A couple questions to ones that have their own business…

First, do you carry error and omissions insurance or a clause in your contract?  Second, when you do your billing--do you find it easier to bill twice monthly (1st and 15th) or once monthly? 

• A couple questions to ones that have their own business… - SV MT
  • Errors/Omissions - susieQ
  • E&O insurance is not necessary. I bill on 1st and 15th. - nm

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Not sure which to go with.  Currently, due to location, have dial-up.  Considered netzero which I guess is still technically dial-up.  I would like to have something that I can travel with, which leaves netzero or satellite.

Will be beginning work with Meditech based program, working directly on company's website.  I'm concered about dail-up being slow with Meditech, but have heard that satellite does not work well with Meditech either.  Any opinions on what to go with or anyone working currently with Meditech on satellite basis?

   SO CONFUSED!           TIA

How do I quickly modify an entry?  (I've been pulling up shorthand, putting in the short form, clicking on Dictionary, then modify, then cut and paste....there has to be an easier way).

How do put yo (for year-old) directy behind the age without putting a space (i.e., 32yo instead of 32 yo). 

How do I stop SH from working when I'm in my e-mail or on the Internet for a brief time, but don't want to completely close out the program?

The ShortHand directions I have are very unclearly written, so I'm grateful for any help to these and upcoming Shorthand questions!

I'm a fairly new MT and have done all my MT-ing so far with C-phones.  I am being switched to a Winscribe system.  My question is this:  Will the MTSO be able to monitor how fast or slow I'm transcribing?  I'm not trying to get away with anything.  It's just that I've read horror stories from some MTs on certain platforms where the MTSO can see (and calls) whenever they're "off the system" (bathroom breaks, looking up a word, legitimate coffee-breaks) etc.  I work as an IC and have a window in which to get my work done rather than a set number of hours.  What I'm wondering is if the MTSO, with this new system, will now be able to "see" if I'm not typing every single minute.  TIA

First, A company I worked for briefly at the beginning of 2008 sent me two different W2.  One lists all the pertinent boxes (wages, federal taxes paid, etc).  However, in box 15 where your state and local taxes are listed, they have the wrong state.  It is a state I used to live, but haven't lived there for the past three years.  I definitely did not live there at all in 2008.  The second W2 they sent list nothing in any of the boxes except box 15 where it lists the correct state, income, and taxes I paid.

So does this mean I paid taxes in a state that I didn't even live in?  And if that is the case, do I have to file a return in that state?  Or do I contact the company and ask they correct my W2? 

I am using TurboTax to prepare my return.  My second question is I have a 1099 from IC work I did in 2008 and after I enter the information, the software asks me for a business ID code on attachment form C for my "self-employment business."  I have no idea what to put on this line.  I looked at a list of the codes on the IRS website and there is nothing that is specific to medical transcription.  There is a code for Data entry and then under legal there is a code for document preparation and stenotype.  Those are the only two codes that even come close.

So which one do I use?

Oh, and have I mentioned, I HATE TAX SEASON! 

I just recently went back to work in the office at a local hospital. We type in both Meditech and Cerner, depending on what you are typing, i.e. Medical Records reports versus Radiology.  We are currently typing blindly in Meditech, meaning we do not have access to our line counts and must depend on management to give us our totals.  In Cerner, we are able to run a line count report and print out a hard copy of our line counts at the end of the day.

We are finding that 800 lines in Cerner equals about 500 lines in Meditech.  We are not paid per line nor do we have an incentive plan, but we have a new HIM Director who would like to institute an incentive plan and the administrator over our department has laid down the law and decreed that all transcriptionists not making minimum in the department will be written up.  Problem is according to Meditech line totals that we have been given, that would be about half the department.

The transcription supervisor has taken our concerns to the new director who told the MT Supervisor to hold off on writing people and has taken home all the line counts from the last month and she is going over them with a fine tooth comb this weekend.

I am not a very trusting soul by nature, so I am doing a little research on my own.  I've been in this business for about 15 years.  I started out in a hospital and have worked for a few services at home and am now back in the hospital setting.  So I know a few things about line count and I consider myself to be pretty well informed on trends and technology in the industry.   I would like to walk into our next department meeting armed with as much knowledge as possible.  So I have come up with some questions that I would like some fellow MTs to answer, give opinions, and maybe even direct me to websites or individuals who could give me a better understanding of Meditech and Cerner.  Here are my questions:

1. Is it possible for an MT to have access to her line count in Meditech or is strictly a management function?  Any MTs that work in Meditech on this board, do you currently have access to your line counts and if so, how do you check them?  Is it an option on the main menu after you log into Meditech?


