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NEW CONTRIBUTION! $100 Gift Card courtesy of MDI. Click on Santa's - Posted By: House banner at top of board to enter!

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DQS...wiped out much of my expander..anybody else? - Posted By: boop

this really pisses me off.

Math whiz needed on hosp/clinic board - Posted By: please :-)

ty

per word - Posted By: clsk

Anybody know an appropriate rate for per word - non-medical trans??? Low and high levels please - I appreciate all feedback

Do we know what the going line rate - Posted By: is that is paid to transcription services?

For acute care and for clinic? I know it varies by region. I used to know the going rate, 13 to 14 cpl in the early 90s. I have had my own accounts since then and I really don't know where to set my rates anymore. I don't want to price myself out of contracts by charging too much, but I also don't want to charge a lot less than everyone else. I can't really ask my clients what other bids they receive because of course if it's more than i charge they aren't going to want to tell me they would pay me more. I have been told by some that they have been unable to raise their rates because of competition from India. My accounts are at 15 cpl now but if I can't go any higher than that i will never be able to increase pay for my subcontractors. I'm just a small business but I'm feeling the crunch like everyone else. I'm almost at the point of raising my rates and if they don't go for it I'll just figure it's not worth it anymore and i'll close up shop.

Just wondered if anyone knows what bigger services are charging these days. The reason i used to know is I worked in a hospital transcription department so I would see the invoices that the transcription services sent along with the work.

Companies that don[t use DSL - Posted By: Okie

I have direct line of sight wireless. I am in a rural area and can't get DSL or cable. Does anyone know of any companies that use direct line of sight wireless?

thanks

Please note: MTStars is in no way affiliated with MTSpot. There are rumors that I own the site, whic - Posted By: Sheri Steadman, President, MTStars nm

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Need noise reducing headphone help please! - Posted By: Sheryl

I tried doing a search, but nothing came up. I know this has been discussed here before. Due to background noise in the house (TV and other things), I need to get a headset that blocks out this noise to I can hear my dictation. I can't afford much, and was wondering what others are using. The headset I use now is comfortable, but I can hear every little sound going on in the house and I'm losing my mind. Thanks for the help!

Does anyone have any good craft ideas for 5th graders to do during Christmas party? sm - Posted By: Frazzled room mom!

I am usually in charge of my younger kids' classroom parties, but this year I am doing the 5th graders. I need a good craft for them to do during their party. Something easy and fun....but you know...not too baby-ish. Any help is appreciated!!!

A beginner who can't get experience! Help! - Posted By: Justine Wright

Hello,

I have recently finished my MT education and have been practicing with a company for over four months. I did this to get paid, yet everywhere I look, the general requirement is between 3-5+ years of experience! How in the world is a person supposed to get experience when you can't find anyone to give it to you! I am really beginning to think maybe I've wasted my time. I love doing transcription work, but I may never be able to get a job. Does anyone have any advice or info as to where I could get a start?

QA go back to school - Posted By: ERMT/Oncology MT2

I am really ticked at my QA department these days. Had a report � not the best dictator, which is why I listened to it for a total of 3 times to be accurate! Clearly the doctor said hyperglycemia. At first I thought hypercholesterolemia but upon playing it over 2 more times I could hear the �glycemia.� QA changed it to hypercholesterolemia and put a note on the �corrected� version that had I run spell checker it would have caught this. Okay, first of all with this particular VPN system you must run spell check before uploading! And second of all, no, spell checker would not flag a correctly spelled medical term! Come on now! Pick up the medical dictionary and look. It is in my book. Heck I hear that word on television. Get a clue already.

This is the same QA that I go round and round with about hyphens. I type �The patient is well developed and well nourished.� It is to be done this way as per the BOS, yet a few will put in hyphens. To the best of my knowledge you only use hyphens when the sentence reads: Well-developed, well-nourished male/female in no acute distress.

