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

Twenty blanks to QA - Not my fault

Posted: Dec 27, 2010

It just occurred to me that MQ could have another card up its sleeve in order to knock down our pay, yet another scourge to get us to quit. All it takes is more than 1 report sent per day to put my percentage of reports to over 5% to QA, which would result in 50% salary decrease. I just had a report where ALL of the blanks were from horrible sound quality. Words were missing, the surgeon was speaking from his speaker phone which picked up shuffling papers, you know those sounds. Anyway, of course I had to route this one to QA, THROUGH NO FAULT OF MY OWN. Sound quality issues should count toward our percentage, but they do. However, if I have just one other QA submission, they can slash my line rate.

What occurred to me is that QA could just send that horrible report to many MTs, without us knowing that was done to the others in our BOB, to increase the QA submission rate of us all. I wouldn't put it past the Q.

what i do with those reports - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I go through them as quickly as possible, leaving a bunch of blanks, I dont even really try to get the blanks and then mark to send the report to QA. I absolutely DO NOT WASTE MY TIME on reports I know that will just end up in QA. I get paid 3 cpl less and i do 3 cpl less work.

That's just what I did. - It is a waste of time, but

[ In Reply To ..]
more than that, what bugs me is that it actually counts against me. All it takes is one other crappy dictation sound, or one really bad mush-mouthed ESL today to put me over my limit. Since I'm in the cesspool today, who knows what I'll get?

If you could access Documanage, you could see the history of - job. Think only editors can do that, tho. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

why do you send this to QA? - I send directly to client with

[ In Reply To ..]
a note that says "poor audio quality."

That is the beauty of First Time Right. We have the option to send to the client for poor audio issues.

There is no way that I am going to be docked for sound issues. I would send an e-mail to QA lead (or whatever their title is) and then let them know that it went to the client with excessive blanks due to sound issues.

My CP says "no." One is no more than 2 blanks, - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
the other no more than 3. Required to send to QA.

then these cannot be counted against you - I would throw a fit

[ In Reply To ..]
I would send an e-mail to supervisor and everyone above them that there is no way that these will be counted at a lower rate because they are for sound issues and until they can fix the sound issues, they should make the hospital pay for that.

My CCM said it is counted against us. - Mad as hell.

[ In Reply To ..]
I already did address this with my CCM and she said there's nothing we can do about it.

No WAY!!! Read the First Time Right info...... - Kiki1

[ In Reply To ..]
I would REFUSE to send to QA. No freaking WAY. That is flat out ALL KINDS OF WRONG!!!! I think your CCM is giving you a line of CRAP just so blank-free reports can be sent to the clients so SHE doesn't have to hear about it! HER pay is cut when you send it to QA.

You got that right - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't send anything to QA. Don't care how many blanks are in it. I refuse to take a cut in pay for something that is not my fault. If they want to stop penalizing me for blanks, then I will send them a few here and there. Most of mine, however, are bad audio or background noise or something like that. There may be a few here and there that maybe an extra ear could pick up, but tough. I won't send them anything. I don't care who threatens me to do it, I won't. I don't understand why people even think about sending it to them.

If your CCM tells you there are only so many blanks allowed in reports, tell them tough. Tell them when they stop penalizing you for sending to QA, you will send to QA. Stand up for yourselves for Pete's sake!

My client profiles SPECIFY no more than 2 blanks. - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't want to get FIRED. I can't blame the CCM for that either. If I just send it to the client and they complain, I will get put on 100% QA and then every report will be 3 cpl less. No win.

