Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

but you have to be careful. There are alot of sm

Posted By: I used one very successfully. on 2006-03-11
In Reply to: For those who have used credit counseling services, what was your experience? - Paycheck to paycheck

them out there and some will charge you a percentage. If you go to the counseling service that is run by the United Way or something, that is reputable. In my town it is just called Consumer Credit Counseling, but it is a United Way Agency. They don't charge you anything except maybe a 5 or 10 dollar a month fee for "postage and handling" and I don't think you are required to do that.

I have heard folks say it will ruin their credit, but it has been my experience that after you get that far, your credit is pretty much damaged anyway. I had a good experience with them.


Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

seems like that happens alot
wow, thats awful, and they didnt even tell the employees? I dont understand why companies lately are so dishonest. Do they not know that if not for us, they would not MAKE any money, since most (not all, but most) of managment and company owners are not MT's and would not know the first thing about being one, at least I have found that to be true so far. We are either replaced by off-shore or Voice Rec...how sad!
My ER docs do it alot

I guess it gives them the right to charge PREMIUM prices,  although I


think ER prices are quite pricey enough.  My friends trip through the ER


the other night was a cool $10,000 and all she got was an aspirin.  (she thought


she was having a heart attack and it was GERD.  But to rule it out they gave her


the works; CT scan, CXR, blood work, cardiac enzymes......and on top of that came the doctors (including the cardiologist, oh my) bill.


 


 


Love this one...thanks alot!!! nm
nm
Alot of BS probably from disgruntled ex
Perhaps you did not read all the posts, yes I did get alot of negative comments and thank you, but I don't need you to tell me to let it rest.  This is a free county, I have freedom of speech and will let it rest when I feel its proper or are you the board medidator? Go ahead its your serve, what witty comment are you going to come back with now, tell me to get a life? That seems to be one of the most popular comebacks.
Alot of companies keep you in QA because

when you're released you start making more money.  You probably are doing a good job and would be out of QA with many other companies.  I don't remember a patient losing their life because an MT put a comma in the wrong place!  It's ridiculous and keeps you from making better money.  On the same note, if you get released from QA then you start getting HORRIFIC dictators that keep you from going above and beyond your required line count so you reach an incentive pay.  It's a no win situation.  Glad I'm weaning out of being an MT and only doing it part time and also work elsewhere!  Tired of the B.S.     


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


This job has changed alot
Hi, new here.

 

I've been an MT since 1997, and there have been ALOT of changes.  I went to school for MT and after graduating, I got a job at a company that let me work at home.  It was sheer bliss. I could be home with my young children, and made a pretty lucrative amount of money, but reasonably for my clients.

 

Now, after being away from it for only four years, that seems to have all changed.  Outsourcing, voice-recognition, big companies, it's sad to me.  Even working full-time, turning over a pretty decent daily line count, I can't make enough to support myself and my kids.  Oh, that is, if I could get a job. 

 

 

I use Spellex AccuCount and like it alot. nm
nm
I think alot of people are jumping to --sm
conclusions here about the whole situation, including yourself. You do not know that just because she gave your husband's friend a ride home, that anything happened between them. Since she already had his friends cell number, perhaps he simply left something in her car and she wanted to return it. It could be totally innocent on everybodies parts. She may not even be aware he is married. But any way, that all is between your husband's friend and her. Since your husband told you about it in the first place, I think there is nothing to worry about in that respect. However, your over reaction to it will probably change things between you and him, and calm open communication is the only thing that may change that back. You already crossed the line with a jealous outburst, and perhaps will never be able to cross back. He will always see you in a different light now, and that you possibly do not trust him, and he will be very careful about what he tells you in the future. I have learned through experience that jealousy, anger, and mistrust are the quickest ways to drive your husband to find someone else. Secondly, if there IS an affair going on between the friend and this woman...it is none of your business. Don't confront the friend..don't confront the other woman...and definitely do not call the wife to tell her. If there is an affair going on, she will find out on her own, but if you stick your nose in, and they patch things up between them, you will have lost a friend for yourself, and your husband. Stay out of it. I definitely think you need to sit down with your husband and calmly talk about this. Tell him that you are sorry for over reacting and that you DO trust him. That is the most important. Never bring up the phone call again. Never ask for the number. He probably feels that you will interfere in something that is not your concern and that is why he does not want you to have it...not because something is going on. He thinks you will embarrass him. that is all. Don't start making waves when you are the one who would end up losing in the long run. Trust me...I know. I was jealous and suspicious of my ex husband and all of his female friends. I reacted to every situation with jealousy and anger, and tried to FORCE him to stay with me. If they want to go, you can't stop them from going. I ended up losing him because I drove him away with mistrust and jealousy. He is married to her now, and I hope they are very happy together. I am not angry and I am not bitter. I did it to myself and I take full responsibility for that. I just do not want to see it happen to anyone else, because it can be avoided simply by how you approach things. Take care and good luck to you.
That depends on alot of things...sm
like where you live. Is it hot and dusty? Do you drive alot of miles? etc. I like to have mine changed every time I have my oil changed. That way I do not have to worry about it. Just my opinion.
My take on that is that alot of it is pure FANTASY.
Just to make my minimum lines, I'm working 10-11 hours days, plus at least part of Sat., and am making about $23,000/year. And I'm not a newbie, either - been at it for over 30 years.
I just switched to nights and found I like it alot.
I get a nicer variety of reports so I don't get bored. I keep the tv on behind me but don't watch it. No interruptions, no phone, no kids or hubby, although my kids are all out of high school. They still tend to interrupt. The dogs are sleeping so I don't have to let them out. I do open a window for some of that gorgeous night air. I only need about 6-7 hours of sleep, so I hit the hay when I am done and sleep for around 4 hours, get up and do a few things, then conk out again for 2-3 hours later. It seems to be working out.
I like Laura Bush, She has alot of class.

