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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Professional Liability INsurance?

Posted By: mig on 2005-12-29
In Reply to:

Does anyone have this through AAMT?  If so, how much did you pay for it?  If not,  are there other options out there?   I'm looking into errors and omissions and I read about this, and think it would probably be just what I am looking for, but I am curious about the price before I pay for an AAMT membership! Thanks.




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Liability Insurance
I carry a $1 million umbrella policy that covers basically anything that happens at my home or in my car, except weather and acts of God.  This policy costs me $213 per year and I feel that it is well worth it.
somebody please help me liability insurance
i have a job offer that requires liability insurance.  company is accuscribe.  i have no idea where to go to get this insurance or how much it costs.  i am really confused.  somebody, please help me!
E & O Liability Insurance
E & O Liability insurance with AAMT runs $300 per year.
Do most IC's buy liability insurance?

I cannot afford to buy this insurance. Am I jeopradizing my home, etc. 


I keep wondering if this career is worth it.  I seem to put in so many long hours and do not get paid what I really put into it.  On the other hand, I do get that freedom of completing the work when I choose and whether it is in my pj's or not. 


Just wondering. 


E&O Liability insurance
I realize many of us think we do not need this insurance.  Unfortunately, a local area hospital thinks I do to work for them.  Someone had told me they got this through their home owners policy.  Any ideas on how to do that?  I'm not a member of AAMT.  I checked into it before, and it was rather expensive buying it outright from an insurance company.  Thanks.  I need to find more work and, unfortunately, this is what this hospital requires. 
That's not true. You do not need liability insurance SM

I went through a similar situation not too long ago.  My lawyer informed me that I do not need this insurance.  The dictating physician is responsible for the content of the dictated file and if he/she fails to read it/correct mistakes before signing off - he/she is the one that buys the farm, not the transcriptionist. 


In other words, error and omission insurance is a crock. 


Liability Insurance Rates? Does
anyone have a rough guesstimate of how much this could run an IC? I have been to various websites and got to an actual policy application form, but they only specify a cost of around $84 to $100, but don't say if that's monthly, quarterly, annually, etc. Anyone have an idea? Thanks!
Do any of you ICs out there carry your own liability insurance if
you are working for an MTSO?  I do not carry this insurance and was looking for what you all can advise me.  Thanks.
Does anyone have liability insurance? What can you tell me about it? Wondering if I (am IC) need i

x


who will provide IC liability insurance when state farm does not?
I want to be an IC, but in calling my insurance company they do not cover liability insurance for anything to do with medical......Does anyone know who I could contact?
no liability on IC's because MT's dont' have liability
-- the docs do. I have yet to hear of an MT in court because of what she transcribed...so don't worry about the liability. Big panty wadder coming from insurance companies.
Liability
What company is this for?
What about liability???

Found a hard working young mom who desperately needs income.  Told her I'd pay her $12/hr to help me get my home spring cleaned.  But, I wonder about liability should she or her son (she needs to bring her 3 yr-old son with her) get hurt on my property.  Or, heaven forbid, she stoops to the low road and scams me.  I do not know her well and she seems relatively honest but I am paranoid.


Should I have her sign a waiver???


ESL's a liability?
Imagine if the messed-up phrase had been directly linked to some life-or-death decision, or an allergy to medication, peanuts, or whatever. Makes me wonder if hospitals & clinics have ever thought about the possibility legal trouble an ESL doctor can cause by not being able to speak clearly.
ICs and Liability
Does anybody know how liability is handled if a transcription mistake causes harm to a patient if the Transcriptionist is an "Independent Contractor?"

Is liability insurance one of the first things an IC must purchase? Does the MTSOs customer who hired the MTSO as an IC think it's a good idea to SUBcontract the transcription work to a subcontractor who may or may not be insured?

Speaking of ICs...I found the following link on the U. S. Department of Labor's website most interesting:
http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs13.pdf

It seems that a lot of transcription companies are illegally viewing employees as "independent contractors" when the criteria for such are not being met.

For example, if you hire an INDEPENDENT contractor to remodel your house, the contractor presents YOU with the contract, not the other way around. (Hint: The one who presents the contract must be the contractor!) The contractor presents you with the bill when the work is finished; you don't tell him what your "hourly rate" is.

You meet with him and come to an agreement as to price, what work you want done, and other things that both of you agree on.

