How errors are counted
Posted By: M on 2005-07-13
In Reply to: Mistakes/errors - Patti
Unfortunately, there isn't a universal way of counting errors to quote a per cent accuracy. Basically, where I work, 98% accuracy would mean there were 2 noncritical word error in 100 lines (not characters).
When you hear quotes of alleged 95% accuracy in speech recognition, it probably means 5 errors in 100 characters, not lines.
Again, with offshore companies claiming 98% accuracy, who knows how they are counting?
But you are right, we all make errors, and I have seen stupid ones in my own reports that I would have felt bad if I hadn't caught them. I am sure doctors sometimes get laughs out of our bloopers the same way we get laughs out of theirs.
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Two errors per page is a LOT of errors! nm
x
IC - 8-10 cpl but line is counted
The main factor really with IC work is the flexibility. So many companies offer IC positions, but they want you to work certain hours - wrong, wrong, wrong! JMO. It is so funny because I sit and think, "wow", "I can work online and not have to go anywhere", but it sure is nice to go old-school once in a while and throw a tape in the old microtranscriber and type away making $$$ out the ying-yang. 
The original poster got me, and that's what counted!
Sorry to disappoint, but she got my point!
How about counted cross stitch
I've been doing it since I was 16-17 yrs old and it is the one thing I constantly go back to after doing anything else crafty.... just so relaxing
Don't overuse but have to blank and counted off for it?
Right now am really bumfuzzled as I do not know in my MTing career if this has happened before. I was just told from a company where I have worked for some time that blanks are counted off. I do not just leave to be leaving, absolutely cannot make out and really taken aback to be truthful. Do most places do this to their MTs? Is this just another way to make their pockets fuller?
MQ not paying for spaces -- just manually counted and it don't add up
anyone know? Just went from straight line count to DQS...
used to type 500 lph, now barely 150 lph....
AND NO COUNT FOR SPACES....
DAMMIT, THAT'S A KEY STROKE
Gross lines are not counted in characters.
A gross line = any number of characters on a line counts as a complete line. The actual number of characters per line will vary.
If you are typing in Word or WP, every character will be counted.
If you are being paid by keystroke, that would be different, like the other poster said.
I once worked for a company that paid per 1,000 characters.
My beginning rate was $1.25/1,000 characters (0.00125/character) which was the same as 0.08/line.
I was gradually raised to $1.85/1,000 characters(0.00185/character)which was the same as 0.12/line.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Really? I never save mine in .rft, only .doc, & they are counted just fine.
nm
line counts are counted within the report
and depend on how it is set up. They can vary the line lengths and also whether or not it counts blank lines. There is no spellchecker. I think the most important thing to learn is whether or not you sign on through a Citrix server. In that case, you will more than likely get lag, which will kill your radiology line count.
If the names are in the header they won't be counted by Word. nm
xx
Well, counted my lines for first hour and I made
602 at 4 cents = $24.00 for the hour. Not bad, huh?
It doesn't sound right to me. That one MINOR error should only be counted
as 1/2 point because it's not critical to patient care.
If they have access to how the lines are counted on the back end - see inside
They can go in and maybe make changes to what their counts actually were. Anything is possible. It does sound fishy to me. I would go to your supervisor and ask in such a way as could the other girls possibly show you any tricks they are using that might benefit all of you and open up communication that way. That way you are not accusing anyone of anything. Worth a try. 
Not included. Demos and ccs are headers/footers. Not counted. nm
x
post thumbs down votes aren't being counted
If you've tried to vote thumbs down on the two posts by computerboy advertising illegal downloads of Stedman's items, you'll be interested to know that the forum is instead counting them as "thumbs up" votes.
I have a gender problem when I type! Seems everytime I get my QA eval I always get counted off
because I've typed he instead of she or his instead of her. It drives me crazy! I always pass with at least a 98%, but I'm always making this mistake and I feel like an dunce every time I see it on paper!
I know how it happens. I'm just not paying attention and I'll just forget its a he or a she or I'll forget what patient I'm on and think I'm still on the "the lady with the pelvic pain..." and type she when really it's a he.
Anybody have any suggestions to help me remember my genders?
