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Very interesting article today on offshoring

Posted By: anon on 2008-10-17
In Reply to:

About India take on offshoring.  I don't think they are worried about loss of American jobs.


 


http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/17/1548054.aspx




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Perhaps you are right. This one is dated today. The original article was on Yahoo today also with

But this article states it would only affect new customers right now.  So I am upset over nothing.  I went through heck with BellSouth when they charged me a surcharge of an extra 50 a month and then would write a letter saying I had to switch to a long distance service and pay by the minute because of my "excessive" use. They told me the unlimited charge was for an average of an hour a day not somebody who worked out of their home and I needed to switch a business plan at over 200 a month charge.  I switched over to cable because of that and then to read that cable was going to charging on a per use fee and not a flat monthly fee it upset me.  It is the nature of our work, VR, only paying for VBC, having headers and footers taken away, now being charged for being on line, etc.  It just seems that everything is done to keep to insure less money.


The linked article is about offshoring more than MT
This has been going on for years now and the public is aware and complaining. Some companies are starting to realize that offshoring isn't making their customers happy, often results in poor work, and some companies are reconsidering offshoring.

Some companies will continue, but the sky isn't going to fall. there will always be work for Americans, MT and others.


Something interesting I found regarding offshoring...

I check the Craigslist website quite often, and on a whim I clicked on India and then jobs.  SO MANY POSTINGS FOR JOBS AVAILABLE FOR U.S. BASED COMPANIES - customer service, call centers, computer techs, and yes even MTs.  There was even one posting a few weeks ago from a "company" that would set you up with a U.S. based physical address, phone number, fax number so that you could have your business "based" in the U.S., obviously to actually be in another country and get the U.S. tax break.  Sickening


Interesting article

Please see article below that was published in 2003. Does anybody know if the law it mentions was ever passed in California?



Following news that a Pakistani medical transcriber threatened to post UCSF Medical Center patient records online unless she received more money,

a state senator said she will introduce legislation barring all California hospitals from allowing medical data to leave the country.

Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, said she will introduce the bill in January when the state Senate returns for its next regular session. (A special session on financial matters is likely before then.)

"California already has the strongest medical-privacy laws in the nation, " Figueroa told me. "But not strong enough. There's always something you didn't anticipate."

What she and other framers of the state's medical-privacy laws, which prohibit the sharing of medical information unless for clear medical purposes, didn't see coming is the explosive growth of the $20 billion medical- transcription industry.

U.S. hospitals have such a huge need for help transcribing doctors' dictated notes into written form that the work is routinely farmed out to private transcribers throughout the country. Those transcribers, in turn, frequently subcontract with other transcribers.

In the case of UCSF Medical Center, three separate subcontractors were involved in handling the facility's records. The last link in the chain was a woman in Karachi, Pakistan, who sent an e-mail to UCSF earlier this month demanding help in resolving a financial dispute with the Texas man who'd hired her.

The Pakistani transcriber said she'd post UCSF's files on the Internet unless the medical center assisted her. She backed up her threat by attaching actual UCSF patient records to her message.

This was the first time an overseas transcriber had used confidential records to threaten a U.S. medical institution. The transcriber withdrew her threat only after receiving hundreds of dollars from another subcontractor in the case.

Figueroa said her bill would prohibit anyone possessing information involving California patients from sending that information abroad.

State hospitals would likely be barred from outsourcing transcription work unless they could guarantee that all related files remain within the country -- a move that would make hospitals accountable for any subcontracting that ensues.

"We're not banning the practice of overseas workers doing transcription," Figueroa said. "But we can regulate the practice of medicine within California. "

The law, at least on the health care front, may be on her side.

In most instances, federal law would trump state law, and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 outlines rules for safeguarding medical data. Anyone doing transcription work for a U.S. hospital would be required to uphold HIPAA standards, although the law is virtually unenforceable overseas.

A unique aspect of HIPAA, though, is a provision that if a state adopts more stringent restrictions, state law will prevail.

"If there were a statute that no health care information in California could be disclosed outside the country, HIPAA wouldn't have a problem with that," said Paul Smith, a San Francisco attorney specializing in health care issues.

"The state has a clear interest in protecting health information," he added. "This would seem a legitimate exercise of state regulatory authority."

