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Medical Transcription Certification - mq mt

Posted: Mar 02, 2011

Does any one know if certification is going to be required for all MTs? Did ADHI pass the ruling on this? If so, is there a deadline?

AHDI can't force employers - sm

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to require anything. (strongly encourage, sure, but not force :-)

AHDI can encourage certification for everyone, they can try to get all MTs to see the benefits of certification, and they can encourage employers to hire only CMTs, but the employer makes the final decision whether to require a certification or not.

AHDI is pushing for a fully certified workforce, certainly (I think they may even have a "goal" of when they would like to see it happen - don't know what that date might be) and we can all argue all day whether we agree that it is necessary or not and we can argue all day whether we think it will eventually happen or not - but each employer out there will have to make that requirement in their own employment practices, not AHDI. Sure AHDI will encourage them and try to sell them on it, but they can't set the requirement and they can't set a deadline - it's a requirement made by each individual employer.

IMO - once it starts happening more frequently (and it will IMO), then other MTSOs, hospitals, etc. will follow and it will become the norm across the industry to require certification because once a few of them start, the others will follow to keep up -- if a competing service can boast a fully certified workforce, most others will want to be competitive and say they also have a fully certified workforce. It's a selling point for them when they approach a client to get an account.

It works really well for coders and they consistently make good money - Worth Considering

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It works really well for coders and they consistently make good money. A coder is just expected to be certified by at least one and maybe two different organizations, AHIMA and AAPC. If you are certified, you have a good chance of getting a job. If you don't, not a chance. At least not a chance of a good job with potential.

Hhmmm, this thread, however, is about MTs. - nm

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x

I think the point is, it would work for MTs as well - nm

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nm

Problem is, it hasn't yet - and isn't likely to help - MTs in the future. Just take their $$.

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Big differences. AHIMA is a much more prestigious - organization and their certs harder

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to obtain, requiring more education, etc.

Plus, justified or not, at this point coding is seen as necessary and more aligned with the money-making process, while transcription is now seen as a giant delay-creating, mistake-introducing, HIPAA-problematic expense they'd love to get rid of. That golden arc in the sky spelling out S-P-E-E-C-H R-E-C-O-G-N-I-T-I-O-N has created dreams that would be very hard for a hospital administrator to give up, not that any are trying I'm sure.

And big difference between working for MTSO and - hospital. nm

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x

Re coding: check that board - it's already starting - to be sent offshore, too.

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One person who works for an Indian company reported they were pushing clients to go overseas - but she works for an Indian company

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You have to expect that an Indian company would encourage their clients to send their work overseas. Most of us don't and won't work for an offshore company. It wasn't her fault. She worked for a company that was bought out by an Indian company. If you work for an overseas company here in the U.S., you're at risk of being part of a situation that we all are saying we are against. I wouldn't do it.

offshore coding - sm

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She works for the same kind of company most of you do. It is outsourced coding instead of MT but same concept. And personally I think once it starts to go offshore and there is a cost savings, others will follow suit. The facilities are the ones looking to save the money. The coder will have no control over that situation - same as the MTs have now. Or the salaries in coding will go down, down, and down, just like those in MT, and coding will no longer be a very attractive job. Coders will become editors of Indian coding just as MTs now are editors or Indian work. Quality will suffer significantly and guess what - no one will really notice as long as they save money! Bottom line - the big dollars.

Most MTs I know work for American companies - nm

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nm

Then you must not know many MTs. Actually, many MTSO thought to - be US MTSO, is actually owned by OS. SM

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They will set up on office in US and contact person is usually a US person, but company actually owned by OS. Or it can be a US owned MTSO that favors OS and just uses US staff to SUPPORT OS. And that, IMO, is worse than MTSO actually owned by OS.

Most MTs I know, and I know many, are smart enough to know they work for - an American company. LOL

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Your theory may be true in some cases, but the MTs I know are intelligent. They also are very much aware of who they work for and where they are from, just as I'm sure you are.

you are quite naive - sm

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You just keep on telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. Truth is, you would not know the difference as the actual ownership is often so well hidden behind layers and layers of information that makes it appear to be US owned. Since most of the MTs on here have probably actually never even seen or met the people they work for or ever been to the company I would say it is highly unlikely you know as much about them as you think you do.

