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

ASR tips revisited - CyberlandMT

Posted: Jan 28, 2010

Have read through numerous tips on this board on how to increase productivity (TY), but for the life of me can't seem to make much progress. There is one HUGE hurdle that slows me down terribly. At the very beginning of dictation, where the dictating physician says all the mumbo jumbo that should not be in a report - ADT info - we are to place a skip marker (and as far as my experience, it doesn't make much sense to place any more unless there is a blatant gap where none of the garbage spewed out should be in there, such as when a DP leaves the mike open and talks to ppl in the background!) My problem with this -- the beginning -- is that sometimes the ASR adds several returns before the actual text of the report begins. I've had numerous emails from CCMs (supervisors, whatever) since day one about beginning the text on the very first line and not leaving gaps..or it will not print out correctly?? and I use a question mark...because I don't understand this any more than I do why now, after using ASR for 4 years without a problem, it suddenly will not print out correctly with the use of an &.

Deleting those extra spaces takes a lot of time away from production that I actually get paid for -- and I've been documenting this over the last several days before I open a can of worms with MT Support just to make sure...it really does affect my line count...but I am just anal I guess when it comes to the report looking good, so I do it.

Wondering what others do. Do you actually take the time to delete them so everything lines up on the first line one space after the skip marker? Or do you leave them in?

Not sure what you're describing - Anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I block the the entire initial garbage, put a skip marker, and start the text immediately after the skip marker, no spaces.

I think if you go into DQM, pull up one of your old reports, you can see how it looks.

skip marker - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I put a skip marker over that entire part too, including the blank spaces. Have never heard anything back about it.

Yes, I always take out any extra - Just Sayin

[ In Reply To ..]
returns at the beginning of the report, and I start on the very first line right after the skip marker, not 1 line down from the skip marker. You can start typing right after the skip marker, because those markers do not show up in the end report and the text of the actual report will only show up in the final product.

I know what you mean about the & sign also. We were told 4 years ago it was okay to use the & sign, after not being able to use it before that, and now it's a problem again and we can't use it. I wish they would make up their minds. I really don't think one end knows what the other is doing!

TY just saying - CyberlandMT

[ In Reply To ..]
and others who replied from the MQ board. Had to hunt to find post, thought at first it had been deleted. Not sure why it was moved over to this board since ASR is MQ exclusive and I was trying to find out how other MQ employees were handling the situation I described. At any rate...Looks like there is absolutely nothing that can be done tech-wise for the extra returns so I just have to suck it up and continue deleting them. So much for increasing production that way!

yes, I have to delete every extra return and every extra space, and this manually, - smg

[ In Reply To ..]
and QA is very picky about this!

Similar Messages:

Oct 28, 2009

Following is an older article but I feel it is worth circulating now. Most people have no idea who has access to their medical records. Though this article was written 6 years ago, it is an even more common practice today in 2009 for hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities to outsource their dictation/patient records to other countries - thereby not only making it impossible for transcriptionists in the United States to continue to make a living working in the US as a transcri ...

Nov 10, 2009

Remember a few months ago when most of us were in the cesspool, getting dozens of reports from all over the country and all different specialities? I've come to the conclusion that the whole cesspool thing was just a major scam to get us so upset and ifrantic that when they finally gave us some semi-stable accounts, we be so grateful that we wouldn't notice the how our income was dwindling. Pretty slimy. ...

Apr 18, 2010

I know that Stedman's has "Endocatch," but that's definitely incorrect because the manufacturer (Covidien) has it trademarked as "ENDO CATCH" (2 words and all caps). So in everyday transcription, would you type it as "ENDO CATCH" in order to be correct, or maybe "Endo Catch"? I don't think that either "Endocatch" (like Stedman's has it) or even "EndoCatch" would be correct, since the manufacturer clearly has the trademark name as two separate words. (And yes, I have a ...

Mar 23, 2010

Anyone got tips on pacing themselves or how to make things go smoother. I am a new MT and really want to do well since I left a good job to work from home, as it was a dream of mine. I realize that patient is a virtue. Something that I would like to possess more of. I am setting up my shortcuts, and feel like I am working my fingers to the bone, and not getting anywhere. Any tips and advice on things that will help me move right along will be much helpful. ...

