expanders VERY extensively. Doesn't ever have to be a canned report. Everybody says "the patient" and everybody says "within normal limits" for two examples that I'm sure you already are using. No telling how many thousands of abbreviations I have.
I would start with hospital websites in the surrounding areas to whatever facility you type for. SM

Hospital websites usually have a pretty good physician directory you can search through by name or by speciality, which is nice.


I also use the AMA website which has a sound alike search feature which is helpful.  Here is URL for the AMA doctor finder.


http://webapps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/home.html


Also, some states have websites for the medical board licensing or professional licensing where you can look up doctors with licenses in that state.  You might do a Google search for whatever state your facility is in.


Another good one that I use is the WebMD physician finder.  Here's the URL for that one:


http://doctor.webmd.com/physician_finder/home.aspx?sponsor=core


Hope this helps you.


The buzzing accompanies some flashing ad near the bottom of the screen.
You are supposed to zap the mosquito. I have no idea what the product it, and refuse to look at those awful ads. The black and red flashing ones are just like a migraine symptom. I refuse to look at such annoying ads directly, so they sure aren't working on me.
save a generic dictation, sit the person at your desk and tell them to type what they hear
nm
Common phrases. LOTS of common phrases, just like ops. SM

pser = the patient was seen in the emergency room


wwd= the wound was dressed


Just two tiny examples. People need to learn to use their Expander programs. I'd be making like $10 per hour without mine. I also work in a job where I do the work type I do best. That's very important. I would imagine (don't know for sure) that H&Ps and DSs have the most lines (I work on a gross line count) but you have to think more, look up more, and type more to get those lines.


I have everything magicked in there. That's the way I like it, that's the only way I will work.


 


The only ones I capitalize are --sm
the ones with person's names, like McMurray test, etc. I have never been asked to change that or had any problems with it. To me, it would take way too much time to capitalize every single test name, unless put into an expander. this is just my opinion.
Would you capitalize the name of a form the doc's use?
 
Is there a way to set Shorthand to capitalize
the first letter of each sentence? TIA.
Capitalize Power or Attorney or not?

I don't capitalize orthopedic tests themselves, but if there's

How do I get Word to capitalize a new sentence when it is after a number? TIA. nm
/
PSYCH capitalize class names?
should i capitalize the names of school classes?  English, science, math?
Do you capitalize orthopedic test names?

Is it correct to capitalize every orthopedic test, such as, Anterior Drawers Test, Alar Ligament Test, etc. 


Thank you


 


Would definitely capitalize "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" However,
happy holiday season is nondescript and would put in small case. 
Cardiac Clinic - no do not capitalize; Cardiology - yes as it is referred to as an entity. nm
x
ExtText by Dictaphone -- Word 2000 - won't capitalize when making a new paragraph or after lists?
Hi. I am new at a job. The Word 2000 running in ExtText (Dictaphone) will not capitalize at the beginning of a new paragraph (never had that happen before), nor after numbers in an automatic list, and sometimes even just after plain periods, not just periods used in numbers (like hemoglobin 7.5).

What is going on? It works fine in the Word version on my computer, but when it ties with ExtText, it "forgets" to capitalize. It is especially annoying with lists, and also at the first of paragraphs, I never had to babysit that before.

Any help? TX
I am an MT at the facility where the

report came in.  This dictator is not our best, but he's not our worst, either.  I also transcribe his dictation.  MQ does our overflow and has for YEARS!  This is not an ESL dictator, and this physician has been at our hospital for years.  I know nobody is perfect.  All I'm saying is, I would never send a report through with that many blanks without someone checking first. I also know that yesterday one came through from MQ with more than 14 blanks, and it was from one of our easiest dictators!  It doesn't matter whether you are management or an MT in the trenches (as am I).  You should take pride in your work and care what the finished product looks like.  If you have done your absolute best, then okay.  If not, then there's a problem.  With multiple reports coming through like this every day, it makes us wonder if all whoever types these cares about is getting the lines and doesn't care about the work they do.


Maybe work like this is why things aren't going so well at MQ, at least according to what I read on these boards.  And for the record, I worked for MQ for a short period of time as an IC about 6 years ago but chose to go to work in-house for this facility for benefits. 


I have been transcribing for 19 years, and I have had my share of difficult dictators, ESL, bathroom talkers, dictating in cars, airplanes, screaming children, fighting spouses, gum chewing, burping, and hearing other bodily functions, along with transcribing while parties, code blues, superbowl games, etc. are going on in the background.  I know about crappy dictation and good dictation.  I struggle through the bad and rejoice in the good. 


