2005 MINI Cooper S - two of 'em.
Posted By: vrooom! on 2006-07-19
In Reply to: POLL: What kind of car do U have and year? - Nielson Family
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Gary Cooper. nm
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LOL! You calls 'em as you sees 'em, girl!
.
Love 'em or leave 'em
I don't have a real solution, but I have been known to log off of that account whenever I see this happen. I then try to find work on one of the other accounts to which I am assigned, but there is often no other work available. I conclude that the only choice is love 'em or leave 'em. A private client might be nice, but that brings other headaches.
If U can't beat 'em join 'em
This is NOT the only industry that outsources and you are fooling yourselves if you think that it will stop.
Mini
There are micro, mini and standard transcribers. Mini are not used very much and sometimes used ones can be a little hard to find but try E-Bay or Craigs list in your area. We used to have a business that worked on our machines and would rent out machines but since digital came on -- they are out of business. But on E-Bay you could find one used for under $50 probably. She should pay for that. As what to charge, it is not going to be as easy as you think and depending on the minutes on the tape, but if they are 30 minutes each side, expect 10 - 12 pages per tape side if you use Courier 12 and this could run anywhere from $50 to $70 if you charge standard rates. (10 to 13 cpl). Now if he is elderly, or if he stutters or pauses a lot it would be less lines but more frustration. Again, I would at least listen to a few minutes on the recorder and see what it sounds like before taking on the job and don't be surprised if they expect you to do the entire job for about $50 instead of the $200 to $400 it would cost them from anyone else. I have done seminars, books, statements, etc. and they are always shocked at how much it costs to get them transcribed and the amount of pages it turns out to be.
That is my two cents for the day. Patti
I also have mini dachsies .....
I have 2 miniature dachsies, a male and a female. They're pad trained also. My male has recently (he's 3, was neutered at 6 mo) started hiking his little short leg occasionally. I think he does that now because my roommates Min-Pin does (who is also neutered, and is horrible about hiking his darn leg). I'm fixing to start putting mine back in a crate. I don't use a crate that's dachsie sized, I use a huge one (the next to largest size).
He has bad separation anxiety, etc, but, it's necessary. I will just let him (& her) outside when I get home, and we'll stay outside until business is taken care of. If you want to email me, I have a site that has good tips on training dachsies. They're stubborn little tykes, but just so gosh darned lovable 
Mini cassettes
I have a friend who has mini cassettes that need to be transcribed from father on WWII stories. What would be the easiest/fastest way to transcribe these? Do I need a special machine, of course I want the foot pedal/headphones, but I do not know if possible as I do not have a mini cassette machine with those capabilities and I surely do not want to manually rewind, FF, etc. Any suggestions to help her out? She wants me to transcribe them and will pay me and I do not know what to charge either if I can even do it. 
mini cassettes
I'm pretty sure Lanier makes (or made) a machine with headphones and speakers that would fit those sized tapes. Maybe you could contact their website and see if you can get your hands on a used one. As far as what to charge, well if she's your friend, that's up to you. 
have you tried a rebounder? (mini-trampoline)...
Depending on your ceilings, you can bounce right in front of the TV! My boyfriend bought me one at my request.
Just research on the net...lots of benefits...even with bad knees, etc. you can bounce. Almost effortless, and very affordable as well. No other equipment to buy, no shoes even needed...
Like anything, though, you have to do it and stick with it. Yoga is awesome, too, when I have time...
Above all else, I still find walking the best...just 1-3 miles whenever I can do it--about 3/week...
verbal mini-test
what is the "verbal" test entail for transcription radiology?
If you mean one side of a mini tape
For my private mds, each side of a tape yields approximately 500 lines, takes me no more than 2 hours to do a side, sometimes 1-1/2 hours if I'm a speed demon and take no breaks!! 
I luv my mini doxie too. She sits with me while I work.
My family teases me that she is the one really doing all the transcribing because she in my office everyday with me.
Hey! I just got my second dach (mini). Henry is in my lap at this moment.
dd
Geez, and I also remember Mini-Poo, which was the same thing. nm
nm
R those Bose mini-stereos worth it?
