There was an excellent letter to the editor in Advance Magazine last month sm
Posted By: Soon to be Ex-CMT on 2006-02-02
In Reply to: Soon to be exCMT, please elaborate why - To CMT or not to...nm
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.
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Advance magazine? Anyone notice the letter to the editor?
It's on page 5 entitled Does Walmart or Home Depot pay better?......Gee, I wonder what company this person is talking about? Okay, which one of you sent this in? hahaha!
Well, while everything the writer of this letter says is true about the company, I think we all know most of us make a bit more than 8 to 10 bux an hour. For myself, it's about twice that. If I really were only making that for what I'm doing, I WOULD head over the the Walmart or Target. I would NOT do this for 10 bux an hour NO WAY in HE double toothpicks!
Idea in letter to Editor in Advance magazine (sm)
Just last night I read a letter in the Advance for Health Information Professionals from a former MR who is now a cancer registrar and loves it. I had looked into that myself a few years ago, although I chose to stay with MT. At the time there were on-line courses through community colleges.
What about coding? I have a friend who works now for a local hospital at home doing ambulatory coding.
Just some thoughts.
BTW, the letter to Advance can probably be found on-line at advanceweb.com/him. It's the Nov 5 issue.
Letter to Editor-Advance
I will write a letter...
Anyone read Letter to Editor in ADVANCE see message
February 26, 2007 issue? Two letters regarding MT and AAMT.
did anyone see the article in Advance magazine
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!
I sent Advance magazine an email
I think if enough people did, then maybe they will stop glamourizing the overseas work. This is the third article in a year's time that they have done. A few months back Advance actually interviewed an Indian owner, picture and all, about his company!!!
Try off of the Advance Magazine web site, pasted inside. nm
http://health-information.advanceweb.com/main.aspx
In the back of Advance Magazine you see all the coding jobs. Can access it online, too.
s
Wish me luck. I just sent my query letter to my favorite women's magazine! I've been a sm
self-proclamed freelance writer for a while low. I have quite a few topics I am working on, Christian-based, geared towards women. I had to write a letter stating my credentials (I have a few, believe it or not), future topics, experience, etc. I feel very positive about my letter. It took all day to write.
I just pray this pans out. I eventually want to write a book. That's been a life-long dream. I love to write. I've avidly kept a journal for over 25 years, keep an on-line blog, read every day, and writing just comes naturally for me. Also, I outlined my editing experience, so hopefully that will help!
I will let you know what they say! Keep your fingers crossed....I want to get out of the MT business so bad...It's been a blessing, but I would LOVE to get paid by doing what I love doing.....Sharing my shallow thoughts and life's secrets to other women through the use of story telling and faith-based philosophy!
It is so easy to post a letter on a newspaper editorial or magazine. Everybody write one.
If you have a story to tell - get busy. Go to news shows, magazines, newspapers. It is so easy. Talk about the MT business or about the whole offshore process and its cost to the U.S. Any and everything written only solidifies our total point of view. GO TO whitehouse.com for sure. Don't wait for others to carry this for you. Support Travelin MT's efforts on the company board!!!!
don't cancel ADVANCE subscriptions - just send an email or letter
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.
Sombeody actually wrote a really good letter to Advance a few issues back. sm
It was in the Jan. 12, 2009, issue, letter to the Editor titled, "What Good is Change for MTs?" by Wendy Keller. She does attack AHDI in a very intelligently written letter.
May have missed that letter to editor (small msg)
Hm, I'll Google it and see if I can find it. Or, maybe I just missed it. I was due to renew membership and CMT in January, so may well have not received that one
A while back I suggested we all write a letter to the editor about this . sm
I did, and they declined to print it. Evidently it's not a big issue in the minds of some. Individually we can't do anything about it. Perhaps collectively. We need a petition to go to ALL senators and representatives from our respective states, and none of this "anonymous" stuff, either.
Another good idea is to write a letter to the editor...sm
of your local/state newspapers telling people what is happening with their medical records and the downside of them being sent to India. Most people have no clue.
Excellent letter CC! nm
Jane Pratt, editor of Jane magazine. nm
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I've also found it varies from editor to editor -
In one case I researched it fully, and found that both of them were wrong, and I had been right all along.
[Sigh........]
I pay $35/month through Vonage for unlimited LD. Local phone co. charges $50/month. NM
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If it's a business letter you use a colon. if it's a personal letter you use a comma. nm
:
What magazine did this come out of?
Cults 'R Us?
the magazine
I've always found them to be a very good source of information. They are fair and unbiased. I have no reason NOT to believe their statistics, do you?
Big rip off for a magazine!!!!