The patients deserve the best.  Our best! Yes, the ultimate responsibility should be the physicians, but isn't it our job to create the best possible report with what we have to work with?  Medical Transcription is not a perfect world.  There are no perfect dictators, but I do know a couple that come awfully close!  In a perfect world there would be no sickness and we wouldn't be needed!


It's time for us to quit complaining about the dictation and do our absolute best with what we have.  We owe the patient that much. 


It is up to the facility not the MT (eom)
m
Whatever the facility wants is what you should do.
x
overused phrases
LOL has to be one of the most overused phrases today. 
I use w for was and wr for were within phrases to differentiate.
x
words and phrases
I currently only use the auto correct feature in Word.  So my Expanders are mostly 2-3 word phrases and a few longer words like hypertension, hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal, etc. 
CATCH PHRASES ARE "AMAZING" - NOT!

It's time to move on from these phrases that I've heard ad nauseum from people who can't think of anything on their own.


"At the end of the day."


" . . . amazing."


" . . . awesome."


Anybody else?


 


You have to change your way of thinking about phrases in IT. sm
Think first letter of each word instead of full words and your phrases will come up. No memorizing unless you want to put customized shorts in IT. I watch the advisory lines more than my document window so my eyes don't cross. I just wouldn't work without IT because my productivity went way up in a really short time.
(Forgot to say, 'type the phrases

Words and phrases advisories

Hello,


Any time you give a word or phrase a dedicated short form (meaning a short form consisting of 2 or more letters) it automatically goes into the Phrases Advisory.


An entry with only one letter for a short form automatically goes into the Words Advisory.


 


Favorite words/phrases
And then there's the psychiatrist who ends every sentence with "you know." Well, I sure do now.
Three word phrases are all that I put in my expander.
dd
More about phrases as other poster addressed
Since the dictators seem to say the same thing in so many different ways, I have found I often have to add a a bit extra, and it would have been easier if I had thought of that when I first started making Expanders so I would have started right off being very consistent.

For an example CTDW, CSTDW, CDTDW = (respectively) continue to do well, contintues to do well, continued to do well. - It is amazing how many things will overlap or conflict.

Or, they will use a phrase with the word "or" or "and" in it AND without them ...
like, cyanosis, clubbing, edema ... and cyanosis, clubbing, and edema ... Or even worse, they flip the words around to clubbing, cyanosis, and edema.

So many dicators and so many ways of saying the same thing. That is what gets frustrating to me. It's endless.
Are you using just word shortcuts, or phrases? sm
You should be able to type entire sentences with just a few keystrokes.
No facility should be given permission (sm)
for any kind of physical discipline.  Its not a spare the rod spoil the child issue.    When having to discipline someone elses child, the results could be far less or far more than what the parents would have inflicted.   The result in some cases, especially in Texas, is the accidental deaths of children.     I spank my children, on the behind but as a LAST result.   THerefore, I would not allow my children to go to a school or facility, camp, counseling, etc, that would attempt to discipline my child physically.   Call me and I will come and take care of it, but don't put yourself in the parents position.  
incompetent facility
Your story sounds like something from a small town (or small office). That many radiology reports withheld from being distributed, you know some of them had remarkable findings such as a chest x-ray that needed a follow-up MRI, CT scan, etc. I hope this girl gets terminated soon enough and out of there. Otherwise, the radiologists themselves will be paying the price and hence it would be followed through to the administrative office/CEO office of the medical center/hospital.
This is how we let facility know they need to check
sef
No, I know not every facility/provider is
compliant, but two wrongs don't make a right.  I want to keep my nose clean if the facility/provider is ever charged and investigated for a HIPAA violation - if the gov't has done so thus far.  You think the gov't will buy 'oh, I was non-compliant because my client signed my checks'?...nope!
It is still up to the facility to make that
determination, not the individual MT. We only do what we are told to do.
Wow, this must be directly for a facility. Sm msg

Very hard to imagine an MTSO paying that type of money, although it is well worth every penny!  Good luck!  Grab it quick!


Yes, it is for a facility, remotely. sm
My concern is the salaried position and not hourly. The hours are supposed to be 9 to 5 Mon-Fri; however, if the workload is heavy, no overtime is paid, no shift differentials, etc. because it is a salaried position.

