Hi, Irish. Don't feel bad about asking questions and needing help, EVER!

That's what this board is for.  Well, that's what most of us believe.  Some us like to bash people and argue and just be plain mean, but ignore them.

SM stands for "see message."

NM stands for "no message."

Do you have an abbreviation expander?  If not, I would suggest PC Shorthand.  In my opinion it's the easiest to learn and use and it's affordable.  If you choose or already use PC Shorthand, then I would follow the Mary Morken link that someone posted below and download her abbreviation and Expander list as it is formatted for PC ShortHand and it would be a great starting point for a new MT.  I would take the time to print out her list as well so you can read over the abbreviations and expansions and become familiar with what you're using.  Then start adding your own abbreviations to the list.

• Expanders for Dummies - Irish
  • Those aren't expanders, but tips on how to use - me
    • sm - Irish
      • Hi, Irish. Don't feel bad about asking questions and needing help, EVER! - RockinMT

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Some people are just plain rude and maybe need a second job to occupy their time instead of lurking on this board waiting to make a nasty comment.

I was surprised when I first saw that too.

My 16-year-old daughter got involved a couple of years ago, and it's wonderful! I had to sit through all the classes as I'm our area coordinator, so I decided to join the adult classes. It's a very social dance form, especially with adults who do a lot of what is called ceili dancing, which essentially dancing with a group of people. In Ireland, it's not unusual for 4 to 100 people to get together than do progressive dancing (stopping for a pint of Guinness as needed) for hours on end.

To look for a school in your area, go to http://www.geocities.com/aer_mcr/irdance/irteach.html

Whatever class you take, YOU GO, GIRL!

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! 

Hubby and I had a stupid fight.  I was watching a television show last night, really engrossed in it when DH decides to fuss with the candles on top of the entertainment center and stands right in front of the TV.  I thought it was rude as he had just walked into the room and had not been in there previously plus he knew that I was just sitting there spacing and watching a show.  So then after 2-3 minutes he turns to me and says he needs help with something he's holding in his hand, a model he's working on.  I just say, okay, now that you've stood in front of the TV and I was watching it, what is it you need?  He storms out of the room and doesn't say another word to me the rest of the night.  HOW STUPID IS THIS!!!!  I can hear that little girl Stephanie on that old TV show saying "how rude." LOL.

So he didn't really need my help obviously, I guess he's survive.

I just needed to come here and vent to you guys.  I don't post here much, but I do come and read a lot of the posts.  I think there are a lot of wonderful people on this board.  I just needed to come and express myself somewhere other than my husband and friends. 

To start with my mother has COPD and has been unable to work since March of 2005.  She is not on disability yet, because we were both naive and kept waiting for someone to contact us after filling out the paperwork online.  Anyway, I have been working at a casino job for 12 years and I have let her have my pay checks for the last 3 years to help her out with bills and other things.  I also work full-time with Spheris.  I work 60-65 hours a week.  I also try to do her grocery shopping and do errands for her on my off days.  I don't mind doing this, and if I had to work 3 jobs just to keep her here on this earth with me, I would.  We have always been close.  She doesn't have any insurance, so she doesn't get to go to the doctor as much as she needs to be going. 

The thing that is really bothering me is the fact that I am the youngest of 4 children.  I am the ONLY one who calls her every day and asks her if she needs anything.  I have told my siblings that I cannot do it alone anymore.  My older brother did start helping somewhat over this past year with the prescriptions and going to the store on occasion.  But he will only do those things if I call or my mom calls him.  My middle brother, about 2 years ago, won 50,000 dollars at a casino, called my mom to brag to her about it and never did one thing for her!!!  He also about a year ago won 30,000 total in one night, and NEVER called her, and never came by to see her or anything.  Last week, he wins ANOTHER 54,000, and yet, again, the very same thing.  

In 1997, my mother and I took out a 15,000 mortage on our house to do remodeling.   We ended up being taken advantage of by a guy that we had known for many years.  We didn't have a contract drawn up, so there was nothing we could do.  He came out and tore out a wall and concreted the add-on area, made a concrete porch, and then left everything else torn up.  She has squirrels that get in her house from time to time from some hole somewhere.  I absolutely kills me to see my mom in the terrible health that she is in.  I try so hard to help her.  I can't afford to get her house fixed up, but it kills me to think of her passing on without seeing her house fixed up.  She deserves so much more.  She and my father were married for 32 years when they divorced--due to his infidelity.  I have tried talking to my siblings and it just doesn't work.  How can a child be so cold to their mother??? I told my sister that I hoped that some day when they becamed aged, that their kids didn't do the same thing to them; also, I hoped that they didn't get in that type of health. 

My sister has a gambling problem and doesn't do anything to help her either.  She will call her and tell her that she will bring her something down, and then never shows up.  I am just so tired.  I have a 4-year-old son and a husband, 2 jobs, and the rest of my family JUST DON"T GET IT~!  

I am sorry this was so long, but I just can't take it anymore.  Thank you for listening. 

Paulette

Here in the SE AT&T had internet outage this week and now 1 of my computers is asking for the IP address, trying to get back on line. Where to find this? TIA.