I'm thinking of getting a Bose bookshelf CD players but they are soooo expensive ($800) I'm wondering if they are as great as I've heard (at least in their own literature). Anyone have one?
mangled mini cassette tape
I have a sony mini-cassette tape that is bunched up on the inside to the point where I can no longer pull it to straighten it out. It is just stuck. This has a full day of dictation on it. Anyone know a gentle way of trying to pry this cassette apart? It's the only way I can straighten up the tape. I did it once before over a year ago and it took 4 hours, but it worked, but I don't remember what I used. I don't know how it happened. I just want to fix it because I'll have to be the one to tell this doctor he has to do his dictation all over and it won't be pretty. Thanks.
roast in mini bites (finger food)
going to cut up one of the bison roasts into bite sized pieces, shake in a bit of flour, and pan-fry nice and slow. It makes such yummy bites! probably have a home-grown salad too...i made some tater soup with left-over brocolli and gr beans for lunch -- we are blessed with too much good food. i need to use some squash too :)
I agree; it was a decent mini-course. Maybe they're trying to right some old wrongs.
nm
Brings back memories! I had a computer fan that sounded like a mini helicopter! Kept
calling my company and having them "listen". They weren't concerned. It did actually blow up one day - a little mini "poof" of fire, 2 seconds of light smelly smoke, and she was dead!! A goner! Never heard it before, never heard it after, but one did make noise and it died a month later!
Question for mini-laptop users. Are you able to use Dictaphone Extext program
on one of these. I noticed a lot of them do have Windows XP Home Edition but only like Microsoft Works for the word processing. I guess my question is are you able to down Dictaphone or does it have to have a Word processin program in order to download it.
2005.
2005 was a good year for me. While I realize many people suffered through Hurricane Katrina and many families lost loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan, their losses have given me the ability to teach my son about life, its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows. I leave 2005 behind with memories of hugging and laughing with my loved ones and being thankful that we are all still here. I have a job, a son, a wonderful husband-to-be, a dog, and the rest of my family. Yes, I've lost loved ones this year and faced what I consider to be "hard times" though not as hard as what others have faced. But I still see the lesson to be learned; not to take anything, or anyone, for granted. To say what I want to say to my loved ones, and do what I want to do for them. I may not have another chance.
I only have the 2005 BOS and it says:
On page 146 that those are legit but it looks like q.4h is typed out in the book as q.4 h. (with a space in between the 4 and the h).
There is a list of abbreviations that have been since classified as dangerous and q.d. was one of them and is now supposed to be typed as "daily." You can do a search on that thread, I think, and it should come up.
The BOS book says to find dangerous abbreviations in the list from "Institute for Safe Medication Practices." I'll have to check that out...the only list I have access to is from a site I had to join through owning of a piece of software and i tried to post that link once and I couldn't due to password protection :(
Reality and how it is in 2005 and my
being able to "deal" with that is not the problem. What others seem to have a problem with is that they believe they are stuck with that reality for the future. You should only be that lucky. The one thing that is sure for the future for MT is that it is not going to be is static. If you think it can't get worse, think again. It absolutely can. And if you think it can't get better, you are wrong there too.
I didn't say there was a "code of ethics" in any particular company. What I said was that the above-mentioned practice was unethical by higher codes of ethics such as what is right and what is wrong. I don't know of anyone who would argue that the majority of MT services are the epitome of ethical practices or even have ethical codes.
The fight I am referring to? For one, the fight against unethical practices by MT services. The MTs that would unite to fight that? Certainly not all of them, but you would be surprised how few it would take.
I think it is time for MTs to start organizing to form their own destiny, not be pathetic sheep following the heard that AAMT is trying to shepherd us into as they walk us off a cliff, or slaves to the whims of service owners who are used to being able to take advantage of us and get by with it.
The one thing I am sure of is that it isn't a fight I expect to lose.
Closing 09/01/2005
/
MeDiCaLeSe 2005. - nm
Mine is a 2005
so that's only a year newer than yours. Sorry, I don't know what to tell you to try! Maybe try some tech person. Maybe they would have some ideas
I like the 2005 version, old I know, (sm)
but I didn't like the fact that you couldn't get it on the toolbar and it did not seem as user friendly as 2005.