There are some really great QA people out there (((hugs))) and unfortunately some that need to go back to MT school. Sometimes I wonder why I fight so hard to keep our jobs here in the U.S. I know that I am not QA quality with less than 5 years under my belt, but please do not treat me like complete *****. When I see some of these QA fixes and research it makes me wonder how they came into their positions. I once had a CMT/QA person tell me there is no such thing as a DIP joint. Okay, pick up an ortho book by Stedman�s. Yeah, it�s in there!

Sorry to go on and on. Just needed to get this off my chest.

How many lines can I plan on averaging per hr/day when first starting out? - Posted By: JL

I am getting back into transcription after taking a few years off, and I am trying to figure out financially if I can swing the 8 cpl that I was offered to me. Since it has been a few years, I'm not sure how many lines I can type, as this was an hourly position and we did not have a minimum line count. I know that there are a lot of variables, but would you mind sharing what your average line counts were when you started out? I will be typing full-time. Thanks in advance!

Bayscribe, to cap after a period - Posted By: sm

Someone mentioned awhile back that they never could figure out how to automatically capitalize after a period in Bayscribe. Well, I wasn't looking for it, but accidentally discovered it. You go into productivity tools, and go into tab for local configuration; just check or uncheck the box. I'm still discovering little helps like this that I missed when I started the program. And if you want to momentarily de-activate, of course, just hit the escape first. Hoping this helps someone else!

back and neck pains - Posted By: star

does anyone have any tips for backache and neck pains from sitting? I do try to take breaks and do stretches. As far as a good chair, any hints? I know of a good brand but it is awfully expensive but may be worth the investment, but I would like to spend under $200 if I could.

Medication website - Posted By: Denise

Anyone know of a good site to go to for a list of medications? Thanks!

Re - Has anyone seen this exhibit.... - Posted By: mac

OP - you posted this in the archives and I could not reply but...

HOW INTERESTING! They are REAL (deceased) bodies! Did you read about the "plastination" process? I see it is in Houston (among other places). I stop in Houston often while traveling and would even make a special trip there to see it.

Has anyone seen it? The posted site was...

http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/pages/home.asp

Searching for Internet satellite service - Posted By: have you heard of HughesNet?

This company looks they offer good service in our area according to their add but I have never heard of them before. Any news would be appreciated.

Glossitis (sm) - Posted By: dc

Anyone here ever suffered with this; what remedy did you use shy of going to the MD for prescription. TIA

As per your request, Pets and Entertainment forums have been added. - Posted By: Administrator (sm)

VPN - Posted By: Rowena

Working on new VPN with speed of 1.5/257, and this may not be enough, but I am on wireless and it is already running m $99 a month, and it will be another $30 to go to 1.5/384. Any ideas to pump the speed before I spend the money. I have already gone to MSCONFIG and stripped anything in the background and it is definitely within the system itself due to be tied into the VPN. As soon as I start getting to a decent speed it can't keep up and the mistakes start flying. Help, I am losing time and money, I live for my speed as you know. Thanks for any ideas.

Moderator, how do I view my resume I place on your job site. I dont see any new resumes posted when - Posted By: MQMT

I look on there and I did mine yesterday. Where can I see it. I did not come up with the list of resumes that seems to end in August.

Have you ever noticed that residents/NP etc. - Posted By: LA

do not know the definition of the word "briefly." Some of the longest reports I do start the first paragraph with "Briefly, the patient is ..........." and then they ramble on for 10 or so minutes.

Word/text expanders for Meditech - Posted By: nn

I would apprecaiate knowing word/text Expanders work in Meditech? Thank you.

Is it worth being an IC at 7.8 cpl? - Posted By: NM

Help! - Posted By: Frustrated

I just got a new laptop and the screen is very small and when I change the resolution, it gets all distorted. What do I do to fix this?

Professional Liability INsurance? - Posted By: mig

Does anyone have this through AAMT? If so, how much did you pay for it? If not, are there other options out there? I'm looking into errors and omissions and I read about this, and think it would probably be just what I am looking for, but I am curious about the price before I pay for an AAMT membership! Thanks.

