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

Leadership, Unity, Certification - TMSOA

Posted: Nov 02, 2012

This industry really needs an association of some kind for the purpose of providing certifications that clients can trust. These certifications can be used to certify that a MTSO or an IC is really U.S. based and does not offshore.

Certifications can also be used for other purposes such as certifying accredited MT invoicing software.

There needs to be more cohesiveness and leadershup in this industry and so far I have not seen it. Having worked in the real estate industry before joining my family in the MT business, I can tell you that the National Association of Realtors can teach MTs alot when it comes to organizing and establishing standards that clients can trust.

Does anyone have any ideas. What I am talking about is a non-profit organization that works in the interest of the American MT community and their clients.

I would even go so far as to say that it medical transcriptionists in this country should be licensed as real estate agents are and that states should require that health care providers use on licensed transcriptionists for the protection of patients health care records. So far this industry is run almost entirely on the honor system, which is where I see things falling apart. Any offshore company can slap up a site and make all sorts of weird and wonderfull claims. Even onshore companies that send all the work offshore can look legit but in reality what goes on behind the curtain is anyones guess.

Does anyone have any ideas/input?

I live in Vegas, too, and think certification is a great idea - - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
electronic court reporters and transcriptionists. You have to be certified. Not this AHDI b.s. either. Who in their right mind would dislike this post, by the way? This would help weed out the "stay at home moms" looking for quick money who get swindled by the matchbook schools and scams. This would leave jobs for those who truly are MTs, not those wanting just to stay home. This would also help us to command a fair wage, have a say in that fair wage (not union-like, but because of the accreditation). It's like that for court reporters, etc.

needs to be a state certification to weed out pay-to-play - the-game organizations. NM

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~

Is there a double like button? - love it

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:)

30 years behind but... - pxmt

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Better late than never I guess. There are 2 organizations, one that certifies MTs and writes "the book" on standards, which we are generally required to follow.

This industry does not run on the "honor system." Be careful here. Our job requires a great deal of knowledge and education, and I personally don't care to be compared to a real estate agent.

The organization who offers certification is also the same organization that thought it would be a wonderful idea to start certifying people in India. You know, one of the countries to whom we are losing our industry. I personally will no longer support them financially by keeping my certification up, and I would not work for a company who requires it in order to be in their employ. Add to that the havoc they wreak on the English language in order to sell new editions of their "book."

If you had actually been in this industry for any length of time, you would know all this. It doesn't take a lot of research to find all that's transpired over the last couple of decades, particularly in the last 10 years.

I don't mean to be condescending, but your lack of knowledge of this industry shows. I think it might affect your credibility some, particularly on an issue such as this. We all know what's going on behind the curtain. The problem is we are powerless to stop it now. We're at the bottom of the hill, and you know what rolls downhill.

You missed the point ... - anon

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In most jurisdictions real estate agents are licensed by the state, the same as physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. That's a lot more respect than MT's get. They also undergo a lot of education. Their jobs are also not being off-shored. Quite frankly, I would far rather be compared to a state licensed real estate professional, then to a clerk typist which is what most people in the health care world look on MTs.

Yes, that is just what we need - yet another

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organization exploiting MTs, assessing outrageous fees for their "certification" and setting up more roadblocks and obstacles to employment.

NOPE. - nm

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)

Here's what I have observed - Leaving MT

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We have a voluntary certification (certified medical transcriptionist or CMT) that our professional organization, AHDI, offers. I am a CMT myself. If I were staying in the "profession," I would not renew it, however. In the career I am now training for to get out of MT, there is also a voluntary certification. I won't be able to get a job without it, however, so I am very motivated to sit for it when I complete my training. The difference between MT and my new career is that in my new career employers care that their employees are certified, but in MT it is almost moot. There is just no incentive to take the time and spend the money to get the CMT. If MTs can get jobs without being certified, why would they spend the money and take the time to study for the exam? CMTs don't really make any more than non-CMTs. I have never been offered a pay differential at any of the MT jobs I have had for being certified. You can go to the AHDI website and read all about the MT certification process. Offshore is here to stay with MT, especially with MTs leaving the profession en masse. The offshore workers are the only ones who can afford to work for the current pay trend for MT anymore.

I should add that in my new profession the certifying agency is a completely different organization from the professional organization, and the certifying agency itself is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. Certification is taken very seriously, which is unlike medical transcription, and certification is not a way for the professional organization to generate revenue.

What is Transcription Management Services of America? - -Curious

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What is TMSOA anyway? It looks like an MTSO from the website. If so, do you pay your MTs a differential for being certified?

He is not an MTSO....he is a "sales person" - anon

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for tech programs, such as platforms, call-in devices, etc. He does not offer his services as for doing transcription...more than likely another "referral service" or head hunter service. Don't trust him.

Thanks - - Curious (NM)

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nm

I think you are in the wrong place - to look for input (sm)

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Why don't you start an organization yourself? We have one that does not have much credibility with the MT community, and we have a credential that does not have much credibility either. For the most part the participants of this board are actual MTs and not vendors.

Why do you care? Are you having trouble competing with offshore vendors? There may be a few true independent contractors here that would be interested in your services, but most of the MTs here are probably employed by MTSOs or subcontract for MTSOs, and we have very little say or interest in your services.

Offshoring has taken us beyond the need for that. - What we need first is a - sm

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way to shut down the pipeline of US jobs flowing to the third world. Once those jobs were in the US only, certification could be attempted, (though look what the previous attempt got us - AHDI! YUCK!), but may or may not be successful.

The problem with certification is all it proves is that you can pass a test. It doesn't necessarily mean that person is good at what they do. And what about those of us, like myself, who ARE good at transcription, but have always been chronic "test-flunkers"?

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