2005 Payroll Schedule
The payroll schedule for MedQuist states PayDate as 07/11/05 (Monday).
td = 10/13/2005. in IT I just keeping adding them as td.
dd
Thanks, it has been a rough 2005 for many reasons - sm
but Jen is doing well now. Her hair grew back quick (3 different colors currently, quite interesting), looks like a little elf now and everyone thinks she is so cute (those that don't think she is a boy, get that a lot now since her hair is so short). Almost 10 months cancer-free so far and things look very good for her. She looks so different and healthy now that she is done chemo. Her 6th birthday present will probably be being told her Port-A-Cath is coming out--Dr. appt. day before her birthday, due to come out a year or so after the initial surgery. But I am so thrilled that she was eligible for a wish. She got exactly what she wanted and it was a trip of a lifetime I don't think any of us will ever forget. I am very grateful to everyone who contributes to Make-A-Wish, it is really amazing what they do for sick kids and their families. I hope everyone here had a good 2006!
some info on spheris...from nov 2005...
If you go to the site, check out the picture of the India facility (how nice it is), and the 1500 employees to be hired there, if not already, as this was from Nov 2005.
What a company, huh? It is like it is there GOAL to take over all transcription, and ship it to India for cheap labor. They are the 'walmart' of MT...
Friday, 11/25/05
Spheris hopes boomers help it become tops in industry
Medical transcription company adding second office in India to help with expected work increase. By TODD PACK
Staff Writer
Taking note of the aging population's need for more health care and a marketplace that is wildly fragmented, Spheris Inc. is taking aim at becoming the country's largest medical transcription company.
With the oldest wave of baby boomers about to turn 60, the number of checkups, outpatient surgeries and hospital stays is going to rise steadily over the next few years, so there's likely to be more doctors' notes to transcribe, said Steve Simpson, president and chief executive of the privately held company.
Doctors often need their recorded notes written out in a matter of hours, even in the middle of the night, so last month the Franklin-based company said it would increase the size of its work force by about a third.
Of the 1,700 people it planned to hire, 700 would be based in a new office in the southern India city of Coimbatore. It already has offices in the larger city of Bangalore.
Simpson said recently that the decision to open a second facility in India was more about making it easier for Spheris to offer its services 24 hours a day and less about saving any money on salaries. When it's midnight in Williamson County, for example, it's 11:30 a.m. in Bangalore.
"The goal, really, is just to lead the market," Simpson said.
Spheris wouldn't disclose earnings, but Inc. magazine this month named Spheris the country's fastest-growing health-care IT company, listing its revenue as $152.7 million. Spheris was 16th on the magazine's overall list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies, with three-year growth of 2,710.8%.
Created two years ago when Total eMed, a Franklin-based provider of electronic medical transcription services, bought the larger EDiX, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., Spheris is the country's second-largest medical transcription company after Medquist Inc., a publicly traded company whose shares are held mostly by the Dutch electronics giant Philips.
MedQuist hasn't reported earnings in more than two years because of a probe into its billing practices. It reported 2002 revenue of $486 million.
"In the medical transcription industry, you could range (in size) from David to Goliath," but there aren't many companies approaching the size of MedQuist and Spheris, said Elaine Olson, executive director of the Medical Transcription Industry Association, based in Chicago.
Last year, Spheris bought one of its closest competitors, Avicis Inc., for an undisclosed sum, but executives said the company doesn't plan to grow by buying smaller rivals.
Rather, it intends to grow one client at a time.
"Clearly, the best opportunity for us to grow is to grow organically," said Jim Panoff, Spheris' executive vice president. "We're telling our story, which is a story of partnership, which is a story of balancing service and technology to create a solution."
Doctors dictate their medical notes by phone or computer. Spheris employees download a recording of the notes from a secure Web site and transcribe the notes, which can then be printed out or added to a patient's electronic medical record.
Simpson said there's no shortage of potential customers. He estimates that companies such as Spheris provide only about 48% of all medical transcriptions, while most are still done in-house by someone on the payroll of a doctors' office, surgery center or hospital.