If we want to get personal about the husband situation, then I mean come on, who can forget all of Bill Clintion's antics??  Ole' Hillary stayed w' him just to further her career.  To me personally, When I look at the current Bushs I can see they they like each other, even DARE I DAY IT< LOVE each other.  With the Clinton's all you got was cold air from Hillary, but then again who can blame her?  But she is the one who stayed......so I don't feel bad for her at all.


THESE ARE JUST MY OPINIONS!!!!!!  Everyone have a wonderful day!!!!


There is alot of fine print to read
in order to receive the bonus.  Many MTs don't stay long enough because these companies are usually deceiving.  Think about it, if it were so easy to get $500, $1000, etc. everyone would be jumping at the chance.  Don't bother, it's a smoke screen
P.S. - I'm alot stronger cardio-wise also
NM
I'd be alot more interested in working weekends, -
overtime, holidays, etc. if what I got in exchange for that actually made any difference. Unfortunately it does not.
Also, don't you think alot of the 'big bux' people say they're
I could get on these boards and tell folks I'm clearing $150K a year after taxes, own 3 homes, and a 70-foot yacht, and who's gonna come check to see if I'm feeding them a line? So that's what I think alot of that '$50-grand a year' is... just a lot of wishful thinking.
Except most secretarian jobs make alot more

Thanks for your replies. I like my account alot but I don't like the pay so that stinks!!
nm
That's alot more polite than grabbing the clock and
ROFL !!!! ;D
Call DELL; they will personalize for alot less money

Be VERY careful.
That kind of cruelty to animals is an indication of a very deep problem. You are a much better person than I would have been under the circumstances. I don't care what kind of sob story he tried to spin, I'd have sued him for everything he had for the false police report AND pressed charges for animal cruelty. At the very least, you might want to ask him to retract his accusations IN WRITING and send copies to the police department and the animal control folks, just in case the girl tries on some other type of false accusation to get attention. Your good heart is admirable and I am humbled by your charitable reaction, but at the same time, you must protect yourself, your family, and your innocent dog. JMHO.
Soy can also help, but you have to be careful...
as soy also can inhibit the thyroid  function.  One serving a day is all that is recommended to help with menopausal symptoms. 
Thank you! Be careful though,
horsewhipped for your "liberal agenda".
OSI be careful?
Why?
be careful
I wouldn't use a vacuum, some of the parts are tiny and you could end up sucking them up. The canned air is better, it won't damage anything.
Me, too, but be careful (sm)

I read something about a prostate being dictated as a _______ cc prostate, which needed to remain as is. Anybody know?


