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

I am so sick of CPs. - dnr

Posted: Aug 27, 2012

Here I am, getting shuffled around in the 'cesspool', a dozen unfamilar accounts. You have your decent accounts with just the basics. Then, you have the CPs that are a long as novels and, if you miss something, you will hear about it, the fact it is in the CP and you shouldn't make such a mistake. I already spend so much time reading CPs, that I then get warnings that my production has fallen. So much for a consistent layout of CPs. I have to hunt for desired PE format, etc...... You can certainly tell when the formatting requirements were designed by someone who has never done MT'ing - They do all this fancy dancy stuff instead of sticking to the basics. I blame AAMT (ADHI) for never standardizing formats. Shesh, they spent (and spend) a lot of time dictating how we will get paid, but nothing on our working conditions, ie, lack of standardization.

I feel your pain - MModal Livestock

[ In Reply To ..]
The hospitals, clinics and doctors have become severely spoiled. I agree that AAMT and AHDI bear tremendous responsibility for the downfall of modern transcription. AAMT and AHDI are happy to standardize every single aspect of transcription on the MT/ME side with their pointless Book of Style. MQ gave me the book of style once. I leafed through it. Pretty useless. I've been doing whatever I want for the past 10 years and they only fired me once and that didn't take.

But when it comes to the hospital/doctor end? Any standardization required there? No. What about educating doctors on speaking English (let's face it, your personal doctor should always speak your language, regardless of what country you're in), correcting their mistakes, teaching them how to use the system (or telephones for the intellectually impaired), giving them a standardized template to work off of, or any other change that might help us? Tough luck.

Beyond AAMT and AHDI, the government, MModal and the other MTSOs (future brothers and sisters of the MModal family one and all), the hospitals, the uneducated citizenry that make up the patients, and even us MTs also share in the responsibility. If people understood the medical care they were receiving, they would know something was wrong and ask for better, but most people don't know the difference between good and bad care, and don't know what is happening to their records.

The government regulates the mundane and fails to regulate the serious. This is especially true in V.A. accounts. They tie up the hospitals in tons of regulation to keep records private, while not caring whatsoever whether those same patients live or die by the incompetence of an increasingly old, out of touch, undereducated and stressed out pack of idiot doctors.

Beyond that, the lack of affordable and available education in America, along with placing more value on how much money you should make rather than positive impact on society, has created a serious doctor shortage, which we are forced to make up for by taking in the doctors other countries don't want or ones who graduated from questionable institutions.

Finally, though, I think MedQuist is mostly to blame, aside from AAMT. They rose to the top in part by fostering the idea that the customer is always right. If the customer jumps off a bridge, our Dear Leader Davenport would be falling right behind them. They coddled the hospitals and promised to do the accounts that no one else would do. Now MQ/MM is the Wal-mart of transcription.

Unfortunately, the occupation of transcription that we all knew and that I once loved is dead and gone. I see the newest trend that I think will take off is underskilled MTs joining the workforce to replace us veterans. MM is making it clear they want fast and cheap. There's no reason to expect highly intelligent, creative or educated (self-educated or traditional) workers to show up to take minimum wage production jobs. If you're young and just starting out, and you are all of the above, why would you pick this profession? I'm only in it because that's what I'm trained to do. If I was back at that first fork in the road, would I have picked transcription? Hell no. They will have to take dumber MTs who will be doing the reports of dumber doctors for a dumber populace on lousier equipment.

Whew, I was ticked off apparently.

MModal livestock - gltrgrami

[ In Reply To ..]
WELL SAID SISTA! I absolutely hate this job (30 years now.) If I wasn't so close to retirement I would go into something else. I have told anyone who asks me about being an MT...run and DONT' look back!

Me too. I tell everyone I meet not to go into transciription nm - MModal Livestock

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nm

"Now MQ/MM is the Wal-mart of transcription." - I have been saying that for years.

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It's sad how accurate it is.

But King Vern and Queen Amy talked about dictator practices - broken promises

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Part of the BOOST program:

"Other projects include educating clinicians on best practice dictation methods, improving the accuracy and timing of demographic information, and standardizing content and formatting requirements. You will hear more detailed information about the "Boost Initiative" on an All Hands call, for Operations and all MTs, coming up in mid to late March with Amy Amick."

