Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair.

• Bringing the head lice post back up. This has been going around at my daughter's school. - me
  • also don't forget to wash bed linens - with bleach
  • boy, do I remember those days - Snow Bunny
    • Thanks Snow Bunny. Good advice too. Hopefully, with the oil and possibly the Lindane, will eradica - me
  • WARNING to those trying to PREVENT it..... - mq_mt
    • I think I will stick with the oil treatments in the future. Scary. Hope your child is well. - Thanks for the warning.
      • She is OK now - mq_mt
      • Low grade olive oil is the best. - Read that online. NM
  • Thanks everyone who responded. I don't have family nearby and no - me
  • Head lice - me
  • Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair. - went through this last year
    • This works better...same principle - xx
      • Health department here said straight mayo. SM - MT
    • Vaseline works too and to rinse out use Dawn dish soap.nm - MT
  • my grandmother used vinegar diluted with water on my hair - anna
  • A female neighbor, sister, mother, anyone who can give you - a good check would be the answer. nm
  • Do you have a good girlfriend or a mother you can ask? - NM

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I have been using the product off and on for the last 7 years, but mostly since November 2002. Let me offer the short version of what’s involved: 

1.            You need a computer that has a CPU no less than 2 GHz with no less than 1 MB of memory, and it should not have a Cerelon processor.

2.            The system requires a sound card that is not integrated into the motherboard. Here is a link for sound cards that work well with Dragon:  http://support.scansoft.com/compatibility/default.asp

3.            Don’t use the microphone that comes with the product. You need to order one separately. Here’s a link for quality brands:   http://www.emicrophones.com/microphones/product_detail.asp?subcatID=1   (I’ve used both the Andrea-700 and VXI Talk Pro in the past, and they are suitable to the task. I currently I use the Sennheiser MD431 II handheld/desktop microphone (it’s worth every penny).

4.            Learn the proper way to dictate:   http://www.emicrophones.com/articles/index.asp  (check all of the links on this page; Marty has a terrific web site). This can make or break the level of accuracy.

5.            I prefer Dragon Medical Suite over the Professional version. You want to have the latest version, which is version 8, since it has the highest level of accuracy (you upgrade further at no charge, but you need version 8 on your system).  Previously, you could purchase version 6 or 7 off ebay for $250-300 and then upgrade to version 8 for under $200, but it seems that now the upgrade to version 8 is $450. So, you’re best option is to keep an eye on eBay and pounce when you see a good deal on DNS Medical Suite version 8. However, you *can* get by with DNS Professional if you have enough documents for the program to “read.”  They say 30-50 MB is sufficient but I disagree. I do acute care and have close to 500 MB, and keep adding all of the time.

6.            Will the product benefit you? I would recommend the product to someone who can say “yes” to any of the following:  [a] you have physical problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis; [b] you don't have a great memory and cannot remember thousands of abbreviations, which means you’re typing things out at least 50% of the time (that includes being proficient at SmarType and Instant Text, which *still* boils down to memorization).

7.            You need to put the time and effort into preparing and training the product. You cannot just install it and “Away we go!!!” However, if you’re diligent about the training process (which is continual), you can probably average 350-400 lines per hour with 98-99% accuracy after three to four months of training. This product is not for everyone. Some will do better than others. Success or failure lies in the user, not the product.

8.            The more you learn about the product, the higher your level of production. That goes for any product. There are three web sites out there which are dedicated to the product and can answer anyone question you’ve got.

9.            Is proofing necessary? Yes, no matter how accurate you think the product is. But, the more you train it, the faster the proofing process. With proofing, I average 350 lph. So, if someone did the proofing for me I would probably dictate 450+ lph.

I think I've covered the initial bases on this. If you want to discuss things further, just email me. 