Jul 15, 2011

Been tracking my work for the last couple of years on ASR, am able to calculate my paycheck usually within a dollar of what it should be upon deposit into my account, and thought I'd share some tips I've learned from ASR: Keep your fingers on the keyboard. Anyone who says they are bored doing ASR isn't doing it right. It is just as challenging as typing, even more so because of the concentration required. It is much like playing the piano in that one's fingers are always mov ...

Jan 31, 2010

I have been an MT for 13 years and lately I have been suffering from severe burnout. I need the money so badly!!! But it seems impossible to stay focused on my work. Sometimes sitting down transcribing is nearly impossible - feels like trying to swallow bad cough medicine or something! I have tried putting up pictures of reasons I need to be focusing and typing and have tried challenging myself with line counts, etc. I just dont seem to be able to do it. ...

May 14, 2010

Learning to use VR can be accomplished by any MT who has solid MT skills and is knowledgeable about their work. I do not believe newbies or grads within their first 2 years should be using VR without QA backup (just my opinion). 1. You have to want to learn to use it effectively. If you try to do it kicking and screaming, being obstinant, you simply will hinder your learning curve and depth significantly. 2. It takes time. You will not learn it overnight.&nb ...

Jul 26, 2010

Any tips about proofreading? I am an MT intern consistently getting high 90s for grades in Acute Care but 99% is required to pass the program. Tps for perfecting MT proofreading would be appreciated. I seem to make dumb mistakes and just don't see them when I proofread. Maple Grandma ...

May 15, 2011

I know that everyone says there is no money in VR, but sometimes you have to take the job you are given and be thankful for that. The account I am working on is 99% VR. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on being productive. For example, do you look at your report first and fix any obvious errors and then listen to the dictation or do you just jump right in with the dictation and do it all then? Currently, I make about 5cpl for VR, which compared to some quotes I have rea ...

May 18, 2011

eee gads, every have one of those nights, or one of those weeks? what do you do when you just can't seem to get in the groove? maybe its the mt week contests and knowing I will never win anything (even though I meet all the production requirements) plus just plain wore out from trying to move for the past week or so. tried to get some PTO, but never get approved. and then add to it the 3rd shift blues. no matter what, just can't keep my eyes open! ...

Sep 09, 2011

I am fairly new to SR and have been doing it for about a month. Does anyone out there have any tips to share on how to become quicker? I have memorized keyboard commands and am trying to speed up dictation. Is that all there is to be successful at this? ...

Jan 20, 2012

Any tips on editing in Extext? ...

May 15, 2012

If you don't like those panels on the side of your text screen showing, you can drag the right and left margins of text screen to widen the text screen. You can also drag the upper and lower margins. You can enlarge the size of the font and change the style of the font (which only will change it on your end, not the client's end). I am not in the program right now, but I think it is under Tools at the top, then click on the tabs to see which one has the font ...

Jun 01, 2012

Would anyone be willing to share their proofreading tips. I find that VR requires a much higher level of concentration and focus to catch errors. The text on the screen can become a blur. After a couple of hours it is so easy to "hear" what the voice engine blew out and not catch a small but significant error. I am finding that something that needs to be deleted from the text is actually harder to catch than something that needs to be changed or added. Any tips would be helpful. I do see m ...

Sep 13, 2012

Hi! How do you all do it? I have a job that is 70% editing and about 30% typing. I can't seem to get any faster with my editing. I have tried to teach myself to only edit when absolutely necessary (not that I agree with that) and I have turned the speed up. I am not sure where I am going wrong? I try to keep with account specifics as well. BUT I do admit that I still throw in a comma where I think things could be confusing or put in a period with a ...

Jun 25, 2013

I will appreciate any marketing tips anyone can share. I'm a small MTSO and recently lost a client not due to EMR but the client went bankrupt and still owes me some invoices. I've tried cold calling which worked a few years back but nowadays it doesn't seem to work anymore. Thanks in advance. :) ...

Aug 29, 2013

I think I read every single line along with the speech, and I think I double check every single ADT, too. Then I get back my report back from QA and it's obvious that my mind wandered because there will be a line that is completely off and/or a wrong ADT. Do you all do this and if not is there any tips you can give me to help me keep focused? ...

Sep 21, 2014

Hello, I will be starting a full-time transcription job October 7th. I have about 3 years experience in medical transcription, but have never worked for straight production pay, never worked from home, and have never transcribed 8 hours a day, every day. I have been reading these forums and have read all of the negative thoughts about getting into medical transcription. That's not what I'm looking for. I would like tips for starting with a new company, new dic ...