Yet another broken promise. Maybe I should contact that corporate attorney about false advertising or lying or whatever other legal jargon I can come up with. Maybe the attorney has our comp plan while I am at it.

And MModal Livestock I enjoy your sense of humor immensely.

I just made up my own client profile - and do what I want now

[ In Reply To ..]
I also pull up a sample in an unfamilar account and do whatever someone else did, right or wrong. I dont have time to read all the details. If I get written up for it, I will tell them then dont put me on so many accounts... Plain and simple.

Unfortunately the client is doing the checking & then reporting my - dnr

[ In Reply To ..]
format errors which then get sent to me by the QA manager.

Have you tried blackmailing your QA manager?* - MModal Livestock

[ In Reply To ..]
Go over their reports, find any mistakes you can and make it clear you'll put the whole system on trial if they don't let things go. It's worked for me in the past several times. People in glass houses...

*Disclaimer: Don't carry this out if your QA manager and your CCM are buddies. Then there's no one to report her too, which negates the whole thing. Side effects include lower self-respect (not applicable at MModal) and sudden termination resulting in higher quality of life and better pay. Results may vary.

Thought they were all buddies... - mtpingpong

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm in the same boat. I'm getting QA feedback that constantly contradicts what the last one said. Who has time to call them on every time it happens? You'd never produce any lines. Been shuttled around and sick of it. They don't want you to ask too many questions either. Even on day 1 of a new account, they don't want you to ask questions. You get copy-and-paste profile junk that doesn't answer the question you asked.

Yeah, I used my off hours. In hindsight, I regret that - MModal Livestock

[ In Reply To ..]
Back when the QASAR system first rolled out and they were trying to thin the herd, I spent my off hours combing reports. Then a year later they decided to cull more of the herd (make room for incoming ILPs) and this time I had a different QA manager who was always "right." If she said the sky was green, it was and my CCM at the time was half-burned out, so she didn't care at all.

Now I don't have the time or will to deal with all that, so I don't. I'll do my best for as long as they'll let me and then bid them farewell. I make 12 bucks an hour and my state's minimum wage is 8.80. 3 bucks and some change isn't worth much hassle to me.

We're being asked to turn trash into gold. It's not our fault it's just gold spray painted trash when we're done.

MModal Livestock - Frosty Mug

[ In Reply To ..]
I love your posts. They brighten the swamp in which I am currently mired.

Thanks - we could all use more fun nm - MModal Livestock

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

If I was a CCM - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I would pull every CP and make it standardized, yes it is a pain in the butt, yes it is time consuming, but it would make life VERY easy, improve production, and lessen mistakes. Why can they NOT see that? Half my CPs give me no info at all...Wake up people and do your JOBS!!! wow what a concept

No you wouldnt. MM would not want to pay you for your - time to do that and SM

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CCMs are so busy anyway, none would take on this huge task without being ordered to do so by MM suits.

Specs are decided by the facility, not MM, not the CCM. - CCM cant just change specs on their own. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

The specs can be put in a readable order no matter - who does them

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And out of curiosity, what are the CCMs so busy doing cause they darn sure arent answering emails.

MM will not pay money for that. Do you want to do it for - free, on your own time? nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

I would! - for free

[ In Reply To ..]
If it would make it easy for me and my fellow MTs to read, and we could make more money that way, you bet I would do it for free. Pays in the long run...

MModal management, feel free to contact me.

Dont wait for them to contact you. You contact them, - if you are serious. nm

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x

are they not salaried? - downtime

[ In Reply To ..]
it wouldn't be on their own time if they are salaried.

what ccms do - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
CCMs are very busy during the day on phone calls with upper management, calling facilities, fixing errors that MTs make, pulling auditX results, taking care of your teamwork errors, and managing. They are managers, they manage the entire book of business that they have. So if you think they sit idle think again.