Seriously, he does need to be careful what he
nm
Be careful with that!
When you get paid by the line, you get paid by the number of lines times your cpl. Usually a line is 65 characters including spaces. When you get paid by the character, that can often (although not always) mean getting paid by actual character strokes--AND THAT CAN GET YOU BURNED. If you use an expander, as any intelligent MT would do, you won't be paid for the letters your Expander adds to the document--only for the actual keystrokes. For example, if you type "djd;" and that expanded to "degenerative disk disease," you would only be paid for four characters as opposed to the 25 characters you SHOULD be paid for. Some companies do it this way, some don't. Make sure you check it out COMPLETELY!
I'd be careful sm
$1.20 for plain films would be OK. $1.20 for MRIs, Angios, etc would be a rip off. Make sure you have a good mix of reports.
Be careful about doing this...
I've tried this and couldn't access anything with the control set to the highest (no nudity, violence, etc), but when control set to medium or mild, could access EVERYTHING...including nudity, violence, etc.  So for me, it didn't work that well...it is like all or nothing...good luck though
be very careful
From my own personal experience what they really probably want is to buy your clients and keep your name and reputation.  I worked for a small local company - they wooed the woman with promises of big money.  she had to sign a non compete contract so she could never get the accounts back - and most of them were very dissatisfied with the indian work and dropped the service - when they dropped the service - the indians said that negated the money they had promised her.  She didn't get most of it.  They are obnoxious - promise the moon.  They wanted me to stay on as QA - work was ghastly.  They expect you to work the hours that they do - very long 12-14 hour days.  Aren't very understanding about emergencies or vacations - they don't get them. 
be careful...
I don't use a code. If you live in a state that collects sales tax on services, you may end up owing money for that even though you are an IC. Every state is different and I got nailed before I moved for a bunch of $$. I fought it and won, but my attorney advised me to leave it blank on the tax return from now on or at least until it was specific enough.
Be careful
I worked for them for a short while. Lisa is rude and mean. There are some very nice editors though. It would be a nice place to get some experience but if you have other options, take them. The pay isn't great, no benefits. They also charge 5.00 for mispelled names, even if the report is only worth 1.25. Slow platform
careful
Verizon just won a lawsuit against them for stealing software or something....they lost and have to pay Verizon 58 million. Even if they do stay in business, that has got to reflect on their pricing in the long run.
Please be careful
Yes, the only way to make it in this business is to pound faster, pound longer and/or pound for more than one.  You are already having physical problems.  If you go the pound faster/pound longer route, they are only going to get worse to the point that you may not be able to pound at all.  Can you afford that?  Can you afford the medical bills?  You know the doc is going to tell you to back off the work.  Studies on carpal tunnel syndrome indicate that stress is often a factor - thus why some people can do this job for a long time without apparent problems and others can't.  You need to find a comfortable work zone and stay in it.  Scribbles is right.  How well you do isn't work ethic alone.  It also depends on how good, or at the very least, how stable your accounts are.  It's also about working smart.  Use your Expander to best advantage.  Use the platform and its keyboard shortcuts to best advantage.  Good luck, but be careful!
be careful of this
About 8 months ago, I got screwed up with a dell computer because the salesperson steered me wrong. I told him exactly I needed XP on it and he said that vista can work find with companies using xp, and this salesperon was in the US.  The computer he sold me was not compatable with companies using XP, and tech support told me they will help you take vista off and load xp on it but they are not obligated to give you tech support after XP is loaded.  At least that is what I was told.  After pulling teeth I finally got my account credited. 
be careful
If it's the place in Kentucky, I worked for them for a few months last year (and by the way have STILL not received tax info for the year - they have to send me SOMETHING, even though I was classified as independent contractor). Things went well for a while but every time you start making money with one account, they switch you out to another so it's constant relearning and it's a while till you can make any money. They switched me out 5 times in 3 months!!! Also, the owner is a little "odd" and another higher up told me she had some "problems". Be careful!
Be very careful about doing this
I do not think you pay for a business line (you may, but did not say) in which case if you tell them you are using the line for business, it may wind up causing you very big bucks. They could switch you from a regular line to a business line and I think that is ?? between 300 and 400 a month. I would not pursue this unless you are getting a business line in the first place and want to complain about it. BYW, I stopped service with them a couple of months ago because of the extreme charges to me (on regular landline, over 40 something a month, too much). I love my new internet with Charter, speech much faster.
I think I'd be careful
about piggybacking on someone's WiFi, especially from a business.  I think (don't have exact info) there have been cases of people being arrested for that.  I think it's kind of a gray area, but I believe there are fines and possibly prison sentence if you're caught.  But many say so it's there own fault if they're going to have it wide open for anyone wandering by, but I can see a business trying to get nasty if they find out someone is using their broadband or getting in and not paying at places.
Be careful

I coded, billed and posted before I was an MT.  I'd like to make 2 points here.


1).  Yes, you'll be guessing.  And you won't know if your guess was right (payable) or not unless you are actually posting what got billed and see what got rejected.  IMHO, coding is a guessing game that insurers don't want you to win, hence the constant changes in the rules.  If you can get your facility to send you to day seminars such as "Coding for Optimal Reimbursement", it may help.  Make sure your coding manuals are the VERY latest version, at the least.


2).  You can and will be held liable in cases regarding Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement.  According to the feds, "ignorance is no excuse" for making mistakes in coding, yet they refuse guidance to anyone trying to do it, annually giving out constantly changing vague rules that force you to guess.  They do random audits and they are quick to scream fraud at honest mistakes.  The feds are hostile to doctors and are basically setting them up to fail so they can scream fraud and demand ALL their money back someday.  They will not only blame the doctor and the facility, but the coder herself, and there can be heavy fines/jail time for offenders.  Has your facility addressed in any way what they would "do" in the case of an audit to help YOU, such as provide you with access to the facility lawers?  Or will they gladly push the blame onto their uneducated coders and let them take a fall?


