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Survey Notebook Vs Desktop (sm) - Posted By: Notebook Versus Desktop

Which is preferred, Notebook or Desktop for working 8+ hours per day doing MT? Any specifics you'd like to share about processor/memory would be helpful. Upgrading my computer and deciding which would work best for me.

I challenge you all to host a Halloween/Fall party at your house this year! sm - Posted By: The Witch

You will have an eyeball! I mean, ball.

This will be my 1st, usually my sister-in-law does it. I picked up A Taste of Home's Halloween issue and if that doesn't inspire you to do something this fall, then you might be dead...pun intended.

For dessert I am going to make little witches that will make a neat centerpiece. Here's how you do it: Take 16 large marshmallows, oreo cookies, coconut slivers (for the hair that you dye green with food coloring), Hershey kisses and peanut butter cups (miniature) that will be the top of her hat (place candies on top of oreo chocolate cookie (minus one side of cookie and the frosting). Use pretzels for her broomstick. These things are so cute I can hardly stand it.

2. Spider cupcakes. Use chocolate EVERYTHING and for the legs use 8 small pieces of licorice dangling from the cupcake and anything small and red for the eys (M&M minis) or red icing.

There are tons of ideas and recipes. The main dish will be Witch's Brew Stew and it looks awesome! If you want the recipe, email me. If not, then drop dead.

Oh, and for the kiddies, I will be playing games like pin the stem on the pumpkin and bobbing for body parts (will probably call this game something else), but you fill up a large tin bucket, stain the water black and put things in inside. Each kid takes turns using their hands to try to find 3 things you tell them to find in this nasty mixture of stuff using their HANDS, not mouth.....

So, get your invitations out, dust off your printers and have fun! I'm doing this mid-month, not on Halloween since I am a Christian and we don't celebrate Halloween.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Idiotic ASR - Posted By: Dubious MT

Anal liver.

Durbur. That equals dental pain (I know, I know. Hard to believe. More the dictator than anything, as far as that one goes...)

Every time the word skin is spoken, it appears as SKIN: throughout the entire report. Every time any word that appears in a review of systems or a physical exam is spoken, it appears that way, such as cardiovascular (i.e., CARDIOVASCULAR:). If a CABG was performed, it now appears in ASR as cabbage. If a chest x-ray was performed, it appears throughout the reports as CHEST X-RAY, even in the middle of a report. IV is never expanded to intravenous. Someone has even come up with new spellings for words. How do you people spell discogenic? How do you spell distention? How do you spell disc, as in lumbar disc?

ASR is now typing as has, was, his - everything but is. It is frequently leaving out 3 to 7 words at a time, occasionally entire short sentences, even with dictators who speak as clear as a bell. I had one today who clear as heck stated glucose of 201, and ASR typed is as 102. The labs are a nightmare!! I now get them as something like this:

Sodium 137, potassium 3. to, chloride 01/05, bicarb XX.3, CO2 2 seven, etc.

The audio is also getting worse. It is either so low one cannot adjust it any louder, or it has crackles and noise interference that makes it very difficult to understand the dictator.

Is anyone else having these problems? This was not nearly as bad before. I'd love to know who changed everything on my accounts.

Totally not MT-related, but need advice - Posted By: on Crockpot replacement...see msg

My old crockpot (have had it for 20+ years) needs to be replaced. It seems to work fine but the plastic lid is totally cracked. It's probably losing heat because of this, so I would like to get a new one. I know there are some folks on here who use their crockpots a lot and was hoping for a little advice. I was thinking about getting a programmable one. I don't really NEED it, since I'm at home working anyway, but wonder if it offers any advantages over the regular kind. I would probably get the 5-quart model. Any feedback would be appreciated. TIA.

crockpot turkey breast question - Posted By: sandy54

I just got a crockpot, have not really used one much. I want to cook a boneless turkey breast. Have looked at recipes online, most have no liquid added. The idea of leaving it on low at home, while I'm a work, (with no liquid) makes me a little nervous. Comments? TIA

Problems posting - Posted By: Curious

Is anyone out there having problems posting a reply? It seems as though on some of the posts it indicates an area to "post a quick reply" and on the others those words do not appear!

Anyone else experiencing these problems?