At the same time, though, Matthew Nakachi, a San Francisco lawyer who specializes in trade issues, said it's unclear how the proposed legislation would square with federal laws related to commerce. A hospital might argue, for example, that it has a right to do business with whomever it pleases.

"If California decides to do this," Nakachi said, "it would probably go into the courts and take years to fall out."

For her part, Figueroa expects the health care industry to fight the legislation, just as the banking industry opposed state restrictions on the use of customers' information. But she thinks that in light of the public's increased sensitivity toward privacy matters, her bill would eventually pass.

"The interesting thing will be to see where our new governor stands on privacy issues," Figueroa said. "At this point, we don't know."

Mystery woman: The Pakistani transcriber at the center of the case involving UCSF is still something of a mystery.

In her e-mail to UC officials, she identified herself as Lubna Baloch, "a medical doctor by profession." Beyond that, little is known of her.

In May, however, an interesting little exchange occurred on MT Stars, an online network for medical transcribers. Baloch, using the same e-mail address she used in her threatening message to UCSF, posted her resume at the site in hopes of attracting work as a subcontractor.

Sheri Steadman, who runs MT Stars, of Phoenix, said she's against U.S. transcription work going abroad and routinely deletes postings from overseas transcribers. In Baloch's case, she said she was concerned by the vagueness of Baloch's resume, especially as to her whereabouts.

Steadman wrote to Baloch to say that MT Stars is only for U.S. job seekers.

"I am US based," Baloch replied.

"Not enough info," Steadman responded. "Where?"

"Santa Monica, LA," Baloch wrote back.

For Steadman, this wasn't a very good answer.

"Santa Monica isn't in Los Angeles and it's not in Louisiana," she told me. "It was pretty clear that Baloch wasn't in the country."

Steadman confronted Baloch with her suspicion. Baloch never wrote back.

"She was trying to gain work in any way, shape or form," Steadman said. "She was trying to sucker U.S. medical-transcription services into sending her business."

It didn't work that time. A few months later, though, probably using a different online service, Baloch was more successful in her efforts.

That would turn out to be a very dark day for UCSF.

David Lazarus' column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. He also can be seen regularly on KTVU's "Mornings on 2." Send tips or feedback to dlazarus@sfchronicle.com.


Interesting article

EMR might not soon replace us after all....


http://health-information.advanceweb.com/common/Editorial/Editorial.aspx?CC=66392&CP=1


Interesting article about EMR


August 9, 2006 - 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.

The most critical part of any Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is the method of data entry. EMR is about aggregation of patient encounter data at the point of care in order to provide a complete, accurate, and timely view of patient information. An electronic medical record is not just a typed record of the patient encounter, but an extremely useful decision support tool. The data can be entered into the EMR via any of the two general mechanisms: direct entry by the physician using point and click templates or transcription of dictated notes. Point and click template indicates that each data element, which is to be inserted, requires selection, navigation, point and click process for capturing patient information.

Transcriptions have been around for years for documenting patient encounters. A medical provider dictates the medical note into a phone or a recording device. The Transcriptionist receives the dictation and transcribes it. It may be reviewed by the supervisor for checking errors. The final computerized file is then either emailed directly to the healthcare provider or the file is transferred to a web site and is later downloaded by the provider.



Each method has its pros and cons.
Point and Click Templates
Most EMR systems allow providers to generate clinical documentation, by selecting variable terms from pre-structured point-and-click templates. Users simply point and click to select appropriate choices from lists of choices to record a patient encounter. The end result would be a document that closely resembles a transcribed procedure note.
 
Advantages 
Completely customizable templates. The doctor can specify the layout of the template, which helps him to adjust the template as per his practice & procedure.
§    Provide consistent, complete and accurate data. The chances of medical erros are reduced since the data is documented in customised forms.
§    Notes for similar type of exams will appear to be standard and similar
§    Store / organize data for subsequent retrieval. 
§    Each click adds data elements to the database. Point-and-click systems create data that can be used to generate clinically useful reports, such as health maintenance reminders, disease management etc.   
§    One of the major advantages of template based charting is the time needed to make the document available as a medical record. Since notes are created within the EMR, they are available immediately upon completion.

