Guest guest Posted June 28, 2001 Report Share Posted June 28, 2001 Recently posted: The AAMT says don't do it; it's not professional. The AAMT also says that transcriptionists need errors and omissions insurance (and I agree with them). Can someone tell me more about this and where you would get this type of insurance? Thanks. Regina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2001 Report Share Posted June 28, 2001 In a message dated 06-28-01 12:14:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, floradora@... writes: << I missed the post you are talking about, can you fill me in? What is it AAMT says don't do? Just trying to get the picture. LOL >> AAMT says don't use phrases at the end of the report like " dictated but not read " ... Kinda redundant and not good form. Jan " Typing is my life " Remember.. WSTPMTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2001 Report Share Posted June 28, 2001 Ouch. I just can't afford it anyway. Aliceanne On Thu, 28 Jun 2001 09:52:48 -0700 " tessbear " writes: > > On the other hand, I've heard that if you have that insurance you > are more > likely to get sued. I think AAMT sells errors and omissions > insurance. > > > > > Recently posted: > > The AAMT says don't do it; it's not professional. The AAMT also > says > that > transcriptionists need errors and omissions insurance (and I > agree with > them). > > Can someone tell me more about this and where you would get > this type of > insurance? > > Thanks. > > Regina > > > > > > TO REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS MAILING LIST send a blank email to > nmtc-unsubscribe > > PLEASE VISIT THE NMTC WEB SITE - http://go.to/nmtc > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2001 Report Share Posted June 28, 2001 Well I went to the AAMT site and read what they had to say. Not much in my opinion. Many of the scenarios used to support purchasing insurance will be reduced/eliminated with the HIPPA regulations. I cant see a dr. suing if your phone-in system crashes and HE has thrown his notes away. Duh! Doc. don't throw the notes away until the job is done. You should have insurance because you are a professional and professionals have insurance, is convoluted reasoning. Maybe I am missing something but none of the examples given realistically support liability insurance. Go look and see what you think. http://www.aamt.org/eando.htm Aloha, Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2001 Report Share Posted June 28, 2001 Holly, If we made errors which caused the patient to be given the wrong medication or to be given the wrong dosage of medication, then we could be inflicting harm. If we don't pay enough attention to what the doc is saying and type the wrong allergy and that is the only thing the new physician or facility has to go by and they give the patient a medication they are allergic to, then we are inflicting harm. There are many times that a new doctor or a new facility only gets a report that we have transcribed and they are relying on that information to be correct. I know that our patients being sent to nursing homes or back to the prison or some other facility sometimes are sent only with the Discharge Summary that one of us have typed. If we are sloppy or not paying attention, the patient can be harmed by what we think are small errors. This is one of the reasons why I work so hard to make sure that I know that I am typing what the doctor says. If I am not sure what he is saying the patients allergy is, I would much rather leave a blank and flag it than to put down something that is wrong and have the patient accidentally be given a drug they are allergic to. Here is a quick for instance, which actually was the doctor's fault, but just as easily could have been a mistake made by a transcriptionist. My ex-husband had problems with kidney stones. His local doctor did not mention that he was allergic to IVP dye on his reports. When my husband went to a hospital in Indy to be worked up for the underlying problem causing the stones, he was given IVP dye and went into full arrest. Because the doctor did not let anyone know of this allergy, he almost died. If it had just been noted, he could have been premedicated and would not have had this problem. Luckily, the doctor was in the room at the time and he came out if it with no problems, but it could have been a problem. I have also heard horror stories about patients being given the wrong medications and the wrong dosages when a transcriptionist was just being in a hurry and worrying about quantity instead of quality. Anyway, Hope you now understand one of the reasons why we not only need insurance, but we need to be very careful about what we type. They don't call me anal and obsessive about this job for nothing, Margaret >>> 06/28/01 10:03PM >>> My .02..........I honestly don't see why an MT needs liabilty insurance. How could an MT ever get sued.........for goodness sakes if the doc doesn't read his