Chars aren't counted in gross lines. If you have a 4-line paragraph...sm
you have 4 gross lines, no matter how long or short the sentences are. A heading on it's own line is 1 gross line. A signature on it's own line is 1 gross line. The date at the top of a document on it's own line is 1 gross line. Anything on a line going from margin to margin is 1 gross line, no matter how few or many characters, or if there are spaces or not, even if there's only 1 character on that line like 'A' for instance. Does this help? :)
I thought Word counted blank lines using this method. I think the OP is looking for Abacus. nm
xx
Ya still got errors
Keep trying, you are almost there!
if you had that many errors
then something was wrong from the get go.
>>>It sounded good because I thought it would be less wear and tear on my hands. I type already all day on a FT regular job. I never had a report that didn't need massive changing and it just didn't take long to see that I was getting the proverbial screw.
Like I many times before: [1] have the correct sound card; [2] have the correct microphone (the one that comes with the product is probably not good enough); [3] have VR analyze as many documents as you have available (I have more than 500 MB); [4] add words and phrases to the Word List (decreases errors in the long run); [5] do not dictate like you talk to someone ... you need to ar-ti-cu-late correctly; [6] take the time to correct errors when they occur or at the end of the day. But, if you see an error and change it manually, the program is not going to learn; [7] You cannot use VR for all dictators, but you can for all good dictators. I would not use it for the nightmares from hell, unless they are so repetitive you know what they are going to say as soon as they start to say it.
These are the most critical factors involved with using SR (speech recognition) software. If you eliminate or skip over any ONE of these items, you're going to reduce accuracy.
I've been averaging 99.5% (one to two errors per page) for a long time. It think it's obvious I'm doing something right.
There's nothing more I can say. 
Errors
Aunt Bea -- no question is a dumb question. I personally correct errors as soon as I see them. I always have the fear that my spellchecker will not pick them up -- for instance if the error was "too" instead of "to" your spellchecker would not catch it. I leave nothing to chance. Hope this helps.
errors
.25 for typos, commas that don't affect the sentence
2.0 for missed medical terms
2.0 for incorrect use of a medical or nonmedical term
0 for leaving out a significant part of a sentence or replacing anything in a sentence that is not said.
when in doubt - leave a blank
errors
Is it typical for a co. to deduct for errors? I have had some, but nothing that is overly noticable.
Errors
 Do you find that it irritates you probably more than it should to see errors in the newspaper, etc.? I mean, something that will be read by so many people should be proofread to perfection, don't you think? They seem to just jump out at me and I know I'm more critical since I am an MT. How about you?
No, I don't think it is about errors....sm
work is sent to other countries because it is cheaper.
errors
I have a question. Ok say I want to go in to my system tools and do a scan to check for errors and if any fix them. Well I thought this should be in my system tools section. It was with my old computer. On this one which is Windows XP it has disk scan cleanup or something like that to get rid of unnecessary files. Well what about scanning for errors. I don't see that option. Maybe I am missing something?
errors
See when I first started my first job the owner sent me a paper and it had certain things to do to my computer every so often and it said once a month "Scan Disk for errors" and I remember doing this on my Windows 98 but I don't see anything like that on this one. I do defragment once a month. The paper had that also on it. But in addition to defragmenting it said scan disk for errors. I thought that is what I was doing when I did a disk cleanup but I think the disk cleanup is just getting rid of unnecessary files. I can't ask the lady because she died right after I went to work for her. Like in a month. Poor lady. The company was taken over by another company then. I don't know I probably need to ask someone who also worked for Janelle too (previous owners name).
Errors!!
and on several occasions, found glaring errors in my and/or my husband's chart.
errors
Whichever company you work for, take it as a wake-up call that maybe you have gotten a little sloppy and try to pay closer attention. I mean no offense at all with that. I have been in the same position and it's hard to swallow your pride and have your errors pointed out to you when you are used to being trusted and not QA'd much. As long as the QA at the new company is not condescending I'd stick with it and take it as a challenge to sharpen up.
if you do not get less pay for errors, try to take it
with a grain of salt. grammar errors should not affect your QA score, overall, yes? I too sometimes get a little nauseated at people who go through my work always with something to prove where I swear they just refuse to let a report go by without finding something. Then there are the wonderful QA people who use it more as a training tool and really help and cut some slack.
in reality, these hospitals do not seem to care a pinch about patient care and I have seen that upfront. they send work overseas to save a buck and cut corners in EVERY single area of the hospitals leaving patients with sometimes nonexistent care at all. it is such a game. the stories I could tell when I first started transcription - there was no QA or any such entity whatsoever and it never seemed to matter much back then.