Jan 13, 2015

I'm wondering if anyone has any productivity tips for staying focused that they'd like to share. I've been doing this for so many years, but it seems like a daily struggle to sit still for six to eight hours a day and just type report after report, especially when the laundry and housecleaning always seems to be calling out to me. I've tried the 25 minutes on/5 minutes off without much success and am wondering what else works for people. Thanks for any sh ...

Mar 24, 2015

What are your favorite research tips? Any suggestions on how you cut down research time and increase productivity? I need to get my productivity up, seriously! Would appreciate any suggestions to that end, thanks! ...

Oct 20, 2009

Trust me, I understand the agony of going from transcription to editing. If you have a great dictator, it’s not so bad but fewer accounts and fewer dictators fit that bill any more. Doing editing on a heavier basis daily also begins to make it more of a concern if you are not making up the difference in your production compared with your transcription line counts. Here’s how I worked my skill set up to where I needed it to be. There are several th ...

Nov 25, 2009

Repeating the former warnings I have seen on this board and about this company: 1. Get EVERYTHING in writing, no matter how trivial. They are masters of deceit. 2. Say nothing to no one. Get it in writing. 3. If you are forced to talk to a supervisor, just keep your ears open - that click, click, click in the background is that supervisor typing everything that is being said or sending an IM to someone for help with a response that can be interpreted in 2 ways.&n ...

Feb 15, 2010

Does anybody have any experience typing with a broken leg? I broke my left leg (thank goodness, not my foot pedal leg!) this weekend. I don't have the luxury of taking time off, but I'm finding it exhausting keeping this leg elevated and sitting upright like we were taught to do. I'm in a full-leg cast, and it puts a heck of a strain on my gluteus maximus muscles. I have a feeling I'll just have to keep trying new positions till I find one that works, ...

May 05, 2010

Company has recently started switching work from straight typing to VR editing using M-Modal. They claim it is 85% accurate....I beg to differ. I'm thinking MAYBE 60%. Does anyone have any tips on how to increase productivity with this program? I want to give it a solid shot before I look at other opportunities that are out there.....or, God forbid, have to develop job skills entirely outside of transcription. ...

May 12, 2010

The site is very literal. Here are some tips. Objective: 1. Thoroughly read the instructions. Don't try to think about the instructions - simply read them and follow them. For example if it tells you to type the correct spelling of a word into a field (picking a misspelled word out of a phrase), only type that word - not anything else. 2. Look up every single word and definition before you make a choice. I don't care how much you T ...

Oct 12, 2010

Normally, I'm very disciplined about work. I have a very stable job, very good pay, great accounts. I am just having trouble staying on task. Mind you, I do not have to just push and push. I just need to relax and complete a report, upload it, do the next one. I can breaks when I want to. There is NOTHING wrong with my situation except as soon as I start a report my mind goes to a zillion other things I would rather be doing. I can hardly get thro ...

Dec 30, 2010

I am an independent contractor and do the transcription for a busy family practice office. I use Instant Text, macros and autocorrect, and I also use my timer to keep myself productive. But sometimes I struggle with productivity and focusing. I'd love to hear people's tips here on how they stay focused when your mind is pulled other places, and, also, your best tips for increasing your speed! I just know there is a wealth of information here. Even shaving a few ...

Jul 12, 2011

I have a great job working at home editing. I love it. I've been in transcription 12 years but lately have the worst concentration ever. I find myself getting distracted by the Internet..Facebook, Google, Yahoo, CNN. You name it I'm there in between reports. I know I'm not giving it 100% at work and wish I could concentrate!! FWIW I can't sleep either. Total insomniac. I'm not very productive because of this distractibility and it concerns me a lot. Does anyone have tips ...

May 05, 2012

I passed my CPC test in April and have been searching for a job. Everyone wants experience. Can anyone share any tips for landing that first coding job? And, is it true that people will hire a CCS with no experience? Thanks for any help! ...

Apr 01, 2014

The next tip/hint I have for everyone is the comma, semicolon, and colon. First of all, UNLESS YOUR DICTATOR IS VERBATIM, ignore their punctuation. Most doctors I have experience with wouldnâ��t know proper punctuation if it bit them in the behind. Just because they say â��commaâ�� doesnâ��t mean their correct. I wonâ��t say much about the comma, because I think we all pretty much know how to use that. However, the semicolon stumps some people, especially doctors. A semicolon ...