notes and correct errors IF errors are made.........then he is ultimately the one at fault. He is the one providing the care........it is the doctor's job to make sure his/her patient gets the proper care. That is my opinion, and I am sticking to it. I am sorry, but I just think it would be totally ridiculous for an MT to be sued.........sued for what?????? We are simply putting the doc's word on paper and making readable and professional documents........we are not GIVING patient's meds or inflicting any harm here. Holly In a message dated 6/28/01 9:45:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time, auntyfrog@... writes: << Well I went to the AAMT site and read what they had to say. Not much in my opinion. Many of the scenarios used to support purchasing insurance will be reduced/eliminated with the HIPPA regulations. I cant see a dr. suing if your phone-in system crashes and HE has thrown his notes away. Duh! Doc. don't throw the notes away until the job is done. You should have insurance because you are a professional and professionals have insurance, is convoluted reasoning. Maybe I am missing something but none of the examples given realistically support liability insurance. Go look and see what you think. http://www.aamt.org/eando.htm Aloha, Pam >> TO REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS MAILING LIST send a blank email to nmtc-unsubscribe PLEASE VISIT THE NMTC WEB SITE - http://go.to/nmtc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2001 Report Share Posted June 28, 2001 I agree but I respectfully disagree too. If the chart goes out without a signature and the new place accepts what is on that chart they should be added to the sued parties. Every effort should be made for us to get things correct but I don't think I ever got a perfect report from a doctor. They went to school and got the MD. I am a medical transcriptionist and yes I may know more than the average Joe but I am not a doctor or I would be paid more. This is why I make the clients sign a release which says on it I DO NOT CARRY OMISSIONS AND ERRORS INSURANCE. THEIR SIGNATURE IS NECESSARY. I WILL NOT ACCEPT STAMPED SIGNATURES. You can't do that unless you are an IC. Aliceanne On Thu, 28 Jun 2001 22:13:06 -0400 " Margaret Grant " writes: > Holly, If we made errors which caused the patient to be given the > wrong medication or to be given the wrong dosage of medication, then > we could be inflicting harm. If we don't pay enough attention to > what the doc is saying and type the wrong allergy and that is the > only thing the new physician or facility has to go by and they give > the patient a medication they are allergic to, then we are > inflicting harm. There are many times that a new doctor or a new > facility only gets a report that we have transcribed and they are > relying on that information to be correct. I know that our patients > being sent to nursing homes or back to the prison or some other > facility sometimes are sent only with the Discharge Summary that one > of us have typed. If we are sloppy or not paying attention, the > patient can be harmed by what we think are small errors. This is > one of the reasons why I work so hard to make sure that I know that > I am typing what the doctor says. If I am not sure what he is > saying the patients allergy is, I would much rather leave a blank > and flag it than to put down something that is wrong and have the > patient accidentally be given a drug they are allergic to. > > Here is a quick for instance, which actually was the doctor's fault, > but just as easily could have been a mistake made by a > transcriptionist. My ex-husband had problems with kidney stones. > His local doctor did not mention that he was allergic to IVP dye on > his reports. When my husband went to a hospital in Indy to be > worked up for the underlying problem causing the stones, he was > given IVP dye and went into full arrest. Because the doctor did not > let anyone know of this allergy, he almost died. If it had just > been noted, he could have been premedicated and would not have had > this problem. Luckily, the doctor was in the room at the time and > he came out if it with no problems, but it could have been a > problem. > > I have also heard horror stories about patients being given the > wrong medications and the wrong dosages when a transcriptionist was > just being in a hurry and worrying about quantity instead of > quality. > > Anyway, Hope you now understand one of the reasons why we not only > need insurance, but we need to be very careful about what we type. > They don't call me anal and obsessive about this job for nothing, > Margaret > > >>> 06/28/01 10:03PM >>> > My .02..........I honestly don't see why an MT needs liabilty > insurance. How > could an MT ever get sued.........for goodness sakes if the doc > doesn't read > his notes and correct errors IF errors are made.........then he is > ultimately > the one at fault. He is the one providing the