"I think the decision to outsource is the easiest part, because that's usually being driven by pure economics," Panoff said. "It comes down to (health-care providers asking themselves), 'Do we have the ability internally to continue to provide this service? The dollars we're spending, are they going up or going down?' "
When competing for a big hospital's business, there are usually only a handful of companies large enough to handle the account, but because so many different departments have a say in the final decision, it can take months to win a contract and weeks longer to close the deal, Panoff said.
With sales expected to keep growing, Simpson is considering taking Spheris public in a year or two.
"The focus really isn't going public," he said. "I just see that as a vehicle to really help offset some of the debt the company has incurred in its acquisition and recapitalization — and give it currency for growth if acquisitions were to come up on the technology side or even the work force side."
In November 2004, two private equity investors, Warburg Pincus and Soros Private Equity, acquired ownership of the company from Parthenon Capital. Simpson and other Spheris executives also invested in the recapitalized company.
Simpson said, "There's plenty of opportunity for a company that can meet the customers' expectations and continue to improve service and turn-around time and quality." •
Since you mentioned Ford, I have a 2005
and so far, I love it! I really can't think of too much that I don't like about it, other than wishing I had gotten a few options that I didn't think I would need until after the fact. We actually went to the dealership looking for an Escape, but it was just too small for us. My 12-yo could barely fit in the back seat, so I knew he'd grow out of it too quickly, and we do drive some long distances in our vehicles so comfort is of the utmost importance.
It runs well and seats 5 comfortably and also has another back seat that seats 3 more, though we haven't used that much except for adults, only for kids (one 12-yo) and they are comfy back there -- there are actually wells that go under the front seats to provide additional foot room and never had any complaints so far. It's my first 4x4 and I'm loving that in the snow. I also like that it maneuvers very well in parking lots. It has a real tight steering range and I can get out of just about any parking space even if it's crowded.
I have known a lot of people how had problem with Fords, but we decided to go for it because we got it when they were offering employee pricing plus a $4,000 rebate. Just couldn't beat the price! I think Ford fixed a few of the bugs from the earlier models with the 2005 and up, namely the addition of the stability control, which provides better stability and traction to prevent rollovers.
I've owned a lot of GM vehicles before this and I had trouble with every single one. I had a Dodge Caravan prior to my Explorer and I loved it. Never had a problem with it and had it for 5-1/2 years. If Dodge had been offering the pricing discounts, we probably would've opted for a Durango, but I have to say that I am extremely happy so far with my Explorer, though I have only had it for about 9 months now.
I have a 2005 Dodge Durango...nm
n
2005 Toyota Camry
Love it!
2005 Nissan Altima. NM
:)
I have the 2005 version of QLED (sm)
and can copy and paste from QLED (Quick Look Drug Reference) into Word. Alt tab switches me from that program back to Word. Is this the same program you are speaking of? I don't bother to update my references too often as I find the internet the most useful tool, but sometimes there are programs that do some things I can't get the internet to do for me. In QLED I can search using a wildcard feature. This tool has saved me from leaving a blank a few times. Anyway, I just wanted to say that QLED does have the copy/paste option and I can switch from Word to QLED by using the alt tab. If this is the same program you are referring to, maybe something is wrong with your program? Ingore me if you're referring to another program! lol
I have Microsoft Windows XP 2005
:)
P.S. Those dates should be 2006, not 2005 nm
.
Several posts back in 2005....
There are posts back in 2005 saying the same thing, no pay, unorganized,etc., even that they were taken to court and won but IC still didn't get paid. How do they stay in business if this is an ongoing thing??!!
I am making in 2005 what I earned in 1995
Like you and so many others, I have watched my wages as both an IC and an employee go down, down, down. I worked for a company owned by an MT. She paid very good wages but sold the company to an Indian company, who got rid of all the Americans except for a few who would accept very low pay. It's funny...clients want 100% accuracy but they don't want to pay for it. They agree that they can't just randomly pluck people off the street to do MT, that they have to hire experienced or trained people. But they don't want to pay us for our experience or our training. I am doing my last MT job. I have my bachelor degree almost completed and I'm outta here. The lack of respect for MTs, from employers, other MTs, from offshore companies, from clients, from AAMT, is so disheartening.
