I sent a comment to Advance and heard back from them

• don't cancel ADVANCE subscriptions - just send an email or letter - sm
  • I sent a comment to Advance and heard back from them - no name
  • MODERATOR - I am apologizing in advance for my nasty remark to a poster, but I had to get it out of - nm
  • Since ADVANCE is free, there would - MT
  • If we cancel our subscriptions, Advance won't be able to - I disagree
  • I think that those with subscriptions should...sm - USA MT
    • I don't think they care too much about... - Mrs. Peabody
    • The magazine is free. no subscription fee. Advertisers pay - nm

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I'm not sure how many people they are hiring but you shouldn't stress too hard over it. Do the best you can.

and I'll probably fall asleep before the ending. Happens all the time.

He thanked me for my letter, said that as he understood it, this bill didn't cover anything of what I had mentioned.  However, he said he would be paying more attention to this bill when it comes before the full senate for a vote.  He said he was against outsourcing.  Below is my letter to him:

Dear Senator Barrasso:
 
I am writing to request that you support the above bill. I am a medical Transcriptionist in Wyoming. I moved here 2 years ago from Colorado, bringing my job and income with me. I make an above-average income, which I spend in my community, but my job is at risk because so much of this work is being outsourced, particularly to India. More importantly, the health and privacy of the American public is being put at risk by this practice. First, Indian transcriptionists do their job poorly and inefficiently. The gross errors jeopardize health care. Every error has the potential to injure or poison an American citizen, including many young children for whom accurate diagnoses and medication administration can be a life and death issue. To add insult to injury, Indian transcriptionists are NOT required to honor HIPAA. Once a physician's dictation leaves this country, it is no longer private.
I am a very hard working medical transcriptionist and I am still able to earn a decent living in this industry, but it is certainly not what it used to be. I am paid 9 cents for every 65 Keystrokes I type, whereas an Indian is paid 2 to 3 cents for the same work. This undercutting has hurt this industry and every woman (95% of us are female), many of whom are trying to support families on their own, has been dragged to the poverty line because our wages have not grown with the cost of living. I make 9 cents today and I made 9 cents in 1996, the year my career began.
Please protect the healthcare and privacy of Americans, and help to protect yet another industry from moving to overseas. Support and sign S.810/H.R. 1653.

I am wondering what it takes to advance to another position in the MT field.  I've been an MT for about 13 years, acute care for 12 of those years.  I'm tired of typing and have done QA as well, but the pay is horrible.  What does it take to move up the ladder to another position, such as MT supervisor or account manager?  I'm just curious. I know there are probably many more qualified people than I out there for any such position, but curiosity has got me as to the general qualifications and average salaries of each.  Anyone know?  Thanks....

about how wonderful it is to train Indians to do our job.  OH YAAAYYY, LET'S HERE IT FOR SPHERIS AND HEALTHSCRIBE   Let's give a big whoopie and cheer them on while they continue to post for transcriptionists on this board and yet outsource and TRAIN Indians to do our job.  I guess I'm angry about the article on other levels, such as the fact that it seems that Advance magazine is constantly promoting offshore transcription.  This is not the first time they have printed articles like this. 

Our hospital used Spheris and Cbay and we spent hours up hours redoing the reports, yet these companies got paid in full.  Where is the logic in that?  Thank God, administration wised up and brought the work back in.  Now we can go back to doing what we've always done ... OUR OWN TRANSCRIPTION ACCURATELY!

Cover story:  Are MTs Paid Fairly.  This story needs rebuttals.  (I don't know if I spelled that right -- too mad to look it up.)  There is another article about MTing as well as some good letters to the editor.  No, I didn't write them.  Not promoting self.

Look, this magazine wants feedback.  Controversy creates publicity which creates readership.  Please think about sending your own letters to the editor.  Write what you write here.  Let more people involved in our field know your thoughts whether they be MTs or not. 

No, I don't work for ADVANCE.  I'm just an MT just like most of you.  I just want our voices to be heard by more people who call the shots that affect us.  This is one venue.  Even if you don't like the publication, fight back and make your voices heard!!!  What a lot of you write here would be fantastic letters to the Editor which would reach a wider spectrum of our associates than this forum for MTs.  We've got to keep the topic of the MT situation HOT in the media.  You can submit articles to them as well.  Get busy, PLEASE!!

I will  write a letter...

which discusses the 3-fold test that the IRS is using instead of the former 20-factor list.

I know of very few MTSOs which really treat ICs like ICs. 

My best friend successfully challenged the company she worked for -- she got unemployment and a nice tax credit; the company owner got hit with huge penalties. 

Plus shift diff and bonus, plus $1000 sign-on bonus, and relocation $. What a great offer if it's true.

detailing how disgusted you are with the fact that they are promoting offshore training and offshoring transcription.  This is the third article on this sort of topic that the magazine has done in a year. 

I find this particularly offensive because so many hospitals/medical record departments get the magazine and if they see this, then companies like Spheris, CBay, Healthscribe, and others will be getting called to come do their transcription!

So please, don't cancel your subscription, just voice your opinion and comments.  Thank you.

that spelled how why, but here are some of my reasons:

1. In all their years in existence, the AAMT has yet to make life easier for the AMERICAN MT.  In fact, the state of MT in this country is worse than I have seen it in a very long time. 

2.  The AAMT chose to align themselves with MTIA whose board of directors is largely composed of Indians.  They also support offshoring and have adopted the motto "work smarter" which to them means pay hundreds of dollars for a CMT that most companies will not even acknowledge and then hundreds more dollars to join AAMT yearly to get their crappy publications.

3.  They are now certifying offshore MTs.  Yes, nothing like opening the cover of the AMERICAN Association for Medical Transcription and seeing the names of the Indians who have received their CMT. 

4. I get less pay than I did 20 years ago and offshoring is the main reason.  So pardon me if I am a little testy that I just paid so much money to an organization who stabbed me in the back.

5. I certainly think they SHOULD change their name to something else.  How about the I SOLD THE AMERICAN MT DOWN THE RIVER ASSOCIATION FOR MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION.  Bitter?  You bet.  Gosh, they made so many promises and all they did was take our money for a piece of paper rarely recognized by anyone at the same time extending a hand to the reason I am making less money than I did 20 years ago!  

6.  It's a bloated association full of lots of people who "do things."  Everything except stick up for the American MT. 

7. Oh yes, and the BOS is ridiculous.

Please also check borderline personality disorder on the internet.  True bipolar has fairly long periods of either mania or depression and cycles.  Bipolar is more ongoing pervasive personality of poor coping skills and conflicted interpersonal interactions.

My advice is to realize there is probably nothing you can do to help them or change them other than altering the way YOU deal with THEM for the good of your own mental health!

Not sure why you needed the computer as I am assuming you already had a computer and the equipment?  Most computers with fairly new Windows system would work okay.  I personally feel the rental fee is kind of a bad idea in the long run at $48.00 a month.  Sounds like you may need a phone line again unless you can get wireless.  You'll have to talk to tech, I guess.

As far as learning and training, are you on DQS?