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

Termination for using expanders? - sasha1

Posted: Nov 06, 2009

Did anyone get the message today that using expanders over 75 characters will result in immediate termination?

Expanders - Dinosaur

[ In Reply To ..]
I did not receive a message about this at all. What region are you in? Did it come the MQ or CCM,CTL?

That would be absolutely outrageous! All of us have at least one sentence some horrible dictator says every time. It doesn't make any sense to bust us for expanders when some accounts have standards for an entire report! Its ridiculous.

Expanders - Ridiculous

[ In Reply To ..]
I use so many expanders that I'd probably use 75 in a long paragraph. Are they talking about using 75 expanders all together or 75 characters in expanders all together?

It really confuses me. - I just read it.

[ In Reply To ..]
I was TAUGHT, although it was a long time ago, to make my own "normals" to save time on ROS and PE formats that I type frequently. What's the big deal? I really don't understand. I still listen to the whole report. Are they afraid that we will not change it for each patient? Expanders help us get the reports done faster.

WEs - Stupid

[ In Reply To ..]
Maybe they feel it's an unfair advantage for us compared to the Indians because they can't figure out hwo to do it. >:-(

Same message... - Birdylove

[ In Reply To ..]

I was just coming on to post about this and see if anyone else had received this message today. Of course, I had to spend 10 minutes ranting about it first, while my poor daughter listened and nodded sympathetically.

I think this is absolutely ridiculous! Am I now supposed to spend my own time redoing all of my expanders?!?

Wasn't there a "helpful" MQ tip at some point about pulling standards you frequently use into your own expander and renaming them? Seems like they would be well beyond 75 characters!

I'm wondering if they are going to go into our personal expanders and find those longer than 75 words (and I'm sure we all have them) -- seems like an easy way to reduce the number of employees...

DQS expanders - shipwrecked

[ In Reply To ..]
I didn't get the letter about that, but since I do mostly ASR, my "big" expanders are pretty useless. This sounds like yet another way to slow us down and decrease our income. I wonder how they plan to enforce this latest atrocity?

For those who use MQ computers - I'm curious. Do the computer come to you from MQ or directly from Dell (or whatever brand they use)? If it comes from MQ, I wouldn't trust it to not be tampered with somehow so they can have access to what's on it.

I turned off the DQS expanders and use my own expander software. Catch me if you can!

What software to you use? - Instant Text?

[ In Reply To ..]
Do you use Instant Text? I have it but haven't bothered to get used to it because I have such a large WE dictionary (but no one specific WE had more than a few words).

All I have to say is that their software belongs to them and they can look at that but they best not be looking at the other web sites I visit, pug web sites, political web sites, football web sites, medical web sites, what books I order etc. They don't need to know about me pouring my heart out about my beloved pug I had put to sleep or that I think certain players on NFL teams stink.

I'm sorry for your loss - Dinosaur

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm sorry to hear you lost your little one. I have gone through this myself and it is a very difficult thing. If you haven't already, you should visit the Rainbow Bridge website.

Don't like IT and the Bridge - shipwrecked

[ In Reply To ..]
I have Instant Text too, and don't have the time or patience to learn it. I use Short Cut, and like it.

I'm so sorry about the loss of your beloved pug. Been down that road a few times too, and it's devastating. I guess living alone and working at home, my two dogs are my family.

Petloss.com is also a wonderful website, and they have an awesome Monday night candlelight ceremony, where you can add your dog to their weekly list and then attend the ceremony.

A favorite quote by Irving Townsend: "We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to acccept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immotality, never fully understanding the necessary plan."

That is a beautiful quote. - Dinosaur

[ In Reply To ..]
That was beautiful Shipwrecked. Below is the poem The Rainbow Bridge.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Makes me cry - shipwrecked

[ In Reply To ..]
I have a laminated copy of that on my fridge. It's so beautiful. Here's one I have framed in my bedroom - words I try to live by...

A Dogâ��s Plea
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for although I should lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the worldâ��s sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footsteps falls upon my waiting ear.

Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst.

Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And, my friend, when I am very old, and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun. Please see that my trusting life is taken gently. I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your hands.

Author Unknown

That one made me cry too. - Dinosaur

[ In Reply To ..]
That one tugs at your heart strings too.

WEs - Rolling Eyes

[ In Reply To ..]
Yeah, your poor kids and my poor dogs. Sometimes I've ranted so much they've come over to lick my face to try and make me feel better.

Could it be a matter of space/bandwidth? Do they want us to cut down on our WE dictionary? I mean, I have things like drug names capitalized in there - it's a twofold purpose - 1. it's easier not to have to capitalize. 2. easier to remember brand names vs. generics.

I wouldn't be surprised if they're going into our expanders. They have ways of knowing exactly how long we spend on our keyboards throughout the day while in MQ too.

What region? - Dinosaur

[ In Reply To ..]
I didn't get this memo. What region received it? Who was it from? I am in region SA2.

Thanks

75 characters is just a tad over ONE LINE. Are they crazy? - kiki

[ In Reply To ..]
Well we know the answer to that one.

that is crazy..sm - gladitssaturday

[ In Reply To ..]
That is just crazy to put out a memo like that. Without expanders production will go down. Sounds like a two-fold purpose, production goes down, they pay out less and production goes down, you are not making line counts. Come on, really? Ugh.

As for them knowing what you are typing, etc. They have keylogging software on every MQ computer, except maybe the very old ones if they are still out there, they do know what you type. I was in 2 conference calls concerning that in 2007. If you have instant text you can import your DQS expander to instant text. That might be helpful for somebody looking for another job, do that before you quit MQ so you have your expanders for the next job. Instant Text can take some getting used to but you can use it similar to PRD if you are more used to that style.

I use Shorthand rather than MQ's expander anyway. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Shorthand is my property & they have no business what I enter into it anyway. These people know NOTHING about medical transcription.

it does not matter what expander sm.. - they can count strokes

[ In Reply To ..]
they can see what was transcribed on the page. For instance you have a normal for Dr. Smith. You type /smith and instant text or shorthand the DQS expander expands out a whole report or a paragraph or whatever. MQ can see what you transcribed was /smith but what is on the final document is something else. Therefore they know you used an expander. They can also count keystrokes versus actual characters just like your expander program does to show you productivity savings.

Any company who threatens to fire you over using an - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
expander doesn't know squat about the MT biz.

75 plus character expanders - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I just checked my E-mail - nothing about this. Is it just your region? Was it put out by your CTM or who?

Who sent this out, MQ or your CCM? - What?

[ In Reply To ..]
I have not gotten an email about this. If I do, I guess my part time job will become my full time job in a hurry. If they are looking for a way to dump the U.S. MTs without having to pay unemployment, they found it. Wow

expanders - sasha1

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm in SA5, and the message was sent by CCM and CTL. Just got another message that it's "to avoid canned reports" inserted into the document rather than what the dictator said. WTF. We would get fired and put into performance MGT for typing something wrong anyway---? Absolute craziness! Just plain weird. They probably figured out it's easier for us to do and we make more money hitting F11 and using our own expanders rather than trying to edit their ASR garbage.

and... - sasha1

[ In Reply To ..]
It's supposedly being mandated by the client, who happens to encompass every single account (HUGE group) in our area, the only client grouping that hasn't gone to India. Since when can a client mandate what happens to MQ employees?

I am also in SA5, but no email about it - What?

[ In Reply To ..]
Sounds like the same accounts as I am in, a HUGE group beginning with the letter C (state C also) that does not offshore. Is this the same as yours?

yep, same as me - sasha1

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

what if... - Gonzo

[ In Reply To ..]
What if I just broke my huge expanders into multiple less-than-75-character mini expanders and typed then sequentially? DrWhoExp1 then DrWhoExp2, etc. A little more work, but not as much as typing everything out again.

I don't see why we are punished for the Q hiring anybody with internet and a HS degree who end up being lazy and can't do the job right.

Termination for using expanders - kittykat

[ In Reply To ..]
Its scarry how they would know how many expanders you use. Big Brother is watching you it seems.

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