Still say tough - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Don't care. If I can't hear it, I can't type it. Won't be penalized for something not my fault. I would let my CCM know that I don't care what the profile says, if the company wants to punish me for things I have no control over, they need to let the client know they will get more blanks if the transcriptionist cannot hear what the doctor is saying. Really don't know why I would pay for something that is not my fault. If CCM doesn't like it, take it higher. Learn to fight for what is right.

agree - NJA Queen

[ In Reply To ..]
Keep track of those doctors whose audio is always bad and let your CCM know- maybe it is a bad machine or perhaps GASP!! the hospital needs to upgrade their dictating equipment. Blanks for bad audio is different than blanks for being lazy and not researching. When the clients get enough complaints about the audio and enough swiss cheese reports they will be forced to upgrade. I never send to QA either I don't care what the CP says and I have been swimming in the cesspool the last week. Worse case you could always ask to be switched from that account rather than take a 3 cpl pay cut if your CCM is going to be a byotch about it. Agree with Kiki1 that it is her paycheck she is worried about, not yours.

Yep - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
If I leave a blank for other than bad audio, it is after I have taken a lot of time to research and try to figure it out, which I usually do, so no blank. But if there is a case where I can't figure it out because a doctor was speaking so fast, stuttering over his words or something like that, again, that is not my problem so off to the client with a note that I could not understand what they said. Still won't send to QA. If it is an unfamiliar term, there has not been one yet that I can't figure out with researching the internet or a dictionary. Might slow me down, but that is part of the job.

And would they fire knowing that will cost them unemployment? How many could - they afford to fire and pay UE? nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Unemployment - Jax

[ In Reply To ..]
They pay unemployment into an account regardless of who is collecting it. Laying off a bunch of people will not cost them extra because they are already paying into an unemployment fund.

Ok, then. Would they want to have to lay off bunch of MTs, only to have headache - that brings? Switch accts around, wait for MTs SM

[ In Reply To ..]
to get up to speed on acct spcs, hire new MTs, train, wait for them to get up to speed. And even if they would do this, which I suspect they would, it would sure make their lives miserable to a while. That, at this point, seems all that can be done. Like a horse fly going after a stallion.

When I worked in clinic, worker left and applied for UE. Dr. were hot, - talking about how it was going to cost them $$. n

[ In Reply To ..]
x

You dont want to be fired?? Whyever not? Wont you then - at least get unemployment? nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Apparently people are not sending reports - dnr

[ In Reply To ..]
to QA, and the customers are complaining about the blanks. So, jobs with blanks sent to the customer are now being tracked, and if you send too many, you get a reprimand and reminder about all the things you should be doing to avoid blanks and an offer for retraining. I got one of those emails. I wrote a not-very-nice email back detailing that I already do everything to avoid blanks and send anything greater than 2 blanks to QA. Have'nt heard back since.

Coincidentally, since then, I have had very few blanks going to the client, but that is only because I haven't had too many bad dictators or sound issues. The period of time judged happened to be during a very bad spate of dictation.

Plus, there are some jobs I will not send to QA because, based on my experience, they will blindly fill in the blank (just for the sake of filling it in?) with what was dictated (or fragment of cut off voice) even when it makes no sense and could endanger the patient.

I'm MT3, I know what I am doing (over 20 years experience) and I refuse to send dangerous transcription.

I have 20 yrs' MT experience plus - Not my fault

[ In Reply To ..]
10 years' experience as floor RN in a hospital. I haven't yet had my income slashed because of exceeding the allowed QA percentage, but think this treatment of us is simply unprofessional. I did stand up to my QTL but apparently they accept no excuse such as blanks in dictation. Everything is our fault no matter how many changes or exceptions to the rules they make. It's quite obvious their intent is to "decrease the surface MT population" if I may quasi-quote Dickens.

sending reports - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, I really don't know how many reports it would take for me to reach the maximum before they start taking my pay away and am not willing to take that chance. I have sent reports with many blanks due to doctors dictating across the room with a bunch of people talking in the room and put a note that I could not hear due to dictator not speaking into phone and too much background noise. I believe that report had about 20 blanks. I also suggested the dictator redictate the report. Never heard back on that. Like I said, I do all I can to fill in blanks. When it comes to unfamiliar terms I research and find the term 99% of the time. I too refuse to send dangerous transcription and that is why I do not send to QA. If I can't fill it in, I know they can't unless they just put something in that they think should go there. Not on reports with my name on them. NO QA FOR ME. Don't care how much they track or reprimand, though never have been reprimanded.