Disadvantages
§    It takes more time, and definitely more concentration for a physician to navigate through large data set and create progress notes using point and click templates. 
§    Templates must be customized as per the physician’s requirement. Customization can be inflexible and costly.
§    Well accepted by only tech-savvy doctors. 
§    The approach of direct data entry by the physician has generally failed because busy providers reject it altogether.
§    Output from these templates is too canned and identical. It loses individuality for each patient. 
§    It is difficult for a provider to capture complete patient encounter on computer in front of a patient.  

Medical Transcription
Transcription has long been the standard for documenting patient encounters. It is more convenient for a provider as compared to handwritten notes or electronic data entry.  There are many advantages of transcription in comparison to point and click charting. There are a few disadvantages as well.  
 
Advantages
 
§    Corresponds intuitively to the physician's usual method of working. Dictation remains the most intuitive and least time-consuming means of data entry.  
§    Physicians can dictate anytime, anywhere using PDA, Dictaphone or telephone at their convenience.
§    Providers need not change the way they practice just to accommodate an EMR. EMR can interact with transcription service so that transcriptions can be attached directly into the patient’s electronic medical record, if such a facility is provided by the EMR vendor.
§    It requires minimal training for physicians. 
§    Provides expressive power to describe patient’s condition and other health related events. 
 
Disadvantages
§   Details of the exam can easily be forgotten and omitted while dictating, if dictation is not captured immediately at the point of care
§   It cannot be queried for generating reports unless transcribed in pre-formatted templates
§   Transcribed reports are not immediately accessible. Physicians would normally have to wait for 12 to 24 hours for charts to be delivered, unless few vendors supporting 2-4 hours short turn around time.
§   Transcription provides for more efficient use of doctor's time.
§   Although average transcribed report costs $2 to $4, it can reduce the doctor's time spent on data entry. Considering the value of doctor’s time, transcription is not a costly proposition.
 
EMR should give the freedom to the physician to decide to use either Point & Click or Medical Transcription. For a physician, the EMR that fits into his practice workflow would be invaluable. A competent EMR must have a template driven charting feature and the ability to interact with a transcription service at the same time. Both are indispensable features of Electronic Medical Record Software, as doctors are not unanimous on point and click charting or transcription. Such an EMR will be both efficient and cost effective. 

The trends in transcription itself are changing with Medical Transcription service providers aiming to adopt new technologies. These technologies will evolve to increase efficiency & accuracy, decrease turnaround time and support data capture. While many of these technologies like such as digital dictation and electronic signature exist today, several technologies are still on the horizon.


interesting article regarding
our future ?? -- http://www.obgyn.net/displaytranscript.asp?page=/avtranscripts/israel2k_tadir
Interesting article (sm)

I watched a show on MSNBC last night about identity theft.  You probably have seen it.  They follow the chain of theives all the way to Europe and then they cannot even arrest the people. 


About the medical records, the records would not be physically visiting any country, per se.  Once they are in a computer and uploaded somewhere, they are already out there, so to speak.  So, regardless of whose computer they are transcribed on or where that computer is located, the information is still out there.  I know many insurance companies have online access to medical records and some physicians offer that as well to their patients.  You're right, though, they should have asked that question.


Here's an interesting article...
Regarding medical record security:  http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/06/05/ep.online.records/index.html
An interesting article...

This article was part of a reading assignment I had for one of my HIM classes.  It is an old article, but I think MTs can understand this situation quite well.  It just goes to show how quality is becoming decreasingly important in the healthcare industry.


http://www.nurseweek.com/features/99-5/allied.html


Interesting article on this topic
http://www.trxinc.net/transcription-news-item.aspx?id=3

Scroll down to "Current state of the industry" and it talks about the average age of today's MTs.
Interesting article but very long.









BANGALORE -- After seeing patients at the Arizona Medical Clinic in Sun City West, dermatologist Anthony Santos describes their cases on a hand-held digital recorder.


















Mahesh Barat, Special to the Post-Gazette
Parimala Jaggesh is an architect turned home worker in Bangalore. Each day, she receives audio files from doctors in the United States and types transcripts of their case notes for the Pittsburgh-based firm of Acusis Inc.
Click photo for larger image.