Anybody started their 2005 taxes yet? How many W-2s or 1099s
will you be getting? Seven for me. I hope they're all here within a reasonable amount of time. My taxes are going to be difficult to do this year as we have a lot of itemized deductions we can take.
Me, too. I quit smoking in October 2005.
Time to lose weight, although we had tons of food out yesterday.
Our murder rate for the 4th quarter of 2005 is up 70%
over the same period in 2004. It had been decreasing all year until the fourth quarter when it skyrocketed. The only thing that's changed is that we now have 150,000 Katrina evacuees living in our city.
Please don't misunderstand. I am quite sure that the majority of the displaced New Orleanians are good people. There are, however, more than 1500 missing sex offenders running around Houston, gangs of thugs trying to take over and out and out warfare in some areas of the city.
Prior to Katina, New Orleans had the highest per capita murder rate in the country and I now see why. I definitely believe in helping those in need; in fact, not only did I donate money but also donated old clothing and furniture and the like. It now really pains me to say it, but I wish they would all just go home. I want my city back the way it used to be before they all came here and tried to make it theirs.
2005-$12K, 2006 expect to make about $21K - sm
2005 --I would have made more but when my daughter got sick in 3/05 I could not work much with her going to chemo and just dealing with everything, so that hurt my income big time. Have 2 PT jobs, 1 is a small MTSO and the other is my own account. My goal for 2007 is $24K...would like to eventually get up to $30K.
Love my 2005 Ford Mustang!...
x
2005 Ford Mustang - Vroom! nm
x
Had this exact same conversation here in 2005 - see message
Here is the original posting. I'm still doing MT but now on my terms. I don't make as much money as I did even 10 years ago but I get to pick and choose what I want to do. I still don't feel appreciated. And, once again, I blame the AAMT as well as the changes in business ethics that I see EVERYWHERE today. Let's not even get into the subject of the CEO's and their insane remuneration packages! Anyway, my only recommendation is to find something you love (MT or billing, or something else) and do it to the best of your ability and on YOUR OWN TERMS. That helps to mitigate the frustration, somewhat!
20 years as an MT - now I am on strike...sm
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Posted By: on strike on 2005-09-12
After 20+ years as an IC I have seen my salary go down, down, down! Not because my speed has decreased, no, it has in fact increased dramatically due to the availability of ShortHand programs. No, my salary has gone since the inception of AAMT and their "standards" and practices. The organization that was going to help MT's become more respected has done the opposite. Yes, there were doctors out there who initially thought of me as a "typist" but I quickly showed them the difference between a typist and a "medical transcriptionist" (medical language specialist). Some of them were unwilling to pay for the difference, but most were pleased to pay a bit more for someone who knew when he was making a mistake and was willing to call and get it right. Today, however, the large MT companies have driven the IC out of business. They offer 4-hour turn around at ridiculously low rates. Many of these companies outsource to India, Pakistan, the Philippines, etc. Some of the outsourced work is done perfectly. Most is not. I am hearing this from office managers who cannot convince the business owners that it is "cheaper" to have the transcription done correctly the first time rather than have more time (money) spent doing QA.
Most of my work has been for large radiology clinics. Conglomerates that own upwards of 100 to 200 radiology clinics across the country own these clinics. The bottom line with management is the "bottom line". Their bonuses and hefty salaries are dependent on keeping costs down...therefore cheap transcription is a "must".
Finally, the reason for the steady decrease in salaries for MT's is the availability of cheap foreign and (yes!) American labor. MT's in this country are becoming more desperate and accepting the lower line rates. Yes, of course you need to in order to pay for food, etc. However, if ever there was a time for us to organize a "strike" this is the time. It will never happen, however, because we are too busy just getting by. And where has the AAMT been during this time (in particular the last ten years when salaries have been eroding the fastest)? They have been telling us the "proper" way to do transcription. In the "good old days" if we did not transcribe correctly we were fired. If we used poor grammar, we were fired. That simple! Meanwhile this group (AAMT) purporting to be working to benefit MT's has instead been working to benefit themselves. They benefit themselves by touting their CE courses and the need for us all to become CMT's, that we can only do through their courses and their tests. None of which are free.
