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I thought their platform was pretty easy to use,

Posted By: ex-S on 2005-07-13
In Reply to: Can someone tell me if most of Spheris's accounts have a lot of ESLs and is their platform still - PAMT

and the software training was great.  However, I quit because of the ESLs, being bounced from one account to another every week, and having to work a set schedule.  Just not my fit.  You might give it a try to see if it fits you.


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It's pretty easy (sm)

My DBF is an "IT guy", & set ours up for us.  He's on a conference call right now, so I can't get him to explain it, & if I tried to I'd probably have you and I both confused all to heck....soooo, I found this site that is pretty thorough...


http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question353.htm


If you still have questions, if you have a Best Buy or Circuit City nearby, you can ask them to help you out...they're pretty good about this stuff.


Hope this helps


I think it's pretty easy--
You'll hear a lot of the same terms over and over. The only thing is it can get boring, but you can make good lines at it.
pretty easy :)

Just go to your desktop and right click "My Computer". Select properties, and BAM!


I mean "a" really easy platform...nm

The dictators are pretty easy...
...and I can type pretty fast, I guess :)
Scarry is pretty scary, too! See how easy....
it is to make mistakes?
I've heard its really an easy platform...
We use IDXRad and I'm told its easier than that - and IDXRad is really, really easy, so I think you'll like RadNet!
I think it's pretty easy. And I think is mis-typed. I use Quicken for Home & Business.

I am by no means an accounting-type person. I keep EVERYTHING in this program. I used to always have my checkbook screwed up. Now, I don't even bother with trying to keep a balance written in my checkbook register because I do everything from her. I have automatically scheduled transactions, reminders and bills set up. I actually now have a budget (unheard of before).


As far as invoicing, I have found it to be very easy. I would say my favorite feature is the ability to email invoices directly from the program to clients, saving me postage and the hassle of delayed payments because of PO delivery problems.. Another plus for me is that I have to collect sales tax and it set that up for me automatically when I set up my business--this makes it very easy for me to figure out my tax due each quarter.


Another plus is that you can set up Quicken to automatically download bank transactions every day so I can stay on top of what's going on with my money. It keeps me from missing those pesky ATM transactions that my husband makes in the family account!


Actually I thought it was pretty clear
& I've also wondered why.  He was referring to IC or employment postings where they "discriminate" against those of us from the golden state.  It will be interesting to find out the real reason...
i thought it was easy
and can make good counts. Others on this board will differ greatly tho...but rather than try to learn their normal phrases, i made my own.
I thought her reason was pretty clear
To warn people not to spend money going to college for a minimum wage job with no hope of advancement. might as well flip burgers, at least at a fast food joint you might make manager some day.

Good for you that you are still making $50,000. You are the exception. My story is the same as OP's, I was doing MT as a second job for 10 years and decided in 2000 to quit my office job and work at home full time. It has definitely gone downhill and I too tell anyone who asks that it would be a mistake to go into this profession.

Why do you care if there are no new transcriptionists? Like you say, more work for you!
Your account is too easy for your skills would be my thought.
For instance, you are making very good money easily while other MTs may be on a more difficult account and making less. You may one day be looked at as a person to move into another more challenging account to keep you in the curve of pay for MTs. That would be fair, actually, when you think about it.
MTSO with platform versus no platform (big message)

If a MTSO advertises that the MT works in MS Word and sends dictation by FTP, does this usually mean there will be no demographic/doctor database and the demographics will not be autopopulated?


 


I got into a mess with a small company (got out real quickly too).  I was required to print out daily email copies of the doctors' office patient schedules (which were barely legible) and type in all information.  I spent more time hunting for the correct patient through pages and pages of these schedules.  Then I had about 25 pages worth of doctor's names that I would have to go through to find the attending, referring, etc.  A total waste of time as I didn’t get paid for that. 


 


I wish MTSO would give more information as to what platform they use (if any).  Proprietary software is such a generic, totally useless description.  Would they buy a new car that listed, "Car has gasoline operated motor?" 


 


And for Pete's sakes, why so secretive about the pay?  Give a ballpark figure.  Just say, pay is between 7-12 cpl depending on skill, testing, etc. Tell me if you pay for spaces, headers, etc.  It would save them time because I wouldn’t even apply for a 7 cpl job. 


 


Before I spend an hour or two testing, I need more information from a company to be sure it is compatible for my needs.  If the MTSO would spend a little time on their website detailing their platform, how they send/receive files, pay rates,  how line rate is determined (spaces/no spaces) employee/IC/SE status, minimal line count, whether work pools consist of 100s of doctors, or smaller pools with 25-50 doctors etc.   Having all this information on their website would save them time and the MTs time.   Phoenix Medcom has a really good layout describing pretty much everything an MT would want to know before testing with them.  I am just tired of testing with a company and then finding out the job wasn’t exactly suited to my needs. 


