Yep, but as long as some take it, they'll
Posted By: continue to pay low......nm on 2008-08-27
In Reply to: Do any Co. Pay good on Emdat - just curious
xx
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I'll bet she meant that's how long the lines are before it returns. nm
x
another letter that I'll share if anyone wants to copy (long).
President Barack Obama
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Dear President Obama and Secretary of State Rodham Clinton:
Please take the time to read this important letter from an industry that has remained silent for much too long. I speak for a large number of United States medical transcriptionists, many who have made this their career for 20-30+ years. Our job is one we take great pride in, but are often unheard from because we work "behind closed doors." I'm sure you are aware of what our job entails, but I would like to elaborate. The patient's important medical record starts with verbal dictation by the doctor, nurse, etc. The qualified and experienced medical Transcriptionist produces a formal, legible, and information correct medical record based on this verbal dictation, which is of utmost importance for patient care. As a medical transcriptionist, I take great pride in my job and have spent many years perfecting my skills.
We are experiencing an astonishing number of lost jobs, not because the need for our services is down because of reduced medical doctors visits or hospitalizations by our U.S. citizens, but rather because our U.S. citizens' medical records are being sent offshore to other countries whose medical transcriptionists are being paid at a lower rate. Not only are U.S. medical transcriptionists losing jobs at a rapid rate, but we are allowing medical transcription services that advertise as U.S. transcription companies to shuttle the work offshore for a cheaper rate.
President Obama, many articles have addressed the shortage of U.S. medical transcriptionists. This is simply not true. It is a "cop out" to justify the tragedy that is taking place in the U.S. MT industry with sending medical transcription offshore to countries such as India and the Philippines. There are many experienced and qualified U.S. Medical Transcriptionists, so statements indicating a shortage here in the United States are simply unbelievable in my opinion. Unfortunately, the U.S. medical transcriptionists are losing their jobs to offshoring, and little seems to be happening to make changes to put a stop to offshoring of our citizen's personal medical information.
A large majority of our profession is female. Many have devoted their careers to medical transcription and are close to retirement, others are single mothers who have put themselves through school with hard work and training, and are working hard to raise their family with a full time job without relying on governmental assistance, but are losing their jobs because large national medical transcription companies are being allowed to contract with offshore transcriptionists, thus causing our U.S. transcriptionists to be out of work. The pay scale in our profession is currently comparable to what it was 20 years ago. We have not seen a pay scale raise despite the cost of living increase, but we can even settle for this with the economical turmoil at present, just to keep our jobs. Sadly, we cannot even have our jobs because offshore transcriptionists are doing the work cheaper.
I am not sure how many governmental officials are actually aware of what is happening in the U.S. medical transcription industry. I would estimate that twenty some thousand or more U.S. transcriptions are displaced from work, and sadly because no one will take a stance and put a stop to offshoring our U.S. citizen's medical records. Security risks are high with the age of the Internet, but private citizen medical information is being allowed to leave our country where HIPAA laws are not regulated or enforceable.
These two crucial issues of offshoring medical records for transcription in a foreign country need to stop.
1. We are endangering the confidentiality of our own citizens' medical records by sending them to a foreign country where no regulation such as HIPAA is enforceable.
2. The U.S. medical transcription profession is losing jobs at an astonishing rate, not because the need for our services is down, but because offshoring our citizens' medical records overseas is cheaper and thus foreign workers are replacing us. Why is this being allowed to happen without any legislation against such practice that is not only destroying a U.S. profession, but endangering the security of U.S. citizens?
Please take seriously the need to stop offshoring our citizens' medical records. As a medical transcriptionist, our work has always involved the patient as top priority along with the confidentiality of the work we do. There are great risks being taken when this information leaves our country and laws here in the United States are not applicable once this information leaves our borders. I truly believe with the coming age of the Electronic Medical Record, changes must be made now to keep our citizens information in their own country. Each country, in my opinion, should have access only to their own citizens' medical records. Of course, emergency situations will exist if a patient were traveling abroad, in the military, etc. In this age of security issues and the implementation of Homeland Security, please consider where our citizens' medical records are being allowed to go, and unfortunately many times without the patient's knowledge. As a U.S. citizen, if my doctor was obligated to inform me that my medical records would be leaving the country to be transcribed into a report, I would no authorize this to take place, and if necessary would change to a provider who does not contract with a medical transcription service who sends work outside the U.S. The patient deserves to know this is happening.