...and don't get me started with these companies who expect perfection, for a whopping 8 cents a line - ??????? say what?
I oftentimes feel like a slave literally as just some 12 plus years ago this was a great profession for someone like myself with no official college education. I used to be so proud of myself...
but for the most part constructive criticism is welcome.
wish I could offer some hope but from where I sit day in and day out things only seem they will get worse. they are really pushing for certification - this whole country is doing things wrong lately. can't even go any further just makes me depressed.
It could be the errors were in the
transciption of the dictation itself and therefore not available to her.
VR changes a lot of errors for you
and I am glad for that. I took ShortHand in high school back in the dinosaur years and it has helped me so much. I keep my foot on the pedal and as fast as I can go, hardly lift it off.
some examples of errors
You did not specify how many examples you wanted, so I included quite a few, hope it helps. All of these are from one group of radiologists, all american. In answer to your question, unfortunately most of these I believe to be the result of laziness.
THREE-VIEW RIGHT HAND
There is decreased relative small of the distal aspect of the 4th metacarpal. (There is diminished size of the distal aspect of the 4th metacarpal.) Otherwise, the hand is unremarkable in appearance for a patient of this young age.
MRI LUMBAR SPINE
This is best visualized from L3-4 through L5-S1 where there are actual images in addition to the sagittal imaging through the entire lumbar spine.( This is best visualized from L3-4 through L5-S1 where there are axial images in addition to the sagittal imaging through the entire lumbar spine.)
ABDOMEN, THREE VIEWS
The colon has lost his Hounsfield markings in the transverse portion and splenic flexure. (The colon has lost its haustral markings in the transverse portion and splenic flexure. )
CT ABDOMEN W/WO CONTRAST
There is a small left inguinal hernia with fat within the hernia sac but no bile (no bowel). No inguinal lymphadenopathy.
NAME OF EXAMINATION: Sinuses.
FINDINGS: Paranasal sinuses demonstrate generally some metric pneumatization.( Paranasal sinuses demonstrate generally symmetric pneumatization) No bony abnormality is seen.
MRI OF THE LUMBAR SPINE
Compared to December 23, 2003, there has been no objective change in the L5-S1 left posterolateral disk herniation. It causes narrowing at the left lateral recess. It doe snot produce central stenosis. ( It does not produce central stenosis.)
OB ULTRASOUND COMPLETE
There is no polyhydramnios. However, the fetal kidneys are abnormally hyperechoic. This has been associated with polycystic kidney disease and so I recommend a postnasal follow-up study.( This has been associated with polycystic kidney disease and so I recommend a postnatal follow-up study.)
MRI OF THE HIPS WITHOUT IV CONTRAST
The muscles about the shoulder show normal signal on all sequences.( The muscles about the hips show normal signal on all sequences. ) There are no soft tissue masses.
RIGHT HIP TWO VIEWS
DISCUSSION: There has been destruction of the right femoral headache and femoral neck.( There has been destruction of the right femoral head and femoral neck. )
AP PORTABLE CHEST
EXAM DATE: January 22, 2005 at January 12, 2005 hours(January 22, 2005 )
MRI ANGIO ABDOMEN BEFORE AND AFTER IV CONTRAST
TECHNIQUE: 3-D time of flight MRA of the abdominal aorta and renal arteries was obtained following contrast administration. In addition, evidence of the kidneys was also obtained before and after IV contrast.( In addition, imaging of the kidneys was also obtained before and after IV contrast.)
TWO-VIEW CHEST
FINDINGS: Left apical pneumothorax measuring 1-2% is stable. Left lower lobe maxillary sinus is again demonstrated.( Left lower lobe mass is again demonstrated. )There are no other findings.
