No insight but good advice....sm
Posted By: MomMT2 on 2005-08-13
In Reply to: Chronic chapped lips - Mom-CMT
.... get to a doctor now! Better safe than sorry.
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Thanks so much for the insight and advice, guys, I really appreciate it, books are informative but
when you are in the at-home world like we are, there's nothing better than getting it straight from people who have been there!
Very good advice! NM
..
Good advice! nm
x
this is very good advice
Embarrassment and nips it in the bud. When this first started I was so dumbfounded that I didn't know what to do or say, but I find myself not going over there at all and unhappy so I need to take control. Hopefully it won't happen since big mouth brought it to his attention, but if it does, I will force myself to quickly say something within moms earshot. Thanks for the advice.
Very good advice
nm
Need some good advice, please
I'm looking for an Internet-based software for my home MT service, one that can be accessed from any web browser, can e-sign, auto fax, let the docs' referring physicians go to the site, log in and read their patients' reports, and offer a complete accounting of lines charged on a daily, weekly, monthly, etc., basis. Also software that will allow the doctors to search transcripts by any criteria; i.e, patient name, their date of office visit, names of meds prescribed, and the like. Also, one that could also be integrated into EMR without any problem in the future.
Does anyone have any good ideas?
Also, any idea of the intitial outlay and the per-line charge the vendor would charge on the average?
Finally, I'd be very interested in reading about the type of software you currently use and if you and your clients are happy with it.
Thank you much. 
Britta in Las Vegas
Good advice!
I don't exactly time myself on how long I try before leaving a blank but I would say I never spend more than 3 minutes either. I would think though that 3 minutes would certainly be enough time for anyone to spend, more than that would be a waste of time IMO.
This is such good advice! Thank you.
I am on the Climara patch - low dose. Sleep deprivation was making it very difficult to get through the work day and so, I really had no choice. I promised myself yearsd ago I would not be sad due to aging and really, I had a wonderful time as a young woman. The physical symptoms, though, I never expected to be so difficult. It is like being slapped up side the head with a 2 x 4 when you least expect it.
That's good advice. I like that. :) (nm)
x
Good advice
And exactly what the OP apparently wants someone else to do for her and spoonfeed her the results. She declared she didn't have the "patience" to read all the posts, so it is unlikely that she will follow your advice.
Need some good advice, please...
There's a very large insurance company here in Boston that wants me to handle their transcription - very little medical terminology, and the typing would be pretty darn simple. The head of the company seems like a really nice, down-to-earth guy; the work will be plentiful; and there would also be an opportunity to get in with other branches of the company as well doing their offices' transcription.
I know as an IC we are to set the rates, and I normally charge on a per-line basis; however, they are adamant about paying a per-page charge - currently pay $2.50 per page now to a service they detest.
What do you feel is a fair per-page rate to charge them? I really want to be fair, but I use an Internet-based platform that charges me 1.5 cents 65 cpl.
Any and all suggestions are welcome, and thank you so very much! 
good advice
I'll just keeping trudging along. Learning and living.
That's some good advice
there.
all good advice
You have already gotten some good advice and I agree with all of it. You should not make a hasty and impulsive decision about your marriage, certainly. But as one who spent 15 years in an emotionally and eventually physically abusive marriage because I went to a church that "didn't believe" in divorce, let me just say, if you do eventually make a rational decision to go, don't let what others think even be part of the decision. I still get lots of criticism and judgment from so-called Christians about my decision, but my children and I have never been any better off than we are now.
always such GOOD advice!
...they will pay your average pay for term of contract.....
Okay, Patti -- fess up. What's your web site or fan club address?
Administrator -- We need to give Patti her own board!!!
That was good advice
This post offered some great advice! I'd do that until I was sure I liked my new company better. Also, the advice someone else gave about searching the company board for positive and negative comments about the new company was good. You may feel a little bit overworked for a short while, but it shouldn't take you too long to know if you like your new job. Best to you!
that's good advice, too
I would stay at the current job, take the paid maternity leave (making sure, as the last poster said, that you can quit after it with no repercussions) and find something during your leave that you can take your time to work into.