Please, Mr. President, give U.S. medical transcriptionists the opportunity to get their jobs back and save our profession by supporting our workers first, as well as protecting our citizens' rights to confidential medical information by keeping this information in their own country.
Please work together with the Dept. of Health and Human Services in revising HIPAA laws to restrict the offshoring of medical transcription. Other countries do not place their citizens' security at risk by sending their personal medical information to the United Sates for transcription purposes, so why are we letting this happen? In the process, we are losing a profession that has been so valued here for many years, but we are a profession that has not been heard from much in the past. It is time we speak our minds on this issue, and we hope that you will sincerely consider making major changes to offshoring medical records for transcription.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration in this matter.
A concerned U.S. Medical Transcriptionist
Will be a nurse-practitioner...but I'll keep my MTSO as long as it stays alive...
nm
Stedman's Ortho and Rehab words. You'll keep researching screws & pins as long as you do
s
It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get! No point in joining. nm
s
I'll go! I'll go!! I won't take hormones and will be ready to defend your honor :) n/m
.
No. It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get, and it's unnecessary
s
You'll get used to it. It is keeping the right leg propped up at the same time that'll be the
When I broke my ankle, I was just grateful it wasn't the hands. Without our hands we'd be totally screwed.
I broke my right ankle slipping on ice and was lucky to have gloves on because the palm of the glove was totally torn up and my hand was okay.
Good luck and be sure to do your exercises when it is time.
I hate Instant Text. It is expensive, long long learning
curve, and too much distraction for me.
How long should I wait after applying for a position before I follow-up. It has been as long as two
without hearing from some. Just wondering if I should send an e-mail to follow-up to see if they received my resume or not. I don't want to offend anyone but feel two weeks should be long enough for someone to at least acknowledge my resume and that I have applied for a position. Right now I would accept anything even a note saying no thanks. Any advice would be appreciated. I haven't had to apply for a job for the past 10 years so I am a bit rusty at this. Thanks again for any advice.
It'll happen. You'll find your fit.
You might have to kiss a few frogs first, though.
Oh she'll spice it up alright, she'll be
placing hidden cameras in the other ladies' dressing rooms! LOL!
continue your goal; he'll/they'll get used to it/over it
nm
I'll vent and I'll sign my name sm
I have two IC contracts right now. I recently went back to a job I had quit earlier in the year to work for the other company I am still working for.
The newer job has 80% ESLs. I transcribe OP notes primarily and I can fill in other work types as the opportunity arises. I am frustrated with this particular situation. After 6 months, I am making less money and working longer hours. I am past the learning curve and I should be doing better, at least in the number of hours I am spending doing the job. We have run out of work for 24 hrs at a time at least 5 or 6 times since December 1, and in November it was more than that. I have a friend who worked for this company as well and she was having similar difficulties. The only thing that we can figure is that they are shorting us line count some way, because after 6 months at it, it should be easier/faster/more money, but it is less and less every single pay period. It is not a nice thing to accuse a company of doing, but it SEEMS that way to us. I am fed up with being expected to type every single OP note that comes in 24/7 and meeting the 6 hr TAT for them on weekends, evenings, holidays, wee hours of the morning...
I took back a job I held for 2-1/2 yrs. The team leader has changed and this gal thinks that I should be on call 24/7 for whenever she has work. I might have some at 7 a.m., or perhaps not until 6 p.m. or later. I can't plan my personal life and between these two IC situations, I find that I am not eating on a daily basis, not showering on a daily basis and not sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. I have lost weight and I don't feel very well. I woke up today with a rip roaring head cold (my first in nearly 8 yrs) and it has already moved to bronchitis and I am expecting pneumonia by the weekend because I develop it very easily. I already have deep pain in my back.
Yes, I should call in sick tomorrow, but I really can't take the fallout. The job I took back I am covering for another gal who wanted vacation over the holidays and if I have to call in sick, the team leader will call me and pitch a fit about how this is my responsibility. It IS my responsibility, I did say I would do it, and I will do it, despite being quite ill. In the past, when I worked for this company, they would not allow me to call in sick for a "cold" without a doctor's note. I worked through many illnesses with them and only called in sick when I developed West Nile Fever and while I was sick for over a month, I only called for my last 12 reports one day when I could no longer see the computer screen because my head hurt.
