but how to organize a lobby
Posted By: lac on 2008-05-28
In Reply to: Spheris - Colleen Childers, MS
how do we organize a lobby? No Transcriptionist is willing to stand up because they can hire Indians or students who will work for 4 cpl. Also the doctors do not care about quality they just want it done cheaply.
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We need a representative to lobby for us
I don't see why we can't somehow form a cohesive coalition to speak for us. Nobody does at this point. Just b*tchfests like this forum. Other interests groups do it and make a difference. Any suggestions anyone?
Let's organize
Please, anyone and everyone from MDI who is interested in discussing our situation and trying to bring some resolve, please help me organize a forum, private emails, or whatever we can come up with. We can help each other, not by whining and complaining, but by putting on our thinking caps and working together. I have email set up for this sole purpose. Everything is confidential! AmericanMT@yahoo.com
Companies organize, not professions
Unions are formed at the company level. A union can be formed to represent a particular group of workers, but only individual companies can be organized by the union. Unions generally focus on larger companies, as that's where the union dues are going to be significant. If you work for a small company, your company will almost certainly never be unionized. It's just not worth it for the union leaders (no money in it for them). And ICs cannot be part of a union, only employees of companies. The MT profession itself cannot be organized, only at the company level, and only if the majority at the company vote for the union.
there have been regular attempts to organize MTs over the years ...
generally, we sell out each other -- for many very good and practical reasons -- but also because, as far as I can tell, many in the MT population are fundamentally extremely conservative, don't tread on me, anti-union people ... though most(like most Americans living today) have only (bad) anecdotal experience with unions.
The best thing that can happen for us in the short run is national health -- perhaps eventually some sort of prohibition on off-shoring certain facets of medical records management and billing (though I'm doubtful Obama would push for such a thing) ...
Electronic medical records have been the next big thing for a long time ... but they have a lot of real problems and have failed to catch on or even be adopted in many niches where they should be perfectly suited.
I can't tell how much money would be saved by voice recognition if the files were not off-shored ... the administration of the accounts and individual records, the fixing and various stages to a complete report suggest that this MAY (again) be a case of companies investing heavily now in a FUTURE technology which may or may not come to fruition (the EMR may make voice recognition largely too much trouble for the gains)
We'll see -- I believe the Service Worker's Union has been approached -- their web site might be a starting place for anyone interested in past efforts to create an advocacy organization or union (since the AAMT is HARDLY that) ...
There will always be someone desperate enough to be willing to accept absurb line rates ... Bashing those desperate people is energy misdirected, imho.
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