OMG, do NOT send reports like the one you describe to QA!!!! - Kiki1

[ In Reply To ..]
I NEVER send to QA for horrible sound quality, and we were actually told NOT to. Only send the ones to QA where you feel another set of ears could get it. This is pretty subjective; however, in your case with the horrible sound quality, it should have gone straight through.

I cannot believe the posts on here because - my client profiles specify

[ In Reply To ..]
no more than 2 blanks to the customer or mandatory to send to QA. I was just telling you why some of us HAVE to send to QA. Otherwise, I do not send anything to QA either. But I will continue to obey the instructions of my client profile and not the vigilante passive-aggressive methods that are being touted here. I just thought it was an underhanded way for Q and the clients to get past the FTR program and our option of whether or not to send a report for second look - to order us to do so. Kind of takes away the freedom of whether we want to check the box to send to QA, but in order to keep my job and not get put on 100% QA and lose 3 cpl for every report, I will do as instructed. I am an extremely good transcriptionist (another level 3 with 25+ years experience) and do not have to send very many to QA, even with their backdoor methods, but I will NOT send 20 blanks straight to the customer. I don't think I have ever had any report with 20 blanks anyways.

I cannot believe it... - I cannot believe it...

[ In Reply To ..]
Well I cannot believe that you would take a pay reduction for audio issues out of your control.

We are to go by the FTR program, the client profile, the MedQuist Guidelines, the AAMT BOS2 and JCAHO, and not necessarily in that order, just whatever order suits the person correcting your report sent in on that day.

I would have a serious talk with the CCM and anyone above her and state that you are not to be held accountable for bad audio, or a dictator eating while dictating, or whatever other factor would cause words to not be heard.

This is completely and 100% different than a blank being left by a newbie MT who just does not have the experience (as seen on the word help board) to fill in blanks.

If I were FORCED, as you put it, to send to QA because of a client profile and FORCED to have my pay cut for issues out of my control, I would be in contact wtih the labor board and a good employment attorney.

Business as usual - CA-MT

[ In Reply To ..]
In the private sector, businesses can do whatever they want with their employees as long as they don't violate federal and state laws (discrimination, minimum wage, hours worked, etc.). I'm afraid if you took it to a lawyer, they'd simply advise you to leave and "simply" find another job or career.

I also believe that from a psychological point-of-view, the injustices MQ throws at us take their toll. As an MT with no input, we naturally get angry, and so we see many MTs trying to strike back any way they can. I honestly don't blame the MT for whatever they do. Statistics have shown that employees with no say in their job have the highest heart attack rates. Happy new year.

"I cannot believe it:" Thanks! Well said! - Kiki1

[ In Reply To ..]
"vigilante aggressive" ???? Unbelievable.

Similar Messages:

May 24, 2015

My supervisor tells me today that her supervisor greenlit the hiring of 20 new team members for an account that never materialized. Genius... Who is managing this company? Is there NO COMMON SENSE? I sure hope those new hires are ready to fight the rest of the team for the smattering of work we get. I have never in my life worked for a company that makes so many poorly researched decisions when it comes to staffing, not to mention the BS invention of the Deathstar P ...

Mar 24, 2012

nm ...

Oct 03, 2010

How would you type "twenty thousand point 5?" This is a doctor who consistently dictates odd numbers like the above. ...

Jan 21, 2010

I have just had it. I was switched over to a horrid account, and every time I ask about being switched back, I am told to just keep on working. The account I was switched to have horrid AMERICAN doctors as well as ESLs. I have sat here for months listening and re-listening to no end. We are always sent emails not to guess, send everyting to QA, well I have just started too. No longer am I sitting here trying to guess, only to have to send the report to QA anyway.&nb ...