However, you do NOT tell the contractor what tools they will use, what shifts they will work, or what equipment they will use to do the job. You can't say things like "I don't like DeWalt power tools. Go out and buy all Makita power tools if you're going to work on MY house."

Read what the U.S. Department of Labor says about Independent Contractors and how narrow that scope really is. Then, the next time a company hires you as an "independent contractor," act like it. Present them with YOUR contract and tell them what YOUR rate is. If they start talking about their cpl rate, then they're an employer, not your "customer." Remember, REAL ICs are the ones that bill for their work.
I bet other insurance carriers have insurance for their employees. Why not Wal-Mart? nm
:+
Virtually no liability as an MT...sm
you never hear about transcriptionists getting sued. You could just increase your homeowner's coverage to a 1 mil liability coverage - which would give you 1 mil liability for everything, not just getting sued as an MT. But I don't carry it and I don't know anyone who does. I have a small service and even when I sign contracts with hospitals that require vendors to carry insurance, they just write a line through that clause.
Not what I understand -- tax liability
It doesn't matter whether you get a refund it is what your tax liability is, I think you have to have had a liability of over the amount, or paid at least that much as taxes for the refund.  If someone does not have enough withheld but still pays over $800 a year in taxes, they should get something.  But if your tax liability goes down to zero, and you get EVERYTHING back that you have paid in plus more, then I do not think you would get anything.  But again, I am no expert but what I heard is that you had to have paid at least that amount into as taxes after filing. 
Oops, liability is his.
x
It has happened to most of us. I just wonder what liability ICs have regarding this. nm

I was deposed regarding a liability case

Patient only had a diagnostic test done where I worked.  Family claimed it was from an accident.  Insurance company bucked it saying it was congenital.  My employer had to sue the family for nonpayment and because of that, the family's lawyer got a subpeona to have a disposition.  I wasn't upset because I knew I had nothing to offer.  The family's lawyer arranged to have it done where I worked (I was in charge of records Quality Assurance and for sending accounts to collections).  The family's lawyer asked his mundane questions.  The insurance company's lawyer kept trying to get me to say the ordering doctor ordered an unnecessary test.  He finally asked me directly if I thought it was an unnecessary test.  I looked him straight in the eyes and told him that I was not qualified to answer that as I did not have a medical degree and had no qualfication to state any test, procedure, etc., was every medically necessary.  If he wanted a medical opinion, he would have to pay someone who was qualified to answer the question.  He turned red and ended the whole thing.


What a total waste of time. 


Yes, sorry, the errors and omissions liability
insurance. I have not heard of it before, but there is a company recommended on company board and they require all IC's to have this type of insurance plan within 30 days of hire. The policy was very evasive to me, and I could only see the figure of $84, which I am guessing now might even be weekly? I think I'll forget about that company...
General Liability for Independent Contractors

I have just started a position for a company, and they require that I hold general liability insurance, but am a little lost as far as how to obtain that!  Just wondering if anyone had any pointers for me. 


 


Thank you in advance! :-)


Professional
You sound like a "professional" with an attitude. Maybe you had better seek some therapy or meditation. What ever happened to "judge not, lest ye be judged" and treating others like you would like to be treated? Like I said before, maybe it was just an honest mistake. Apparently he has some degree of professionalism to have been approached by two different doctors. Take a look at his work before you pass judgement.
Professional
No, this isn't religion 101, it is LIFE 101. If you treat everyone you know the way you treat most of the people on this board, I would expect that you will be losing your professional position, as well, real soon. My error rate is quite fine, thank you, but I do have the heart to forgive others "their" mistakes, too. Maybe you need to find another place to work for. MQ does not seem to be agreeing with you. You also have too much time to be responding to job boards. I wonder how much work you get done in a day. HMMMM???? The truth of your anger was in your last post...."maybe you are one of those recruiters that will hire just about anyone, including illiterate people, TO TAKE MORE OR OUR JOBS AWAY." your insecurity is showing. Don't take it out on innocent people. Deal with your own issues first. Good luck to you. Life is tough. Suck it up.
HERE'S HOW A PROFESSIONAL WOULD DO IT ..
OLD TIMEY MT eh?!! Here's how a professional would have written the ad:

Seeking a well-seasoned medical transcripitonist with a vast fund of medical knowledge, and who has experience with computers, transcription software, FTP, expanders, and reference software for the transcription industry. Seeking an individual comfortable with computer technology and willing to learn our proprietary software.

