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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

someone just e-mailed me "how to write a letter to your Senator" -

Posted By: Lvgonadream on 2009-02-06
In Reply to: Correct about breach of privacy and its NOT too late - Lvgonadream

I responded to this e-mail and attached a sample for her (Sarah) to send to her Senator, but came back as not deliverable. Just speak from your heart when you write. Be respectful, "Dear Senator, thank you for representing our state" And then tell your story so to speak, how things are effecting you. That bringing IT jobs (not just MT, but anything that contains our private information, credit card processing, debt collection, etc.) would not only deter the rampant increase in identity and medical identity theft, but would bring American jobs back to America, American MONEY back to America to be spent in America! Good luck to all


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I would write one more letter and CC: to
the insurance commissioner and your insurance company. Write the letter to your physician's office, enclose copies showing proof of your payment of co-pays one more time.  I found whenever I had CC to the Insurance Commissioner, then people got serious about finding the correct records...
Where I am we can write a letter asking to be excused - sm
presuming it presents a hardship for you. At the time I was ferrying my 1 daughter to Children's Hospital 2 x a week for speech therapy, to preschool and had 2 kids under the age of 3 and 4 (got called twice a year apart). So I always had a child at home and no family in the area to take care of my various commitments. They excused me both times. Now if I get called now I don't think I will be able to get out of it as both are in school now, we are done with speech therapy finally, and I can always reschedule anything else if I had too. I would see if you could write a letter, call them and ask, explain your employment situation and with any luck they will excuse you due to hardship. Good luck.
write a letter and send it to the higher ups.
Also, I think PC Magazine and other websites have complaint areas where you can turn businesses in for crummy customer service.  The company would rather satisfy the customer than get bad press.  Also, complain to the BBB or the FTC.  You can make yourself heard. 
Manager, if no help, never go back. write a letter saying why
be calm. depends on how big a *bad service* it was - the one I hate the most is where they act like they are doing me a favor to wait on me. That one I always report.
You don't have to hire a lawyer. Write the letter yourself, but
make sure you send it "return receipt requested" and give a specific date payment needs to be received by.
I would write a letter to AHDI and tell THEM, too, why you are dropping. sm
Your opinion and reasons, as someone who was a part of them for so many years and saw NO benefit from it, is a truth they need to be told over and over.
I'm going to write my own letter. Harder to ignore if
thousands of letters, all written differently, still say the same thing. That way they know it's not just a form-letter (like the kind they always send to US.)
Is there someone willing to write a form letter? See blog post
I will put in on my blog and promote the heck out of my blog.
A while back I suggested we all write a letter to the editor about this . sm
I did, and they declined to print it.  Evidently it's not a big issue in the minds of some.  Individually we can't do anything about it.  Perhaps collectively.  We need a petition to go to ALL senators and representatives from our respective states, and none of this "anonymous" stuff, either.
Hire an attorney & have the atty write a letter

that if you do not receive pay by (the date), you will file a lien on her business and her house, and may take her to Judge Judy    I guarantee you will get your money faster than going to small claims court, spending less time going to court, etc.


Another good idea is to write a letter to the editor...sm
of your local/state newspapers telling people what is happening with their medical records and the downside of them being sent to India. Most people have no clue.
It is so easy to post a letter on a newspaper editorial or magazine. Everybody write one.
If you have a story to tell - get busy.  Go to news shows, magazines, newspapers.  It is so easy.  Talk about the MT business or about the whole offshore process and its cost to the U.S.  Any and everything written only solidifies our total point of view.  GO TO whitehouse.com for sure.  Don't wait for others to carry this for you.  Support Travelin MT's efforts on the company board!!!!
If you e-mailed me about this I e-mailed you back

yesterday.


I have an adjustable keyboard tray.  My parents bought it for me for Christmas years ago and I don't know where they got it and they are no longer living for me to ask.  If you go to any office supply website and Google adjustable keyboard trays you'll find several.  You really don't need an adjustable tray, especially since with a pillow on top you really just need a support for the pillow.


I prop my pillow on top of my tray and then put my keyboard on the pillow.  If you just a firm pillow your keyboard will bounce and you'll spend all day chasing it, so use a pillow that is sort of squishy.


I'm not sure why, but I find I sit with my back against the chair when I use a pillow.  The pillow absorbs the stress from your fingers and wrists, adds support for your arms and shoulders and I find I'm more relaxed and more productive. 


 


 


 


Buy if from your husband. Have him write you a receipt. Write it off completely or
depreciate it over a few years.
Be sure you ask your senator to vote....sm
to pass the Safe ID act which was presented to congress by  Senator Markey.  This particular bill would require anyone sending things like medical or banking records out of the US to obtain consent from the consumer/patient ahead of time as well as yearly afterwards.  Educate all of your friends, neighbors and family that  HIPAA does not cover  your medical records leaving the US and therefore when they receive medical services they should request in writing that their medical records remain exclusively in the US.
response from my senator
Thought I would share - still sick over this issue


Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding the use of foreign temporary workers and business personnel by U.S. firms, as well as the economic security of our nation as a whole. I appreciated hearing from you on these important issues.

