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It's hospital work. The basic four.

Posted By: You'll see a lot of posts for acute care on 2008-01-24
In Reply to: Acute Care - sally

because the larger companies can handle the larger hospital accounts.  Acute care just means hospital work as opposed to clinic, which would be physician offices, i.e., family practice, cardiology, nephrology, etc.


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  • Acute Care - sally
    • It's hospital work. The basic four. - You'll see a lot of posts for acute care

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Basic 4 hospital work - history and physical, discharge summaries, operative notes, and consults. nm
s
most psych work is included in multispecialty hospital work..sm
contracted to a medical transcription service that requires multispecialty experience because of the hospital work. Unfortunately, very rarely can a medical Transcriptionist these days be given only one specialty when working for a service or hospital. We have to be well versed in multi specialties. The Turn Around Time on demands have increased, and thus the service or hospital gives the MT many different types of work. Learn as many specialties and gain as much experience in different specialties, which in turn will make you a more valuable MT and more apt to gain employment.
If work @ hospital is low SM
and they have their own transcriptionists, they are probably saving the work for their own people.  In the priority list is making sure the hospital transcriptionists have work first, then the service.  Probably if you are fairly new and their are other MTs working on your account at the service, they may have priority over you as far as work distribution goes.
Try to get a job in a hospital. Don't try to work at home for a few years of doing this full-tim
x
Hospital work: Op notes, Discharges, Consultations, History and Physicals. nm
s
basic 4 is
OPS, Discharge, H&P, and Consults (hospital notes)
Basic 4
What does the basic 4 consist of?
Basic 4
Just wanted to be sure what the basic 4 is referring to.  I think it means like ER, h&p, radiology or something like that?  Thanks. 
Basic 4

History and Physicals


Operative Reports


Discharge Summary


Clinic Notes


are the basic 4


Are these the basic problems with MQ?
Is it that the grumbles with Medquist from MTs that they put in voice recognition software? That technology sucks everywhere. Everyone who does voice recognition has to clean those suckers up, it's awful and very time consuming. Is that along with the fact that supervisors are not as attentive (or in some cases too attentive) the main problems?

I am looking to hire on with a company for the long haul and possibly retire with (or at least reach social security). I don't need a mansion on a hill or a brand new double wide in a park. I just need a basic, dependable MT job that I can count on for being able to earn a regular paycheck.

In some threads, I get the impression there are too many chiefs and not enough indians. In other threads, I get the understanding that there are too many indians altogether, therefore not enough work to go around. Across the board I get the understanding that the "higher ups," for lack of better words, don't communicate well between themselves or with the MTs. Could someone at least tell me if that much is correct?

Thanks.
Basic 4 = HP, Consults, DS, and OPs.
Acute care may contain ER notes if you are lucky, but will usually contain the basic 4 plus more procedure notes like cardiac studies, and a wider mix with wound care clinic notes, possibly rad-onc clinic notes, just depends on the hospital's specialty. Or the terms can be used fairly interchangeably.

The main focus of hospital work is the basic 4, but on some accounts they will say with OP notes and others without OP notes, because (I believe) some MTs will sign up to just do OP notes because they are their favorite. With a smaller hospital you are more likely to have a mix with little departmental procedures, IME, and larger hospitals tend to just have a service do the basic 4, again, IME.
learn the basic tricks. sm
learn how to set up templates with field codes (F11 to jump).  Learn how to set up your expander.  If you don't have a clue look into the ABCZ system.  Use Google to search for information on this.  If you are stuck using autocorrect instead of a better Expander learn how to enter words quickly w/o a mouse (alt t a to open it. then tab then enter).  These will save you a LOT of time entering or editing your entries.
Very basic question about x-rays

Can someone clarify this for me.


When the doc states, "X-ray, AP and lateral" - Does it mean that the x-ray was taken front to back (AP) and in the lateral plane?


For a while I was thinking that AP was one film and lateral was another, but  I wonder, because the docs keep saying "shows"  (indicating by their grammar that it is one film) instead of "show". I feel kind of dumb not knowing this. I looked in my reference that describes all of the different ways to take an x-ray but still can't clarify it.


Thanks


Acute care is also called basic 4, which is

H&Ps, discharges, Ops, and consults.  Clinic can vary from a doctor's office to an in-hospital clinic.  The in-hospital clinic might be a little more technical than an office and the format may/may not be similar. 


In my experience clinical is not a lot of medical terminology and the drugs tend to be the same ones over and over again.  I liked doing clinic work in that I knew what sickness was going around and what the recommended course of treatment was.  With clinical dictation you also tend to have the same doctors every time so you get to know them and can make lots of normals, which will have you producing more lines.  It can get boring though to have the same person over and over. 


The line rate is usually higher for acute care too. 


