what is AHDI and sm
Posted By: Quig on 2008-08-26
In Reply to: Followup for AHDI and Indian transcription - cj
why are only 1/4th of them medical transcriptionists?
Wouldn't you think they all would be?
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AHDI
I had been a member of AHDI, but when I had a problem with a MTSO not paying I contacted them. The reason I contacted them was to ask in their assistance, not in my instance, but to protect their membership from this type of company. They completely ignored the context of my letter and referred me to local agencies. My thought was that with this industry being so new and unprotected online, that they should take an interest in have legislation passed... went right over their heads. Thus, I did not renew my membership.
SO well-said! I think AHDI should be
nm
AHDI
I started a thread below about the government stepping in and making the MTSO companies step up to the plate and conform to a standard form of counting lines for US based medical transcriptionists and to perhaps have a baseline pay so that MTs are not sitting all day long waiting on one more report to try to make a count that is making the MTSOs richer. While not everybody agreed with my points, let me say that there are probably far more MTs in this country who are not independent contractors and who are trying to support themselves than not. ICs would almost be classified as (mini) MTSOs. Not everybody has the luxury of negotiating what they will work for. That whole conversation is moot when we are talking about the industry as a whole. ADHI has spoken for years that they support standardization but when they were recently asked about "policing" the MTSOs methods of counting lines, they dropped the ball. This is just my opinion, but there definitely needs to be an accountability to the U.S. worker concerning this industry. While on one hand we are described as highly skilled workers with a wide base of knowledge, we are then described as home-based, bunny-slippered, pajama mamas. It cannot be both ways. We are highly skilled and do have a wide base of knowledge and we need to band together. I do like the name United States Medical Transcription Association. Works for me.
AHDI
I am not sure it matters who is behind ADHI or their corporate sponsors. The reality is that the U.S. based MTs need to quit taking a knee jerk reaction to them. ADHI started small. Your comment about the displaced workers just proves my point that the government and the Dept of Labor do need to be involved in the restructuring of the MT Industry. When a major MTSO company can initiate a program whereby it cuts the salaries of thousands of it's employees for its own gain, there is a problem there. In the area where I work, there was an article in the newspaper about the outsourcing of the radiology dept on weekends to Australia so that coverage was 24/7. This is a U.S. owned company who employs radiologists from Australia. I am betting those doctors over there do not make less than their counterparts over here. So, it is up to us, the MTs of the U.S. to start to organize in order to reinstate the true value of the work we are entrusted to perform day in and day out.
AHDI
Completely with you. making almost minimum wage for over 30 years of work. mostly because of account specifics, slow platform, always blaming it on the Internet, awful audio.
AHDI: BOS...............
Yes, it is:
For instance:
AHDI tells us:
5cc's was injected.
????
1. Why has there to be an apostrophe cc's? It is just only the plural of cc, css is right, like MTs, the 70s, etc.....
Why 'was' injected; ccs is plural, consequently 'were', this is the right grammar.
But, AHDI says:
'NO, you have to look at it as a UNIT, 5ccs, is a UNIT, so you have to type 'was'. BS!
And there are a lot of these examples.
Yes, but AHDI is quite the
wishy-washy change horses in midstream type - maybe they will smell conflict coming and hop on the no-outsourcing bandwagon if too many MTs lose interest in AHDI membership. At any rate, it will be fun to see what happens.
ahdi
I have been reading the posts here for many months and I agree with everything said above regarding AHDI. I resigned as treasurer of a student chapter after realizing they seemed to care more about foreign MTs than us here in the US.
Now all US transcriptionists have an option. There is a new organization "American Transcription Association", ATA. The mission of this organization is to bring to the forefront the situation here for out MTs and all the off shoring to India and elsewhere. This organization will only accept US transcriptionists.
Check it out at www.ataus.org
Maybe we can make a difference!
This has nothing to do with AAMT/AHDI.
