What is the best platform for pathology transcription?

This is not for a company, but for an in-house system that we will want to purchase. 

• What is the best platform for pathology transcription? - ??
  • Check out CoPath. It is a word-based system. - Theresa
  • reply: - Path MT

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Hello all !  I'm going on an interview for a pathology transcription position.  I've only done medical records in the past, but the company wants to meet me and is confident I will adapt.  But my question is - what is PATHOLOGY like?  Does anyone have a link that I can read or review pathology ?   I hear it's very boring and repetitive - is this true ?

Does it command a greater salary than medical records transcription?  Im in NY, btw.

Any advice you experts have I would love to hear ! 

Thanks!  

I have been offered a position using this platform, but I have had no experience with it.  I use ShortHand as an expander, will it be compatible?  When they load the program on your computer, does it disable the WORD program in any way (I worked for a short time for a company whose platform did do that (unbeknownst to me), which created a world of problems.  Is the program hard to get line counts on?  Any information would be wonderful.  You may reply via email if you rather not post here. 

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. 

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

I have done pathology for years; was trained with a state coroner's office and then worked in 2 large hospital pathology offices.  Yes, it can be very repetitive and boring. 

I'll just give you a basic overview for general pathology:

First, you will have the "gross description".  It will be dictated as soon as specimens are received.  It is literally a physical description of the specimen, including color, size, shape, texture, marks, etc.

Sometimes a "frozen section diagnosis" is issued while a patient is in surgery and the surgeon needs to know immediately if carcinoma is present. 

Once slides are made and the pathologist reviews them, then the "microscopic description" will be dictated.  You go back to the same report and below the gross description you type the microscopic.  It will be very detailed with heavy pathology terminology and a diagnosis or diagnoses.  Sometimes it will state that further studies are being done and only give a tentative diagnosis, etc.  You may handle that one report many times before it is completed and ready to be signed off.

There are many different other types of reports you may do including bone marrow aspirations, peripheral blood smears, cytology (pathological review of urine, sputum, and blood - liquids), hormone receptor testing, and even autopsies.

You should invest in a pathology word book and be very familiar with pathology style, which is extremely important.  Become familiar with the names and style to appropriately type bacteria, viruses, various pathogens, stains, laboratory values. 

Overall, I love it.  It is fast-paced and time-sensitive.  If ever I can help you, write me and I will do all I can.

Hi, I am currently a pathology Transcriptionist at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.  I have been on this job a little over 2 years on a Lanier machine and it has done me well.  It is very repetitious and I have a ton of macros, which affords me to fly through the dictations.  Some of the dictators have accents, but I've come to recognize what they are saying to make the necessary adjustments.  I do like pathology transcription, never done it before this job, however, like I said it is repetitious and monotonous; so if you get bored easily, this is not the job for you.  : )   I also make a good living doing it on site.  I don't know how much you'd make doing it at home.  They are trying to move us home now, so we'll see. 

I wish you luck.

Love pathology, worked in pathology departments (1 year for VA and 1 year for  children's hospital). Pathology is cool.

Am looking for a home-based Pathology MT position.  Tried Medical Examiner's offices also, but they were not looking.  Have over 30 years experinence. 

Hi there,

I do pathology transcription.

Cheryl

Have interview for a Pathology MT.  I am an acute-care MT but have an interview with a pathology group.   I also have another job offer as an IC typing Op reports from my parttime boss. 

The pathology MT job is by the hour with a quota.  I was wondering if any pathology MT would want to share a rough estimate on what they make per hour for MTs that are paid by the hour.  Thanks

but it seems the experience that I have had with these, they are fairly short.  I guess they could be lengthy, but I would say on an average $3.00 a page should make you a mighty fine living.  You may want to see some samples before pricing this one out.  The experiences I've had were with a hospital, and these were fairly short reports.  The pathology department employed two full-time hourly MTs for a hospital that probably held about 650 beds.  The OR had about 12 rooms.  The ambulatory surgery department had about 5 rooms.  These are all just my opinions though.  Good luck to you! 

Just a thought.  You could call medical examiner's offices and ask if they need help or ask them who they contract their work out to.  I used to type for an agency that had the New York Medical Examiner's Office contract.  You could try them.  Good luck!

Carrie

Dear Carrie Bella,

Could you possibly give me the name of the company that the New York ME's office uses for their transcription.  I am very much interested in either typing Pathology or ME's reports at home.  Thanks.  Del

I went for an interview and I was given some trial dictations regarding gross specimens and the background noise was HORRIBLE.  There was more background noise than dictator's voice.  I asked about that and was told "Oh, that's the way it has always been. The lab is just noisy."  I inquired further and they admitted the doctor uses a speaker phone type arrangement and the noise of the ventilating fans, electrical equipment, etc. is what creates the overpowering background noise.  But the lab director insisted that there was no other way, as they doctor needs both hands free when cutting up the specimen.  Is that true? 

is significantly better than what I've got right now.  They are offering a matching 401K, profit sharing, flexible spending account, healthcare benefits and dental for me and my kids for about 150 per month versus 400 per month where I work now.

Then there is the issue of job security.  I'm a realist and I know that in this business of medical transcription, my job could be gone tomorrow due to lost accounts, low work volume, or offshoring.  Not to mention, the powers that be at my company could decide that it would be more cost effective to pay their editors per line versus hourly (which has happened to me before) and only offer 4 cpl because after all "we don't actually type all that much." 

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I've lost jobs due to all those things I listed.  It's upsetting the thought of losing another job.  So that is one of my major considerations with this job offer.  I'm sure they could offer me a measure of job security because they are a locally owned practice by the physician and all of the the transcriptionists there have been with the practice for more than five years.  This position I'm being offered was created because they have increased their work load.

I just don't know.  Geez, I hate making big decisions!

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.