A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
The discussion over potassium value of 216. - Cammie
Posted: May 08, 2012
Although my view on this issue is that, yes, a seasoned transcriptionist should recognize that 216 was not the proper value (and I can see QA flagging that as a serious error), the point I'd like to make is that this is the crazy problem with MTSOs thinking that ASR can replace the human, experienced transcriptionist.
Without an MT's knowledge that "this value" or "that dosage" doesn't make sense, this is exactly the type of error that ASR will continue to crank out. The question is: How much do the MTSOs feel that knowledge is worth? Apparently, 4 cents per line. Well, you get what you pay for!
I don't see how they could ever completely elminate the need for editors; and yet, expecting those editors to have the training and knowledge to catch errors like this while paying them what could be as low as minimum wage reveals a total lack of fairness and common sense.
When working as an MT, I tried to constantly process what was being said (rather than just mechanically matching the words I saw with what I heard) and catch every discrepancy and error in what the doctors were dictating; but in order to do that, even with 18 years of experience, there was no way I could do it fast enough to make the hourly wage that that effort was worth.
My QA scores were consistently 99.5% to 100%, but I couldn't earn a fair wage by keeping up that kind of quality. This is one of the reasons I got out of this business, and they lost an excellent transcriptionist when I did, if I may say so myself! (LOL) No one goes to the grocery store and expects to pay hamburger prices for filet mignon, and yet that's what the MTSO seem to be expecting.
Amen to that. - I agree
[ In Reply To ..]To me, for some reason, better control the quality of my reports if MY fingers do it. I almost trust them more than my eyes.
I am not opposed to VR at all. In fact, its purpose would be very profitable to all if it were used properly. If I made 4 cpl for VR, there should be very, very little correction needed, most of which should be punctuation. You could actually make a good living if that were the case. The problem comes in when MTSOs have a typing platform for 8 cpl and a VR platform for 4 cpl. Where do you think they are going to put the majority of the dictation? Yes, VR. It's called greed and poor work ethic. This OP was correct, my fingers typing would have caught that 2.16 error, where my eyes may not have.
The purpose of VR was to bring out jobs back home to the U.S. and remain competitive, not for the MTSOs to sacrifice the quality of medical reports to increase their profits. If the platforms and technology do not improve substantially, and this profession is made profitable again for MTs, I believe this will catch up to them one day, and YOU will see more and more MTs going back in-house (unfortunately, I will have died of old age and natural causes by then).
The purpose of VR was to bring our jobs back home to the U.S ? - oldtimer
[ In Reply To ..]I disagree. The purpose of VR was to make it easier for inexperienced US and overseas ESL transcriptionists to complete a verbatim report thereby saving lots of money. In the beginning, the VR software companies superinflated what their program could do and the MTSOs saw dollar signs, no more need for years of experience/medical knowledge. The way it worked out is not pretty.
I am retired now but wish I weren't. I loved my job because my brain was always engaged and I was not a robot just listening and typing.
There by saving lots of money. True - but at the same time
[ In Reply To ..]Most politicians were embarrassed by the fact that no one even knew how many jobs were be sent off-shore, including all industries, because no one kept track, it was legal, and most companies would not fess up to what the real number was.
Once they started discussing closing the tax loop-holes for off-shoring, the MTSOs had to DO SOMETHING. If there was a stop put to off-shoring, and one day I hope there is by it not being profitable to do so, many MTSOs would go belly up. In their scrambling effort to be prepared for that, VOICE RECOGNITION, the technology still not perfected, and them misusing its intended purpose.
Interesting, but basically VR's time HAD come. Buyers - wanted the product, sellers had it. SM
[ In Reply To ..]It would have happened even if there was no such thing as offshoring.
BTW, did you know that when the first cars were on the road at least one city required drivers to have someone walk ahead of them waving a flag as they drove through town? :)!
Agree 100%. In addition, the company I work for will deduct - shortcake
[ In Reply To ..]your pay for reports of 5% sent to QA, which I think is about as unfair as you can get. I keep track and almost all of my QA submissions (which I do go over 5%) are due to doc errors, ommissions, descrepancies, poor audio, etc. I just had an audit recently and although I passed with above 99%, I did get marked down for entering something that I remember the doc clearly said but QA took it out and left a blank, go figure. I wonder if that put me over 5% again, hmmmmm.
You are so right...nm - blondie
[ In Reply To ..]nm
The level of errors we're expected to catch, tho, is strictly - kindergarten, maybe preschool. Left versus right,
[ In Reply To ..]normal electrolyte ranges, typical dosage for hydrochlorothiazide.
Doctors do make mistakes way too often, prescribing the wrong drugs together, giving the wrong value for less-common tests, etc., but in all these years I have never been expected to recognize anything outside a tiny set of basic data that we all see used constantly. It's really not much to ask of us.
BTW, I agree that's a good thing these days because I have to push so hard for speed, to keep my paycheck sufficient to pay our bills, that any but the absolutely most superficial attention to what's actually being said is impossible.
Absolutely ridiculous yet again. Why bring this back up - sm
[ In Reply To ..]other than to stir the pot! You know what you are???
how did you get called on 216 KCl if you - got out of the business?
[ In Reply To ..]Judge Judy always says if it doesn't make sense, it is not the truth.
Just to clarify.... - Cammie
[ In Reply To ..]Sorry; I'm not trying to stir any pots and really didn't mean to bring something back up that is a sore spot for anyone. I was referring to that previous discussion only because it points out the kind of errors that ASR makes plenty of and how easy it would be for something like that to slip through when trying to speed along (in order to make adequate pay) or when the MTSOs hire inexperienced MTs who might not realize that's way off. I really wasn't trying to make anyone mad!
By the way, I'm not the one who said I got called on the potassium value of 216 (I thought she said it was potassium, not potassium chloride)....was referring to a previous thread, so there's no need for Judge Judy to get involved. :-)
Oh, one more clarification... - Cammie
[ In Reply To ..]If anyone is even still reading this thread, I forgot to add that I guess the point I was just trying to make with my OP was that this is the kind of thing that happens when MTSOs expect filet mignon but only want to pay the hamburger price. That's not happening at my butcher shop! :-D
further clarification - got out of the business?
[ In Reply To ..]You got out of the business, yet here you are acting like you know something important and we should listen to what you have to say.
Here's an analogy for ya.
I know a woman who was in an abusive relationship. She moved away from him, but not so far away she couldn't show up on his door for booty calls. He abused her some more, even making a copy of her new door key to go over and take her stuff when she was not home. They were both in need of serious help, they knew, but neither wanted that help.
so now I wonder if MTStars is your booty call when you're lonely and why you don't make the choice to get healthy?
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