All 4 of my kids were born with me working at home, and that includes the middle 2 being twins. It worked for me. Some babies are very easy to work with and others are very hard. I guess you can't really know until they are born. I switched companies when I was 4 months pregnant with my last one and I was worried about that, but it did give me time to get used to the new company before adding the baby and getting used to two new things at once, so think about that, too.
Does anyone know any good advice on how to
get rid of Office 97 when installing Editscript? If Editscript finds traces of Office 97, it won't install. I have talked with Escription and they gave me links to download Office registry removal and that didn't work. Thanks
Good advice
A very nice, generous, and helpful post. Great advice about going over the nasty supervisor's head--nobody should have to be verbally demeaned on the job--no matter how many years a supervisor has. (Congrats on in-house & good luck)
That's good advice. Thanks.
no message.
Good advice - nm
nm
Good advice - nm
nm
Good advice - nm
nm
Good advice - nm
nm
Good advice. I'm new to this area, and still sm
don't have enough phone books. The nearest Wal-Mart is 15 miles away, so I'm kinda limited as to resources. I will check to see if there is a bike store in the next "big town" (20 miles away). Thanks!!
Very good advice from 'Been there done that.'
I think this advice is great. Maintain your professionalism and integrity. You are worth 14 cents a line. I also live in the Northeast and charge 13 cents a line for a psych account, which is very easy, but if I were doing family practice, I would probably charge 15 cents per line, as that is what the other MTs in my local area charge. Good, quality, dependable service is hard to find. I think they will be back. Get out there and market yourself and find another account. You’ll be fine.
Lynn 
Starting over you have a lot of good advice below on..sm
your situation. I must say I do feel for you and wish you all the best. Take care of yourself and those children first. That is most important and I will most certainly be thinking about you and saying a prayer or two. Take your time and do whatever you have to in order to make a safe and happy life for yourself and those children. Bless you and wishing you happiness.
Good advice Mandi...thanks...nm
nm
Good advice Dreamweaver! When my
computer starting "biting the dust" about a month or 2 ago, I panicked and bought a new one with Vista. I had to wait until Express Scribe was updated, which was about 2 weeks or so, one of the companies I worked for had to do a fix, and I just startes with a new company on Tuesday, and I was just on the phone with the IT guy for about 30 minutes with him doing a fix for Vista! I have a cousin and a friend who can rebuild computers, but I though buying a brand new one was a better idea HAHA
This is good advice. I had the same question - sm
last year when I changed jobs. Found out that a pre-existing condition could have made new insurance more expensive, or even harder to get. So painful as it was financially, I got COBRA. As it turned out, I'm glad I did, because during that waiting period I got a really bad ear infection - so bad that I was basically deaf. It took a long time and lots of antibiotics to clear up, but I couldn't have afforded the care without COBRA, and might have damaged my hearing, which is not a good thing for an MT to lose!
Very good advice, RadMT! nm
x
That is very good advice - and less likely to get you in trouble!
After all, that's what the QA people are there for. If we didn't make mistakes and leave blanks, they'd be working at Wal-Mart.
Well, you should. She gave you good advice.
If you don't like the contract, move on and find one you do like. Like Patti, as a business owner, I've heard a lot of things and if you don't put even the smallest things in writing, there's going to be someone out there who will take advantage of trust. Sorry if you don't like it, but that's what it's come to--and not just in the MT business. Check your next loan contract, service contract or sales agreement.
Thanks for all the replies...VERY good advice...NM
.
Call Jacy. She gives good advice,
:+
Hey, that's good advice! Listen to Kate!
Seriously, that's sound advice for anybody! Good on ya, Kate! Have a great Saturday!
Ditto here. Good advice. I sit here and DING. . .
I need a bag of salt and vinegar chips and something chocolate and a Coke so I go and I get them and I eat and drink them and then I'm fine.
I normally don't even care about that stuff, but when that junk food alarm goes off, I feed it because I guess I need it? I'm not overweight except for that one week a month. 
Good advice but some people refuse to
split "amicably." I know for a fact in my case it would be a blame game and a huge mess. Been there many times and resorted to other ways of handling it. I wonder if what you suggested would still work for me?
Not the OP but helped by your advice.
Thanks,
me
Good advice. I wish more service IT people (sm)
that I have met were more helpful. They should realize that faster PCs = happier and more productive MTs = more $$$ for company and maybe an increase in his own pay! KWIM?