Before going home, he plugs the recorder into one of the hospital's computers. From there, his audio files are encrypted, compressed, shipped via the Internet through Pittsburgh and sent on to this bustling Indian city 9,100 miles away from Phoenix.

A few hours later, Santos' words end up in the laptop computer of Parimala Jaggesh, an at-home worker for Pittsburgh-based Acusis Inc., who will type a transcript of his dictation.

Santos and Jaggesh have never spoken to each other, so he has no idea that his voice is her favorite among the doctors whose dictation she transcribes.

When the Acusis staffers in Bangalore call Jaggesh to ask her to do extra transcribing, they only need mention they have a digital recording from the clear-voiced Santos.

"They know how to get work done from me," she says with a laugh. "They say it is Anthony Santos. Then I cannot say no."

Jaggesh is one of about 350 home transcriptionists Acusis employs in Bangalore and other Indian cities. The company, founded by native Pittsburgher David Iwinski Jr., has a lofty goal: to become the dominant player in the medical transcription business in the United States, using its cyber-partnership with educated, English-speaking workers in India.

Bangalore wakes up as night falls in the United States, so while American doctors sleep, Jaggesh and her colleagues transcribe their dictation.

Jaggesh, an architect turned home worker, hits the shortcut keys on her Compaq laptop to insert familiar phrases and consults online reference files when she is stumped by an unusual medical or pharmaceutical term.

Her finished work is downloaded to the Bangalore offices of Acusis. Editors there compare every line of her transcription to the original recording, make corrections if necessary, and grade her daily performance.

Santos' transcripts are sent back to the Arizona Medical Clinic within 12 to 24 hours after the doctor plugs his recorder into a PC. They can be returned even faster, under two hours, for an extra fee.

Faster, more accurate

Even though the work is taking place halfway around the world, the result is speedier and more accurate than that done by a smaller local service, which used to take five to seven days to return transcripts, said Terry Daly, the clinic's chief information officer.

Medical transcription has a huge potential market of perhaps $12 billion to $15 billion a year. The current transcription companies are fragmented, ranging from small mom-and-pop operations to the industry leader, New Jersey-based Medquist Inc., which employs 10,000 transcriptionists to serve 3,000 health-care providers.

Acusis, just 3 years old, considers itself mid-size. The privately-held firm employs about 650 people here and abroad, 460 of whom are in India. The company serves about 40 hospitals and clinics across the country, including Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Iwinski's hopes for becoming an industry leader rest on proprietary software written by 50 company programmers in India to manage the nearly instantaneous flow of words from hospitals in the United States to home transcriptionists in India and back again.

But it also relies on the cost advantages of Indian employees. The Acusis pay system for transcriptionists, based on volume and accuracy, ranges from 1 to 2 Indian rupees per line.

Jaggesh may do 1,000 lines a day. At the average pay rate, that would earn her roughly $27 a day, or $135 for a five-day week -- good wages in India, where the average annual income is about $500.

At the Acusis headquarters in Bangalore, each space has a name.

A training area is called Gurukul, meaning "abode of the teacher" in Sanskrit. A visitor's room is named Athithi, or guest. Quality control is dubbed, in English, the Potter's Wheel; software development, the Cutting Edge; and startups, the Test Tube.

"It's very challenging work," Naveen Janarbhan, a quality control specialist, said as he compared a transcriptionist's work to an original recording of a doctor reciting medical jargon at a fast clip, describing a patient who is a heavy smoker and has a family history of cancer.

A mechanical engineer by training, Janarbhan carefully went over the transcript, taking extra care when it came to the medications the physician had prescribed for the patient.

'Concentration is the key'

"We have to be careful. Our eyes should be here. Our ears should be here. Our mind should be here," Janarbhan said. "Concentration is the key."

He found a few mistakes in the transcription he was editing, all minor and none involving medication or diagnosis. Nevertheless, he called the home Transcriptionist to ask her to be more careful.

The system grades each transcriptionist and the results are available to everyone in the company. That peer pressure, according to Iwinski, is "a strong motivator" to do well.

The job isn't that easy. Sometimes, doctors are munching an apple or eating lunch while they talk, making them difficult to hear. A nurse interjects to ask about a patient's medication. Papers rumple in the background. The topics can be technical, the jargon heavy.