As you may already be aware, the use of temporary foreign workers and business personnel by U.S. companies has gained a considerable amount of attention in the past decade. Foreign nationals admitted to the United States are known as non-immigrants and come to the U.S. on a variety of employment visas, including the predominantly used H-1B visa.

The economic prosperity of the 1990's fueled a drive to increase the levels of employment-based immigration. The nation enjoyed its longest economic expansion, and the unemployment rate had remained low. At that time, both the Congress and the Federal Reserve Board expressed concern that a scarcity of labor could curtail the pace of economic growth. A primary legislative response was to increase the supply of foreign temporary professional workers through fiscal 2003.

The recent economic downturn in the information technology sector may have diminished demand for H-1B workers in that sector and has raised serious questions by many individuals like you about the lay-offs of American workers by U.S.-based corporations in favor of H-1B's non-immigrants.

Proponents of the H-1B argue that increasing the levels in the admission of foreign workers is essential if the United States is to remain globally competitive and that employers should be free to hire the best people for the jobs. Opponents, on the other hand, argue that any further increases, temporary or permanent, are unnecessary as there is no compelling evidence of a labor shortage in these professional areas that cannot be met by newly graduating American students and by retraining the existing U.S. work force.

As you may know, the House passed H.R. 4818, the Omnibus Appropriations bill of 2004. This legislation provided funding for the majority of foreign and domestic federal programs for fiscal 2005. Unfortunately, this bill contained a provision that allowed the first 20,000 H-1B beneficiaries who have earned a master's degree or higher from a U.S. institution of higher education from being included in the annual H-1B visa cap of 65,000. This provision effectively extended the visa cap to 85,000.

While I support keeping an appropriate level of legal immigration, in my opinion, we must work in Washington to ensure that current American workers are not losing their jobs or being forced to survive on depressed wages because we are voluntarily importing far more foreign workers than we need through the use of nonimmigrant visas. During the 110th Congress, you can rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind and take action as appropriate to promote economic growth at home for the benefit of both current U.S. workers and future generations of Americans.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please feel free to contact me again on any issue that concerns you.

I watched this video and sent it to my US Senator and also

.


Not political but re Senator Kennedy's OP:

Wouldn't that have been a great one to transcribe?  Not because of who it is, but just due to the type of the surgery he had--open brain surgery with intermittent wakeful testing.  I've been an MT for about 27 years, majority in acute care (now clinic--boring), and I absolutely love doing OPs.  I really enjoy doing long, complicated, interesting operative reports like I'm sure this one was. 


Gruesome?  Maybe , but well wishes to the senator in any case.


 


PS - just heard back from my state senator
So there!
Have already contacted by state senator and received a response
But of course, all it said was that he was glad to hear my point of view, blah, blah.....no indication of how he was going to vote when it comes up - but at least I let my feelings be known, in no uncertain terms.   We have to do SOMETHING, it's just hard to know what. 
If it's a business letter you use a colon. if it's a personal letter you use a comma. nm

:


Have you watched "How I Met Your Mother"?
It's on Monday's, I think. All my days run together, forgive me. It's not reality, but it's really refreshing. Good writing. I enjoy it.
"How to off-shore MT to China?"...
Why in the WORLD would they be involved with something in China, unless they are planning to assist them with taking MORE of our work?????  I can see it now . . . first China, then India, Pakistan...on and on.  We can pay to watch them put us out of work.  Yipee.  "American" was taken out of the name for obvious reasons.
Neither can you, lol. Mispelled "how" in your post.
x
I heard back from my senator today about outsourcing bill sm

He thanked me for my letter, said that as he understood it, this bill didn't cover anything of what I had mentioned.  However, he said he would be paying more attention to this bill when it comes before the full senate for a vote.  He said he was against outsourcing.  Below is my letter to him:


Dear Senator Barrasso:
 
I am writing to request that you support the above bill. I am a medical Transcriptionist in Wyoming. I moved here 2 years ago from Colorado, bringing my job and income with me. I make an above-average income, which I spend in my community, but my job is at risk because so much of this work is being outsourced, particularly to India. More importantly, the health and privacy of the American public is being put at risk by this practice. First, Indian transcriptionists do their job poorly and inefficiently. The gross errors jeopardize health care. Every error has the potential to injure or poison an American citizen, including many young children for whom accurate diagnoses and medication administration can be a life and death issue. To add insult to injury, Indian transcriptionists are NOT required to honor HIPAA. Once a physician's dictation leaves this country, it is no longer private.
I am a very hard working medical transcriptionist and I am still able to earn a decent living in this industry, but it is certainly not what it used to be. I am paid 9 cents for every 65 Keystrokes I type, whereas an Indian is paid 2 to 3 cents for the same work. This undercutting has hurt this industry and every woman (95% of us are female), many of whom are trying to support families on their own, has been dragged to the poverty line because our wages have not grown with the cost of living. I make 9 cents today and I made 9 cents in 1996, the year my career began.
Please protect the healthcare and privacy of Americans, and help to protect yet another industry from moving to overseas. Support and sign S.810/H.R. 1653.