The problem is that yes, many MTs lack work ethic. They don't take their responsibility seriously. This is not a work as you please career, not even for an IC. I can see the MTSO's point of view, I truly can. Like finding experienced, reliable and capable MTs, for the MTs who are these things, finding a company will treat you like a human being is equally difficult. I sit here, feeling lousy and like I am an utter slave labor with no consideration whatsoever. I know that my work needs to be done, but when I am this sick it is better that someone else do it for the sake of the work, for accuracy and for speed of getting it out. I know that I am needed, but to be the MT these companies need me to be, I also need to look after my own health.
I will also mention that when I have asked for vacation, I have been approved for the time, but the MTSO queues up my work and calls me then I am not on the system getting it done. I have told them I had been approved for time off, but the MTSO didn't schedule anyone to cover for me and I am told to get on work, vacation or no, if I want to keep my job.
Thus, I work 24/7/365 and have for years. I work sick, I work when I am in pain (I have an AI disorder), I work exhausted from staying up all night covering for others who are allowed to call in sick and have vacations when I can't have either. I work having no health insurance and not being able to afford the $125 a month to buy some with a high copay so I can see a doctor. I work without breaks for breakfast, lunch or dinner and I sometimes come close to having an accident because if I leave my desk to go to the little girls' room I get nasty calls about where I am at and what I am doing.
Many MTs are mistreated, and I am one of them.
Congrats! How long have you been a MLS and how long did you study for the test!
Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair.
I also have long hair down to my waist and my three girls have hair that long too. My daughter brought them home from school last year. I was devestated and grossed out!!!! I have never had to deal with lice. Anyway, we did the treatments and two of my girls broke out in a severe rash with the OTC stuff. Their little heads were so sore!! I thought I was being meticulous with eggs, only to find them hatching again down the road. A nurse at the pediatricians office suggested I try oil to suffocate them since my girls were allergic to the lice solution. I bought a huge bottle of veggie oil and dumped it on all three heads, plus my own. I then wrapped the heads in platic wrap and then a towel. I left this on for 30 minutes. It takes a while to wash out the oil, but we never, ever had the lice or eggs again!!! If you try this, make sure you put on an old shirt and put a towel around your shoulders. Obviously we were desperate, but we all have such long hair and very thick hair so I was willing to try anything. And I figured there was no chemicals involved so that was pretty safe. And it sure did help my littles ones since their scalps were pretty raw from the solution. Hope this helps and Good luck!
It's been a long, long time since I've used a C-phone, sm
but I do think jobs can be paused.
I had a problem with this for a long, long time sm
I have always worked days, like from 6-3. Over the last few years, it didn't matter how much sleep I got, I became real groggy between 7 and 11. Really shoots the day. Talked to my doctor and he said my blood pressure pills were the culprit but he refused to change me to another brand or dosage since I have multiple aneurysms (2 in the brain). My BP has been stable for a long time and he wants to "keep it on the low side". I tried taking them before I went to bed instead of early in the morning, but then I had headaches all day. So, I am changing to a night shift for a few months so I can sleep when those pills kick in and so far it is working pretty good. I stay mostly awake during my shift and die when I hit the bed from 6 am to 10 am, then I lay down again later in the afternoon for 2-3 hours. I still get 6-7 hours of sleep, it's just split up during the day, plus I am mostly awake now when I sit down to type. I don't have to deal with the heat in my office, either. It tends to warm up real fast in here with the south sun on the house and 2 pc's running all day, even with the air conditioner on.
Way back when, a long, long time
ago and in a galaxy far, far away, I had my own accounts also and some years cleared $75,000. Yes it can be done, but you need to have your own accounts. Also lots of delivery, and other duties involved. I work for a large national now and make much less, but I got tired of accountants, having to deal with hardware problems, deadlines, driving deliveries, printing, printers, etc. So I decided to simplify my taxes and stay home and just type. Don't have to worry about computers either, because the company will just send me a new one.
Long, long files. Seemed like they'd never end! I'd never go back to VA again. nm
s
I've been doing this a long, long time...
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.
Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but....
I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure.
You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again.
Good luck to you!!
Tell him you'll give him your macros if he'll give you his Lexus, his ski cabin, and (nm)
;p
Control. I'll still get OT though. And you'll
still sit and complain!