EMR/EHR - A law? - Posted By: Anna

I was on another board where someone said that their dictating physician stated the EHR/EMR will be enforced by law by 2009. Does anyone know anything about this issue? If it's true, how drastically will this affect us?

TIA!

Mentorship Opportunities - Posted By: Danielle

Hi there everyone! I am starting my 3rd semester of an MT program at a community college in September. I am really hoping I can find a mentorship, either now, or at the completion of my program in December. I really wouldn't mind if it was unpaid since I mainly would like to get some "real world" experience. Can anyone here point me in the right direction of a mentor/intern opportunity??

Thinking of starting MT - Posted By: ra11en

I'm contemplating becoming a MT. My computer skills, not just typing, are top notch. I already work full time as an engineer for one of the #1 computer corporations, and a friend suggested I look into MT when he noticed my typing speed. I've started to look into it but there is soooo much information that I'm not sure where to start, and even if I should start.

Anyone else's experience / suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've seen countless ads for online training, train at home, college courses, etc. and I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm looking to do this part time just to make some extra cash. I am in no way looking for a new career - I already have a very fulfilling one. Any suggestions on how to start?? Is it steady work??

QTers - did y'all get anything for MT Week? nm - Posted By: Ex-QT -missing it!

d

Can I use my C-Phone with Vonage? SM - Posted By: MissouriMT

I live in small town America. We have one telephone company that serves our rural county which is CenturyTel and it sucks. If we moved 7 miles up the road, we would be able to get SBC or AT&T. I have my phone line and DSL internet through CenturyTel and have nothing but trouble. I am supposed to have unlimited long distance which I have had since May of last year. Last month I received a $3000 phone bill because for whatever reason, they disconnected my unlimited long distance. When I called them to pitch a fit, they apologized, said they were rectifying the matter, and told me I only owed the usual $100 which I promptly paid. I got a disconnect notice today saying they are going to disconnect me if the $3000 I owe isn't paid by March 1st. I am now on hold with the 5th person I have had to talk to at this incompetent, rinky dink phone company and I am pulling my hair out. This isn't the first time I've had problems with them. They've switched my service packages before for no apparent reason and the only explanation I get is "Hmmmm, I apologize for that, I'm not sure why somebody would do that." Or my personal favorite, blame the phantom employee "she just didn't put in the computer right, but I'm fixing it for you now."

Anyway, sorry about the rant, but I'm truly losing it! I have decided to call the cable company and get internet through them and try to work with Vonage, but I need to actually plug my C-phone into a jack and I understand that Vonage is all wireless through a router. I need to know is there a way to plug a phone cord into a Vonage modem?

I am just so frustrated!

time for a raise? - Posted By: suzanne

I'm working at $5.75 per 1000 words, and I have 5 years experience with the same company. Is this average?

Lanier & digital phone line - Posted By: deenibeeni

Does anyone use a Lanier with a digital phone line (not VOIP)? Anything else required to make this work?

thx.

MEDGARDE??? - Posted By: HS

I recently tested with this company and passed the short testing process. I then got an email with a link to some situational questions that I needed to do that had nothing to do with MT work, just ethical questions.

The email said that I would be contacted after the questions were complete. That's been a week ago and I still haven't heard from them.

Can anyone tell me if they are slow responding to these type of things or if I should just write them off? They responded to me very quickly after my test was submitted, but now there's just nothing.

Any advice?

Coxy tighters ???? anyone - Posted By: looking for a lab

editor questions - Posted By: olddognotricks

I started in Feb part time as an editor, paid by the hour, $14. I have 30 years' experience as an MT, but only a few months as an editor. Now I'm being told I'm not producing enough. I'm doing about 200 lph. They want 225-325 lph. I listen to each report and correct. I'm using Word and the track changes. There are some difficult dictators and some inexperienced MTs. My questions: What should an Editor average as to lph? Should I listen through each report or not? What if I don't listen and there is a crucial word that is not typed and I miss it. Who is responsible? I'm trying to provide good feedback for these new MTs and put out a good quality product. I really need the money this job generates. I work for a national as an MT too and that's another story. Anyway, any feedback from experienced editors welcomed. Thanks!