I could end up working a 60 hour week for the same amount of money as a 40 hour week.

That is what is holding me back right now.

I guess I could always try it and if for some reason it doesn't work out and they demand more than 8 hours a day without any type of incentive or bonus pay, then decide to leave or not ~ good idea?

Contact the facility...

That's the best thing to do.  I don't think they want people posting that type of information here.


Been there-done that, but you can not complain to the facility
If you are working for a service, it is their responsibility.  I would not put a report note or anything of that nature with the report to the client as it could cause YOU a lot of trouble.  I have had so many bad dictators like that - one even fell asleep while dictating!!  I know you have to take the good with the bad but like I have said before, an account has to be profitable to me or I do not want it.  Bottom line, I am here for the paycheck just like they are.  When I worked in house years ago, the doctors were actually offended and insulted if you brought up discrepancies in their dictation.  Then the MT company did not care much when I complained.  They just said to make sure you typed accurately exactly what was dictated.  Again, accurate garbage is still accurate garbage.  It is the provider's responsibility to dictate a professional medical document before you can transcribe one.  If he/she cannot do that, there is not really much you can do to help them.
Where I work, the facility wants L used.
x
Maximize your expander with phrases rather than words.
Check out every productivity board that you can for more tips and tricks. Even after 8 years I've increased my speed with productivity tips.
How does it work with typing common phrases,

But how does that work in relation to typing phrases that are common usage, the patient, return p.r.n., etc. 


I grew up in FL, and my black teachers used a lot of these phrases...sm
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet because every northerner I know has asked me about this..."I'm fixin'to" as in, "Get your shoes on, we're fixin' to go to church." 2 of my 5 elementary teachers were black, and they both used this phrase all the time, so it was perfectly normal to us. Those teachers weren't any less educated, they were just native southerners raised in segregated communities. My hometown was still segregated well into the '80s.
It's funny, half the phrases people are naming on here I wouldn't have thought were southern-specific, they're that common to me.
Some single words, but mostly 2-3 word phrases.
I have a few full sentences, too, but with so many different doctors, I tend to stick to the more commonly used short phrases, and build sentences & paragraphs from those.
Words and Phrases in Instant Text
The reason why you have a Phrase advisory different from the Word advisory in Instant Text is because these two advisories work differently.
The Phrase advisory works more like a traditional expander: you have a short form (abcz or tp) and it expands what you defined for it whether it is a word or a phrase.
The Word advisory works like a wild card search. There are no dedicated short forms. You type the first letter and any letter that is in the word like cardpu or cdpu for cardiopulmonary.

If you want the words to be in the Phrase advisory without having them cluttering your phrase selection you may want to follow sm's suggestion and create a glossary where the short forms are identical to the words themselves. They would then all be in the Phrase section, but as an included glossary these words would show up at the bottom of the phrases of your base glossary assuming it is a standard IT glossary (no words in the Phrase section).

If you need help, please contact tech support at Textware Solutions and we will be happy to guide you.

Marianne
Textware Solutions
Words, phrases, chunks of text ... sm
If a word has 5 letters or more and I use it more than once a month, I make it an expansion. Albeit, only do 1-2 a day this way but I don't have to add to my expansions daily now as I've done this for years and it is built up. Examples: Use fuv for follow up as a verb. Use fun for followup as a noun/adjective. Use a k in front of all drugs so kt is Tylenol, ka is aspirin, kprv is Pravachol.

Phrases -- do all kinds of combinations as you use them. Example: Use tpw for the patient was. Use mgr for murmurs, gallops or rubs.

Chunks of text -- not quite a whole standard but more than just a phrase, e.g., sentences. Example: Use nka for no known allergies but nkah for ALLERGIES: No known allergies.

Abbrevs/Acronyms -- Let your Expander do the all cap work for you and use an x to show expanded versions. Example: Use copd for COPD but use copdx for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

You should be able to skip along with the dictator just using expansions with occasionally typing whole words.



You can add phrases to single word glossary in IT (SM)
When you insert the medication and other information, hit tab and then, backspace to the first letter. It will ask you "are you sure? and just hit return and it will accept it.

I have many two and three word phrases in my single word glossary list. There is a web site for IT users which you can Google for; it is easy to find - forum style.
Usually Dr. dont hire MT, it is thru facility and
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The facility is a "suit" who has no idea of MT. He
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