Mar 09, 2010

I am so brain dead. Are we supposed to be sending reports with blanks again? I thought this was held off until March 14th or is that just with unchecking the QA box if you do not want it to go to qa? thanks. between audits,lengthy emails, deleting this and that,its just a bit too much anymore. sigh. ...

Jul 11, 2012

Utterly confused. I took a big, BIG hit with the QA deduction in paycheck this week. So, I decided to investigate. Like everyone else, I have about 10 "regular" accounts. No blank rule is mentioned anywhere on any of the Account Specifics. I wrote the QA person for my CMC questioning how many blanks were acceptable without sending to QA, and got the "first time right" explanation. This is BOGUS...if I have one blank on a lengthy report and hafta send to QA and they take the total line ...

Apr 12, 2013

I got a complaint from corporate that my lph are not where they should be via my TSM. I have been at MModal 6 weeks and just got off training. I was hired in at tier 3. My lph are gradually going up every day but not to suit corporate. I do straight transcription, no VR, on Futurenet. A lot of ESL bad dictators. I am still getting new dictators every day I work. It's hard to be up to par when you are still learning dictators. I work on 11 accounts. I think I am spending too muc ...

Mar 04, 2010

I'm just sayin....as a radiology MT in this company for 14 years...we have always sent radiology reports straight through to the docs to review and sign (because of turnaround time)....never knew they did QA until I got new accounts 2 years ago....and have had some pretty bad foreigners. I believe it is docs job to go over his reports anyway...he is legally responsible.. ...

Jun 29, 2012

They are more and more following M*Modal. Now if a report is QA'd with a blank, you will be penalized in your score for that blank, and this has been verified by a QA person, who received the new directions recently. As I understand it, you are penalized if QA was able to find the blank either in old reports or by research, or just knowing the term. So you have a choice, spend a lot of time on research and see your LPH plummet to minimum wage, or blank it and then be pen ...

Mar 22, 2013

I'm on accts that do not allow any blanks at all through to the cliient. ALL blanks must go to QA. I haven't ever worked on an acct that would not even allow one blank to the client. Anyhow, might not would be so bad but the dictators are TERRIBLE! Many ESLs also. Combine no blanks allowed with terrible dictators = sending more to QA. That means docked pay if 5% or more. Oh, and don't let me forget, no samples yet. So you have to ho ...

Apr 11, 2013

I just looked at my review for March and I see all these 0.5 deductions for "blank filled in by reviewer." There are also Valid Blanks that take off no points. Sorry if this has been asked but did they say they were going to do this? And if so, when? Also, I listened to these blanks. There is no way they can tell me 100% what was said in any of them, which is why I blanked them. So they are guessing. Two reports I have gone through so far are for real ...

Jun 07, 2013

I have been taught better safe than sorry and I have been a transcriptionist for 15 years. I am docked .05 for each blank, but the standard 3.0 (CPSE) if I got it wrong it happens to be pullled for QA. I know this is a rhetorical question as we are all professionals, but would you leave a blank and take the 0.5 right off the bat or risk the patient on a lab value, drug name, dosage or diagnosis and take the 3.0 IF that report was pulled for QA? ...

Aug 10, 2013

Is it common for the transcription services to deduct from our QA score now, or is this exclusive to Nuance? I'm pretty frustrated today: VR had said 14 cm, but it sure sounded like 40 cm, but it was an orbital rim fracture (a small area), so I was reluctant to change it to 40 without another pair of ears. I put this in an elaboration (which we're not paid for) and found I was dinged 0.25 for my efforts (only thing "wrong" with the report). I'm not sure I c ...

Aug 15, 2013

I thought I just saw something on here that said that we were being charged for blanks? Are they actually doing this? If so I have not seen anything stating it. ...