I wanted to post because I have had a very eerie feeling lately and wanted to see if anyone has been experiencing a similar thing... I was a home MT working directly for a hospital for many years and a high producer.  Then, the hospital cut our incentive and many of us ended up with a MTSO after that.  Well, after being with the same job for many years, I spent over 2 years with the MTSO and found out that my line counts were very low because the platform was not counting my lines in a well honest (to me) way.  I thought I was losing my talent, but after finding out about this for sure by looking at the minutes versus the lines over a couple of weeks and checking with other MTs (finally) I found out it was not me.  I since have been working for a very reputable MTSO (no hospital jobs around directly that I could find by me) and something is happening. I am struggling to get my line counts again, and I did a study with the minutes and though not as bad as the other MTSO, the same thing is happening AGAIN! (dont mean to yell, just emphasizing).  It is so hard to look for yet another job...My question is this: Is it my imagination, am I just losing my talent and my mind, or are most jobs now counting the lines differently than before say 3 years ago when I left the hospital job. And, if I can't produce that much anymore because they count lines differently now, how does one find at least a job which is moderately easier to get more than minimum? Look, I used to make over 50K a year and now I am eeking out perhaps 27 a year and feeling like I am losing my talent.  Any advice would be appreciated here. I don't want to go through job after job, stress after stress.  BTW: My husband will be able to provide benefits in a couple of months, but until recently I have been the one to have to provide health coverage and this has figured heavily into where I work.  Thanks in advance for your opinions.  I don't want my hand held, just a little reality check.  Thanks in advance.

I have to say I consider myself still fairly new.  I have been a Transcriptionist now for just almost a couple of years.  I am a little upset because I have at least 99.6 QA score each month.  I work on several different accounts and we are always told to push, push, push the reports and get them out. Because if we don't meet our standard line count amount then you will get canned.  But, my question is this, on the accounts I work on, it is hard to make normals for all of them, which does save time.  So, when you are flying through your documents and trying to proofread as you go, you are sure to miss a few MINOR mistakes.  I do not understand this field and sometimes I wish I would have never spent the money to get into it, because we are yelled at if we don't get our minimum line counts and get yelled and told to slow down if you make a few small mistakes---nothing that would put the life of a patient at risk.  So, please tell me where the happy medium is.  Again, my QA score is never below 99.5. 

Seriously thinking about getting into a different profession.  Thank you for listening. 

Hey everyone, I'm Canadian and am currently researching possible MT schools. I was originally thinking Canscribe, but am not so sure anymore (I read on another forum that they don't train students enough, and I want the best possibly training so that I am great at my future job). I know M-Tec and Andrews School are seemingly the top two schools in America, but I kind of wanting to attend a Canadian based school possibly. If anyone can help me out, I would really appreciate it. Also, if someone knows a Canadian based MT forum please let me know. I have been trying to find but it doesn't seem like there is any out there.

Thanks so much for your time!

:)

I've been job hunting, testing, sending out my resume for 2 weeks now and no bites.    I'm not a new graduate.  I worked for 2 years but have not worked MT for a little over a year now.  I have 3 toddlers and finally am able to have enough time to work full-time again.  My family really needs the extra income right now and I'm finding it very frustrating that so far I am not able to contribute. We live in a very rural area and driving into town for a job plus daycare for 3 toddlers would kill any income I'd get. 

I get answers from companies saying I have a good resume, experience, and even tested well but they are only hiring people with  #+ years RECENT experience. 

*sigh*  I'll just keep looking, emailing/faxing resumes, and testing... one will want me eventually. 

/rant.

I live in a very remote area and am unable to get DSL but can get it through Alltell cell phone.  Is that good enough for internet transcribing?  Also where could I buy bulk durable micro-cassettes ? 

Thanks cb

My kids and their friends threaten to video me on their phones and post it on YouTube or something because.... honestly, sometimes I get really rockin when I'm working.  Heee heee

Then I came across this video the other day and I thought.... Oh My!  That could be ME caught in a "moment" one of these days.

Will try to link to the video.  Hopefully it works.

If you had the choice between a shift lead type position at somewhere between $14 to $16 an hour or production on an account with a lot of normals.  The shift lead gets you experience editing, supervising, etc., but the production account you are just transcribing. You can make a lot more money at the production job, but the shift lead will get you started in a more management type of position, which would you choose? You will be stuck at that hourly wage with the lead position, but there are possiblities of moving up with the company.  But, the money on the other account is quite good, as there are a lot of free lines.  I am just so confused and have to make a decision, as I cannot work them both at the same time.   Any suggestions, comments, or feedback?  Thanks.

Can anyone give me a good program to invest in that would allow me to keep a line count and also provide invoices? Also, is there a recommended HIPAA approved transferring site to transfer files through the net? Thanks a bunch!

Junior League was like a full-time job sometimes, but I loved it. Now that I have to work, even though it is from home, I still volunteer through my son's school.  I am a school teacher in my previous (pre-MT) life, so I volunteer my tutoring services for children who need the help beyond what the schools are able to provide but whose parents cannot afford to pay for private tutoring. I also know how you felt about being afraid.  I was strangely afraid before I joined the Junior League.  It was just the unknown. But I was SO blessed by being able to help.  Honestly, I am sure that it helped me just as much, if not more, than I helped others.  Go for it.  You won't be sorry.  (Just remember that you have to say NO when you have to say no, okay?  Remember that and you will be richly blessed by the experience!)