2. How is a line defined in Meditech?  (i.e. 65 cpl, with spaces, without spaces)


3. How is a line defined in Cerner?


4. What abbreviation Expanders work with both Meditech and Cerner?


5. Examples of incentive plans (if anyone would like to share that with me that would be great, if not I completely understand).


6. Measuring productivity by minutes of dictation versus typed lines.




1. What would be the minimum minutes required for an 8-hour day?


2. How would one structure an incentive program based on minutes?

I was thinking of presenting the idea that we keep track of productivity using minutes instead of lines since there is such a discrepancy in Meditech.  I also worry that if an incentive plan is put into place and we are still typing blind into Meditech, what's to keep management from shaving off a few lines here and there?

Feel free to email me or post here any responses.  Either is fine.  I really appreciate any input, comments, or just plain old supportive posts would be nice too! 

Its attitudes like this that give our line of work absolutely NO respect.  Take pride in your work girls, you'd get treated a LOT better. 

bong hits while typing... it made the work a lot easier. Not sure I could type while doing alcohol.

You mention being depressed, so I'm wondering if you really might benefit from an antidepressant?  (I know mine works wonders for me.) 

Another thing, I love to watch Oprah when she does shows about inspirational weight loss stories.  You can read some of them at:  http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_2000/tows_past_20001109.jhtml

Oprah's website has a lot of info, and message boards for support.  Apparently, her trainer, Bob Greene, has some great books out about weight loss and emotional eating.   

For me, it helps a lot to keep a "food journal."  My weight is okay, but I feel flabby.  My challenge is eating healthy and exercising.  I hate to exercise and I don't know why because I always feel better when I do. 

Good luck to you.  Hang in there, and keep looking for what works for you. 

I have been dieting for three years....just trying to lose about 25 pounds.  It's been hard.  Now I have to tell you that I am just under 5'8" and now weigh 140 pounds.  Sounds great doesn't it?  Well, my significant other has never seen me naked in 8 years because I think I still look kind of gross.  My point is, that while being fairly slim is, of course, a good thing, you may continue to have issues with your looks.  I still focus in on all the places that I find unattractive or flabby.  I don't think I would ever be happy with the way my body looks.   

I think part of the problem is cultural, in that we are daily bombarded with women on TV, in magazines and in movies who are not representative of what women generally look like. 

Yes, your weight right now is probably too high but perhaps you should set some realistic goals rather than trying to look like, well, you know, all those women I was talking about.  I found that exercise combined with the dieting was the most beneficial.  But you probably already know all this.

I did about two years ago, two years after I got divorced with a lot of debt.  At first I tried to settle the debts at 25-40%, and supposedly would have 3 years to do so, but then got sued anyway and had two lawsuits, so I was back to where I started.  Spoke to a lawyer about bankruptcy and he said go for it and encouraged me to do it myself.  Of course I didn't own anything except for a car that was worth about $200.00, so it was easy.  It was the last thing I thought I'd ever do, but it flew through without a hitch and four months from the time I filed it was over.  Yes, my credit has been stinky, but it's coming back.  Wish I would have filed sooner.

Don't know about your situation, but a lot of lawyers will offer a free consultation so you could see if it would be worth it for you.

Good luck!

"full stop" instead of saying period at the end of a sentence.  The first time I had one I didn't know what he was saying because he wasn't clear.  After QA told me what he was saying I could hear it, but still drinks me crazy.

I also have an ESL doctor who says "paragraft" instead of paragraph.

1)  Did you know the TAT going in?  Obviously you did and you've been doing this for 3 years now.  As an IC, you have the right to accept or deny these terms.  If you dont accept these terms, then you need to either walk away or try and renegotiate with the idea that you risk losing the account.  2)  They will not give you a raise.  Again, as an IC you need to be the one to set your rates.  Basically you renegotiate your contract with your MTSO again with the idea that you may or may not have this account any longer. 

Realize that as an IC, you are basically an MTSO who contracts with other MTSOs rather than directly with a client.  Begin thinking like  a business rather than someone who is lucky to be able to work from home.  Figure out what you need to to make and then adjust your rates.  Also, feel free to start obtaining more work from other MTSOs/clinics. 

Good luck to you.

this lady in California won the lottery.  She divorced her husband and didn't tell him about the lottery.  He thought she was being very generous because she let them have their house and most everything else.  Well, he started getting all this mail for lottery winners and put 2 and 2 together and took her to court.  The judge was very hard on her for lying and made her give everything to the husband.   Live and learn.

I am able to use my F10 for normal speed/100% and F12 for 200% for proofing purposes. In settings, there is a place where you can edit hot keys too. :)

HTH.