The easy answer, taking all the easy work and
x
I think I'm pretty bright and pretty good, too, but
I am not a CMT. I am a medical transcriptionist who enjoys her job very much (most days). I have chosen not to pursue certification simply because I cannot afford to do so. I believe the certification is a nice thing to have, but I don't believe it is necessary for employment or for excellence in my job. If you can afford it, go for it. If you can't, don't feel too bad. You can still take pride in and do a very good job without it.
Platform versus non-platform (templates)?

I've been working for MTSOs for years now, using their templates which sometimes cause productivity problems (macro issues, etc). I'm wondering if productivity is increased when working on a structured platform, such as one that a national company provides for its transcriptionists?  I've never used a platform, but it would seem that all one needs to do is straight type onto the screen and the platform program takes care of margins, page breaks, etc?


Any thoughts (as well as companies who are hiring who use platforms) would be appreciated.  Thanks


Well, Word is easy to buy and easy to install. Word 97 works great. Cheap. SM
I still would not work anywhere I could not use a spell checker with grammar checker and a Steadman's Medical Spell Checker.

IF they want people to TRANSCRIBE MEDICAL REPORTS, then I guess they better get the programs they need.

It's like probably 110% easier to buy and install Word 97 than to try to program their own programming. And, yes, I do mean Microsoft Word 97. Why? Because you can install it unlimited times, in case you need to install the operating system again. And it has a few features that Microsoft, in its un-wisdom, took away in Word 2000 and 20003 and 2007. So, yes, I'd go with Word 97 for its cheapness and it works better than the later versions. Just my opinion, with 20 years experience being an MT. So what if they "don't have it" on their computer? It's easy to get.
Easy easy money they are!

I don't mind seeing those puppies filter in at all.  Same for H&Ps.  They are always different though, so can't really pop in the same pre-formatted autotext, but it's usually WHAMMO 2-3 pages at a time.  Give them a shot...you may just be pleasantly surprised! 



I think I smell either VR on the easy stuff, or offshoring of the easy stuff.
d
Well, this is just pretty much par for the
course for MQ. Guess they never heard the saying "If it's not broke, don't fix it." I'm sure the underpaid tech people will fix it soon.
But they have such a pretty name...
Isn't that the main thing to look for?
pretty much just what they are- I know nothing

How are they like CD's, are they better, worse?  Basic info.  I've googled it, but still not sure.


Pretty is as pretty does.
and your not looking too good here.
pretty....
Thank you for reading my post and taking it the way it was written.

Some others on this board twisted what I said - as if I was saying "everyone is doing it" by citing the fact that hospital staff are under the influence of various substances - drugs (legal as well as illegal - although someone took it to mean marijuana), alcohol, glue sniffing, aerosols, etc.

Nurses and doctors have the highest percentage of addiction of any professionals - there are many factors that go into, but it is merely a fact, not an accusation or finger pointing, just a fact.

Pretty!
Very nice!
Pretty sure you have to pay for that.
Which makes it even sadder. That she paid for such a poorly worded post.
I am pretty sure I know where the ad came from
These are usually meger start-up places who think they can get by by offshoring and will find out very quickly how bad the work is going to be.  I see these all the time and am pretty adept at stealing the offshore business after the client gets a taste of reality.  :)
Pretty much the same way (sm)
This doc dictates on cassettes, but he only turns it in when he has filled up the tape. I've asked him to turn it in everyday. The only thing they want on their reports is the transcription date, which is what their accreditation requires. Their accreditation also requires a TAT within 4 days, so when he dictates from Wednesday to Wednesday, and I get the tape on Thursday, he is out of that 4-day range. The transcription date is sometimes a week or so later than the actual test date, which is what he doesn't want.

Thanks for the tips!


I do it now, pretty much always have sm
Right now, it is a FT employee with benefits and a PT IC well paid (10 cpl) as well as some hourly QA work. As I have said many, many times, I am not a good sitter. Actual my fanny is in the chair, hands flying time is for full time is probably 5 to 5-1/2 hours, perhaps 6 a day. PT job is much the same, can't sit still probably only work 3 hours a day. The longest I ever sit at a time is the QA stuff where I will sit straight for the 1 to 2 hours that is going to take me.

My income is full time money, about $900-$1000 a week and I don't eat, drink and sleep MT. My income is going up a bit now because I gave up cigarettes and I don't stop to go out and smoke. I take breaks, but the breaks are much shorter and I am faster and faster on the keyboard.
Pretty much the same. SM
Some things the programs I've worked with seem to learn quickly, some they seemingly never learn. (It may be that VR work attracts passive-aggressive-type computers. After all, no computer can really be THAT dumb!)

Regarding making all those corrections, tho, use your expander. If yours won't record the Keystrokes you use to make all these corrections, get another. Let it delete "q.i.d." and type in "4 times a day" for you. Let it break one sentence into two for you. Let it type in a discharge diagnosis heading and then copy the admission dagnoses under it for you. Have it replace the phrases the computer will not learn with the correct versions for you. While you get paid for it.
That is pretty much the only way to use them
now because you need ULD and no phone company offers true ULD.  I worked with a company where I had to use a C-phone and I had digital phone service through my cable company.  I no longer work for the company, but I used it without any problems whatsoever. 
Pretty much.
Soon MTs will be nothing more than minimum wage workers.
This is pretty much
what I do. I make them for everything (plus individual words). Maybe because of the original way I was taught to make Expanders (using all consonants), I have had to alter my pattern in numerous ways (and now include vowels).