This has to do with a gal going out and taking a difficult test and passing it and wanting a tiny bit of validation from her peers. I am a nurse and lived through globalization with nurses coming into our country from everywhere .. transcription has been left alone for a long time and because it is us, we all scream like crazy. Did you care when it was nurses, or auto workers or garment workers or is it all about you? I am a nurse who came into this grind by choice .. can hear the grass grow and know how to punctuate and create a sentence. I read my account specifics and I follow the rules and make a very good living. Let your politicians fix what they have destroyed. Exercise your arm and vote for people who will not solicit money and gain off the backs of the constituency and turn their backs. Don't beat up a gal who is proud of an accomplishment .. this is part of the reason our industry is a mess, we cannot support each other first and throw out even a crumb of kindness. Stop feeling entitled .. nobody owes us a bloody thing.
AHDI is the new name for the AAMT.
nm
it's AHDI now, not AAMT.....sm
because they became an organization NOT for the American MT - and over the years, many of us griped about it and so FINALLY they changed their name (last year) to AHDI............since they have promoted offshoring for the past 15-20 years...........
AHDI allows scammer because THEY are
x
as long as it has nothing to do with AHDI or whatever - nm
x
AHDI members.
Did you know there is a corporate member of the AHDI that is known to be a scam? I am not allowed to post the name on this board evidently as it keeps refusing my post when I try to post the name saying it is a “bad word,” but it is a company that will train you for free, have you pay $400 for software, and then tells you they will hire you and pay you once you are up to their standards. However, somehow, the MTs they train can never live up to their standards. How do you feel about this company being a member of your organization? Who exactly does AHDI represent? Why do they allow a company that is known to scam MTs and is a complete ripoff to be a member of their organization? Will this company soon be an "approved" school? LOL. Any thoughts on this? Please share.
CE's Online at OA-AHDI
You can get many CEs online through the Online ASsociation of AHDI. They offer live webinars monthly and they are all preapproved for CE credits from AHDI.
You are also able to purcahse downloads of previous presentations and view them at your leisure.
Visit www.oa-ahdi.org and you will find some information there.
No, and I'm am more of an AHDI/BOS-2 supporter.
There are few changes in it and the ones that are there are ridiculous, in my opinion. Makes us (as MTs) look like idiots for following:
No more periods after abbreviated personal and courtesy titles! WHAT? So, now you should write Mr and Mrs Happy (not Mr. and Mrs. Happy).
No more commas to separate names from titles with roman numerals! WHAT? So, now you write Harry Happy II (not Harry Happy, II).
No more hyphens between numbers and their units, even if it is a compouned modifier! WHAT? So, that means you would write ... close the 2 cm incision (not .... closed the 2-cm incision).
Just nitpicking crap to make us look bad and make them more money.
Use the BOS-2, it's much smarter. Use the AHDI for its good stuff and leave the bad stuff alone (i.e., if it benefits you, use it...and BTW, you would just periods with that latin abbreviation any longer, lol).
BTW, the BOS-3 won't be available electronically. Have to buy a book or pay a monthly fee to have web access.
Better stop my rant now. LOL
MTIA **is** AHDI
see "driving directions" in post below.
AHDI Misunderstood?
I do not thnk AHDI is misunderstood at all. I think it is very apparent what they are doing. They are embracing the global atmosphere to make more money for themselves just like the big MTSOs. I personally believe it is time that the Dept. Of Labor get involved with the way American MTs are paid in this country and institute a standardized method of counting lines for all MTSO companie which would include using the same software for all of them. I think that MTs who are paid by the line should have a baseline line pay that is in dollars and cents just like factory workers do who are paid doing piecework. I would bet there are many many MTs in this country who are working for less than minimum wage for these MTSO companies because they pay so little and expect so much.
Why I despise AHDI
see link.
Dropping AHDI and CMT - anyone else?
It took me several years to make up my mind - I decided this year to drop my AHDI membership as well as not do my CEUs for my CMT (due this past January). I've been an MT for over 23 years. I joined AAMT 18 years ago and was thrilled to be part of it including in my local chapter for a long long time. I passed my CMT in 1994 - 15 years ago. I have never been paid any extra for my CMT.
I worked for MQ from 1997 to 2006 and finally found the guts to leave and have been happier for it. I don't make any more money. In fact, I'm making the same cpl that I was in 1997 now - that is no raise in 12 years. That is in spite of my CMT, in spite of taking on every new and difficult account I could, etc., etc.