Good advice...thanks! I'll save my $$ (NM)
.
I feel lost---is this as good as it gets? Need advice PLEASE
I have been doing MT now for almost 3 years. Previously to being hired, I had never done MT before, but I had worked in a hospital system and public health for a total of about 19 years and I had a Bachelors Degree to boot, so I was hired. I worked for a medical clinic that housed about 100 doctors of varying specialties.
The QA person never helped me, nor did I get training--I was pretty much on my own.
Reports were pretty simple, so I was able to get by without anyone helping me. However, the boss was a horrible woman, a supervisor of medical records who was ALWAYS firing people for any little infraction. If she didn't like you, you had even more problems.
She didn't like me, so she made my life hard. I was short 100 measly lines of a goal she set and she made my life h-e-l-l. She constantly wrote me up about it, even those I was sooo close, but other people that she liked, didn't have to have to meet goals.
Anyhow, I got fed up and quit. I got hired at a hospital in acute care--a friend who worked there got me in. This time, I had feedback. Unfortunately, acute care is something I had no experience with and now my issues are QA.
You get "dinged" for any mistake and I can't pass QA! I've been there for 5 months, but I'm scared I am going to get fired. NEVER have I ever had to worry so much about my performance or getting written up and/or fired.
I've been having nightmares I am going to get fired. I dread opening up any emails I get from QA--a fellow employee checks mine and she is VERY anal and dings me for everything. I feel like they think I'm not "getting it" and I believe they are circling the wagons to get me fired.
I feel so dumb when I get my QA feedback. How could this be? I know I'm NOT dumb and can do this job. Certainly someone who made the Dean's List at an acredited school, has enough intelligence to excel at this, right?
I'm just ready to give up. I'm scared to quit, as the job market and economy is pretty poor, but with my work experience and education, I've never had a problem getting hired. MT has been the WORST choice ever for me. I have a small child, so I thought this would be a good fit for me, but it's been a disaster. Is this the way it's going to be? Am I expecting too much of myself too soon?
I just feel like there isn't any learning curve anymore. I feel so all alone, I can't talk to my co-workers about it, because they never share their QA scores or line counts. I'm so freaking frustrated and stressed about this. Any advice on my situation? Is this the way of life for an MT? Thanks
Thank you so much on the insight
into QA. We MTs do resent you sometimes. When I get a correction back, I always try to say thank you. Sometimes we MTs just forget that QA is human. You need a pat on the back sometimes.
More insight
I do respect and hope to learn from QA but at times the conflicting ways of doing things are extremely confusing. Something needs to be done so QA makes a good living without driving the MT crazy. I would never want the responsibility of QA. I use the BOS often but even parts of that are confusing when you are told type verbatim as very few doctors speak in perfect grammar. I once typed a phrase -- the doctor dictated exactly as it was listed in BOS so I typed as such and QA faulted me in regards to where the comma was placed. Heck it was that way in the BOS. There is just too much stress for the amount of money we get both QA and MT. There are days when I do my best and think I did right by the BOS yet QA will say different and I think have to wonder what is expected at 7 cents or 8 cents a line. The stress of the industry just is not worth the pay. I go over every report at least 2 times to be as accurate as possible and I still get faulted for things that according to BOS are not wrong. Like one person said one QA will say that is correct good job and the next QA even within the same company will say the total opposite about the exact same thing. It is just mad. I don't know how QA can keep so many doctors rules straight in their heads, especially those hospital accounts. I respect the nice/helpful QA people -- you have a lot on your plates!
More insight
In my experience, I have come across many QA who are not that good. They don't know the BOS. I have wondered how quite a few even became QA. I know that there is a lot of differences between QA. I've experienced it personally as an MT and as a QA. I would like to see companies start going toward a base hourly pay for QA. It seems lately the industry standard is becoming production pay for QA. I might work on 10 accounts in one day; all with their own style preferences. On production pay, it is difficult to keep all the P's and Q's straight. If an MT messes up or overlooks demographics, it takes time to fix that. In the time it takes to correct demographics for me, I could type a 30-line report. Fixing demographics, looking up doctors names (even though they are easily found but left blanked) takes a lot of time. It is hard to leave positive feedback when most QA these days are being rushed.