I'll join you on that one, I'll be 58
@@@@
A long, long time ago, I was going thru
a really bad time emotionally and physically. I was suffering, and my transcribing suffered. I assure you - if you are to the point of not paying your rent, literally, and needing food stamps, there is something else going on in your life than current transcription rates. We are all in this industry and many are thriving, most getting along comfortably. If you are literally to the point of food stamps, you honestly would be a fool to continue. I blamed it on my job, on my line rate, on everything but the honest truth that I was ill and was NOT working as I should or could. It is a really sad thing that you keep spreading this propaganda that MTs in our culture are doomed and now destined for food stamps. Food stamps are not something to toss around lightly, as you would know if you ever had to use them. Please let's not be quite so dramatic. Again, if you are really in those dire straits, you really need to face that MTing is not the fit for you, personally, and do something about it rather than blame our industry. You dwell on the past, but we can't do that. While you may have made other wages 20 years ago, may I remind you that we were pounding away on IBM Selectrics using layers of paper and bottles of white out, going crazy trying to rewind tapes over and over to get that dang word, with no idea what an Expander was. Technology is fantastic. Things have changed, but things are still great in this industry, and in this world. Those who change and can adapt will be fine, but you need to recognize that most of us are not ready for food stamps.
Sure did...you been around for a long, long year
A gross line IS a gross line regardless if it's 90 characters long or 1 character long... SM
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?
You'll be sorry when you get as old as me
Tendinitis in the foot from the foot pedal. I was told barefoot makes it worse. Now I type with shoes (ugh)
okay, thanks, I'll do that
d
Thanks! I'll try that. nm
.
They'll let your a** go before they let you run the co.
It's not your job to run it nor make changes.
Perhaps that is why all the new hires are getting MORE money and BETTER incentive and more VALUABLE benefits packages than those belly-aching, whining, sour-puss employees already there.
They know who the good employees are so they give them raises.
Sounds like they're trying to run your rat's a** out!! LMAOOOOO
I'll tell you what I do SM
I have had occasion where these people would call me trying to get me to upgrade my services, etc. If I can't understand them I just tell them I can't understand them and they should learn English before calling people on the phone or don't bother calling. If the same company keeps calling with the same people, I just hang up on them. I have also written e-mails to the companies who hired them, complaining about the lack of English language skills. I don't care what Americanized name they use, if they can't speak English, I don't want to be bothered.
Thanks so much. I'll try that.
I'll take you sm
for a supervisor any day! :) You've got it together girlfriend!
I'll 2nd that!
x
I'll be there soon
I have to do a 100% report right now, but will be in after that. Thanks for the info
At first. You'll get there.
The way I had to look at it was that if I worked fulltime outside the home and paid daycare, I'd only be bringing in xx amount of money per month. However, by working at home, anything I made over that $xx per month was like a bonus.
we'll believe you
do you think you could tone down your assumptions/nastiness then about ppl combing their hair, being fat, stupid etc. we would enjoy hearing your opinions w/o the name calling in them
thank you
I'll second that!!!!! :)
God Bless
We'll see.
x
Well, I'll try again...
This Franky Boy or whatever must be pretty demented to turn a post about that into something perverted.
Anyway, I was asking for help from people who have quit smoking. My biggest problem is that having a cigarette was my way of breaking from the computer for a few minutes or my reward for reaching a certain number of lines. I am wondering if anyone has any creative ideas about what I can do now to take a little break as my production seems to suffer if I don't leave the computer at all.
Think that's what I'll have to end up doing, as I know that's
the ultimate ending for it all, just so upset & mad as to why they're really doing it. Can't trust anyone in mgmt anymore, it seems.
I'll go here to buy
a sense of humor if you'll go there to buy 'maturity'. Deal???
You'll be sorry
I'll tell you why.
Because intense testing is required, companies should post their pay scales so we can make an informed decision before going through the rigamarole only to find out they won't pay squat. Not posting pay scales only serves to waste valuable time for both applicant and testing company.
I like that...I'll try it.
thks
I'll believe it when I see it
I would say 3-5 years is a big stretch. not just because of ESLs but so many regular English speaking docs who talk 900 miles an hour. I believe it will happen some day, but in the meantime I think being the best Transcriptionist you can be now will only help you when it does. there will be jobs for transcriptionists although some may be in an editing capacity, and the best transcriptionists now will be the ones who keep working. so be the best!! 
What you Think is what you'll get.
What You Think is What You'll Get
By Victoria Johnson -- GHF's Motivational Fitness Expert
Your mental images manifest in your physical world. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:
1. How can you become lean, fit and healthy if all you think about is gaining weight and eating your favorite unhealthy food?