care........it is the > doctor's > job to make sure his/her patient gets the proper care. That is my > opinion, > and I am sticking to it. I am sorry, but I just think it would be > totally > ridiculous for an MT to be sued.........sued for what?????? We are > simply > putting the doc's word on paper and making readable and professional > > documents........we are not GIVING patient's meds or inflicting any > harm here. > > Holly > > In a message dated 6/28/01 9:45:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > auntyfrog@... writes: > > << Well I went to the AAMT site and read what they had to say. Not > much in my > opinion. Many of the scenarios used to support purchasing > insurance will be > reduced/eliminated with the HIPPA regulations. I cant see a dr. > suing if > your phone-in system crashes and HE has thrown his notes away. > Duh! Doc. > don't throw the notes away until the job is done. You should have > insurance > because you are a professional and professionals have insurance, > is > convoluted reasoning. > > Maybe I am missing something but none of the examples given > realistically > support liability insurance. > > Go look and see what you think. > http://www.aamt.org/eando.htm > > > > Aloha, > Pam > >> > > TO REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS MAILING LIST send a blank email to > nmtc-unsubscribe > > PLEASE VISIT THE NMTC WEB SITE - http://go.to/nmtc > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 That is why if you are an IC as someone stated before, you need a contract stating it is the doctor's responsibity to sign and verify that the report is 100% accurate. As someone else mentioned........I too feel this is AAMT tooting their horn <good choice of words there.....D> ) Also as someone else mentioned...........if the weight of a doctor's burden wants to be put on my shoulders............I DEFINITELY am not getting paid enough! Holly :oD In a message dated 6/29/01 9:40:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Charis@... writes: << 'm not sure yet where I personally stand on this issue, but it occurs that perhaps one doesn't need insurance to be protected from the patient as much as from a doctor who had been sued and wanted to turn around and sue you for his/her mistake. Is that a viable concern or is my imagination running away with me again? Lee RE: The ultimate one responsible is the doc......bottom line. They are his reports. If he signs it, he is saying that everything in the report is correcto mundo and thus the responsibility lay on his shoulders. >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 That is why if you are an IC as someone stated before, you need a contract stating it is the doctor's responsibity to sign and verify that the report is 100% accurate. As someone else mentioned........I too feel this is AAMT tooting their horn <good choice of words there.....D> ) Also as someone else mentioned...........if the weight of a doctor's burden wants to be put on my shoulders............I DEFINITELY am not getting paid enough! Holly :oD In a message dated 6/29/01 9:40:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Charis@... writes: << 'm not sure yet where I personally stand on this issue, but it occurs that perhaps one doesn't need insurance to be protected from the patient as much as from a doctor who had been sued and wanted to turn around and sue you for his/her mistake. Is that a viable concern or is my imagination running away with me again? Lee RE: The ultimate one responsible is the doc......bottom line. They are his reports. If he signs it, he is saying that everything in the report is correcto mundo and thus the responsibility lay on his shoulders. >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 That is why if you are an IC as someone stated before, you need a contract stating it is the doctor's responsibity to sign and verify that the report is 100% accurate. As someone else mentioned........I too feel this is AAMT tooting their horn <good choice of words there.....D> ) Also as someone else mentioned...........if the weight of a doctor's burden wants to be put on my shoulders............I DEFINITELY am not getting paid enough! Holly :oD In a message dated 6/29/01 9:40:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Charis@... writes: << 'm not sure yet where I personally stand on this issue, but it occurs that perhaps one doesn't need insurance to be protected from the patient as much as from a doctor who had been sued and wanted to turn around and sue you for his/her mistake. Is that a viable concern or is my imagination running away with me again? Lee RE: The ultimate one responsible is the doc......bottom line. They are his reports. If he signs it, he is saying that everything in the report is correcto mundo and thus the responsibility lay on his shoulders. >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Sorry if you are bothered my that statement. First of all, I want to make