Occasionally, Jaggesh is distracted by music playing in the background of a doctor's recording, the noisy atmosphere of a hospital or extraneous chatting of passersby.

But she takes most of it in stride.

"It's fun. It's very challenging," said Jaggesh, who likes working in her three-story apartment, which she shares with two sons, two dogs and husband Navarasa Nayaka Jaggesh, a well-known comedy actor in Indian films whose screen name is simply Jaggesh.

Parimala Jaggesh works around her family's schedule, taking her laptop with her as she moves from floor to floor, and occasionally typing in a serene rooftop garden overlooking the city. At other times, she works in a top-floor room that contains a figurine of the elephant god Ganesh, thought to bring good fortune.

She keeps track of her daily reports, and if her accuracy dips below 96 percent, she studies the file so she doesn't repeat the same mistake. Sometimes she has a bad day, and she gets called by the office.

"We do appreciate the feedback. You get a call that you have dropped down in accuracy on one file. Then it's a challenge," she said. "I take it that if my editors find the fault, I should have been able to do it."

She enjoys the small personal things that sometimes show through in a doctor's dictation -- a laugh made over a mistake or a spouse in the background trying to hurry things along.




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Interesting article about best careers in 2006. sm
http://biz.yahoo.com/special/job06_article1.html
Interesting Article on eScription President
Interesting interview of eScription's CEO

http://health-information.advanceweb.com/Common/editorial/editorial.aspx?CC=94859
Interesting article. Curious as to what company?

The below quote is at least good news for US MTs. Now, if the rest of the hospitals and doctors would get in line, we might have a chance to keep our jobs here.


"Also in 2006, government investigators found that the VA's overseas contractors were handling personal information with lax security and oversight. The VA no longer uses international contractors, Budahn said."


Interesting article I just read about 10 jobs you can do at home. (sm)

So we're considered a thing of the past, ah-hem!  Here are the 10 jobs. ~


Administrative Assistant
Also known as virtual assistants, home-based administrative assistants use office experience and computer skills as support personnel. Many skills easily transition into this position which offers many part-time and temporary opportunities.

Advertising Sales Agent
It's said that Americans are exposed to more than 3,000 ad messages a day. Advertising sales representatives sell or solicit advertising space in print and online publications, custom-made signs, or TV and radio advertising spots.

Computer Software Engineer
Computer software engineers are projected to be one of the fastest-growing occupations over the 2002-2012 period. Duties include design, development, testing and evaluation of computer software, and continual training is suggested for the quickly evolving industry.

Corporate Event Planner
Employed by a private company rather than a hotel or convention facility, a corporate event planner coordinates staff activities including group meetings, client presentations, special events, conventions and travel.

Copy Editor
Copy editors mostly review and edit a writer's copy for accuracy, content, grammar and style. This is a competitive field; however, the growth of online publications and services is spurring the demand for writers and editors, especially those with Web experience.

Desktop Publisher
Desktop publishers use computer software to format and combine text, images, charts and other visual elements to produce publication-ready material. Duties of this fast-growing profession include writing and editing text, creating graphics, converting photos and drawings into digital images, designing page layouts and developing presentations.

Data Entry Clerk
Like administrative assistants, job prospects should be best for those with expertise in computer software applications. By typing text, entering data into a computer, and performing other clerical duties, these workers ensure companies keep up with information and technology.

Insurance Underwriter
Insurance underwriters serve as the main link between the insurance carrier and the insurance agent. Underwriters analyze insurance applications, calculate the risk of loss from policyholders, decide whether to issue the policy and establish appropriate premium rates.

Market Research Analyst
Market Research Analysts gather data on competitors and analyze prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution. They often design surveys, compile and evaluate the data and make recommendations to their client or employer based upon their findings.

Paralegal
While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, much of their work is delegated to paralegals. Paralegals not only assist in preparation for closings, hearings, trials, and corporate meetings, they also perform a number of other vital functions including draft contracts, mortgages, separation agreements, trust instruments and may assist in preparing tax returns and planning estates.


An interesting article for Rochester, NY transcriptionists who might want a change. sm

 


I saw an interesting article on line from the local Rochester newspaper about captionists.  They are people who assist with deaf students in helping them take notes in class.