So be very, very careful.  Be certain the reason for the exam matches the code. If someone asks you to change a code, make sure there is documentation to prove that code.  Example - "rule out DVT" may be the reason for the exam.  DO NOT use code for "DVT" unless the patient actually has DVT.  Otherwise use a screening code (they start with V, I think, its been a few years since I did this).  If that's not payable, too bad for the facility.  If you go ahead and put DVT and the patient does not have it - that can be construed as "fraud" by the feds.


Good luck, and CYA.


Be careful

I was told I had to use an adapter when I switched companies and had to switch foot pedals.  I had nothing but problems with it.  I would press on the foot pedal and nothing would happen.  I would have to slam my foot down 3-4 times to get it to go.  I happen to have a laptop with a docking station that has 2 ports so I got rid of the adapter.


Your monitor should be plugged into a video port not a serial port.  If you don't have a serial port, you can possibly purchase one.  If you have a desktop and you have an open slot then you can buy one and install it.  If you are not comfortable doing this yourself, see if there's a geek squad or something near you.


Be careful
I personally use a laptop but mine was one a company was getting rid of because of buying new equipment.  Whenever I go somewhere, I know the system that I will be using has the security I need.  I don't know about libraries or places that use WiFi but you should be using a network with a firewall to be compliant with HIPAA practices.  Laptops have become the way to go if you are ever going to use it elsewhere or if you want to get Wireless in your house you can work in multiple places.  Just be aware of your security levels.
BE CAREFUL

I just watched a video online from AmeriPlan and I shut if off when the host said, "What else of this value would only cost 95 dollars?"..be careful--you should not have to pay for a job.


Careful what you wish for. New

x


You have to be careful.
Sorry to "butt in," but since I happen to be here at the moment may I add my cautionary advice?

Yes, many free AV programs are safe, but there ARE those out there that purport to be antivirus software (or antispyware, or other freeware offerings) which are actually malicious.

So, when contemplating using a free AV program, make sure it's one of those recognized as safe and effective (AVG, Avira, Avast!, and a few others) and don't download and install one without checking it out with experienced users first ... and always download either from the actual site offering the program (AVG's, Avira's, etc.) or a well-known and trusted third-party site (like CNET's Download.com and a few other biggies), rather than an unknown 3rd-party site that may have slipped a trojan in on ya. :-)
Be careful!
You can order a Dell directly with XP already installed, which is the best route to go, as I much prefer XP over Vista ANYDAY!!

BUT, if Vista is already on your computer and you install XP, it will downgrade your OS and your warranty will no longer be in effect. Even the downgrade XP disc they send with computers with Vista already installed will void your warranty but you won't know this unless you talk with a tech or a Dell customer service rep. This is the case with most all downgrades to XP though.

I would get Dell to directly install XP..... you certainly don't want to void your warranty.


Please be careful
...when doing Pilates anything. It's very easy to get hurt with these exercises. And since you're using a machine with no instructions be extra cautious. I'm perhaps being too motherly but since it takes many chiropractor trips and massage therapy to Undo what one wrong move Can do, I think a little caution is in order.

Please let us know how your new machine is working out for ya. I've been looking into some equipment myself that's not bulky or big that I can use, like the Total Gym.
Can't be too careful anymore.
Very wise call.
p.s.: careful not to heat too much

Be strong, but be careful. sm

He sounds like the type that knows better than to come to your house and violate a protection order, but you never, ever know and it's still early yet. Keep your doors locked.


My ex was "pre-protection order"  (i.e. many years back) and he got through the basement window and was sitting at my kitchen table in the pitch dark. I can still hear him sneer, "Did you have fun with your boyfriend?"


I was grocery shopping and my mother was watching the kids. I got lucky because he really didn't want to kill me, just control me.


He finally gave up on me when I found and eventually  married  a great guy that doesn't expect me to fold towels in high heels and "poofy hair".


Sad part of that story is that he also disowned his own kids. But, after 15 years, the kids have realized that it was neither my fault or theirs. Their "father" lives with me. Their "donor dad" is living 5 miles away, a recluse, and drinking himself to death.


I send him a case of vodka on his birthday every year. Just kidding! 


Be careful if you get an Amazon.
When they reach sexual maturity at about 3-4 years of age, they can become quite aggressive and attack their owners, often inflicting severe wounds. If you have children, an Amazon is not a good choice. Be mindful that any parrot you get will almost definitely outlive you. Also, please consider adopting from a rescue. There are many wonderful parrots out there in need of homes and it is a growing problem, as people don't realize what they're getting into. Having a parrot is like having a 2-year-old child forever, with all of the problems that come with it.