GALLBLADDER ULTRASOUND
In the porta hepatis, there is a consistent with echogenic lesion measuring 1.1 cm.( In the porta hepatis, there is an echogenic lesion measuring 1.1 cm) This could represent a lymph node in the porta but also could represent an exophytic hepatic meningioma. (This could represent a lymph node in the porta but also could represent an exophytic hepatic hemangioma. )
OB ULTRASOUND COMPLETE
DISCUSSION: There is moderate dilatation of the left renal pelvis. There is mild dilatation on the right. However, neither uterus is abnormally dilated. (However, neither ureter is abnormally dilated. )
ULTRASOUND OF RIGHT BREAST
There is heterogeneous echo texture in that region compatible with typical combination of breast parenchyma and fatty/femoral tissue, but a discrete mass lesion is not identified. (There is heterogeneous echo texture in that region compatible with typical combination of breast parenchyma and fatty/normal tissue, but a discrete mass lesion is not identified.)
AP PORTABLE CHEST
Underlying fusion is suggested, again worse on the left than the right. (Underlying effusion is suggested, again worse on the left than the right.)
LEFT SECOND TOE
There is an old, healed fracture of the proximal phalanx of th cleft third toe.( There is an old, healed fracture of the proximal phalanx of the left third toe.)
TWO-VIEW CHEST
There are remote compression fractures involving the right 5th and 6th ribs.( There are remote fractures involving the right 5th and 6th ribs. ) The lungs are otherwise clear.
THYROID ULTRASOUND
DISCUSSION: In the left lobe of the thyroid, there is a moderately large maxillary sinus that measures 2.2 cm in greatest diameter and is mostly sold and have a cystic center. (In the left lobe of the thyroid, there is a moderately large complex mass that measures 2.2 cm in greatest diameter and is mostly solid and has a cystic center.) The remainder of the left lobe is normal.
There is a small 6 mm nodule in the inferior aspect of the right lobe. The gland itself is not overall enlargement. (The gland itself is not overall enlarged.) The gland is heterogeneous overall in echogenicity.
TWO-VIEW ABDOMEN
No convincing evidence of small bowel obstruction, although developing shortness of breath could theoretically give this appearance and follow-up is recommended. (No convincing evidence of small bowel obstruction, although developing small bowel obstruction could theoretically give this appearance and follow-up is recommended.)
OB ULTRASOUND
DISCUSSION: There is an intrauterine gestation with a large yolk sac. However, the crown-rump length measures 7 mm and this corresponds to an estimated gestational age of about 6 weeks 4 days. However, there is no detectable cardiac activity. The amniotic fluid volume is probably normal of ra fetus of this age.( The amniotic fluid volume is probably normal for a fetus of this age. ) The placenta is closed. (The cervix is closed.)
EXAM OF LEFT FOREARM
FINDINGS: No fracture. There is prominence of the anterior fat patient which suggests effusion. (There is prominence of the anterior fat pad which suggests effusion) No other findings.
MRI LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST
Tip desiccation of L4-5. (Disk desiccation of L4-5.)
TWO-VIEW ABDOMEN
FINDINGS: Findings of right chest, cardiac size is normal, no infiltrates or effusion. (FINDINGS: Upright chest, cardiac size is normal, no infiltrates or effusion.
TWO-VIEW CHEST
Stable right breast opacity, likely represents
fibrosis.( Stable right basilar opacity, likely represents
fibrosis.)
AP CHEST
Picture of congestive heart failure/volume
overload not significantly changed from
exam 4-hours earlier.( Features of congestive heart failure/volume
overload not significantly changed from
exam 4-hours earlier.)
RIGHT SHOULDER
FINDINGS: The patient has history of a right humeral fracture, plus surgical fixation noted.( The patient has history of a right humeral fracture, postsurgical fixation noted. ) Alignment is intact.
IMPRESSION
1. Postsurgical change involving the right
proximal femur.( Postsurgical change involving the right
proximal humeral.) Alignment is anatomic.
