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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

You are an IC -- state your concerns

Posted By: Patti on 2006-11-09
In Reply to: It is a bit complicated. sm - MQMTmt

You need to get some faith in yourself.  If you are an IC and if you agreed on a certain rate of pay, they need to adhere to that.  If you have a plumber come and work for you and you don't agree with his rate of pay, you cannot halfway through the job decide to pay him less.   It is the same thing.  I give an offer to my IC's and if they want to work for that they can but I cannot suddenly change halfway through without re-negotiating with them and they must agree to a lower rate, etc.  So if you agreeed fine -- accept it but if they just did it, don't.  It is hard around the holidays but is appears you are not making that much anyway so what do you have to lose especially if they took away half of your job.   You need to read and see what an IC actually means and if they are calling the shots you are an employee and can raise a little bit of trouble for them.  But talk to them as sometimes until you stand up to them, they will walk all over you. 


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sometimes this concerns me as well
I talked with my account managers about the future of MT and does she really feel there is a shortage. On the 1 hand she said yes there is a lack of qualified MTs, but what she also did say is that those with experience have more job security, which makes sense.

For ideas, have you ever thought of possibly becoming a paralegal or perhaps a legal secretary? Also, what about maybe delving into possible general transcription? I did a bit of that myself and it was not too bad. At least some of the skills you have learned being a Transcriptionist can still be used. I always try to keep a mental list of 5 different "paths" I could pursue if things got bad, but luckily things have never gotten to that point.

Like I said in my heading, sometimes the future of MT concerns me, but the reality is there is no such thing as a stable job anymore. I also got into transcription during my college years, 2 year actually. I ended up completing my AA as well and went on to pursue a degree in IT with an emphasis in networking, but it really bored me to death. Your family should not look at you like you did not succeed. So many people that I know from friends and family all think it is so great that I get to work at home and do so well for myself.
concerns--sm
I tend to agree with the other poster below. Do not discuss things with your mother. You already know how she is going to react and it only serves to aggravate you. If you have genuine concerns about your aunt or any other family member's health, try to address it to the doctor directly. As far as your mother goes, it sounds to me like you are seeking her approval and acknowledgement for your accomplishments. Apparently you are not going to get that. I have a mother who is the same way and it angered me to the point where I confronted her a couple of times about it. It only caused alot of hurt and anger when I did that, so now I just turn the other cheek and try to ignore it. The only person you have to prove yourself to is you and the good Lord. Since He already knows your worth, you need to work on your own. Don't look to others to validate your worth. You don't need to. You are already special. :^) Have a good day, and think positive thoughts of yourself and your abilities.
Concerns/questions

As always, if you have concerns/questions/comments regarding DSG, I have an open door policy.  Please feel free to contact me at kdenson@dsg-inc.net.


Thank you.


Offshore concerns

They are smart , and that is why the jobs are going to them! Jobs don't make people smarter; smart people do their jobs well. If you don't believe this then you must question the wisdom of the American MTSOs and companies that outsource. As I have said before, all Indian MTs are not bad and all US MTs are not good. I've seen excellent quality from India and poor quality from the US - that's the other side of the story which none of you wants to see, let alone admit.


 This is why I call US MTs insular. If you will only look outside of your own town/state/country you will see how the world has changed and the so-called developing countries have advanced in many ways. 


The problem with the US is it has been functioning too long in a  cocoon, sheltered and protected. But with the coming of the global age, competiton has become fierce and jobs are moving overseas and it is now finding it difficult to cope in this new business climate.


You say "sadly" because it affects you but have you ever wondered how Indians like it when American companies dump poor quality goods on them and Indian businesses have to shut shop because they can't bear the  competition? Of course most of you would not have heard that pesticides were found in  bottles of a premier American brand of soft drink sold in India!


Instead of treating "offshoring" as some terrible phenomenon, it is high time US MTs learned to accept the situation because this is the New Age Economy where everything is decided in competition.