You don't know me. You assume that we are all naive and stupid and you are mistaken - nm

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nm

Coding - me

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I was an inpatient coder and actually made less than I did as an MT. It destroyed my vision trying to read the scribble on the charts, so I left. Spouse became a certified coder and was told everywhere he applied that they needed 2 years of experience and of course they would be happy to let him volunteer for them for 2 years........NOT

Not an AHDI fan but - am a certification fan

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IMO, this should have been mandated 20 years ago instead of spending 20 years seeing how the upper echelon "babes" could line their pockets.

Certification is a HUGE step in garnering more respect and even possibly better working issues.

I agree with you. Certification is the key. - nm

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nm

certification not a panacea - a1typist

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The door is open to get rid of transcriptionists altogether and I do not think certification will save our jobs or our pay! Front-end voice recognition without transcription editing is going to put us all out of work eventually....I was certified by exam back in the day and nobody cared whatsoever about that certification. I went to a lot of expense to get it and it did not mean squat in the end. Coders actually make money for hospitals so they are somewhat protected, but I do not think that even their jobs are safe forever.

Agree that my CMT might give me an edge on my - resume while jobs are available, but

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it wouldn't do a thing to protect our jobs from being displaced by technology.

Well, nobody is protected in any job these days, unfortunately - nm

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nm

Learn a new tune - MT2

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A) Being certified "back in the day" means nothing in 2011.

B) There will be a need for MTs for a large number of years, albeit not in the "back in the day" format.

C) In many instances, a coder is billing OFF of the transcribed document.

MT is changing and it's about damn time AHDI finally stepped up and MADE the CMT mean something. You *WILL* see employers asking for it, just like you now see certification requested for directors of medical records, etc. It *WILL* change things.

No, we won't be going back to "back in the day" anything, nor should we want to (although I confess I loved my "back in the day" salary). We're moving forward, as we should be, and change hurts but is often a necessity.

"C" is incorrect. - see message

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I agree with much of your message.

The part about coders "billing" is incorrect though. Billers bill. Coders code. A biller may enter a code number on a form, but that does not make them a coder. There is a big difference.

Strong, courageous post, MT2. - Enjoyed reading it. NM

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x

going off my own experience - mt2

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Coders take the records from our department and insert the codes. They then go to billing.

So billing can't bill if coders can't code and coders can't code if a record's not typed.

I'm sure there's as many ways to do that process as there are specialties in MT of course!

Thanks for the input!

Yes, I can agree that "C" is correct if stated that way. - Really saying the same thing as you

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The coders take the records and code. Then those codes go to billing where the billers bill.

The point, which is a very excellent one, is that the record must be there or neither coding nor billing can take place. Your message is excellent. We need to make your points again and again until we are heard.

To MQMT regarding AHDI - Nick

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AHDI cannot pass any "requirements." They are not Congress, they are not the AMA, they are merely a legend in their own mind.

AHDI requirements - mq mt

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I had gotten an email, apparently from a crediting school who wanted to get people to take their classes and indicated something about mandatory certification. Just wanted to make sure they were full of it :)

Sorry Nick - MT2

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I realize you enjoy bad-mouthing ADHI and that you are most definitely not a fan, but....

You're right they are not a government agency. HOWEVER, they *can* get MANDATORY certification for MTs passed as a REQUIREMENT. Each state would then have their own credentialing process more than likely, the same as there is for a registered nurse, certified nursing assistant, etc. And YES, they *can* and I predict *WILL* make this a "law."

And it should be. Like it or not, they are the only game in town. And MT needs to have some sort of organization dictating minimum requirements for entering the profession. Not every MT who IS an MT really *IS* an MT. Certification won't be a huge fix it but it is a step in the right direction. Your continual bashing of AHDI is really just furthering your own agenda (whatever that may be) and is giving poor advice to people seeking this information.

MT2 - Nick

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I wouldn't hold my breath about mandatory certification. And as to AHDI, I maintain that they have done MTs much more harm than good.