This is a brief side box from the article:


About the job

Those training to be C-Print captionists must type at least 60 wpm. Beginning in June, they'll take 10 weeks of online training and upon completion begin work in the fall. They'll earn $15.74 an hour and work a 35-hour week for 10 months. For more information about training, contact: AccessServices@ntid.rit.edu

 


http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060329/NEWS01/603290337


Interesting article on MSNBC regarding repetitive motion strain and malaise.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9814810/
NY Times today had an article...sm

NY TIMES today stating that not only is Dell's tech dept over in India but they are now opening up manufacturing plants in India to make Dell computers there.


See article in its entirety over at the offshoring concerns forum here....at mtstars.


Been a DELL diehard for 7 years and also an HP printer diehard person for 11 years. 


 


 


There is an Associated Press article in today's sm

paper about increasing car sales in India.  The Indian people are enjoying higher wages and are now able to purchase cars.  Car makers are scrambling to get pieces of this new, juicy pie. 


I wonder how long it's going to take before sending our work to India is not cost effective for the MTSO anymore.  The Indian MTs won't be able to live on their 2 cpl anymore and will need more, and more.  It's going to be interesting to see this evolve. 


There's hope for us!


Hi Ho~~~ they can now use MRIs as lie detectors. Article in USA Today.





There was an article in our local paper today about

outsourcing (their wording) work to India.  The contractors in India are now outsourcing the work to other places in India.  They figure if  we (the US) can outsource American work to India, why can't they outsource the work also.   Your medical info is going to be as private as if you took out a billboard and posted it there. 


just read article today that it's become bad site.

Here's the article from the Atlanta Journal posted today....
Boy, 3, struck and killed in Gwinnett


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/25/05

A three-year-old boy was struck by a vehicle and killed early Monday after wandering away from the Gwinnett County condominium where he was staying.


Gwinnett County police spokesman Darren Moloney said Anthony Lloyd Oscar Littrean was staying with family friends at Olde Mill Crossing complex off Graves Road while his mother was hospitalized giving birth to a sibling.















Officers responding to a 4:30 a.m. report of the missing child found Anthony on Graves Road, across from the complex, Moloney said. He had been hit by a southbound vehicle.


Anthony was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, where he later died, Moloney said.


"They child was staying with family friends while the parents were at Northside Hospital," Moloney said, adding that Anthony's mother gave birth early Sunday morning.


Moloney said investigators believe the child "defeated the locks at the apartment he was staying at."


"When the family friends became aware the child was missing, they immediately began to search and called 911," Moloney said. "At this time, there is on indication of criminal neglect on the part of the child's caretakers."


He said Gwinnett police were "asking for help from anyone who might have been traveling down Graves Road toward South Norcross Tucker Road, away from I-85."


Moloney asked that anyone with information on the accident call 770-513-5048.


"Our investigators want to stress that it is possible that a [driver] struck the child without knowing exactly what they did," Moloney said. "It's possible a person struck the child without even causing damage to their car."



MSN.com has article today on worst wedding presents ever!
nm
Interesting, I had spam today from someone who had
the same last name as mine, not a real common name. Kind of scary, though I just sent it off as spam. I have all kinds of security on my computer, but this was too wierd.
Off topic whining. Got an interesting phone call today.
DH used to have a pretty good job until the proverbial stuff hit the fan a few months ago.  With no warning whatsoever and no bad performance reviews ever, he was told his job had been phased out and he was denied his overdue promotion.  That left him unemployed and scavenging for a job.  He did find a job at maybe a third of what he used to make.  I doubled my workload and cut back the budget to try to make up some of the difference, but things still really stink financially.  The stress is about killing me with the extra hours on top of everything else I do.  Anyway, the phone call today was to let us know that he should never have been denied his promotion and his job will not be phased out now.  Unfortunately, it's too late after how his boss handled it and what was said.  He won't go back to working for that person ever again.  Sigh...  I can't blame.  I wouldn't either.  It's nice to know we were right, but it doesn't fix anything.
Offshoring to India...Offshoring.
nm
HELP with Shorthand. Suddenly today when I tried to start work today.sm

my ShortHand would type only the first letter of an expansion and then take all the letters away!  I checked and the Type It button is grayed out!  I have restarted the computer and looked on the Shorthand Help menu but can find nothing that applies.  Can anyone please help me ASAP?  I am lost without it!  TIA


Blasted cold out today. It was 104 degrees last week, but it's 40 degrees today with rain.
However, I do like cozy days like today when I don't have to go anywhere.  I'm done working, the house is clean, there's chili on the stove for dinner already, and I'm just putzing around.  I think I'll go bake some jalapeno cheese bread to go with the chili.
Offshoring
Just remember YOUR elected representives allowed this offshoring to happen. Nothing illegal thanks to the politicians is happening when work is shipped offshore while allowing Americans to lose jobs while increasing taxes.