P.S. Are there any companies that want quality work from MTs/editors or is just now all about production and to heck with quality? Sure seems that way. I'm going to end up working up Wal-Mart and my 30 years' experience will be wasted.

Poll regarding listening ahead.......sm - Posted By: LMT

I am just curious how many of you listen ahead and listen word for word or character by character? I learned word for word in my training and I do think that helps my speed but was just wondering how everyone else does it. I still do word for word but I have one dictator whom no matter how far ahead I listen, they still will change an entire sentence!

SoftScript's Software versus Meditech - Posted By: Kelly

I have heard of possibly using SoftScript's platform/software/interface for Meditech. What can anyone tell me about this interface?

Right now we type in Meditech for each individual report before we type it. It takes FOREVER! Then we have to file the report electronically when we finish typing it. It is a very slow process.

I wanted to know if this interface I am hearing about for Meditech from SoftScript is anything like straight typing or is it a lot of inputting information?

Has anyone typed in Meditech before and now works for SoftScript or used to work for them who can give me an opinion as to how much quicker it might be?

Any relative information would be helpful!

Question about selling used Stedman's - Posted By: electronic word books

I was hoping someone here could help me out. I was thinking about selling 2 of my electronic word books since I don't use them any more and was wondering if I have to call them about the whole licensing thing and get that taken care of...or can I just sell them right out?

Thanks!

Express Scribe - Posted By: ng

When using Express Scribe with Infinity USB foot pedal, I can not get the left or right pedal to work. The middle play pedal works fine but I can't bo backwards or forwards.

Any help would be appreciated.

holiday schedule? - Posted By: working hard

Just wondering how other companies/hospitals handle the holiday schedule so as to where you will not be working the same holidays two years in a row. I am working at a hospital and this is my second year in a row working Christmas. I have worked two July 4ths in a row, too. When I asked about it, was told it is just how it falls, but if i could come up with an easier solution, to let her know. There are some companies that ask you to choose 1 winter holiday and 1 summer holiday to work, and the next year you do another. Any other suggestions on how this can be handled fairly? TIA

Who was the US president when U first became an MT? - Posted By: HoosierBoy

President Clinton for me.

We might as well face it, we are being taken over by other countries, thanks to our - Posted By: MQMT

government. You have got to read this article at

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080604/ap_on_re_us/domestic_workers_rights;_ylt=AuYJ4gKnmseAW_rqGopWh.FH2ocA

Domestic workers sue, lobby, organize for workplace rights -THESE ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS PEOPLE!

I just want to crawl in a hole and DIE! I am so worried for my children. Soon, the US of A will be owned, run and operated by other countries totally!

UNBELIEVABLE!

Life just isn't fair sm - Posted By: mlstoo

Hubby and I went out for breakfast this morning and came back to a voicemail that his best friend's 5-year-old boy died overnight from the flu/aspiration pneumonia/ complications. Life just isn't fair. This family has had a ton of tragedies over the last year and now this right on New Year's Day. The mother and I were just talking at the Christmas party about decent schools in their locale. They need some prayers, please.

Y-CITY STAR video is up - Posted By: Theresa Asire-MT

www.whiznews.com/ycitystar.php Here's the link. Look for my name and then video. PLEASE VOTE. I AM STILL BEHIND. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!

CoWorkers - Posted By: Tracey

Have you ever had a coworker that just never took responsibility for anything they did? Well I'm glad that I just got rid of my coworker. She blamed the world and everyone else for all that was going on with her. She turned in her notice, didn't work all of the days, left a mess and constantly tries to look at other people's situations and wants hers to be the same way. Anyone had a coworker like that? What's your coworker horror story? I'm glad I do MT part-time so I can get away from people sometimes.

Sound files wanted - Posted By: jm

Does anyone have any sound files they could share, good and bad quality, that I could let someone listen to so they can see what they're getting into if they decide to do MT? I'd let her listen to mine, but we save nothing; as soon as the job is typed, the sound file is gone. Any websites that have practice type files? Thanks for any suggestions.

I love my doctor, really I do. - Posted By: jus me

"Trichotillomania, gosh that's a long word to spell."

He's the guy who spells out lots of words, even though I've done him for years and always have spelled them the way he does. Thank goodness he didn't spell trichotilomania for me today.