I typically use more of the 2nd word when doing two-word combos, like, ihrn for inguinal herna and hdss for heart disease, but I do have others where I do the reverse because of feel or whatever.

I continue to alters my patterns, shorten them and alter some because of letter combo comfort.

I guess it's just difficult when the goal is to have them for "everything" but not being close (because how many endless combos would there really be?), so then I'm not sure if I have one for certain things or not. And given the fact that there are umpteen ways to say the same phrase, I often would swear I had made one for a certain phrase ... but then, a word or two was different.

My thought was maybe it would be better to disregard certain types of phrases/words, and that is why I asked for examples of things you all do not make them for.

When I do the same account or two more regularly, I have a lot less problems. When switching it up, I fumble more. I suppose there is a certain flow and type of speaking with each account and various dicators, and alternating too much disrupts the flow of my autopilot.

Thanks for all the responses. If anyone thinks of anything to add, I will be checking back again.

Thanks!
Actually pretty much anywhere
It's usually over by where the Boost and stuff are carried, Walmart, Walgreen's, Target, even some supermarkets. It tastes good too.

Let me know how it works for you!
platform?
on my platform you can do a control/+ (the one near the backspace) to enlarge the text...
What platform do you use?

I am bored, and trying to get aquanited to the boards, so I am posting a little spree here. 


What platform do you use?  I use Extext by Dictaphone.  Like it so far.


How can they tell? Which platform?
Besides, it's not canned text.  LOL  That's a feature in Meditech.  If you use an expander, it's an "expansion".  Those are two different things there.  Isn't it open to interpretation?  If I were in your shoes, I'd download the trial version of ShortHand just to see if it worked and to see if they could detect it.  It's asinine to not be able to use expanders.  Why wouldn't the company want the work done faster and potentially more accurately?  I know there are some really long words that I have to stop to remember how to spell, so those are in my expander.
WOW!! Do you really think that? Platform is what
is used to type. You must be new to the biz. Also you cannot work for Amphion. You would know if you did.
Different platform
I'm w/ Baltimore office, still working on INET. Hearing that won't be for long, not many accounts left on it.
EP-1 Platform
Can anyone tell me about the EP-1 platform for spheris?
what platform is it that they use?
was it easy to learn?
New platform?
Perhaps the platforms should offer grammar checks as well then.......hmmmmm. UH OH, perhaps we just opened up a can of worms!
What platform are you?
Sounds like you have ideas worth sharing with whomever designed the platform.
MDI-FL has a platform
I worked for them earlier this year. I now cannot remember the name of it. It seems like something that would have been used in the 70s or 80s. I don't know if they use it on all of their accounts, but I had a very hard time with it. It took too long to search for the patient and MD data...it also froze up on me many times and I would have to restart my computer which caused me to lose all lines I had typed. I absolutely hated it. Horrible spell checker.

I now work for Sten-Tel who has a 'word' based internet platform called EditScript which is a breeze. I love it and have never had any problems with it.
New Platform...SM

I started on a new platform about two weeks ago and am finding it HORRIBLE!


I normally get between 130-170 lph, depending on dictators.  Today I worked four hours and had 200 lines


It is a word-based platform.  To put in a QA marker you put in spaces, highlight them change screens, use the mouse (no shortcut keys) click add, save, and then back to your screen.  To remove a QA marker, you have to change screens, use mouse click on QA marker number, and then click delete...  You also have to do this to look up or edit doctors, patient info...


In all honesty from anyone who has worked on such a platform, WILL I GET FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP MY CHILDREN FROM STARVING?


Thanks in advance


new platform
what's the name of the platform?
MTS platform
Does anyone know who uses MTs platform?
What is the platform like??
I get paid hourly ($15), so the platform doesn't really matter that much. Would you mind telling me about how much that rounds out to an hour? Just wondering if I'm making the right amount or if I should look elsewhere. Thanks.
is a platform...
i using express scribe and have been reading here about platforms, is express scribe considered a platform?  I have did MT for over ten years in an office setting but this is my 1st at home position and am unfamiliar with the platform. In the office setting we only used microcassettes and typed verbatim. So please forgive my ignorance in this realm.  Would someone be willing to explain or give an example.  I would appreciate it. I like to be knowledgable in the aspects of mt and feel you're never too old to be knowledgable. Thanks!!
Platform

Is anyone familiar with a platform called Medquist Cquence?  The service I work for has a client who uses this.  I am having a particularly difficult time learning this system.  Would you care to share what you think of it.  Is it worth the time spent in learning it, and once you do learn it, do you get a decent line count?


TIA


Anyone know MD-IT's platform?
nm