 


Don't worry - you'll learn all that basic stuff
in school. They used to teach it in secretarial classes, of course, but if you know you want to be an MT, go to one of the top schools (M-Tec and Andrews), and you will be ready when it's time to test.
I've mentored AHP newbies, too, and they lack SO much basic
s
hospital pay
I inquired in my area (Southwest Michigan) and one of the hospitals told me they pay $11 - $17/hour.
I want a job in a hospital sm

Do they usually post their help wanted on their websites, or do you need to know someone to get in??  I see ads all the time for work at home positions, but what about office positions?


 


Starting pay in hospital
Any ideas of the pay for in the hospitals?
RE: Starting pay in hospital
Depends on what part of the United States you are inquiring?
hospital transcription

Ok I have looked at hospital MT jobs in AZ and all of them want experience and almost none of them pay well or even list pay in the ad, your best bet is to look on monster.com or try the specific hospital site. for example a big hospital group in AZ is Banner Health, they have their own website and job listings, so try that direction.


 


k


I don't live where the hospital is looking - sm
I actually have two hospitals to recruit for - one in NY and one in Maryland. I will have another soon in Minnesota after I fly up there on Wednesday to find out their needs and look at the surrounding area. These would be for people wanting to relocate. Relocation would be paid.
depends on the hospital
There is hospital near me who will take on beginning MT's who have typing and medical terminology skills. They work with you for up to a year before you go on your own. They pay about $11.75 an hour to start. But, then there is another hospital that requires years of experience. You need to check with you local hospitals to see what their requirements are.
No, it's not your job - when I worked in a hospital (sm)
I was paid hourly with bonus for production.  Therefore, we could occasionally do other work (like the charting) if the clerk was off, answering phone, etc.; but being strictly on production, I would say, no it is not your job.
working in a hospital
I work for a hospital and have for 20 years. I am an at-home MT.. I am a full-time employee just like anyone who has to physical go there everday. The pay is much better and benefits too.. There are some still out there.
VA Hospital transcription

Does anyone know any MTSO who has VA hospital accounts?  I ran across a great ad looking for MTs last year, but did not have enough MT work experience yet to be considered and was told to reapply when I had more experience.  I don't recall who this company was, but was intriged by the ad for MTs and would like to follow up and at least apply.  I saved the ad, but can't find it at present.  One of the things that interested me most was that the company sounded like it really valued its MT workforce.  I am looking for a company to move to and stay with for the long term.


I would appreciate any information anyone can give me.  My experience thus far has primarily been with hospital accounts and I am currently doing ER editing and standard.  Thanks.


 


working in a hospital

If you have the opportunity to work alongside another MT in a hospital, TAKE that opportunity.  It will be much easier to learn with someone available to help you right when you need it instead of waiting on e-mails with corrections or using IM. 


in-hospital positions
You may have already, but also check out indeed.com. They have sometimes in-house positions also.
So I'm still not sure ... but the MT is a hospital employee, sometimes they will "weight" m
dictators so you get a little extra credit for unusually bad dictators. But that may not be a common practice everywhere.

If you are an IC, or at least once you are experienced, you might be able to negotiate a better rate for a particular MD if nobody else can or will do his dictation.

But have faith - some dictators who sound just horrible the first few times will suddenly be a breeze once you "crack the code." You will probably do that much more quickly if you have an experienced MT helping you out, listening to the difficult spots.


Have you tried your local hospital or physicians?

I work for my local hospital and my supervisor hired "newbies" all the time.  However, some clinics or hospitals require you to do a little onsite time before going home, at least mine did.  I had to meet a certain productivity rate and QA rate before I was "turned loose". 


I'm not sure if you are wanting to work for a national company or not from home.  Since I have no experience with that someone else may be able to guide you in that direction.  I just know around here, having tons of experience isn't really needed to be hired locally. 


Only if this hospital will employ you when you're done. That
s
The "affilation" with the local hospital may or may not....sm
...hurt you for future employment with other companies. Make sure you check out whether this school is reputable with other employers. I do not think the price is too high, if you consider it as an investment toward future income. Good luck! :)

I had to start out in the office of a local hospital sm

for a year, then went home.  I didn't want to go home to be honest, too many distractions and my twins were babies at the time, but they were sending everyone home.  I really don't know what to tell anyone when I see these posts.  There are lots of companies out there needing help and you'd think that if they are willing to send their work overseas to people that don't even speak English as a first language, then they would be willing to hire a new graduate.  I would be a little more pushy, offer to do 30 days at a lower cent per line then have a review, something like that.  Keep pushing, someone will see potential and take a chance on you.  Honestly, these companies that don't hire new graduates I just don't get it.  I work for a small local company that is always behind on their work and I always suggest they hire some new graduates from the two local schools, but they never do it, they just sit and wait for people to apply.  Good luck! 