ASR funny - Posted By: mini haha

She has had significant tragedies in her family life, so she is carrying very heavy rodents.

(burdens)

Could anyone help me identify a bug problem? sm - Posted By: Hate creepy bugs!!

I live in Ohio and have never seen these bugs before. I went outside last night to my backyard and noticed millions of tiny, black bugs on the back of my house, along the brick wall and windows down by the ground/basement wall area. They are a little bit bigger than a pencil tip, very black and almost look like a small beetle. Any help in identifing these creepy critters would be great. I also noticed them today around and on our above ground pool! Thanks for any help.

Any hospitals/clinics hiring home-based employees on an hourly basis? TIA - Posted By: cactus

Question for MTSO1 regarding docshuttle. - Posted By: sm

I was just wondering what part of docshuttle is free? I went to their web site and their fee is .20/minute (under 1,000 minutes of dictation) for the use of a 1-800 number for dictating, and then there are also start-up costs for each dictator, transcriptionist, and transcription administrator. Isn't this the same as a TASP?

I don't mean to be rude or sarcastic, but just need clarification on the "free" part of this service.

Even with all the start-up fees and per minute charge, is this a better option than owning your own digital dictation system where you pay for the equipment and phone lines? I am looking into the Bytescribe Orator Pro, but am still researching my options.

TIA for your response!!

Did anyone else laugh when they saw Tatum O on (sm) - Posted By: LOL

Dancing with the Stars? She was an actress, she said. She didn't have to compete with others or work to get the acting jobs, thanks to daddy Ryan, LMAO! Maybe that is why reality TV is becoming so popular. People would rather watch reality TV than bad acting. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Okay, now who is going to defend this woman who had her most embarrassing moment....

Anybody try the Michael Thurmond 6 week body makeover?nm - Posted By: MI-MT

Any single moms out there? - Posted By: Confused MT

Hi all. I'm hoping there are a few single moms out there who can give me some advice. I have two children, ages 15 and 11.

Background: I divorced my husband in June. Everything was going well financially until I lost my Independent Contractor position unexpectedly in October. I could not find any work for a month and had no savings.

Now, I come to find out my ex will be dropping all medical coverage this spring. He will be self-employed at that time and have no access to insurance.

AS OF THIS SPRING, my financial status looks bleak. I have no savings, no retirement, no medical insurance and no life insurance. I'm totally lost here.

I have a few options: I could stay self-employed and buy all of my insurance, etc. I could work when I wanted and be home with my kids, attend their school functions, and so on.

I could get a full-time MT job in an office with full benefits, etc. However, my kids will be alone on vacations and in the summer. They may need to forego some school functions and may need to stay at home alone when they are sick.

I've been self-employed now for almost 8 years and the kids and I are very used to it. I hate to give it up, but, I do need to do what I have to.

Any advice?

For the board owners, just a note to say - Posted By: Love the new home page. thanks! nm

nm

Need some answers on what to charge. sm - Posted By: AMC

I live in Virginia Beach, and so I'm looking for some help with what to charge for word processing. My client has work outside of the MT realm.

Do I charge by the page or hour? Also, this will require editing once it is completed. That's why I'm not sure. What would be a fair price for this area, if anyone knows? Thanks so much!

Directway satellite & Meditech - Posted By: MTinUpStateNY

Anyone out there use Directway satellite high-speed internet to type into a Meditech system? How well does it work and how much of a problem was it to set it all up? Thanks for looking.

No response on word board... - Posted By: need help with cardio ?

Can someone help with correct way to type A fib? I've seen so many ways...AFib, A fib, A-fib. Thanks.

This doc takes 22 minutes to dictate... - Posted By: what would take any other doc 10!

um..she is presenting...uh..I mean....strike that..she presents..ur no, wait, yeah presents with.. or here, or I mean WITH symptoms of.........anxiety...................................................................................................................and depression. Period. Make that major depression....no, just depression.