Way off subject, but I need opinions... - Posted By: hope this doesn't get deleted...sm

What, in your opinion of course, do you consider being unfaithful to your spouse? I know this is a LOADED question, with many different opinions.

Is it having a full-blown affair (you know what I mean...we are adults here)?

Is it simply talking to/seeing someone without your spouse knowing, but not being intimate? Kissing, talking, becoming emotionally involved?

Do you think one must *go all the way*, to us a teenager's term, before it would be considered an affair?

I really need some help here...I'm going through a very hard time right now and need some support. I don't want to go into my personal details here, but just need opinions...thanks everyone!

Flashtype vs shorthand - Posted By: Hopie

I downloaded the trial of ShortHand and have looked at flashtype and saw that it was cheaper, but wondered how they compared to each other. Anybody use Shorthand and Flashtype and like one over the other.

MTs are not the only ones losing jobs to over seas - Posted By: This is ridiculous!

Businesses May Move Health Care Overseas

Published: 11/2/06, 7:47 AM EDT
By MALCOLM FOSTER and MARGIE MASON

NEW DELHI, India (AP) - Businesses and insurance companies are starting to eye the potential savings of outsourcing health care from the world's richest country to the developing world.

"It's just one of the many ways in which our world is flattening," said Arnold Milstein, chief physician at New York-based Mercer Health & Benefits, who's researching the feasibility of outsourcing medical care for three Fortune 500 corporations. "Many companies see it as a natural extension of the competition they've faced in other aspects of their business."

With an estimated 45 million uninsured Americans, some 500,000 trekked overseas last year for medical treatment, according to the National Coalition on Health Care. Asian hospitals in Thailand, India and Singapore have long been swarmed by medical tourists looking for tummy tucks and face lifts, but many glitzy, marble-floored facilities are now gaining reputations for big-ticket procedures including heart surgery, knee and back operations.

Some American hospitals already rely on places like India for X-ray readings and other diagnostics, while also importing foreign doctors and nurses. But the U.S. health care industry has been largely immune to overseas competition - just one reason behind soaring costs.

Premiums for employer-sponsored health coverage have surged 87 percent over the past six years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, putting a huge burden on both companies and employees. Family health coverage now runs about $11,500 annually, with workers themselves forking out nearly $3,000.

But just as shipping U.S. manufacturing to China and call centers

Dictators who change their mind - Posted By: Anna

About 4 months ago I switched to a new account. The account is great in the fact that there are almost no ESL doctors. However, there are about 4-5 female dictators who have great difficulty in transcribing a report. They sit and think about what they are going to say for time periods of 30 seconds and above. They either speak incredibly slow or very fast. They also change their mind A LOT. They can change their mind multiple times in one sentence or change their mind and make me go back several paragraphs to fix something. One dictator says "okay, okay, okay" after each sentence as she searchs her files for the next thing she wants to say.

These dictators hurt my line count so much that I am putting in extra time to meet my line count. They can drag my usual hourly average of 180-200 down to 140-160 lines an hour. I have complained about them multiple times and my supervisor says that the company does pass on the complaints. The dictators do not change. I have tried speeding up the dictation on the slow dictators but this usually ends up distorting the sound or rewinding too much or too little and then I spend more time trying to get back to where I was!

I was wondering what others do in situations like this. I sure could use some help trying to make them go by faster so I don't spent my personal hours working on their dictations.

Express Scribe help - Posted By: Jen1

I am wanting to play a Real Media file in ExpressScribe and I can get it to show up in the dictation list but the duration is 0:00. Does anyone know why or how to get it to play?

When a company advertises for multispecialty work . . . sm - Posted By: shipaddict

Is that just a euphemism for the successful candidate will be placed on MULTIPLE accounts?

That's like saying a tiny little house is a cozy cottage . . .

Outsourcing..Check this out hope it works - Posted By: xcopper

http://www.numbersusa.com/content/resources/video/commercials/elevator-commercial.html

OT: for animal lovers - Posted By: Snow Bunny

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/finnegan.asp

Help - Posted By: Tam

Inernal med - 30 H&P at 1.5-2.0 pages per week and 40 progress notes per day at .5-1.0 page each (two doc dictatin) and this is total for both docs.

