I had to have a bowel resection for a Meckels diverticulum and the surgeon charged 2500 and got 1500

• Gastroenterologists ripping us off. My mother just got her bill - A rip-off
  • I had a surgery followed by complications (sm) - Mimi
  • The doc charged $500 I don't see that as a rip off - the hospital bill though - sm - XXX
  • I know that you are angry in this post, but you are grossly misinformed - Suzanne
    • I worked in a physician's office as well. - mtathome
    • You have that right. Malpractice insurance for neuro sm - former neuro
    • I had to have a bowel resection for a Meckels diverticulum and the surgeon charged 2500 and got 1500 - MQ2

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lines in about 12 hours and another day I'm lucky to get 1000 in 8 hours.   I have an expander, have a few templates but don't get those dictators on a regular basis.  I do NOT have to enter any demographic information or look up addresses, etc.   I  work in batches, don't have to save each report separately.  I have enough experience that I rarely have to work up anything, but also will spend 30 minutes searching for something rather than leave a blank.  

I get up frequently.  I try to apply myself for at least a good hour or more and then take a short break.  My feet swell really bad and I'm getting butt spread so I try to get up and move around.  I never thought I was a particularly fast typist, but did the time clock thing and found that I was averaging 270+ lines/hour.  Some days I work 6 hours/day, some days 8 to 10.  I may have a superduper day where I make 3000 lines/day, but the next day I only do 1000, because I just can't routinely do 3000 lines/day and have a life.

The thing that has helped me most is limiting my time on-line and having my e-mail so that I can't see/hear when a new one comes up so I don't stop typing and check e-mail. 

I routinely do 85+% ESL, but maybe once a month get a day where I have lots of normals and that spoils you. 

///

That's just rent, phone, electric, car, car ins., gas, and food.

when a patient is ready to be discharged, he always says "____ is peeing and pooping normally."  Slays me every time!  I just find myself giggling like a little kid whenever I hear it!  Peeing and pooping are such a great words...embrace them!    

Isn't there a book out there called "Everybody poops?" 

I want to get my finances ready before I schedule the surgery.  My previous experience with surgeons and disability is "go back whenever you feel ready"...they don't seem to want to comit to a timeline.  The last time I had surgery I went back way too soon and had complications, so would like to avoid that this time around. 

Thanks to everyone who has replied, this is all good advice and info.  I think I will plan for the worst at 6 weeks or so and hope for best at just a week or two.  It certaily won't hurt to have some extra money saved. 

the first time.  Tell them if you have to spend time to listen, then that's at a rate of $20.00 an hour in addition to the transcribed lines minus the reports they think are already transcribed.  This way, you are paid to listen.

How much more of this are you going to take Lisa?  My dear, you are letting them walk on you.

Are you being paid for the "meeting" in the morning? 

I can thank C-Bay for losing my job, too. 

Look, you are going to need to draft a contract to bring along in the morning.  Otherwise, you will be working for free, and this practice will drive you insane. 

You need to figure out what works best for you and set the ground rules.  You simply explain to the office manager that this is how you will be doing the work and what you will charge, etc. 

At some point, you will have to hold this office accountable for the work they give you and stop working for free.

If you are picking up flash drives, then they should not expect you to report back on patients, etc., which is time consuming unless they would agree to a flat hourly rate for listening and sorting out dictations and then a lower line rate. 

I know, I have a big mouth, but please, don't let them take advantage of you.  As I said in your last posting, they will continue to abuse you if you allow it. 

There are plenty of companies online hiring right now.  www.mtjobs.com - have you checked there?

I work on the same account every day, same dictators, lots of templated reports I did myself and put them into auto correct.  I get up early, start at 7 am and today I was done by 10 am.  Cleaning the house now.  Also, the line pay is slightly higher than most, so 1500 lines is fine for me today. 

On harder days when the account is really behind,  I get up and vacuum the house after 3 hours of transcribing then come back for 1 hour.  If things are caught up, I stop for the day.  If not, I will go back in the evening. 

I can't sit for 6-8 hours straight.  Making $160 bucks in 3 hours is good for me and enough.   Tomorrow is another day!

Use templates and short cuts - that will help!  I have whole reports in my auto correct, but you have to listen through and change and correct things as each patient is a different case. 

I do have to tell you, I do not get this many lines every day in such short a time.  It just happened that today was a good day.

Hope this helps.

This was posted with a picture in the hurricane slideshow.

Hundreds of Cuban doctors listen to a speech by Cuban President Fidel Castro in Havana, September 4, 2005. The U.S. gave longtime foe Cuba the cold shoulder on Tuesday over its offer to send more than 1,500 doctors to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, which created a humanitarian disaster after pummeling the U.S.Golf Coast. Picture taken September 4, 2005. REUTERS/Claudia Daut

What a disgrace.  During times like these, people should be able to set aside their grudges and problems and come together.

On my slowest day, I will not allow myself to get less than 200 lines an hour.  Depending on the worktype, I can type up to 400 lines an hour.  It is hard for me to consistently stay at that speed as I have orthopedic issues!!!  I also can type extremely fast, (120 wpm).  I also use a lot of Expanders and shortcuts. 

I had a similar situation a few years ago.  I paid and the ins. co. paid, dentist kept both payments.  After 3 phone calls to the office, no money.  So, I wrote a letter to the dentist, put PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL on the envelope, put a cc to the state dept of insurance at the bottom of the letter (dept of ins. scares them more than the AMA (if dealing with MDs) or American Dental Association). 

Got my money 2 days later.