I want to jab my temple with my pen...

How do you do a search on this board - my topic will never come up and I know I have read about it - Posted By: previously on the board nm

nm

Advice Please - Posted By: In a Crunch

I will try to make a long story short(er)... I'm an IC. I have been doing transcription for Dr. X over five years. His wife is the OM. His former Transcriptionist worked in his office until she and her sister (who also worked there as an insurance clerk) got mad one day and walked out. Last year, the sister that did insurance returned to his staff. At that time, I wondered since they had "kissed and made up" if my job might be in jeopardy, but I said nothing and kept up my usual routine. A couple of months ago, the sister who did transcription had a baby and decided to quit her job to be a stay at home mom. Shortly thereafter, the OM (wife) became rather unfriendly to me, but I carried on with the attitude that the money was good as long as it lasted. Now, to try to make this shorter -- I took vacation time last week (which my contract allows me to do) and I returned to their office promptly on Monday morning to pick up tapes to start catching up on work. (This OM has always been antsy about getting work back and filed in a timely manner.) On Tuesday morning, I received a phone call asking how many tapes I had done, to which I replied that I had completed all of them and would be returning them shortly. I was told by a staff employee that the OM said to "break them up" and only bring two days back since it would "bog them down." Since this office is 56 miles away roundtrip, I wasn't pleased with the request but did honor it without saying anything. This morning I received another phone call from the staff and the girl asked if the OM had called me. I replied, "No, I've been right here at the computer by my phone and you win for the first call of the day." She responded, "I kind of felt like she was lying to me when she said she had called and you wouldn't answer." She then said she had been instructed to tell me not to bring any more dictation back this week. I asked why and she said she didn't know. She then asked if I knew the doc and his wife were going on vacation next week, which I didn't. I thought about it a few minutes and realized that payday is the 1st and 15th, so I wondered about bringing my bill over. I called back and asked the staff girl if the doc was in. I spoke to him and he knew nothing about any of this. He called his wife, then called me back and said his wife said they didn't have the money to pay me, so they didn't want me bringing back work.

Now I'm wondering if this is a farce to try to get me to quit so the former transcriptionist can resume doing their work. Never before in five years have they not had the money to pay me. I've never gone up on my rates to them in five years, so they're really getting a bargain for our area. If the thought of that doesn't bother me enough, I'm now thinking about how my budget is blown for the rest of this month. This doc and his wife have no children living at home -- I have three with two of them in college and one in tutoring for severe dyslexia (which they are aware of). When I took last week off, we stayed at home because we couldn't afford to go anywhere this year after paying bills. Now I'm irate that I've still got bills to pay and I'm not getting paid while they're going on a vacation. If they truly cannot afford to pay me, the wife knew that on Monday when I came over. Why did she let me burn my gas (a luxury these days) on Tuesday driving over there? By the way, I asked the doc today if everything is okay on my end and he reassured me that he is still very pleased with my work and even asked why I was asking. I didn't say anything further because I didn't want to sound paranoid; however, his wife "owns" the practice with everything in her name, not to mention the fact that she is a very controlling person. Therefore, he would be "out of the loop" if she wants her old transcriptionist back. Something smells fishy. Am I right in feeling she is trying to get me to quit? Do I quit or do I make her get some gumption and discharge me? Thanks for your time.

Average cpl? - Posted By: TNMT

What is the average cpl that you charge? A doc has contacted me wanting me to do some work but I have never had my own accounts and do not know how much is fair to charge. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving Holiday to all...sm - Posted By: Pocahontas

and I am sure gonna try to not overeat!!

ENJOY Y'ALL!!

Any suggestions.... - Posted By: NYMT

I have a friend, who would like to start doing some data entry from home. She is looking for a part-time job. Does anyone know of any reputable companies where she can apply. I am at a loss. Thanks so much!

clinic to acute care? - Posted By: hcmt

How do you transition from clinic work to acute care work?