...that's it, that's all she needed to post. If that person was professional, the first rule is to state what you are looking for, NOT what you don't want. Be clear and specific, not make negative statements because it only reflects on the person writing the ad and the company. Shame, shame.


professional
This is major. Seek a professiong, I live in the South and still see Blue Hairs and Pink Hairs. How it comes out depends on the texture of your hair, your base color and many other factors. That's why its costs. I would be leary of anyone who did it under $125.00
As a professional...
I expect the same courtesy I give. The doctors want clear, easy to understand reports; I want clear, easy to understand dictation. I don't care if it is ESL or English or poor communicator in general: if you want someone to type what you say, say it clearly. I think it would be unprofessional to accept substandard quality; that's part of what has gotten this profession into the jam that we're in as it is.
non-professional?
What?! We look non-professional just because we work at home? Ridiculous! Professional depends on the person, not the location. And you mentioned doctors working at home... Most docs in the past worked at home and they were very professional. And have you not seen Cosby? ha Professional is an attitude, a person's demeanor, not a location. Who wants to work in an office with all the politics and garbage when there is a perfectly good, honest, respectable, AND PROFESSIONAL option to work at home? I have been in business over 15 years AT HOME and have never had anyone tell me I was unprofessional. I think it is very honorable and a blessing from God to be able to be with my kids, and I support anyone trying to do the same.
Not very professional to
transcribe a report on somebody you know personally. Would you want one of your family members or friends to look at your medical records, especially if there were things you wanted kept private? I am shocked that any MT would do this and call themselves a professional. There may not be a law, I don't know, but it would certainly make a valid lawsuit if it ever came out and rightfully so.
You say you are being professional

But then you are saying you will do it on the side like a hobby for extra cash. What's the difference?  You are talking out of both sides of your mouth.


Yes I have kids and I am no less of a professional than you and I do a good job.  No I couldn't take my kids to work, so I telecommuted for the hospital 3 days a week.  My kids are school age.  I've been doing this for 19 years.  So don't tell me that it's not professional to work from your home. 


But, there was a lady with a sick bird and the boss let her bring it in and kept in her office so she could feed it!  HA!  No kids, but birds were allowed.  Well, there was one girl that was allowed to have her kid there while she worked, but she wasn't an MT, she was a secretary. 


Now you see why I left to come home to my safe haven where I am making almost twice as much as I did at the hospital.   No, this will never be my side gig.  This is my main professional career and I'm darned good at it and I'm glad to help sick people and professionals in the healthcare industry document medical records.  I'm not afraid to research anything and don't care how long it takes either.  I'll get the answer!  And no, I have no desire to be QA because I'm an MT and that's what I'll be God Willing and the creek don't rise!


I think you should MYOB also. If she is a professional,
she is simply doing her job without getting personally involved in the particulars and as long as she is doing it on her own time and using her own equipment, then I do not see a problem.
dream on, Ms. Professional...sm
profession is defined as, "a
calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic
preparation." Hardly MT work.
Professional flyers

I do flyers and they are very "professional" and so what if they offer a free car wash.  I found that most office managers just want to "look" to see what it offers and I feel opening a letter is sometimes takes "too much time" while at a flyer they can just turn over and read immediately what it is about. Again, I think whether letter or flyers if you are at the right place at the right time, you can nab an account.   And yes, have gotten several accounts that way and one has been with me for 18 years.  So probably either works, I just prefer the flyer.  But remember just like selling a house, it takes time and you have to put it out there to several hundred to get a bite.   And once I get a bite I then go in and talk to them taking cookies or something.  Also when I am looking for a new account I do several mailings about 6 - 10 weeks apart so I stay fresh in everyone's mind.  I also inform my present docs and their gals and offer a small bonus to anyone that helps me land a new account   I am sure that everyone has their way of soliciting for new accounts and it has worked for them and so they feel it is "the only way to go" but whatever route you take you have to get out there, be visible and that means to a lot of people as with that also you get word of mouth between offices. 


Good luck.


 


You are so right! So professional its totally
unbelievable. If I weren't living it, I would never believe it.
Why XP-Professional version?
Just wondering why companies require us to have XP-Pro now instead of home edition?
Very professional. Love it!
You just made my day!!! 
Why not consult with a professional on this?
You seem to have a lot of questions that would be better answered by a professional. Of course, that wouldn't be free, so maybe that's the rub.
better yet, imagine a MT who is professional!?
x
Either Professional or Medical v9.5 nm
.
I would never use a professional suffix unless it was a PhD.
I have my two-year associate's for transcription, CPhT from pharmacy certification, a bachelor's degree and am almost done with a master's degree. It's pretentious and silly to use any of them.
what Professional Writing is.....sm
It's writing for the business world, as opposed to "creative" writing such as fiction novels or poetry.