No, I am not an AAMT hater. I hate the hypocrisy of the AAMT. I hate the fact that experience counts for naught in this field. I hate the fact that the moment corporate America realized that medical transcription was an income producing product mostly male executives realized that they could take over with large companies, offer work at a much lower price than an individual could, and force the medical Transcriptionist to work at the prices they foist on us. That is what I have seen over the past twenty years.
Don't bother flaming me for telling you what I have seen. Most of the flamers will be from large corporations or IC's who have accepted their fate. Yes, you are making good money typing thousands of lines a day at a few pennies each line. Yes, you pay your bills doing so. I am not putting you down for doing so. What I am saying is that over the past 20 years the medical transcription field has changed (been hijacked by large corporations) and as such the bottom line is "how cheap can we get the transcription done". Such is corporate America. Get it done cheap or someone else will get the contract.
So, what am I suggesting? I don't know for sure. Perhaps there is no answer for most transcriptionists other than to accept their fate. As for me, I am lucky enough to have an income so that I can go on "strike" until I find a job that pays me what I am worth. Or, until I go back to school to find another career! Which is the most likely course of action a lot of us will be taking no matter how much we love what we were doing.
If you have any useful insights I would love to hear them. Flamers will be ignored.
Lengthy but informative article from 2005
Here is an important post from 2005. It is lengthy and I have edited it to make it more concise…
Posted By: n on January 05, 2005 at 21:35:45:
In Reply to: offshore posted by beth on January 05, 2005 at 19:58:08:
Offshore medical transcription is a large enterprise financed with capital. The Soros money is in the Spheris deals. Look for more and more to go overseas.
From GeBBS Health Care Solutions http://www.gebbs.com/pressrelease062004.htm : In a world of steadily rising medical costs, Nitin Thakor thinks he has a cure. It works like this: A doctor treats a patient and sends the medical record to Thakor's company, GeBBS HealthCare Solutions of Englewood Cliffs. The company ships the records electronically to India, where employees - earning about one-tenth of what they would get in the United States - process a bill for the patient's treatment, create a claim, and send it electronically to the insurance company. The process costs the doctor about half what he would pay in the United States, Thakor says. "It's faster. The quality is better," he says, brimming with confidence. "It makes perfect sense." It's also part of a growing trend in the health-care administration industry: sending work to low-wage countries - mainly India - in the same way that offshore outsourcing has sent U.S.-based IT, call center, and other jobs around the world.
The health-care work ranges from simple tasks - such as transcribing notes dictated by the doctor - to more complex processes, such as assigning a treatment code and filling in forms that doctors submit to insurance companies for reimbursement. In North Jersey, GeBBS, Allserve Systems of New Brunswick, and ClaimPower Inc. of Fair Lawn do work in India. Marlton-based Medquist, one of the largest transcription company's in the United States, also sends work offshore. Other players across the country include Perot Systems Corp. in Texas, HealthScribe Inc. of Virginia, and Alpha Thought of Chicago. "There is not a lot of offshoring yet," said Barbara J. Cobuzzi, president of Cash Flow Solutions Inc. of Brick, which does billing, coding, and collection. "But they [offshore companies] are going after it. ... They are approaching companies like mine and saying, 'Get rid of your staff and use us.
Cobuzzi said she spoke from experience: In October, she terminated a contract with a Florida-based company with offices in Chennai, India, to put patient demographic information into a computer. She said the work contained too many errors. "I'm sure the doctors would rather use someone who is not offshoring," Cobuzzi said. "But the doctors have this huge pressure to get their costs down." So, too, do their contractors, said Marilyn Grebin, president and CEO of Silent Type in Fort Lee, which transcribes doctors' notes. Though offshoring has not yet had a big effect on Silent Type's bottom line, the company has lost work, Grebin said. For instance, last week, she said, she lost a $50,000 contract with the John T. Mather Hospital on Long Island. Grebin said the hospital, which had been her company's client for five years, hired a company that will do the job in India. "I went to the client and said, 'What can I possibly do to help you, she said. "And they said, 'No, you can't possibly charge what we are getting - half the price.