I thought initially "how hard can it be?"
It's not that I didn't respect the field, I just didn't anything about it. I had done legal transcription and figured since my mother was a nurse, I was pretty familiar with medical terminology (ahem).

By some miracle I got a transcription job in a small clinic and started to be trained. After the first week my thought was "Well, I guess I found something I CANNOT do!" =80 But my trainer was great, I picked it up quickly because even though it was hard I loved it from day 1.

That was 23 years ago and I've come a long way. I laugh at myself then. I was so clueless!
Pretty kewl...like the "how popular is your name" thingy, too (nm)

Here in the South, it's "How y'all doin' today?"

"How do you remember all that stuff?" Cuz I's smart. I has a brane. nm
x
I e-mailed someone I know

On one account I work on, it's a *.dot file (template) she created that has a pop-up screen that asks for things like Patient Name, MR #, MD name, etc. You just fill in the info and the macro snaps everything into the template and you're ready to go.


I asked her if she learned this through the Word Help file or books, and which ones. As soon as she gets back to me, I'll let you know. This is considered one of those time savers.


I e-mailed you.
x
I e-mailed you. NM
d
I e-mailed you. Thanks! nm
nm
I e-mailed you NM
??
Yes mailed... nm
x
I E-mailed You.
If you don't receive my e-mail, feel free to e-mail me through here :o).
Why can't they be mailed to you?
It is not that expensive to put the pay stubs in an envelope and use snail mail. Also, why can't they be sent by email?
Anyone have an inkling when these will be mailed out?
xx
I e-mailed you...sure hope you got it!

Hugs,


JoAnn


Mine were mailed to me also.
The sender obviously wants proof it was received. I receive Certified mail from my employer when it is important such as forms to fill out, etc. Doesn't have to mean dooms day.
Hayseed... I e-mailed ya'
re: cropping avatar....  Thanks.
Nobody called or e-mailed (sm)
from my hospital either. I had just gotten up and turned on the TV and Charlie Gibson was on, which was weird, because it was a little after 9:00 and he should have been off. He was talking about the building being hit, and I saw the second plane live.

I was in such shock I could barely tear myself from the TV to work. Nobody from the hospital called or emailed about it that day or ever. It was the strangest thing.


To the person who e-mailed me
I'm not comfortable at this time giving out the name of the company. I will say that it is a very small company in Georgia, in the Atlanta area. This individual is very vindictive and spiteful, apparently with no life of their own. If, however, you want to e-mail me the name of the company with which you have had problems, I will be happy to either confirm or deny that it is the same company.
Are your checks being mailed? If so,

check the date it was postmarked. Check with your company and see when they mail your checks, then count the days it took to receive it.  If it is taking too long, complain to the Post Office!!!


We are having a problem with our checks. My husband's checks get mailed on a Friday, but he may not receive them until a week or later, if he receives them at all!!!  As of today, he is missing another check that was mailed 12/31. Four checks have been lost in the mail since they put the new rates into effect. Of course, his company stops payment on them, costing them more money, and then re-issues another check.  He used to get them a day or 2 after they were mailed before the new rates. This puts us in a bind, too. His checks come from 45 miles away.  


I finally went on line and placed 2 complaints, as I was missing 2 checks during the past few months, too. Mine come from 11 miles away.All our mail goes to a central post office, 50 miles away and that is one of my complaints I placed. Three days for a letter to go from my home town to my home town is ridiculous.


So, it may not be your company's fault, but the good ole post office.


I just e-mailed you with instructions
for the AutoText entries. You cannot use outside programs (text expanders, shorthand, etc.) with InScribe. It's kind of a long process to add AutoText, so I save up 25 or 30 and enter them all at once, usually.
My tapes are mailed
and I E-mail the reports back. Works great plus cuts down on gas.
my tapes are mailed
I have the same deal.  They mail me the tapes and I email the work back.
I agree. I just e-mailed her
Yes, it IS high here. I've been here 37 years (life long) and it never ceases to amaze me. It's all the retirees driving the cost up.
anyone know the deadlines for the W2s/1099s to be mailed out by? nm
;
Just e-mailed the Oprah! show
I just finished posting a comment to the Oprah! Show.  If/when (I'm an optimist!) I get a response, I'll be letting y'all know.  Happy Wednesday!  
Thank you to the 2 who e-mailed me! I've applied.
NM