Jul 12, 2014

Yep, way back when they started this 99.6% to 99.7% junk that the clients would be complaining about blanks. ROLF As predicted, their little policy bit them in the butt. Since they implemented the 99.6% to 99.7% requirement, I have left a lot more blanks out of self defense that I normally would not have left, but if it is the least bit iffy that QA might not agree, there goes a blank. Although, no way could I "win" a contest for most improvement as I do not leave enough blanks. And, again, ...

Jul 14, 2014

Just wondering if anyone knows what the formula is on how they calculate your percentage of blanks left? They show me a percentage but a percentage of what? Lines? Words? Reports? Ugh. And, one blank may count for one word or an entire sentence. I just don't get it. ...

Aug 17, 2014

I wonder if this is their way of seeing who leaves the most blanks and those who do will be the first to be let go when they choose to have another lay-off. We get an email from our TSM showing our Ultipro numbers and the percentage of blanks by each MT plus the number of reports done. ...

Sep 29, 2014

Anybody else receiving "counselling" for leaving blanks. Received e-mail stating some of my reports were pulled and they wanted to go over my blanks. If I can't hear them or understand them, I don't guess and leave a blank. Dreading this one. Seems you can't win for losing. How do some of you handle the blank situation? ...

Jan 22, 2015

I have noticed that on some reports I get back from QA that I am marked down for the blank and other reports I have gotten back I am not. Does anyone know if you are suppose to have points taken off for that? ...

Feb 01, 2015

I would say 1/4 of my reports have at least one blank. 99% of the time, it is due to client profile demands - physician name not in database or spelled, must put in a blank. ...

May 26, 2015

I am a very experienced MT who never leaves blanks unless the dictators us just plain undecipherable, which was the case with one ESL idiot who was such a poor dictator I had to leave about 25 blanks. I struggled with this jerk's utterances (can't call them actual words) for an HOUR, replaying over and over, trying to figure out what he MEANT to say. I made way under minimum wage on in that hour, and put in a lot of free time to try to get thro ...

Jun 11, 2015

Does Nuance have a percentage to QC you have to maintain? Seems companies are making the juggling act more and more difficult ... all for less money. ...

Jun 12, 2015

Do they every throw mistakes in for job testing (that need to blank)? There were no instructions. ...

Oct 27, 2009

Hi, I am looking for any ideas or tips that MT's may have as to how to find or figure out blanks. Thank you. ...

Mar 04, 2010

Have they given a number or will it just be a "gotcha - too many"??? ...

Dec 06, 2010

and apparently can compare it to how many reports we send to QA, and if the number is too high, we'll be gettin a talkin to. ...

Dec 15, 2011

Hi, I'm a newbie. If an employer's test instructions say it is not ok to guess, is it ok to leave a "blank" with what you THINK the dr. said? In other words, perhaps like this: <tachycardia>, or is it better not to put what you think he said and just put a plain old blank? any help on this would be great. thanks! ...

Dec 20, 2011

Transcend, in their employment info, states they only want 3% sent with blanks to QA after 90-day probation is over. What if you are changing accounts or have some really difficult docs? Is this 3% set in stone? What do they do to you? I would think this is a negative impact on patient care, because the MT won't want to send in too many questions. ...

Aug 15, 2012

Wondering if anyone thinks that leaving a lot of blanks in a file can cut down on the lines in the file. I have a very poor PA dicator and after three months of learning him still have to leave a lot of blanks. He mumbles a lot and do not feel comfortable guessing which I know better than to do. Would like some input on this. Thanks. ...

Jul 10, 2013

Just was notified by my TSM that an account isn't happy. They feel the MLS are guessing and they have found errors to prove it. Someone needs to let these clients know how Nuance is enticing some MLS to guess. They would surely reconsider outsourcing their work and maybe this is the start of hospitals hiring their own MLS again. Wouldn't that be wonderful?! ...