 


Your concerns are valid, unfortunately : (

EMR and voice recognition has put me out of a job.  On my former job, there was one other Transcriptionist besides me.  Because she had been there longer, she got what was left over after most of the docs jumped on the voice recognition bandwagon.  They use Dragon Naturally Speaking.  I have seen it at work myself and it is quite accurate.  There is no editing being done on their work.  Now, I'm doing a job that is just that, a JOB.  I enjoy transcribing and am looking for another job, but MT jobs seem to be few and far between where I am.  I can't get high speed internet where I live, so most services are out.  I may move onto a different career if something doesn't come around soon.  I thought about legal transcription.  Anyone have experience with that?


 


Outsourcing Concerns

Did any of you watch the special the other night on identity theft?  I think it was maybe on Dateline.  If so, you heard them say the identity theft ring reaches far beyond the shores of the US.  It involves many of the countries that are receiving outsourced transcription work. 


The first thought that came to mind when watching that was our medical records.  I often have dictation that gives me a SSN and DOB.  I also often have dictation on a new patient giving me other details, such as where the individual works, how many children they have, etc.  I always get their height, weight and race.  With these details, the individuals being outsourced to have everything they need to supply a terrorist or identity theft ring information to enable them to pose as someone else.  This is very frightening to me!


What do we do?  How do we wake America up to what we're facing?  Sure, we can write our elected officials, but you all know as well as I do that such correspondence falls upon deaf ears.  Does anyone have any suggestions on where we go from here?  At this point, it isn't only about losing our jobs, its about national security.


What concerns me about newbies is
that often they write these excited posts and reveal how tiny their working English vocabulary is. That's a terrible place to start out from. I try to be polite, but I do remember being a newbie for hospital work and how appalled the trainer was with the other MTs who had tiny English vocabularies. She about dropped her teeth because the first time I had to spell shotty adenopathy I spelled it right. I couldn't believe anybody would think "shoddy adenopathy" would make any sense. It's not logical.

How do you train people to THINK and be logical in their transcription? Those are things the person should bring to the table if they want to go into a career in the written word. Then you can build on that logic as you interpret MD slurring.


I've had similar concerns
about blacklisting. After all, anybody can see how easy it would be to paint a dark picture of a company on this board so why wouldn't companies have a similar board somewhere to do the same with employees? I think the answer is because it would be considered blacklisting which would likely violate some employment laws and it would be too difficult to keep it a secret. But I could be wrong.

Faxing and HIPAA concerns
I need to know the regulations imposed by HIPAA for MTSOs faxing medical reports to referring doctors.  Thanks.
Of course they do. That was one of the concerns about Medquist. Info from the VA
was going offshore. The info included the location of the soldier's troop when he was wounded in combat and more.
Offshore concerns blog

I mentioned this a few messages below, but the blog has its first post. I am NOT supporting any Ad things on there and will not be making anything off this. 


http://violatingamerica.blogspot.com/


If you have a link that would be useful to others to write their gov't reps, companies, news sources, etc, feel free to post them or e-mail me so i can get them up there.  I am also looking for any news stories or any information we can get.  One way or the other, we might be able to make a difference. 


Know is old post - but valid concerns

I don't kow what they could do to help you RE: Katrina but companies need to verify the NEED to cut back or do it across the board, at least in the department / job level. I worked for this company for 6 yr & had several cuts in my take home. The platforms used became slower & slower because of the amazing amt of data in the programs. I had 3 gig memory & STILL took forever & you aren't making a dime for that several minute while a report is sending & the next coming in & then doing the demographic page.


I've been trying to find out if there was anything of that investigation - I never did get that paper that so many other employees got. And I had a definite beef.


Please use Offshore Concerns board for those topics. (NM)
Goldbird
be sure to mention HIPAA concerns with offshore...nm
..
Anything an MT can do when you have grave concerns about patient care?

Is there anything at all an MT can do when you have grave concerns about the care a patient is receiving? I know the answer to this is probably no, but I am so completely frustrated with my one of "my" doctors right now.  I know that one of his patients is not receiving the proper care, and I am really worried for this patient. I wish I could contact the patient's mother and let her know my concerns, but I know that is not allowed and I would be fired for doing so. I know that I'm not anywhere near as smart as a doctor, but my son has the same condition that this patient does and I know that the patient is not receiving the proper care or even the correct diagnosis. It is hard to go into all of the details for confidentiality reasons. I just know, 100% sure, that this patient deserves better care than he is receiving. 