This is all the fault of the greed and power of the politicians and the corporations. It's not about an Indian worker who has been offered a job and can't lose their accent to please the consumer.

As far as contacting you in a few years when our jobs are overseas, they are shipping them out daily. Where have you been? Check OSI, Precyse, etc. They all offshore some outright and some undercover.

I don't have problems with the workers. I have problems with the government allowing this to happen and the corporations who cut costs while cutting quality by shipping work out of our country.

Keep you eye on your enemy and it is some Indian who is trying to keep a job to make a living.
To those against offshoring...
Have you noticed that anywhere you call, whether it be the phone company, the gas company, the insurance company, you get someone foreign on the phone.  Oh yes and do not forget Microsoft and other computer related companies.  I realize this cuz i get so damn mad because i can't understand what they are saying to me and they don't understand what i am saying to them.  Now I noticed the post below about Earthlink and I am wondering...all of you who are against this..what are you going to do about the fact that the computer company that creates most of the software you use has places in other countries..your gas company..you insurance company, etc. etc. etc.?  I, too, do not agree with offshoring, but I do not think there is REALLY anything we can do about it.  Not working for companies that do it, yes thats a start, but what are you going to do about the rest of reality and everyday living?  Just curious to opinions on this.  I am not flaming..just concerned.
Offshoring - don't be too sure.
Look at history....work will be outsourced whether we like it or not. What happened to the steel, printing, shipping, automotive, and many other manufacturing efforts is happening to transcription. While we may produce a better product, if it can be produced cheaper somewhere else it will be. Sometimes MTSO's are forced to look at other avenues because they can't hire and maintain TATs. Clients want their costs reduced when it is already at rock bottom. Transcriptionists want higher pay and the profit margin isn't there to allow this. The transcription business has changed and will continue to change. After all....the only constant in life is change. The offshore MT is hungry and willing to give up just about anything to put food on the table. They probably don't argue, call in sick, complain or quit without notice. They don't bad mouth their employer. They just want to work...much like American workers decades ago. Take heed. I'm in the same boat and don't want to see it happen, but there are many factors that result in change. Transcriptionists are by nature not an organized group. We are mostly solitary and therefore have no voice or at least not one loud enough to be heard. We're all on production. We don't have time for such things. There is no large group lobbying for us. There isn't enough money in transcription anymore to have lobbyists and that is how...regardless of our protests...change happens...silently. People in India and other countries will learn to transcribe. It's only a matter of time. For myself, I am just going to try to do the very best job I can every single day and hope it is appreciated and know that I am not adding to the problem. Actually....I need to get back to work.
A - As soon as I tell them my pay has gone down about 40% since the offshoring (sm)

they are no longer interested in entering this field.  In fact, their mouths about drop to the floor.


Having another American MT is not going to save another American job.  They will send their work offshore if you are living next door and can do a 4-hour turnaround, just because the price is lower.


I'm getting out also, only doing part-time now and probably won't be doing part-time much longer.


offshoring
Don't know about this company, but there are companies that offshore and lie about it.  Know this for a fact.  I work for one.
OSi Offshoring - sm
If you are an employee of OSI, you should be able to access that article from the employee web page, try going back to about April or so...it should still be there, where it was originally posted. Read it for yourself and maybe then you'll believe it.
Offshoring

Ah, thanks for clearing that up for me. All this happened before I started. New employees are probably not aware of it, like me.


I probably got myself on the $hit-li$t now, but that's okay for something I did today to see any reaction.  It wouldn't be the first time I've been on the list and probably won't be the last.


I will stay, though, as I really do like working for them...and I like the work..


OSi Offshoring

Ah, thanks for clearing that up for me. All this happened before I started. New employees are probably not aware of it, like me. This breaks my heart.