My classes are focused on things like science writing, technical writing, newspaper/magazine, financial writing, speech writing... So if I wanted to stay in healthcare, I could look for a job writing for a health magazine, or maybe writind/editing textbooks.

It also prepares me for jobs in marketing, copywriting, public relations, human resources (somebody has to compose that employee manual), etc. Every industry needs good communicators, and I've always had a knack for writing, plus I really enjoy it.
Define professional
Do you mean somebody that does a report accurately, with proper attention to detail, creating a report that serves as a helpful adjunct to patient care? Guess what, cupcake? Locking someone in a chamber of solitude does not guarantee that. Since we became predominantly home employees, the only way to judge our work is based on the finished product, and if you're good, you can do that anywhere.
Really need some professional advice

I am looking to talk to somebody that has been in the MT business for years and really need to know the "real deal" of this industry.  I have been MT'ing for almost 4 years now and feel like I am not getting anywhere.  I am not someone who needs to make 100K a year, but like most looking to make enough money to be able to have the essentials in life and be able to by my kids what they need with a little left over for savings.  I have worked in both ends of the spectrum as far as being an employee versus IC, both of which have pros and cons. 


Schools say that this is still one of the "fastest" growing industries and the need for MT's is still great, well, my question is where is the work and where is the decent pay.  I am at my wits end.  I have been looking into going back to college for cardiac cath tech, but unfortunately, my husband does not understand the nature of this business and before I jump ship was wondering if I am "missing" something. 


Any advice would be helpful. 


 


What if you don't have professional references?
Hi all!  I just applied for a job and the questionnaire asks for professional references.  I don't have any.    Working at home, I only had contact with immediate supervisors, and all the coworkers know each other only via chat forums.  How does one handle the professional references issue?  TIA.
He is a professional couch potato..nm
nm
(continued) - you need to speak to a professional
to make sure it's done properly and there are no surprises later!

Good luck!
This gave me my laugh for the day! :) Professional??
s
Windows XP Professional & Word

Searching Word help section I see where it is possible to email directly from Word and also encrypt the document. If anyone does this, I could use some direction in doing it.


 


Thank you.  bw


I have to disagree, verbatim is not professional
and this is supposed to be a profession and yes that means you have to edit a little bit to make it a professional appearing document. Verbatim = garbage.
It's time to get professional kiddo....sm
I transcribed for a psychiatric facility, was their only MT, did all their work in a 24 TAT. They would call constantly from the insurance dept, wanting me to do a STAT report on a certain patient so they could get insurance clearance for payment. This went on for several weeks until they were taking advantage of the situation. I couldn't just stop and look through 17 doctors' dictation, 8 counselors, and several social workers to get the report. I told the administrator if they wanted STAT work, there would be an extra charge for that as well as fax time.... I delivered their work printed out every day, same time, and they had the nerve to ask me to chart it on the floors.... so I said, that would be an extra charge for my time spent doing that.. the administrator acted as if that was my job. Medical Records was horribly ran, the people in insurance dept and administration didn't have a clue about transcription and TAT, just wanted it when they wanted it. So, I billed them for all the extras and the STAT requests came to almost a halt. After two years, the administrator thought he could get it done cheaper, so he went with an outside company up north at 5 cpl (gross line). One month later, they didn't have reports back....there was no such thing as STAT work, and when medical records called them looking for reports, all they would get was an answering machine...would call back 3 to 4 days later. It was a mess. So, administrator wanted me back. By then, I had moved on soooo far. He actualy had the medical records director ask me if I could clear reports still on their system and then pick up about 50 tapes to do, because they were so far behind. I told her no thanks, she gave him the message, and he called me, wanting to know what the big deal was, why I couldn't accept THEIR offer. When I told him the offers were made by me, offer to do work for xxxx amount of dollars, STATs extra, charting much extra, but that my plate was full, couldn't take them back. He called back offering to pay even more than I had previously set forth, but I wasn't getting into that mess again!!!

Get your services straightened out, details of what you will do and for what charge, and stick to it.