AHDI swindle - Broke in MT world

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A big bunch of crooks. When the employer starts paying for it or AHDI makes it free, then maybe it will happen. These days with the crappy pay, who can afford the testing fee, recert, continuing education and the time of work to complete all of this? Former member, never again. Cert didn't do squat when I had it!

AHDI Swindle - what happened my paycheck?

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I agree, my certification did me not good in the 20 years I was certified. I was always the only one in my office certified, I made the exact same amount of money that my co-workers with equal experience made. I spent my time and money getting my education and CEC's at my expense. While it may have made me more educated from the seminars I went to to get the CEC's I am not a penny richer. But I had to pay even more $$$$ to certified for another year,

That being said, how do they think certification is going to make any difference? With all the work either going offshore or to MTSO's, that don't offshore, but still want to pay us the same wages that the offshore MT's make. What will a certification do for us in our current situation except leave us with less $$$ in our pockets after paying all the fees to get and stay certified. Sorry guys, but the days that you could say I am a CMT and actually get paid more for that certificate are gone. Sure you can puff out your chest and say or put on your resume "I am a CMT" and feel good that you passed the test but you won't be compensated for it in wages. AHDI sold us down the river when they started the offshoring years ago to put money in a few of the founding members pockets. Some of them had their own MTSO's and made deals with some foreign doc's to train MT's. Those docs did it to make jobs for family members and friends back in their homeland, not to help us US MT's out.

Being a PROFESSIONAL - mt2

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I hear you loud and clear. BUT, I also know that in order to be VIEWED by prospective employers as a professional MT (and IMO this is what will come out of the tectonic plate shift we are experiencing in MT- where there will be ONLY the upper echelon of MT talent employed) then certification is going to have to happen.

I'm not currently an AHDI member, feeling pretty much let down by them, too for many years. However, I'm also in another PROFESSION and in that profession, no matter how much your income, you have to be certified (test is $580 every 3 years) and you have to maintain educational requirements every year. Our pay is NOT that much better than MT (which is actually why I still do MT). But as professionals the costs are not passed on to someone else, they are our responsibility as part of accepting a job in the profession.

Certification can be a really good thing, I truly believe that.

When the MT-quake is over, it's going to all look very differently than it does now. The question is, do you want to be on the other side or not?

I love it! "The MT-Quake" - That term should catch on - nm

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nm

MT-QUACK? - NM

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/

A more likely scenario would be a national certification (CMT) recognized by all employers - if employers would do it

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It would take the cooperation and support of employers. So far they haven't cared enough to make it happen. A few have "weakly" supported the RMT. I think it would take dramatic support of the CMT as a recognized credential for employment before things will change.

Why would employers do it? They would benefit by being able to hire MTs that are motivated to reach the highest level of MT skills possible. There is no other standardized way to verify the quality of work an MT applicant can do. Tests are relative. Some are worthless and others are better, depending on who grades them.

Employers and certification - MT2

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I will GUARANTEE (well I would if I could, LOL!) nearly every company who is a member of MTIA (I forget the new initials) will begin to REQUIRE CMT once AHDI passes it. They're walking hand-in-hand these days.

Here is AHDIs problem: They are proud that they do NOT represent the MT - and...see message

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In order to make the certification process relevant, the certifying organization has to have an investment in the MT. AHDI doesn't, in my opinion. They are proud NOT to represent the MT. Therefore, the possibility of getting the CMT to be recognized by MTs and/or employers is not very likely. If they HAD done it, we would be in a better position today. Can that be fixed at this late date?

NOT a fan of AHDI - But Have A Question....... - smeeps

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do the offshore MTs require/need/have certification?? I once heard, during my schooling, while on a tour of a hospitals transcription department the department head, working as an MT for over 30 years said that certification is a complete waste of money.

Apparently they need no certification, few skills, but just willing to work for low $ - That is a system destined to fail

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That situation is destined to fail and will take the companies using it with them. At the end of the day, quality ends up counting.

See the article on the Advance for HIM website - sm

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regarding this at online columns, ahdi track. Sounds like AHDI is going to push for credentialing. This was tried in PA and was shot down by the state. Not required yet and I don't know how they could. If you live in one state and type for many hospitals in many states, how does that work? I believe AHDI now requires everyone to get the RMT before they can get the CMT.

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