If you want to support a dying organizations final gasps for survival, buy it. Otherwise, save your hard earned money! I was a member for the first 3 yrs of MTing (where they magazine was included with membership) and then dropped them. They are still aggressively sending me info stating I can renew my membership or even buy their magazine without being a member. How generous of them! LOL!!
magazine
I agree about Advance Magazine. I know it's important to flag some errors, but agree that is out of my expertise.
medical magazine ads sm
I did this once in a small town, New England. Only one reply all year and it was from a doc who later got arrested for child molestation. True story! For me it was a waste of time and thank goodness, I did not take his dictation because he had really old equipment and I had no transcriber for it. Perhaps you'll get a more positive response, but this was truly my experience and it was costly to do this.
magazine article
I'm sorry, but I have a very difficult time believing this. I believe that there was an article written, but the content is ridiculous. If we went to medical school, I'd want the same pay as a physician, wouldn't you all ? For us "old-timers" in medical transcription and having been a CMT for 15 years, we were never, ever told that and I'm certain that as strict as AAMT used to be, we would never be certified to transcribe.
She's now "published in PC Magazine." Who needs friends?
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Advance
I too saw it and was as angry as you are! I'm canceling my subscription, how 'bout you?
Thank you in advance it should be !! nm
TYIF -- something like Thank goodness it's Friday, but not that either. OOOPS !
thanks in advance..................nm
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Advance is another one.
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M-TEC has a Basic program (12 month) and a Premier program (18 month). To WAH, you should take the P
:)
The magazine is free. no subscription fee. Advertisers pay
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No magazine. It's from me. You're first on the prayer list though!
:)
I guess you know more than PC Magazine, CNET, and Newsweek :) sm
You and your unspeakable qualifications are the reasons you're a technical pro with more knowledge than the folks that write the articles and why're you're hanging out on an MT bulletin board! Yes!
Firefox absolutely is relevant. Your choice of browser does increase or decrease the likelihood of your acquiring a virus. I've never heard anyone say that because they use Firefox they're protected from all viruses. But you're the pro with more knowledge than anyone else, including those in the industry who write the articles, so let the rest of us tread lightly around you and your ego.
yes! i used Consumer's magazine to make my choice,
and love mine - Eureka the Boss, SmartVac (an upright) -- less than $150 at Walmart -- very quiet, picks up very well. Only drawback i see is the cord is not retractable. If upright is not your style, or you want particular features, i'd still suggest using Consumer Reports suggestions. Neighbor just bought a Kirby for $800 -- bet this one would outclean that. Its even advertized as outcleaning a Dyson by 60%.
Has anyone ever advertised their business in a medical magazine?.. sm
I am a small MTSO (just me) and have been trying to drum up business with postcards and letters. It has been about 6 months and nothing! I found a medical magazine for my State and was thinking about placing a classified ad. Wondered if any of you have tried this, and if so, were successful. Thanks!
Since ADVANCE is free, there would
be little immediate impact if we cancel our subscriptions. Contact the advertisers and express your displeasure. They're the ones who provide the income stream for ADVANCE. They need to know that the people they're trying to reach are displeased and that their companies are associated with an extremely unpopular position.
how to advance in the MT field ...
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....
Article in Advance
Did anyone read the article in Advance: Is Mandatory Credentialing Next?
The article says: "we have more and more companies paying premium for credentialed MTs." Is that true? The author is president-elect of AHDI. You all know what that is? Never heard of em. Or is it that new organization that used to be called something else, what was it... I think it had the words Medical Transcription in it. Maybe we should write a letter to tell about the reality of working out here.
how is Advance irrelevant?
nm
Advance article
Thanks for sharing this article in Advance - don't get magazine anymore since I dropped my AHDI membership. Proud to be part of ATA - we MTs deserve an assocation that will advocate for us.
Check out Nov. issue of Plexus Magazine from AAMT
and from whence they came.
Get the April 2006 Consumer Reports magazine...sm
It gives you a rundown on all vehicles as well as which ones have held up well and which ones haven't over the years. It's in the stores now or your local library should have a copy you can look at for free. :o)
HPI publishes a good magazine called Perspectives.
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Isnt there a transcription paper/magazine that comes out monthly??
I remember years ago when I was working at a transcription agency that there was a monthly subscription of a magazine/newspaper-type that came out monthly that I read. It was always sitting around. I cant remember the name of it. Can anyone tell me the name of this?? And do they still publish it monthly? Thanks!
If we cancel our subscriptions, Advance won't be able to
sell as much advertising. THAT is where they make their money, not by promoting offshoring. If they can't distribute XX numbers of copies per month, the advertisers will go elsewhere. Boycott ADVANCE and spread the word. Shut the traitors down.
Great article about this in Advance (sm)
early this summer -- explained the 3-prong test (instead of the old 20+ questions).
If the service insists you use their software, if the service tells you when you can invoice them (instead of the 2 of you deciding together), if the service, not the client, decides turnaround time and quality, and if the service says you can't subcontract the work and insists on a noncompete clause, then you are an employee.
You can file a form with the IRS if you want your status clarified. Also contact Dept of Labor office in your state.
If you don't have an attorney and accountant on retainer, then you aren't professional enough to be an IC.
Also check the Nolo Press site as they have some excellent reference books regarding IC/employment issues.
lol=laughing out loud, tia= thanks in advance
b
Current ADVANCE issue is MT pay
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!!
Advance is irrelevant. Who cares what they say?
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