On Long Island, hospital vice-president Kevin Murray said the non-profit community facility moved the work offshore in a pilot program - a small part of the facility's $500,000 annual spending on transcription services - to see what the quality of the work is like. "The hospital lost a significant amount of money last month," said Murray, putting the loss at $1 million and noting that many hospitals in New York face similar budgetary problems. "Every month is a struggle. ... This was one of our cost-saving ideas." Thakor knows the scenario well. With about 85 employees in the United States, GeBBS provides health-care administration services and also develops software for the same field. The company's two centers in Mumbai, India, employ about 180 people, of whom 100 process health claims. Last year, the company had revenue of $12 million, and it expects to make $16 million this year, Thakor said. He reaps the benefit of Indian workers - all of whom have degrees - who earn about $2,800 to $3,300 a year, compared with the $35,000 to $45,000 that U.S.-based employees would make for the same job, he said. "We're making a 45 to 50 percent gross margin," Thakor said of his own company. "A client is seeing a 45 to 50 percent cut on their cost structure. So we're happy. They're happy."
Concerns about patient confidentiality in the offshoring era were heightened last October when a woman in Karachi, Pakistan, threatened to post patient medical records from a San Francisco hospital on the Internet unless she was paid the money owed her for transcribing notes dictated by doctors.
The woman dropped the threat after she was paid. But the incident helped bring the issue to the attention of lawmakers.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., have introduced bills that would require companies to notify customers before they send confidential information overseas, giving the customer the right to refuse. Still, industry insiders are concerned. Cobuzzi and others said the main problem is that anyone who violates U.S. patient confidentiality laws abroad would be beyond the reach of U.S. prosecutors. But offshore companies say there is no danger of leaks. Thakor said GeBBS' facilities in India have guards and an electronic security system, along with a full-time privacy officer to ensure the company complies with U.S. confidentiality laws. In addition, the computer system that health-care administration employees work on is sealed, he said: The terminals have no hard drive and no connections to the Internet, floppy disk, or CD writers, or even a printer. They can only open files on the server, change the contents, and close them, he said. "So there is no way - unless you can memorize all the information - that you can take it with you," he said.
Taken from an India website...dated 2005!
The medical transcription business is drawing people from other sectors. That’s because the income can be quite substantial. Transcriptionists are paid anywhere between 60 paise to Rs 2.0 per line. At a minimum of 6 hours and transcribing 800 lines per day, transcriptionists can make around Rs 1,200 a day. Working 26 days a month, they earn more than Rs 30,000 (USD 450 - 500) a month. They send their reports to an Editor for proof-reading who are paid upwards of Rs 40,000 per month.
As a result, hundreds of professionals are quitting their regular jobs to assist US doctors in transcribing their conversation with patients. X-ray, pathology, surgery and discharge reports of US patients are also being transcribed out of India.
To be a transcriptionist, an aspirant has to acquire skills in medical terminology. The next step is the editor. Level three is a quality analyst (QA) who has to work out of the office of the MT firm.
It’s a daily ritual for thousands of homemakers across India. After sending husbands to work and kids to school, they download voice files and start transcribing medical illnesses of patients in the US.
Sowly, medical transcription from home is becoming a phenomenon, particularly in tier-II cities where the BPO boom hasn’t yet caught on and educated women are still not being encouraged to venture out of home.
“Almost half of our 600 home employees are women. Working from home allows them to spend more time with family,” said Mr Rajiv Shetye, VP, Spryance, a Boston-based medical transcription firm which now has 1,200 employees in India.
According to estimates, India has about 100 medical transcription companies and the big ones include Accusis, Spryance, Stheris and Heartland. About 10,000 people work in the $120 million-strong industry.
Still, there is a lot of untapped potential. The US market for market transcription is about $12 bn per annum, which is more than double the BPO exports of India. More than 700 million hospital events need to be recorded every year. According to Nasscom, about 1.6 lakh such transcriptionists will be needed in India by 2008. Earnings depend on how much time a person is able to devote. Billing is based on the number of lines transcribed.
HARSIMRAN SINGH
book was apparently updated in 2005
Amazon.com has one called "Saving Keystrokes" by same author with new copies and 25 used. I have the older edition. This might be even better.
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