I will leave AHDI and the certification process because I am finally admitting to myself my thorough disgust with the connection between MQ and AHDI - that started well before this so-called settlement. I sure wish I had checked in here before now, I didn't take note that there was a deadline to send in objections.
Most of my coworkers, with more experience than me and with similar hard-working, transcription loving ethics, long ago left AAMT in disgust at how they were not doing a thing for us to raise wages and how they paid more attention to MTSOs, hospitals, etc... and then, the whole offshore thing.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my 2 cents. I would appreciate hearing from anyone with their thoughts. I've been reading and listening to pro-AAMT stuff trying to wade through and made my decision. My final bottom line was that I listened to my gut, my instincts, and and accepted that I know in my heart and head that for AHDI to still pretend they are for us MTs is a sham - and shameful - and their getting anywhere NEAR a company like Medquist says all that any of us should need to hear. Or, rather, that I need to hear.
AHDI should be investigated by the gov't. - sm
because they've defrauded MTs by leading them to believe they represented THEM. If they can be dishonest in one way, chances are very good that other misrepresentations are taking place. (Such as with the IRS? Labor board?) There's most likely a lot more to this shifty bunch of people than meets the eye.
Not anti-AHDI but pro-US MTs
So, does anyone have any experience starting up groups such as this? Please contact me via email? I work full-time and then some - and don't have oodles of time, but my guess is we are all in this same boat (not having extra time). I would be willing to try to create something for us.
On a tangent - I really struggled over the years about the whole U.S. MTs versus "them." I truly believe we are such a melting pot and feel strong about not excluding anyone. I do not think the us VS them viewpoint is very positive. That being said, I do believe that one of the biggest problems in our economy today is that govt (both sides) let our jobs (of all kinds) go overseas so the corporations could make more money. This left Americans without jobs or having to retrain, etc. I have finally come to conclusion that I am not being exclusionary OR protectionist to want our government AND groups like AAMT to advocate for US first, for those of us who live here, create this economy, and who keep this country going.
In bringing up the idea of having a new group for MTs, I think it is important that we are FOR something (us) and not against something (AHDI, MTSOs, overseas MTs). This is only my opinion. Even though feel angry and disillusioned about what AHDI has allowed to happen, I prefer to find a more positive way to help ourselves. I'm not sure exactly what that is...but eventually it likely will require for us to be proactive and take steps.
Suggestions on how to get the tea party started? I'm willing if others are. Even if just a few of us brainstorming - the point is to set into motion something that gives us hope. Something that will eventually grow and help each other. MT Stars does this in its own way, by providing the avenue to be real and share the good and the not so great about our profession.
Please email me, let me know what you think. Or post here.
The tea party opens...
dropping AHDI
I will also not renew membership to AHDI this year. Haven't been paying that much attention, but now that I have lost my job to VR after 14 years, I am paying attention and don't like what I see. I will not continue to support an association that is supposed to represent me, a hard working U.S. MT, that promotes MTSOs who offshore. I'm just sorry that I didn't realize that fact years ago as I would have dropped membership sooner.
You might want to read more about CMT & AHDI --
You won't earn a dime more in income, and your test fees and membership fees will go to support a group that is in large part responsible for offshored work and falling MT wages. Your money is better spent on just about ANYthing else than a CMT.
You do not have to be AHDI member sm
you only renew CMT credential every 3 years and CE credits are free. The renewal is $50, so that amounts to $16.66 every year. Exam was reimbursed by my employer 100%.
If AHDI had a CMT flag, I would definitely
.
BOS is just one more AHDI/AAMT rip-off. -sm
Just a bunch of busywork, and needless 'rules'. There may be one or two things that make sense safety-wise, such as 'daily' instead of q.d., but REALLY...
All the nit-picking the BOS spawns just takes the focus away from the main point of MT -- to type a readable and correct medical record.
and with AHDI on our side
we can soon to expect to make LESS than the average McD's worker. B-e-a-utiful!
and with AHDI on our side
and vigilantly watching out for all MTs, we can soon to expect to make LESS than the average McD's worker. B-e-a-utiful!