OB SONOGRAM
FINDINGS: Transabdominal and transvaginal evaluation of the pelvis was performed. An intrauterine collection and yoke sac is identified. (An intrauterine collection and yolk sac is identified. )
LEFT HIP
FINDINGS/IMPRESSION: Two-view left hip demonstrate a fracture of the neck of the left humerus in varus angulation.( Two-view left hip demonstrate a fracture of the neck of the left femur with varus angulation.) No additional fractures identified.
THREE-VIEW ABDOMEN
In this since, bowel gas pattern slightly improved since the 14th, but otherwise there has been no significant change. (In this sense, bowel gas pattern slightly improved since the 14th, but otherwise there has been no significant change. )
NUCLEAR MEDICINE CHOLESCINTIGRAM WITH GALLBLADDER EJECTION FRACTION
.After initial accumulation of tracer within the gallbladder, the patient was given solid bolus intravenous injection of CCK and additional anterior sequential imaging was obtained.( After initial accumulation of tracer within the gallbladder, the patient was given slow bolus intravenous injection of CCK and additional anterior sequential imaging was obtained. )
MRI BRAIN BEFORE AND AFTER IV CONTRAST -
There is confluent periventricular signal abnormality in the lungs bilaterally consistent with chronic small-vessel ischemic change.( There is confluent periventricular signal abnormality in the pons bilaterally consistent with chronic small-vessel ischemic change.) Probable remote lacunar infarcts noted in the left posterior frontal subcortical white matter.
THREE-VIEW ABDOMEN -
There is gas within the large and small-bowel. No distension. There is a round calcification in the pelvis which probably represents calcification in the wall of a cyst. There are no suspicious calcifications. No pathologic skin or nipple alterations(this sentence does not belong in this report). Mild hypertrophic change in the lumbar spine.
TWO-VIEW CHEST
REPORT: Bones free of consolidative infiltrate.( Lungs free of consolidative infiltrate.) No pneumothorax or pleural effusion identified.
LUMBAR SPINE SERIES
REPORT: There is very mild levocurvature of the cervicalium spine. (There is very mild levocurvature of the thoracolumbar spine.)
THREE-VIEW ABDOMEN
No evidence of bowel destruction. (No evidence of bowel obstruction.)
CERVICAL SPINE SERIES
FINDINGS: There is a fracture of the CT vertebral body inferior to the junction of the dens with the body.( There is a fracture of the C2 vertebral body inferior to the junction of the dens with the body.)There is retrolisthesis of the dens in relation to the CT vertebral body. (There is retrolisthesis of the dens in relation to the C2 vertebral body. )
Mistakes/errors
I read below about the mistakes and I have to admit, I make mistakes, I am human. My accounts know I am human. I just re-read one of my physicals and I had somehow put "See expensive data base in chart" and it should have been "See extensive ..." it is not often but it does happen. If we were perfect we surely would not be here on earth right now. It is hard for us to see and find our own mistakes. But for those who say that they have 98 or 99% error free, what does that actually mean -- for every 100 words you can have two errors, or what. Never have been able to figure that out. If I do 3000 lines per day, can I have 30 to 60 lines with errors? All I know is that the majority of us do a darn good job and the best we can and those that make continuous errors, just like in any line of work, won't be in it for long but mistakes and errors do happen to all of us. For those that have no compassion for anyone that does make errors, be careful as it is a long way to fall off of the pedestal. My two cents worth go ahead and flame me, I have broad shoulders.
PS --my accounts have been with me for 5 to 15 years and I make over $50K a year but I do make mistakes.
Yes, these are errors she would obviously correct.
These are errors the software makes while you are dictating. Of course she would correct these. I make a lot more errors than that while typing - and of course I backspace and correct. If I only had to do that twice per page that would be very good!
spelling errors
I have spelled so many words wrong and each time I do I fix it with autocorrect. I just figure that I spelled it wrong once, it will happen again. Some words I have spelled wrong so many different ways you would not believe, but each time they are corrected for me---saves lots of time.
spelling errors
My worst one is osteopenis instead of osteopenia. I put that right in my autocorrect. 
deducting for errors
A great deal of companies deduct now, and every one I ever worked for did. Let me tell you why we have to do that. It costs a great deal of money to edit/proof reports. If you make 8 cpl and the company only gets 12 cpl gross, that leaves very little. As editors, we spend a lot of time taking the time to explain why something is wrong, give examples, explain what the words mean, send out countless emails asking MTs to be more careful, to spellcheck, to at least do a quick read of their documents before they send and it just doesn't work. The only way we can get their attention is to put something in place that will.