2. How can you possibly be successful if all you think about is failing or losing?
3. How can you possibly make more money if you focus on being in debt?
4. How can you possibly get a better job if your energy is spent thinking about how much you hate your current one?
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" James Allen
When I was obese, most of my mental brain energy was spent thinking about food. I would read those women's magazines that had food advertisements in the first 20 pages. I would stand in line at the supermarket waiting to buy my high-fat, sugar-loaded items and salivate over the artistically designed foods in those beautiful gourmet magazines. When I watched television, I would sit completely still during every food commercial drooling all the while my mind was ingesting the images.
I became what I ingested, thought about and studied. I became a storehouse of excessive calories. I became what I thought about... fat! If I was ever to experience a change, I had to change. I had to methodically change:
My Mental Fuel (Fuel is energy) what you give energy to grows!
My Mental Images (instant brief snap shots of yourself)
My Thoughts (meditations of images)
My Mental Pictures (complete life like scenes of yourself)
My Choices (decisions) and ultimately My Actions (every physical movement)
You see, in life, everything counts. Therefore you must count everything.
Sow a thought, reap an action...
Reap an action, sow a habit...
Sow that habit, reap a destination!
You are where you are, right now at this moment, because of your consistent thoughts, images, and actions, which is the composite of your habits.
From this day forward, if you want to change your future, you must change your Mental Fuel.
In order to achieve your ideal body, your ideal state of thinking, your optimum level of health and performance in all areas of your life you must change your mental diet. You must get rid of all negative, self defeating and destructive material, conversations, unnecessary relationships, images in your home and workplace.
Replace negative thoughts with empowering images by changing what you read, what you watch on TV and the Internet. Change the music you listen to. If you're depressed and you want to get to a higher more invigorating state, don't listen to sad "poor me" drippy songs. Put on some high energy moving and grooving music. Put on what I call great memory music. You know, the music you played when everything in your life was awesome. Let your mind take you back there to that place. Soon you will feel powerful again.
"esreveR" your order of thinking. (Reverse Type)
You do this by asking yourself empowering questions. You are a unique individual. You have your own picture of success. If you don't... GET ONE!
Find some quiet space and start asking and answering these questions. Print out this page and write out your answers in detail.
* What does my ultimate picture of success look like?
* What can I do to feel successful today?
* What can I read, study, ingest that signifies success to me?
* What do I need to do to be successful?
* Who can (really) help me achieve my success?
* What are the first three things I am going to change to start my success process?
1._______________________________________ 2._______________________________________ 3._______________________________________ 4._______________________________________ 5._______________________________________ 6._______________________________________
Never look back at your past mistakes. That's why they call it the past! You know what didn't work, you know where your strength is. Call upon it. Develop your own success program. Each of us have our own ideal image of success!
Start now. Go out a buy a magazine that reflect your destiny and only look in that direction. Forget your past, believe me, everyone is tired of hearing about it. Look to your future see your reaching, see your journey. We are all on a journey through this life... Maybe we will meet along the way. I hope I see you at the top!
Victoria is a world-renowned keynote speaker, ranked as one of the top four "Superstars of Self-Esteem", and has twice been runner-up for IDEA's Business Person of the Year. She is the star and producer of 23 dance fitness videos and her own television show, "Victoria's Body Shoppe". She has written several books on personal development, nutrition, and exercise and is a contributing writer for a wide variety of publications, including Shape, Elle, Vogue, Black Enterprise, Rolling Stone, Longevity, and USA Today. Visit Victoria's website today at
http://www.victoriajohnson.com/
Okay, we'll try this again......
1950-2200 lines daily
Paid for spaces, headers, footers, 65 character line.
Large metropolitan teaching hospital. A couple thousand dictators including attendings and residents, but I do mostly Op reports, so that narrows things down some, I'd say to probably less than 500 dictators, with a couple hundred regulars.
Quite a large number of ESL, not sure exactly, but definitely over 50%.
Word superimposed in their platform. No Expanders allowed other than Auto Correct.
Demos are supposed to enter automatically, but about 50% of the time research needs to be done to find correct patient #, but no manually entering of patient name.
Verbatim account
I think you'll like VR
I have been doing VR on the eScription platform for over 3 years, and have made more money than just straight typing on all of the 3 accounts I have been on. Plus, it saves your hands/wrists from wear and tear. I would give it a try, if I were you, and judge for yourself, but that's my 2 cents. I am curious what company and platform you have received an offer from/on, if you care to share. Best of luck.
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