Sometimes the virtual world that we work in is great, and other times it really stinks. If I were working in the doctor's office I could gently share my concerns (maybe I would still be fired but I could give it a shot). Here in this virtual world where the doctors don't even know I exist I can do absolutely nothing.


I'm just so frustrated at the doctor and so very worried for this patient.


Work for a company in a state that has no state income tax
I think there are 3 or 4 out there (Florida, Texas, and a few others.)  Then you really avoid the tax situation. 
Interesting info on Offshore Concerns board
OSI offshores and that is why they can't keep quality MTs

In Reply to: Today, I landed a client that was using and Indian service. They said the service - Kansas MTSO sm

The MTs they do keep are basically no more accurate than the Indians. The QA department is a joke because they hire people fresh out of MT school. It is a sad company and is destined to fail if they don't start thinking more about quality than keeping the brownnosers happy. This could be true for other companies that offshore as well.

D I T T O D I T T O
Taking 2 polls on offshore concerns board

Please participate!


Thank you!


d~


Take your medical degree into the office and voice your concerns.
How do you know the patient isn't getting the proper care? No two patients are alike, just because your child has the same condition doesn't mean anything. This parent probably has googled her child's condition and is working along with the doctor. As an MT, you should not talk about any patient even with the other people in the office. It is confidential information and very unprofessional.
Comedy Stop & Offshore Concerns were the last 2 boards to be changed over to the new format.
Archives will be available soon.
Name a state and put every company in that state under suspicion.

Tell what the first letter of the company is and every company with that initial will be suspect.  I would imagine that everyone who works for that company has received an inquiry from department of labor, so they would all be aware of it. 


Why do we persist in setting up companies to be torn down when there is no reason for it.  If a company is suspect, then give the name of the company, don't give big hints that cover at least 5 companies, 4 of which may be the best companies to work for, but fall into the category of an alphabetical letter, etc. 


 


 


 


Contact your local BBB in your state and in their state if different from yours.
xx
Not mandatory, as you state it depends on your state - sm
or county. Where I am I do not need it; though if I was cutting grass or landscaping I would where I live, makes no sense to me as I am providing a service, but very happy I don't have to have one. We pay personal property tax here and I would have to list all my business related equipment and pay taxes on it every year I was in business. So until I am told otherwise by my county, I will not be getting a business license.
varies from state to state...nm
x
deluded are ye? state by state..sm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/AR2006051501201.html


http://www.votefraud.org/vote_fraud_articles_by_state.htm#VO


http://www.votefraud.org/


Some people just CHOOSE to live in DE NILE (DENIAL) and we all see you are ONE OF THOSE.


Some of us CHOOSE to go through life as a REALISTS! 


 


   


 


Things are different from state to state, but I think
you probably could, if you are actually "laid off."  You would have to get a letter from your surgeon regarding your temporary disability status and take to the unemployment office and to Medicaid....but you know how Medicaid works, 1.5 pennies over the income limit, you don't get it.  But, as I stated, laws differ from state to state, so you would have to inquire or go on their websites and see what they will approve and what they will not.
If not in your state, try filing in THEIR state. Then they
nm
Please post offshore topics on Offshore Concerns board. (NM)

Thank you. 


Goldbird


This thread belongs on Offshore Concerns; thread locked. (NM)
Goldbird
Each state has different laws. Where I live, if I have clients in the same state I live in, yes I ne
have clients from another state, no I do not need a license. Every state is different. I checked with my attorney and the State Business offices.
what state are you in. May be able to tell you nm
:)

Again, I must state...

Why does any state take them in

"we have enough losers of their kind here already, i'm pissed"


WHY? Because your have competition???? As they say, it takes one to know one. 