To clarify, the dictation is likely recorded at a hospital...
and all the C-phone or Lanier does is access that system. Any hospital that uses a Dictaphone system can be accessed by a c-phone. Seems to me there are some electronic units on the market that can be either Lanier-compatible or C-phone compatible though you would have to ask around about that. Yes, their only purpose is to access dictation that is stored somewhere else...though you could use the C-phone as a regular phone, if you wanted :>)    So there are two types of data format nowadays, .wav files (or .dss files) which the file can be transferred via internet and dictaphone/Lanier format which the file has to go through a phone line. And perhaps a few microcasettes are still kicking around.  Any other old-timers have anything to add?
are there no more in-house hospital jobs left?
it seems to me that way too many of talented MT's are settling for these low-paying companies. Is that all that's left out there for work?
doesn't anybody work in a hospital anymore?
Our local hospital group has a few people in

radiology and pathology, but the rest has been outsourced for about 25 years.  Hospitals are looking to cut costs where they can.  There are still MTs who work for the hospital, just not in-house.  


If you need a job you do what you have to do.  If the US MTs don't take the jobs guess where they will go.   I make more working at home per line than what any hospital pays that I have seen.  I don't have insurance (because it is outragenously priced), but I do have some benefits.   Also working at home you have fewer expenses, so it pretty much equals out. 


 


Try hospital accounts with psych units
The only psych reports I've ever were through hospital accounts that had psychiatric units. Whether the psych report come through the ER, a consult or the unit, I find psych notes are always interesting. Good luck. I hope you find a great psychiatric account.


local hospital versus national
Hi,
I was with a national company and, like you, only did about 1200 lines per day at 7.5 cpl with 18 months in. I felt like I was never going to make the big bucks!

In May, I resigned from the national co. and went to work locally. After a short 1-month in-house training, I am working from home again. This hospital has some great normals to use and yesterday, I did 2200 lines!!!!!

Finding a good fit is the hardest part. Thankfully, I think I have found mine!!!!! Just keep in mind that there are other options out there. GOOD LUCK!!!!
since you already have a little experience, go apply at a hospital. They have benefits, mentoring,
etc.  In a few years time, you'll be on your way to really cleaning up.
Well, all I can say is the Board of Labor Statistics should visit our hospital where

an entire radiology department went to VR with Dictaphone's platform and within 30 DAYS were dictating their own stuff without ANY MT EDITING. Including the high-speed dictator, the Pakistani dictator who doesn't even WANT to do it, and the lazy slurring dictator. I think in light of my own experience, the Labor Board is behind the times.  The statement below is no longer true.


"In spite of the advances in this technology, the software has been slow to grasp and analyze the human voice and the English language, and the medical vernacular with all its diversity. As a result, there will continue to be a need for skilled medical transcriptionists to identify and appropriately edit the inevitable errors created by speech recognition systems, and to create a final document."


I think only for those who plan on an in-house job at a hospital. At-home options won't even be
m
Mostly inpatient hospital dictation - H&P, DS, Consults, Ops, some include ER
and progress notes. Acute care is usually inpatient dictation from hospitals.

Hope this helps.
Local hospital pays hourly + production incentive

I was lucky enough to find a job that gives me the best of both worlds.  A decent hourly base and then incentive pay on top of that.


GOOD LUCK!!!


you have to call the hospital/clinic line to connect with the dictation machine on their end
so you get a dial tone, that means it is working. Next you dial the number of the dictation system, and it says something like "welcome to bla-bla hospital. Please enter your user ID followed by the pound sign." Then you enter your ID and it starts giving you work in your queue or asks for job type or whatever.
I've seen awful work from "experienced MTs and good work from new graduates
I've seen awful work from "experienced MTs and good work from new graduates.

Training and education really does make a difference. Some people just have 15 or 20 years of very bad experience. They may be fortunate that one employer was willing to hire and keep them, but if that one closed, they would be in trouble. It all depends on the person. some new graduates are a better bet then some experienced MTs. I would prefer to find an experienced MT with great skills and a teachable attitude, but many experienced MTs know everything and are only willing to do things the way they've always done them.
Acute care is considered hospital transcription - discharges, history/physicals, consults, and op
s
Just be sure not to pay for work. There is an MTSO below who apparently charges to work for them (sm
It might be tempting when you're getting desperate for work to pay someone so you can work for them, but don't do it. You can buy software and a foot pedal on your own, so don't let them fool you. If you are approached via e-mail from this site by an MTSO saying they have work for you, please read the posts below before making any decisions.
Can you share where you work that the work is plentiful? nm
s
Work for MTs
I was hired before I even graduated or had begun job hunting by a large transcription company. It was the easiest job I have ever gotten. I was hired because I attended a top-notch school (M-TEC) and did well in the program. There are plenty of jobs for well trained MTs, even new ones.
Work through it
Type the report thorugh the first time. Look up any you are not sure of to gain understanding of the report. Listen again full through and fill in blanks. Then listen again to problem areas to pick out works. Never guess. Leave blanks where you are not sure. Any hard dictator takes time to learn and multiple listens to the voice file to complete it to the best of your ability.
FT work and PT Mt work...

can this be done or am I getting in over my head. FT in-house, not MT and PT MT at home.


Anyone else doing this?