Well now, according to the AHDI site,
this would seem to say that they wouldn't turn down a typing cat:
"Eligibility Requirements
The CMT exam targets an experienced medical Transcriptionist with Professional Level 2 skills and knowledge as defined in the "Medical Transcriptionist Job Descriptions". Although any candidate is “eligible” and granted permission to take the CMT certification examination, two years of transcription experience in the acute care (or equivalent) setting is strongly suggested for success on the exam. Acute care is defined as incorporating medical center dictation to include many dictators including multiple ESL dictators, many formats and report types, and all the major specialties, including and especially surgery dictation of all types, and some minor specialties."
The application also only asks for your demographics and your $10 application fee. They can "recommend" all they want, but if I want to plunk down my money, it looks like I get to take the test, acute care experience or not.
AHDI RMT Recert
So, I received notification to recert my RMT on May 7, 2009:
“Your recertification deadline is June 30, 2009. You must complete the RMT Recertification course no later than September 30, 2009.”
Interestingly enough, I did not receive my RMT until October 2009. Now I see they say recert is due June 2009 but have graciously extended it to September 2009.
No respone to email and this is not right. You want us to value the cert, but give only 3 months to take a new course and exam at a cost that may not be possible in this economy with such short notice. This recert course is a year overdue and now you want us to do it under AHDI timeframe.
“The cost of the RMT Recredentialing Course is $100. RMTs can take the RMT Recredentialing Course any month after receiving their 6 month reminder but must complete the course before their deadline”
I did not recieve a 6 month reminder. Shame!
Is "Advance" in any way associated with AHDI?
Or is that why one post in the Comments section advocated ATA joining up with AHDI?
We should all distance ourselves from AHDI in every way, shape and form possible. I refuse to get a CMT. I refuse to support that scam outfit in any way. I recently found out my MTSO is pretty closely involved with AHDI, so you can bet I'm looking at other job opportunities, and will leave ASAP.
Please tell us that ATA is in NO WAY affiliated with AHDI! Please, please, please...
No, no - ATA is NOT affiliated with AHDI
ATA was formed because AHDI and MTIA were not meeting the needs of the every day, down in the trenches, MTs. They more represented big business' interests.
Advance is a magazine for Health Care Professionals. You can access it online at http://health-information.advanceweb.com/Editorial/Tools/HandsOnHelp.aspx
Since when has AHDI/AAMT cared about anything
where US MTs are concerned?
If you belong to AHDI, you take the exam
Indian MTs make sooooooooo little money, the $25 difference probably doesn't help them at all.
That's because AHDI's ulterior motive is to
So obviously they'll need more Indian/Pakistani/Filipino/Chinese MTs.
AAMT/AHDI is what is sending all US MT's to
.
Anyone a member of AHDI/AAMT? (sm)
I'm interested to find out what benefits you actually get and use for your money, and if any employers are at all interested in the fact that you are a member etc. It's not a inexpensive prospect to become a member, that is why I wonder if the benefits are worthwhile to the working MT.
Thanks
OOPS - meant AHDI!
Sorry
So I'd like to know what AHDI spends the proceeds - sm
from all their CMT credentialling tests and renewals on. They must make a pretty good haul on all that, if all the MTs in India have fallen for the con game.
Also, I sure have to take offense at what the above AHDI response says about MTs: 'We simply don't see this attitude often here in the US. MTs here only seem interested in certification if it is going to directly impact their wallets.'
Oh, REALLY? And they're NOT? Yeh, it does all come down to money for everyone involved, but in our attempts at getting enough of it to make an actual living at being an MT, at least we're not doing it by crushing others, like the hospitals, doctors, MTSO's and AHDI are doing.
Cracks me up that she says one of AHDI's 'vital roles' is raising awareness of the importance of MT's. Oh, REALLY? The importance of INDIAN MT's (aka - cheap sweatshop labor that can be exploited without the labor protections U.S. workers are SUPPOSED to have, but we dont) maybe, but their sole purpose seems to have been to abandon the American worker entirely.
AHDI: I wish I knew the answer. nm
xx
why is AHDI so anti American MT
they seem completely out of touch with MTs, as evidenced in my personal experience and from reading so many posts on this board alone. I have never seen such misrepresentation of a profession...and they seem to have not even an inkling to bridge the gap; in fact, they seem to go out of their way to make the bridge even wider.
we need some representation on behalf of all MTs from the 'old school,' as we should be grandfathered in to any kind of mandatory certification, if it comes to that; but we definitely need an advocate on OUR side.