Some of you probably know me but I am small MTSO, 2 part-time IC's.  One of mine does Psych Eval and I pick up tapes once a week usually, 2-3 tapes on Thurs or Friday.  I deliver to her.   Do not need the last one back until Weds a.m.  I usually ask that if there are two, one back on Monday and one on Tues p.m.  So the doc does get them all at once.  They have to be out in the mail by Thurs from him, I send them to him and he prints and mails.   Well this gal has been doing this account for over a year.  She is always rushed and trying to get them done "faster" all the time to make that much more per hour.  (I pay 0.8 per gross line with headers and footers counted).   So there is usually 350 to 400 lines per account which she does in about an hour since I have set up so many templates.  Good money I think.  But she rushes so much that there are minor mistakes being made -- wit instead of with, or instead of on, bear essentials instead of bare essentials,  not big ones but little. I feel that because he gives us so much time tht these reports should be 100% accurate with the typing and grammer -- am I wrong.  I make very little on this account, 25% of the take at maximum.  So I told her that if the reports came back PERFECT I would pay her 0.85 cents per line and she really got upset.  Said that humans make mistakes, etc.  Am I out of line?  She really gets defensive on the corrections I send her and so I stopped sending them to her.  Yea she used to be a friend.   So how to you like to be told that you have errors?   I try not to be too stern but when she attaches the incorrect letter to a psych eval that got me the other night.  Give me some advice. I mainly just E-mail her back the corrections I have made but evidently I am too "harsh" and demanding too much perfection.    Thanks.  Patti

Again, I am from the old school, old way of counting and have had my accounts for many, many years - some 18 years.  I do the simplest and easiest for me which is just doing gross lines per Word -- which I know counts the spaces but that is how these accounts were started and when I inherited some of them was told to count top to bottom -- but with that in mind -- I keep my rates a little lower.  I am from .11 to 12.5 cpl.  The lowest is for my Psych accounts as they give me 3-5 days turn around and we insert a lot of templates.  The others are internal medicine, surgery, surgical oncology, Plastic/Hand surgery and Dermatology.  I do pick up delivery, print, envelopes, cut apart chart notes but I average $35 to $45 and sometimes over $50 an hour (depends on how many Op's and consults that I have) and cannot see raising my prices.   So I am happy and content.  My pick up and deliveries take me an hour each day (depending on how much I visit with the office staff and docs) and I usually stop at the store or something but it gets me out of the house and I really do not mind that at all.  I figure this into my work day to get my average hourly rate and am still happy with it.  I will probably raise my rates at the end of 2007 but it has been two years.  So with all of that said -- again it depends on your variables -- pick up and delivery, printing, etc.  But for a ballpark figure I would go for 12 cpl for digital and 12.5 to 13 for pick up and delivery knowing that it will take 3 to 6 months to get your average up there while getting to know your docs, etc.  I have used Sylcount for another account and to me that was too cumbersome.   I tell my accounts the simpler, less time consuming we keep it the more savings I can pass onto you.  And yes, they do appreciate me, pay on time, Birthday cards are received, Christmas bonuses received, included in staff parties if I want and the doctors actually talk to me and treat me as a person with a name and joke with me.  Nobody can really answer this question for you as only you know what the account entails, your experience and what you want to make.  You can always raise in a year or after doing it for a while. Good luck, e-mail me if you need any other additional info.   Patti

I used to make $70,000 and up a year and did so for most of the late 80s and 90s (one girl used to make six figures a year working 7 days a week!)  Because we were making more money than the supervisors and Medical Records Directors in hospitals, they began to switch to transcription services which were sprouting up all over the place.  Plus AAMT came into existence and even though in the beginning it claimed it was to fight for transcriptionists (although assured us it was NOT a union), they eventually morphed into an organization that was more management friendly.  They developed the "guidelines" and the 65-char line.  That was the beginning of the end for those high-end wages.  Then all those mickey mouse transcription schools popped up, and now outsourcing overseas.  YES, we're complaining. 

I'm very sorry that your lines are 90 characters line and you get paid by gross lines.  You are cheating yourself - that's not my fault.  You cannot change the definition of a gross line.  So I gues I'm not understanding what you are trying to say.  Now if you are trying to say that your line equals 90 characters and that's how you figure your lines, than you are not using gross lines.  You have defined a line to be 90 characters, whereas most MTSOs define a line as 65 characters.  If that is the case, then I must say again, you are cheating yourself.

So which is it, do you get paid by gross lines or by a 90 character line?

appropriate anymore. I was taught "when in doubt, leave it out," especially if the comma is meant to add emphasis.

I have seen too many instances where too many commas have ruined a document.

I'll start:  Almost 27 years doing acute care reports, but I have about a year of experience doing radiology (hospital).

Care to share?

I have been official MT for 13 years, unofficially for about 7 years before that.