If they want to pay me salary what would be a reasonable rate?

My left elbow is killing me! SM - Posted By: Chickadee

Stretching out my arm and picking up a reference book is agony. An easy solution is to move all my books to my right side, but is this caused by MTing or sleeping on it (I almost always sleep on my left side with that arm folded under my pillow) or combo of the two? I've typed about "elbow cradles"...do they help? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Chickadee

What difference does it make? - Posted By: Getting on my last

I have seen several on this board talking about this endlessly and I wonder why anyone else really cares about what others do in their work. There is always back and forth about what independents should work. Others here say they should not have certain hours to work, that makes them an employee, not an independent. Pray tell, what differences does it make to anyone except to the person working? If you are independent and you work whichever hours you work and another independent and they work certain hours only, why the big fuss? By an independent having their own set hours, does that somehow play into your normal everyday routine? I do not think so. Does your employer now tell you because others have set hours, you will have to do that also- I do not think so. If people are happy with their own job situation, why do others think they have to come here and bash them for their job ethics. I for one am tired of all the nonsense going back and forth. Leave it be. Give it a rest. Do your job and don�t worry about the next person.

Is rad a whole different animal (sm) - Posted By: wannaknow

when it comes to transcribing it? I would like to expand my specialties, but have never done rad before. Any info would be appreciated! Also, can it be learned just by doing, or would I need more thorough training, i.e.; more schoolin'?

Wal-Mart doesn't offer health insurance to millions of workers but now they are selling it to - Posted By: the public thru Sam's Stores. What is that??

:+

I'm so not a good cook and read the recipe below regarding briskets. May I ask what exactly is - Posted By: a brisket? (nm)

x

Can someone recommend a good company? - Posted By: protyper

You can only find out so much from a company's website......of course they are not going to include "not enough work to keep you busy" or "so much work you will never leave your desk again" or even better yet "we really never send you a paycheck." I am looking for a full-time home-based position, preferably clinic, and I do have experience. Can someone recommend a company?!?!?!?!

Web site - Posted By: jenny

Can somebody point me in the direction of a good web site for cardiology - I have recently started doing PTCA and cardiac caths and have no clue as to the majority of the catheters, guides, etc. Any help will be truly appreciated.

Satellite users for MTing - it your connection fairly reliable- I cannot get DSL and about to give u - Posted By: dialupper

nm

Does anybody use WAVpedal? - Posted By: Gina

This has been the a pure week of heck .. I am so stinking stressed out... Last monday my pc puked on me.. so, I went & bought me a new pc.. got home my work programs are NOT compatible with Vista.. uggh.. of course all the stinking pcs in the stores had vista on them.. so called a computer store here locally, they told me they could put XP on a computer for me.. so, we bought computer #2.. Friday.. needless to say, I loaded everything up couldn't wait to be back to work & I cannot find my files.. I used to hit Open File or whatever it says & I would click on my job title, there they were.. I have searched & searched & cannot find anything.. I am so stinking aggravated & stressed over this.. as it will be a week I've missed from work, which my boss knows what is going on, but geez.. I just wanna get back to work.. TIA .. if anyone is using the same & has any suggestions.. gina

Two years without a raise - Posted By: MTTX

I have worked for this doctor for five years and have not received a pay increase for the past two years. His patient load has increased very much in the past few months. Is it OK to to type a letter requesting a pay increase? It is very difficult to get a hold of this doctor???

tHANKS

Does anyone know the exact ruling on...Please help - Posted By: tibapa

What is the exact HIPPA ruling on turn around for H&P? Over the years I have heard different rules. The report has to be on the chart within 24 hours of admission. What is the Transcriptionist to do if the doctor dictates it the 24th hour? Is there any leeway here?

NOTE: The above sticky post prize changes as someone wins. Inside that post is - Posted By: a pic of the spa basket. Cool. Administrator nm

/

Why would my control function keys suddenly change? - Posted By: Misha

Suddenly I can't use CTRL X to cut. Instead my work program suddenly thinks I want to exit the program (ExText). It somehow changed so that I'd have to use Control S, I believe. I don't want to change my function keys depending on the whim of my program. What happened?