A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

I am growing so weary of being expected to know as much as a doctor... - cartMT

Posted: Jun 04, 2011

for my measly little wage. what is up with that? I am talking mostly about comments I get back from quality people who act like they are doctors - what? but you would rather work for peanuts? I have never ever eluded to the fact I would ever know as much as a doctor. I am a good researcher and a bit OCD about my job (a job I used to absolutely LOVE), but do I know as much as a doctor? not. if I did, I would certainly have gone to medical school. maybe it is just people who like to show power over other people by trying to make you feel stupid, even for the smallest mistakes?

or are these the new expectations in this so-called profession? are we supposed to know as much as a doctor, oh say for about 10 dollars an hour? can this be happening?

and I am not even talking about terminology, but rather ESL interpretations... that is where I make mistakes.

I remember how proud I was when I first started Medical Transcription - not so much anymore.

...and there are only anywhere from 200 to 300 MTs on this board anymore, is that what we are reduced to? didnt there used to be thousands?

I don't think the majority of THEM are all that smart. - no name

[ In Reply To ..]
They do not know grammar, they stumble over the pronounciation of medications, especially if not in their field of expertise, etc. Maybe in a big city at one of the crown-jewel hospitals there are some Einsteins, but for the most part I think our doctors in this country are mediocre at best, and it seems that the insurance companies are doing more of the decision-making medical treatment these days then the physicians. All I type is the doctor prescribing procedures that the insurance company will approve or drugs that the insurance company will pay for. I hope the insurance company people are topnotch is all I can say (and I quite doubt that is the case).

"than," not "then" -- I swear gremlins change words - after you post the reply :)

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Capitation - cartMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I remember when capitation came to our hospital, in the early 1990s. they held meetings all throughout the hospital to let everyone know what was coming, even up to now and beyond.

they explained hospitals were switching to for-profit from nonprofit, and that there would no longer be monies allocated for the poor, when patients would be in the hospitals for weeks, anyone remember that?

when I worked in medical records I remember the doctors were the top dogs back then.

then capitation came, and as you mentioned, insurance companies dictating to the doctors, and no matter how hard the doctors fought, even passing out pamphlets, asking people to vote against the politicians in favor of these changes, nothing could help them.

so basically like everything in this country, the 'wealth' and power shifted from the doctors to the insurance companies.

I saw doctors upset and yelling and screaming with the DRG girls, but to no avail. the doctors would want to keep the patients in the hospital for longer periods of time, and the insurance companies said flat out no because of statistics. it is all based on statistics. unfortunately for the patient really.

hard to say who was better for the patient. all I know is doctors were different back then, where the majority seemed to care about patients, as opposed to now the majority just wants to make their money. I have heard that and seen it with my own eyes.

listen to med students some time, it is quite an eye opener of why they are even going into medicine. (not all but most)

and more and more responsibility filters down we the little 'guys' to make sure the records and dictations are correct (??) and if we make mistakes, like NOT catching the DOCTOR's mistakes, we are to blame...?

CartMT, thanks for interesting response to a little - blowing-steam post. Glad I did not just skip. NM

[ In Reply To ..]
x

What my husband went thru (SM) - RubySoho

[ In Reply To ..]
My husband was a semi-pro skateboarder in his teens/early 20s. He's 33 now and started having a lot of lower back pain. Suspecting it was being caused from an old boarding injury, I talked him into going to the doctor, who referred him to a "pain management specialist." This guy immediately loaded him up on Vicodin (180 for a month) and a referral to PT for 6-8 sessions, then to return. When my husband returned and informed him the PT hadn't helped and had, in fact, irritated the pain in his back at times, the doctor immediately started talking about putting rods in his back. When my husband refused the invasive procedure, the doctor had no interest in seeing him anymore or even attempting any other modalities to treat his pain, stuffed another Rx for Vicodin into his hand, and discharged him.

Guess if the patient isn't interested in a money-making procedure, then the "specialist" isn't interested in the patient. It's so frustrating...

In Your Own Words. - SS

[ In Reply To ..]
You're not alone in your thoughts...

I doubt there is a court-of-law in this country that would ever hold you accountable for words that slid between lips other than your own.

Yet, an MT is held accountable for the words that come out of the mouths of babes with MD's and DO's punctuating their names.

If, for example, a doctor dictates "Xanax" when he should have dictated "Zantac," the MT is expected to edit or note this error; if not, she's docked. Yet, the doctor who dictated the erroneous information is rendered exempt from accountability for his negligence.

A doctor's dictation "critical errors" should be documented and submitted to his "employer" and the employer's attorneys. These critical errors should negatively affect the malpractice-insurance premiums.

Doctors are free to dictate as carelessly as they choose (mumbling, talking too fast, etc.), and the MT is expected to transcribe this information with as high as 99% accuracy -- for all specialties -- without the benefit of the higher education in all specialties...and without the benefit of telepathy.

Doctoring is male-dominant (approximately 75%?); transcription is female-dominant. I often wonder if there is an element of sexism/chauvinism that was instilled back in the day when doctoring was even more male-dominant than it is now. Is this why MT's are expected to clean up after them, to the point where it is an industry standard?

I wonder why it is professionally and legally important to render dictation exempt from QA. Why are doctors not required to provide good-quality dictation? Why are they not required to be high-functioning intellects when they are dictating? I would like to be in the room when the VIP's from the AHDI are provided the opportunity to answer that question in front of a judge and a jury of transcriptionists...because those Luciâ��s have some â��xplaininâ�� to do.

SS-actually - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I DID get to see a doc squrim on the stand and be held accountable for errors in his documentation and then finally (after lengthy questioning) admit he never read the files, just signed them. Unfortunately, as he was an "expert" witness for the defense, he was still paid for his performance. It was fun being on that jury and being able to explain what an MT can and cannot do with dictation to my fellow jurors. We did find for the plantiff for well over a million. Afterwards, in the judge's chambers, he pulled me aside and said he was absolutely shocked that the defense attorney ok'd me to be on the jury, and obviously had no idea what my background meant. The doc on the stand was squirming like crazy, face all red when he was "caught" and the way he talked down to the jury didn't help at all and I just could not help imagining what a poor dictator he must be also. So once in a great blue moon . . . but I agree it should be much, much more often.

Wow, what an awesome experience! HIM directors should - use that example when training MDs to dictate. (NM

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

Bravo, SS. Very well said! Couldn't have stated it better. -nm - Pumpkins

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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