I think they do less than you think - and I would fix em also

[ In Reply To ..]
Because a bit of extra time, paid or not, would cut down on phone time fixing crap during the day and ultimately I could goof off more..QA fixes MTs errors, I never hear a word from my CCM when I screw up...and Im sure I am not perfect.

the phone calls is correcct - calling friends, calling for pizza

[ In Reply To ..]
Chit chatting with QA lead, IM'ing their pets! Whatever... both the CCM and the QA lead start whenever they feel like it, take breaks whenever they want, talk on the phone for an hour to one MT just shooting the breeze and does not even have to account for that time. Its ridiculous. They get paid salary and dont even work 5 hours a day. This is one place MModal could really trim the fat.

Thank you Im glad Im not the only one - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
and dont forget checking the status on weekends for about 2 secs. Proper time management and a group of people that give a darn goes a long way..Ive managed in my last job and you get back what you give..If I was a CCM things would run a heck of a lot smoother for my MTs, they ARE the front line and the most important part...

Completely agree with you. If I was a CCM - things would be different too.

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm convinced none of the CCM's have ever worked as MT's, or they would not be so utterly worthless. Promote some of us MT's to CCM and things will change for the better. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

me too... and for less money! - would be nice!

[ In Reply To ..]
I could do it for half of what they make and still make double what I am now!

Use your brains Vern... hire some of us!

Exactly, you could hire more MTs at less money - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
and have better coverage for each region..its a win win...but wait that makes too much sense...I would do it for less as well, to start out,,,then once we prove what can be done by hiring those of us that have WORKED the field we should have renegotiation rights..But being that we would tell the TRUTH as to why their report suck royally, it will never happen...nice dream though huh?

I don't know--my CCM was an MT for... - ...many years before...

[ In Reply To ..]
....she went into management. Maybe some have never been MTs, but probably not all.

There are 2 major players left (M*Modal and Nuance), and they seem to set the standards that all the other MTSOs follow. If I ran one of the big ones, I would confer with the other one and agree that we would set a policy with our clients that said: "This are the standard, accepted rules of the AAMT Book of Style and/or the rules that JHACO (sp?) wants facilities to follow. We use this set of rules for all clients."

I sort of think that the clinics, hospitals, etc., that hire the MTSOs to do their reports could adjust, even if the rules weren't PRECISELY the ones they've always followed. So many of them are idiotically insignificant, anyway. I have a feeling that when the client submits the rules they want followed, it's just because they're asked what details they want. If they were told: "This is the way it's done now, and all clients go by these universally accepted rules" why would they have any major objections to that? Maybe there is some reason that I'm not aware of, but this is just my opinion.

It seems to me that doctors would be HAPPY if the same rules were followed no matter which hospital system they moved around to; they wouldn't have to adjust to reading "cc" at some facilities and "mL" at others, etc. Production would be higher, TATs better, happier MTs, not as much turnover...but then, that's probably too much common sense in this industry that's gone completely haywire.

And no--I'm not bitter!! What makes you think that? (LOL) :-D

Agree - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Look at how MTSOs have made BOS some kind of bible. Do you really think facilities care if there is a hyphen here or there or if it is Parkinson's disease or Parkinson disease?

For facilities to want the date, for example, as 08/25/2012 or 08/25/12, or August 25, 2012 has to come from the MTSO giving them the choice (why?). Why not type it the way it's dictated? At the major acute care hospital I worked at for decades with 600+ doctors NO ONE (neither they nor my transcription company) cared about arbitrary ever-changing insignificant BOS rules. You simply typed what the physician dictated. Imagine that?

So if they can convince facilities (and QA and MTs) that patient care somehow suffers if BOS isn't followed, why couldn't they set a consistent standard? I agree totally with you.

Yes. Ppl that decided set specs could be long gone but specs stay the - same. Nobody from facility SM

[ In Reply To ..]
ever looks at them. Maybe when specs established, that person to do the headings in a weird way. No reason, that was just how she liked to see it. Well, she retires or dies. Noboday checks specs, nobody else says, hey, it would be better to use all same headings, lets do it that way. If you had a Spec Nazi establishing your set of specs, that is the way it stays. And nobody other than the Spec Nazi even cares how headings are done just as long as they are they and make sense. Yes. Standardized specs make the most sense, but then you have Dr. I-Am-So-Special who thinks his stuff has to be just a little bit differently. But then dr only do that kind of stuff because they can. NOBODY makes them to adhere to a responsible way of doing dictation.

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