I have done about a year of radiology work, which is what I started out doing. I went to in-house family practice for 3 years. Now I do GI and clinic notes. I have also done a pain management clinic. I have been doing transcription for about 6 years now. I can't test for acute care because I do not have the 2 years required. I tried working at a hospital part-time or PRN actually. The drive and gas plus it was a second job for me, killed me and my budget. It was an hour drive one way.

Well I have a chronically stuffed up head, irritated throat and headache and I am getting sick of - Posted By: MT

it. Dont know if it is allergies or sinuses. I dont want to be taking antibiotics because mostly they dont help but I wish I knew what to use to help this. It gets old and tiresome. My throat feels sore and hurts. I always sound like I have a cold and I dont.

It is funny how... - Posted By: anon

It is funny how thankful you can become for a job that you really do not enjoy sometimes when you find out your spouse might be losing his job. It is a nice reminder of how we all need to be thankful of our many blessings we have and be thankful God chose us to live in American and can come blow off some steam on this board. Just a thought. God bless all the MTs out there!

Question about headphones - Posted By: Tessa

I am wondering how one knows if different headphones would make a difference (shy of buying and trying them). I have Sony set which sound really good when listening to professional videos (music and otherwise). That seems like it would mean all the lousy sounding dictation is beyond the headset's control, but are some headsets so great they can still help? Thanks.

Boredom + distraction = Poor production. - Posted By: Discouraged

I'm hoping some of you guys will have some ideas for me to try. I've been an MT for about 3 years now, mainly clinic work for nationals. On a good day, I can average about 250 lines an hour, when I'm focusing and motivated, but it seems like I go through a ton of long periods where it is just nearly impossible for me to keep my attention on my work.

I have 2 kids at home (5 and 2), which is rough enough, but I found that when I hired a nanny to come in and help for a few hours a day, my production didn't even go up at all. If anything, I was lazier then. I'm bored to tears with what I am doing, and therefore, am really, really easily distracted, especially with the internet so close at my fingertips. I really want to be successful and I know I have the capability, as I've done it before, where I've had whole pay periods where I've averaged 1700 or more lines a day, but right now, I have days where I'm below 600, and it's because I just can't keep focused.

Do I need to get on Ritalin or is it just that I don't have challenging enough accounts? I work Urgent Care, which is second nature to me by now, and I did a multispecialty clinic awhile back, and had just the same problem. I tend to work best under pressure, but I found that even the threat of corrective action doesn't seem to snap me out of it. Help. I love my job and I don't want to go back to working outside the home, but I just can't seem to get interested or pay attention. My QA scores are fabulous - I haven't gotten less than 100% in 6 months, and even then, it was rare, but my productivity is really awful right now, and it's like I just don't have the motivation to even care anymore. Sorry if that sounds terrible, but I really need to figure out how to change that...

Any ideas? Anyone been in that situation? How do I make a 1500 line day as much of a priority and motivation as some of my coworkers? I'm not a bad person, and I'm not lazy, but I am so overwhelmed with everything, that I tend to just slack when I sit down to work. All help and thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

I just was hired with the new SE pay/incentive!!!!! - Posted By: New MQMT

I must say I am very happy and I think other SE's will be, as well!!

I hired in at 9 cpl and can earn up to 2 cpl in incentive on every line I type! I'm excited! I can hardly wait to get started!! Though I am only obligated to do 6000 lines in a payperiod, if I type 16,000 lines in the payperiod I get my extra 2 cpl and that makes for $1760 just for that! I think that is pretty good.

My training is next week and I hope to be able to reach that with my first check!!

If all would please be calm, I'm sure that the new SE pay/incentive plan will soon get out there!!! You'll be very pleased!

Venting-why do people keep putting nm and THEN writing a message?? nm means no message - sm - Posted By: Cathy

Please put sm if you have a message and NM if there is no message other than your subject line. It makes it easier when reading these messages. thanks so much and have a nice day everyone.