You have got to be kidding. I never saw so many errors with the IRS. A SE does not owe or
pay self employment tax. The employer does. Read the rules on SE and you will understand.
That is exactly why I pointed out her errors . . .
Otherwise I would never have done that.
I always point out the errors. When my son had
his appendix out, the chairs they provided in the room had the name Floirda Hospital printed on them. It was on every chair we saw. My son, who was 6 at the time, pointed it out to everyone that the hospital didn't know how to spell Florida.
Payday and errors
Why is it then when a paycheck is due, all of a sudden you get calls about missing commas, filenaming structure, and then you are told your check will be late. I understand if errors are made that change the tone of the document, but filenaming - especially when you get no instructions because it is a new account to the company. I actually got samples with letterhead - I process the work, and then they call me to say deduct amount for letterhead because it should not have been used.
And if I hear one more time about commas I will scream.
Anyone hear about the legal report with one less comma costing millions because instead of it being - the brother Charles, sister Maria, and brother Maxwell sharng in a settlement - it was transcribed as -brother Charles, sister Maria and brother Maxwell - keeping the meaning of a settlement divided two ways instead of three.
I thought when I left my inhouse job, I might get a paycheck on time. After waiting 5 weeks for the first one, I now wait 4 weeks on average for every one following. yea I know I can stop and go to another place, but gosh darn it if it wouldn't be fair to pay us on time. God forbid we missed a TAT.
yes, but there are not just typo errors. sm
A wrong word, i.e., peroneal instead of perineal, and the list goes on ad infinitum, or a sentence ending in the wrong place. There are any number of things a spellchecker will not catch. I proof totally when I transcribe. Having worked in QA for a long long time, even very very good MTs make some pretty bad mistakes from time to time.
Shorthand errors
Perhaps you have your "Insert" key toggled on ... so the expansion is typing over text you already have on the screen?
Deduction in pay for errors....
 I was just offered a job at a measly 8 cpl after I took this ridiculously long and time consuming test. I get an email with FAQ and there is a whole section about how much they are going to deduct from your pay for errors. Someone over there has a screw loose. I wish I had not wasted my time. I already have one account that I make about 12 cpl, but I just lost one due to outsourcing, where I started at 9 cpl. I love my first account, but I always like to have 2 just for backup. I so far have been offered 7-1/2 cpl, 7 cpl and 8 cpl. I turned them all down. These people are crazy! If you want a good transcriptionist, PAY FOR IT!!!!
errors and omissions
No, they don't require, but older MT thought it might be a good idea. However, the majority here seems to think it's not necessary. AAMT membership and premiums are high price to pay. Will investigate further. Thanks to all.
errors and omissions - thanks
Thanks to all who responded. I appreciate the help and advice.
How many errors are they making?
And is it in every report? And what is their attitude toward constructive criticism? I think you have to figure that in as well. If every report is a mess then yeah, don't waste your time and theirs.
We have a new hire here that I don't know what her transcription is like but her attitude and receptivity tells me at the end of her probationary period she will not be invited to stay. That kind of stuff is important too.
If there are legitimate errors (sm)
the best I can tell you is make note of them, ignore the petty stuff. Many times people who have their own accounts have spelled things wrong for years and if never told about it, wouldn't know! Use it as a learning tool and make the most of it.
Errors/Omissions
I am required to carry professional liability coverage through my contract with the healthcare facility 1/3 M. The same coverage MDs are required to carry (in most states) in order to practice in a facility - except they pay ALOT more.
In the past I had a disclaimer in my contracts stating I do not carry E/O insurance..However, today, if you want a contract with a facility and they require this coverage, you can get it. Things have really changed in the way we do business. And, by the way...I do not believe the insurance provider gives a discount if you are a CMT. For certified coders they do, but for CMTs...not.
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