Your just a very sad case if you ask me & probably would be the first to demand it all if it were you


Can you tell us what state they are in?
or the first letter of their name? TIA
state -

Wyoming/Montana. 


Did not want to state her as there are men who are MTs also.
dd
What state are you in? Maybe we can help.

you state....
"serving his country" Our military over in Iraq is NOT serving the USA, sorry to speak. I support our soldiers and have several friends and my brother over there serving. But, I am not in support of the war itself or our president who put us there.

In reply to some of the other posts.......I also have friends who got a good education paid for due to their service in the military, so yes it is a reason for many to enlist. I would not encourage my own child to enlist, mostly due to fear that he or she would need to go to war one day and my love for them far outweighs my love for my country. And, I personally don't feel that war is the path God leads us in.....
All the ads do not state exactly what they want....sm
a lot of them do state looking for IC status but most certainly do want to dictate times working and weekends, been there and needless to say refused !!
maybe goes by state.
s
What state are you in?
x
State

I am in North Carolina, but the this is coming from Illinois.  It just sounds like a mess to me.  I know you can get incorporated online, but I would rather talk to an attorney first.  


Any info on proprietorship would be appreciated.  Sounds like more federal, state and county money.


I do all that you state above but I do know - sm
that many don't do this. I have 2 IC jobs, neither has a true QA dept. I am expected to proof my work by relistening, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, though I do always go over it quickly. My one manager complains a lot about how most of the MTs do not take the time or effort to look up doctor names, or to call her if they have trouble with a name. I have told her a million times it is because (1) they don't care, (2) they won't take the time since they are not getting paid for it. I generally limit myself to 5 minutes, then if I cannot find it I call her later on and she finds it for me and I fill in my blank. Yeah, it is a pain to do and cuts into my bottom line but I do turn in good work and they have no complaints as far as I am concerned anyway. Too many MTs think they are above the little stuff that counts, one more reason for hospitals to outsource to India. At my one IC job, we just got the work stopped from going to India overnight, which is great, now we have more work than we know what to do with and are working our butts off to keep in TAT, but at least we are the ones earning the money; so if I have to be a bit more dilagent in more work it is worth it, and I wish other (more) MTs felt the same.
What state was this in? How's the pay?
?
state
What state are you from? I live in Indiana
its different in every state nm
x
Out-of-State
No...you would not be a resident of that state, so therefore, you still have to pay your state taxes. They usually dont care where you do the work as long as it gets done. I travel quite a bit and have my platform on both my desktop and laptop so that I can work wherever I am at the moment.
So, are you going to tell us the state???
x
Oh, my, again I will state
about the fact your program is not being trained. On the weekends I type mostly ESLs and if I did not have Escription I would pull my eyebrows out 1 by 1 (including the nails on my fingers). You should never have to retype like you are saying, never. Why are you using the so called "hot" keys? You do not have to do this, I don’t, had typed far too long straight to learn a new trick now and do great with the mouse alone. As I press my foot pedal once the actual dictation starts each word is encapsulated in a red box, always lets me know where I am. Get your mouse, give that a try (the companies are not going to fire you because of not using the hot keys) and see if that will alleviate some of the distaste you are having at this time. Wish I knew how to tell you about the sorry reports you are getting but your program is not learning, simple as that.
check out state
Maybe check out state or federal jobs.  That is how I started.  I was hired with absolutely no experience to work in a clinic for the state.  They then sent me to a local college at night and paid for my education.  MQ used to hire from transcription schools.  I dont know if they still do.  I think I read also where Encompass does.  I know Chronicle Transcripts used to as I worked there as lead transcriptionist and used to help train newbies.  Good luck!
State of the MT industry

Obviously, you work some place that pays very well and you might even have secure employment. If so, that's great.  Some of us worked for companies that were sold or sent all their work offshore and we had to take jobs where we could get them.  Don't be so quick to judge other peoples' choices.  It's true that in some companies, wages are lousy, but do you really think you'd be a fry cook at the clown's over working from a home office?  If you are earning great wages and have a good job, I sure hope you're able to help other MTs find something as good as what you've got.