I see a lot of condescending remarks (and worse) from CMTs on this site against we "regular MTs" and it proves the point that there is a huge injustice going on with that organization and their disrespect of the 'little' guys here who are losing more and more money every year. I just heard overall American wages have dropped from $7500 a year gained from the 1990s to 2000 lower to date, and dropping, which is over 9000 a year. utilites are sky-rocketing, food prices, (need I go on?)...
now of ALL times to try to enforce any more financial hardship on MTs (while at the same time lowering costs for overseas MTs) not only shows complete lack of knowledge about the realities we face, but extreme disrespect toward us.
WE should be priority, not overseas MTs but US.
this is not a game people...this is serious, and no one should be able to mess with anyone else's livelihood in such ways as I have seen in this profession alone over the last decade especially.
Re: AHDI / MTIA address -- (sm)
I read the posts below about AHDI & MTIA having the same address. So I looked each of them up online and YES, it's true. Right down to the suite number. Obvioiusly these "two" companies are one and the same. AHDI probably fabricated the newer MTIA to "recommend" a CMT "title" for all MTs in order to up it's dwindling U.S. membership. And since it would be obvious to all if AHDI "recommended" its own certification title, they came up with this bogus "other company" to do the recommending, since it's doubtful that any hospitals/MTSO's/Indian MT companies, etc. would bother to scrutinize the addresses of the two.
It's especially sad for me, a Californian, to see that these are Modesto, California "companies". Not long ago there was a bill in California to ban offshoring of American medical records, and it was voted down by "Ah-nold". (The "Governator" of California.) Hmmm. How much do ya wanna bet there was quite a bit of lobbying from AHDI/MTIA, and a large bit of cash moving about under the table?
If AHDI (or another scam company like them) - s/m
had preyed upon some OTHER profession, such as gardeners, or x-ray technicians, or nannies, or dental assistants, etc., how far do you think they would have gotten in their scheme before someone blew the whistle and they were outed, investigated, and put out of business?
But these profiteers did their homework, and picked an EASY target: MTs, who for the most part work at home... an entirely INVISIBLE workforce. And they raked in the profits, too, expanding their scam to India when jobs started moving offshore (which of course, they have been PROMOTING, not fighting). After all, by expanding their 'CMT' scam to prey on Indian workers, they're out of reach of US law; additionally, if US law were to catch up with them today (and how I wish it would!), then could simply drop the US and continue on in India, where there's far less regulation.
'It's the squeaking wheel that gets the grease', and I think the time is right for MTs all across America to start 'squeaking' like crazy.
AHDI Board Salaries?
This is from the AHDI website. There are links to a "BOD packet," and to a financial statement, which they are calling "privileged" i.e., you have to be a member to access these.
http://www.ahdionline.org/scriptcontent/bodmain.cfm
I'm not a member, but if you are, have a look. Maybe their salaries are listed? Or maybe in the financials link?
I would bet a lot that no one on the AHDI board is driving a 1986 Honda.
AAMT/AHDI - Crooks, that is what they are!
I am one of the oldtimers who took the MT certification test in 1983. It only cost $75.00 back then. I had such high hopes that this industry was going to be a wonderful career move. But AAMT, now AHDI got GREEDY and tried to suck as much money as possible out of their MTs and never stood up for us. Money is all they cared about. And YES, the board members do receive a substantial salary. Who do you think is paying their salaries? Anyone who is idiotic enough to become a member. They lure in the newly graduated transcriptionists with their lies. I have been a Transcriptionist since 1980, and I have NEVER been without work. I only wish that I had not remained a member for 13 years. I regret that immensely. That money would have been better off in my pockets. I think they definitely be investigated and persecuted for their deceitfulness. They never intended to help the MT. They are a scam organization and only interested in stealing our lowly income. I hope they rot for their sins!
Then the unions would be in bed with AHDI (AAMT) huh!! sm
Don't we already have that going on anyway?
AHDI is just trying to make MT look good, so
That's why AHDI just LOVES them Indians!
.
Who gives you more respect for it? The people at AHDI? Nm.
nm
Amen! AHDI Greed #2
.
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