Keep in mind that most of the reports sent to QA are not the easy ones. We should see the hardest dictators and the drugs that sometimes seems impossible to find. So I could see a 30-line report (at 5 cpl) with only one blank. But that one blank may be extremely tough. It might take me 15 minutes to find it. On production, I would not give it that much effort. On hourly pay, I would spend the time to research it. So keep in mind that it would only take a few minutes to type the whole report but the time it takes to research this one blank might be 5-10 times longer. Paid production, far lower than typing. I simply made more money as an MT.
The production pay for QA is happening because simply there are some QA staff that abused the hourly pay system. They didn't work. They didn't do their required amount of reports. So the bad apples out there have spoiled the whole bunch.
I feel frustrated myself lately with the industry as a whole. If I'm not QA'ing overseas MTs who do not understand American slang, than I'm being production to find the impossible words on the hard ESLs.
I've worked with many QA over my career. I've seen some good QA and I've seen some that are just really rotten. They don't know anything about style. They shouldn't be in QA.
I worry sometimes that correcting something according to the proper guidelines is going to cause conflict because there are some rules to the BOS that not a lot of QA are aware of.
I do agree that QA needs to be uniform in their feedback. It would make my life easier as a QA as well.
But also keep in mind that some things in our field that there are 3 right ways to do it.
One example is the word followup. Now follow-up used to be an adjective. It is being tossed out lately. It is still NOT wrong but the BOS is leaning toward removing it all together. So why not just let it go and use followup instead?
You might see one QA correct it and another leave it. Neither are wrong.
It is almost impossible to input the BOS with your companies preferences on a ver batim account and not make someone mad at you! 
My advice, ask where they document their correction from so that you may look up the rule yourself for future reference?
If you can, email and say where in the Book of Style may I find this or account specifics, etc.
Best wishes to all of you and please keep this in mind that a lot of QA are being pushed to their limits and we don't make enough money. We are supposed to be superior MTs (which is why we are in QA). But most of us don't make near as much as we did typing.
Thanks for your insight . . .
this is the only mistake she found on my review.
Some insight please
My company is giong to be offering to train on voice recognition/speech. I currently do straight typing but I am going to take them up on the offer to get cross-trained for the experience.
I will at first admit I really don't know much about VR. It seems to me that the doctor transcribes, the computer transcribes it and then the MT listens and makes sure the document is correct? Is that what this is? Is it really that difficult?
I'm am not trying to cause waves but I would just like some clarification/insight on this. Thanks so much!
Thank you for taking the time to post this good advice. NM
nm
Need some good advice on a GREAT vacuum cleaner...sm
We vacuum at least twice daily because we bought carpet that tracks like you would not believe. We bought a Eureka bagless vacuum cleaner about 4 months ago and it is the pits! Does not pick up, you have to REALLY clean it every time...who knows what the real problem is...I would not mind paying good money for a GOOD vacuum cleaner that does not lose suction...Any ideas?
I wanted to thank all those who give me good advice last week. SM
And for listening to me boo hoo about being laid off or dissolved as the suits at the hospital like to call it. Anyway, I have officially accepted a QA Editor position with a service and I'm actually in a more positive frame of mind than I was last week.
I got my laptop all set up and ready to go with a laptop stand for plenty of ventilation, I put off buying any kind of wav player and just downloaded ExpressScribe for the time being, and I didn't saturate the market with my resume, but picked only a few places to apply based on suggestions and information you all gave me here. And I did all of this because you ladies gave me such good advice.
I just wanted to say what a great place this is and it is very, VERY wonderful to have a place to network, socialize, fellowship, or just plain gab with colleagues and friends. 
Good advice, but make sure to check 1 thing
When I did this a few years ago, my company had a policy that stated if I did not return after my leave, I could be responsible for any benefits received during the leave. Make sure to check with your human resources on that. I ended up coming back to work out a 2-week notice, which wasn't bad.
Thank you all so very much for your valuable insight
A job like this will not come my way perhaps.
I remember the days when 2-5 jobs for MTs would be in the Classified section of the newspapers and it was a matter of deciding which specialty we wanted to be in or whether to work in a physician's office or the local hospital medical records department.
Thank you
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