I probably got myself on the $hit-li$t now, for something I did today to see if there was any reaction, but that's okay. It wouldn't be the first time I've been on a list and probably won't be the last.


I will stay, though, as I really do like working for them. I like the work, and really don't have much of a choice anymore.


I think if these companies are going to offshore, they should send the work from the ESL's that can't speak English correctly. That work should be easy for the offshore companies for them to do.


Offshoring
I just wonder who these big businesses think is going to buy their products/services when all the jobs are in foreign countries.  Not only that, when there are no jobs, or only minimum wage jobs, who's going to pay the big fat salaries of our idiot politicians?  Heard on Lou Dobbs the other night that while the minimum wage remains stagnant, the senate voted themselves a hefty $30,000 raise!!!!  Doncha wish we MTs could "vote" ourselves that kind of raise?  Or maybe we're not so greedy and we'd settle for a fraction of that.
Offshoring
Is there any way you can share as there are others of us who suspect this also and maybe it's the same company. If not, that's understandable too.
Offshoring
Keystrokes does not!
MQ OFFSHORING

 


I need some Positive Proof that offshoring is occurring.. .will help in our hospital's fight against outsourcing all of us..  thanks


 


Offshoring
There was an article on the internet quite some time ago where a MQ bigwig admitted to MQ offshoring. I have posted on here before regarding offshoring, tell all your family and friends that when they go to the doctor, they need to tell him/her they do not want ANY part of the their medical record being offshored, including transcription. You have that right as a patient. My family and friends know. Unfortunately, none of us have been to the doc lately.
offshoring

I agree.  I am also wondering where they are making out on this deal.  I have lost 5 Docs due to outsourcing to India.  They are not making out in the end.  They just think they are.  It is such a shame that the US Transcriptionist is the one that are suffering because they do not know what they are doing.  Maybe they should have asked one of us to do the math and we could have showed them that they are not making out.  Also, you have to take in consideration that all these people's(patient) records are going over to another country.  I bet they would have something to say about that.  It is such a shame that someone thought they were going to save a buck and did not do the math, and now we are the ones that are being hurt.


 




 


Offshoring
I too have been affected by offshoring, and whether we see some advantage or not, it is here to stay, and will eventuallly grasp more than half our work in this country. In my experience, I too am amazed at how much doctors will put up with this poor quality work. I personally know of, and have seen large medical offices, radiologists, large clinics, send their work to India, and put up with their error rate as if it were an acceptable part of the equation. BUT, if an American Transcriptionist put out an inferior report, we would most certainly get that pointed out immediately. I watch with amazement at how much those clients are willing to put up with all because they are paying 6 to 8 cents a line. AMAZING. I know of one radiologist who sent his work to India three years ago, kept one transcriptionist in his office to edit. Three years later, she is still marking all the reports in red ink. She has confronted him with the red-marked reports under his nose, and told him how much he is really paying for the reports as she spends her whole day editing. He won't look at her in the eyes, ignores her comments as if she were not in the room, and goes about his business - three years later! I have been told by CFO's that this is only a transition period, that eventually, the Indians will get it right, and it will be worth the hassles, as this makes "good business sense." We all need to realize that right now is the time to be smart and start training in some other field because even if it takes the Indians 10 years to "get it right," this offshoring has dropped the American wage to a paltry low.
No Offshoring
This may have been asked in the past, but I am pretty new to the board.  What nationals do not offshore their transcription?  I am currently an in-house transcriptionists, but I am looking to do some at-home transcription on the side.  I do not want to support any nationals that offshore.  We need to keep our jobs in the US!!!!!
Offshoring
Yes post a list, and I for one will write..as that will be so helpful.. can you post addresses also?
because that is offshoring
and nobody wants that.
Say something against offshoring and see how
x
offshoring
Excellent letter. You've inspired to start writing my senator too.
Offshoring going away too?
Hi all;

Offshoring may not be the problem. All of the local med facilities here are moving to EMR (Electronic Medical Records) and releasing ALL of the transcriptionists, both in-house and contracted. Truth be told, we are more than a little worried over this. Has anyone else seen this move in their area? Is there a way to 'cash in' on this move to EMR? Thanks.