it clear that I work very hard to create accurate professional documents. I don't want it to look as though I am uncaring and put together sloppy reports, which is not the case at all. I know full well about liability insurance, as I used to work as a medical assistant.........I had to give injections, draw blood, take vitals, EKGs, assist the doc w/ minor office surgeries and I also had to call in scripts for patient's.......thus, I had liability insurance then. I was in constant contact w/ patient's. I am very careful what I put in reports, and if I cannot understand what the doc is saying or cannot verify what is being said.....it gets flagged. The docs I transcribe for know that once there signature goes down on that paper they are taking full responsibility for what is in that report. This is my opinion on the matter..........others see differently I am sure. For those who do, you had better go and get yourself that insurance. Holly ) In a message dated 6/29/01 10:46:35 AM Eastern Daylight Time, vtruitt@... writes: << I'm bothered by your statement that " We are simply putting the doc's word on paper and making readable and professional documents........we are not GIVING patient's meds or inflicting any harm here. " I've worked hard to persuade my students that they will be active members of a health-care TEAM, and many transcriptionists have worked hard to persuade others in the health-care team that they are PROFESSIONAL team members ( " medical language specialist " is a term I've heard). Professionals take responsibility for their work and for performing tasks as a TEAM member rather than a hired hand/clerk. >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Sorry if you are bothered my that statement. First of all, I want to make it clear that I work very hard to create accurate professional documents. I don't want it to look as though I am uncaring and put together sloppy reports, which is not the case at all. I know full well about liability insurance, as I used to work as a medical assistant.........I had to give injections, draw blood, take vitals, EKGs, assist the doc w/ minor office surgeries and I also had to call in scripts for patient's.......thus, I had liability insurance then. I was in constant contact w/ patient's. I am very careful what I put in reports, and if I cannot understand what the doc is saying or cannot verify what is being said.....it gets flagged. The docs I transcribe for know that once there signature goes down on that paper they are taking full responsibility for what is in that report. This is my opinion on the matter..........others see differently I am sure. For those who do, you had better go and get yourself that insurance. Holly ) In a message dated 6/29/01 10:46:35 AM Eastern Daylight Time, vtruitt@... writes: << I'm bothered by your statement that " We are simply putting the doc's word on paper and making readable and professional documents........we are not GIVING patient's meds or inflicting any harm here. " I've worked hard to persuade my students that they will be active members of a health-care TEAM, and many transcriptionists have worked hard to persuade others in the health-care team that they are PROFESSIONAL team members ( " medical language specialist " is a term I've heard). Professionals take responsibility for their work and for performing tasks as a TEAM member rather than a hired hand/clerk. >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Sorry if you are bothered my that statement. First of all, I want to make it clear that I work very hard to create accurate professional documents. I don't want it to look as though I am uncaring and put together sloppy reports, which is not the case at all. I know full well about liability insurance, as I used to work as a medical assistant.........I had to give injections, draw blood, take vitals, EKGs, assist the doc w/ minor office surgeries and I also had to call in scripts for patient's.......thus, I had liability insurance then. I was in constant contact w/ patient's. I am very careful what I put in reports, and if I cannot understand what the doc is saying or cannot verify what is being said.....it gets flagged. The docs I transcribe for know that once there signature goes down on that paper they are taking full responsibility for what is in that report. This is my opinion on the matter..........others see differently I am sure. For those who do, you had better go and get yourself that insurance. Holly ) In a message dated 6/29/01 10:46:35 AM Eastern Daylight Time, vtruitt@... writes: << I'm bothered by your statement that " We are simply putting the doc's word on paper and making readable and professional documents........we are not GIVING patient's meds or inflicting any harm here. " I've worked hard to persuade my students that they will be active members of a health-care TEAM, and many transcriptionists have worked hard to persuade others in the health-care team that they are PROFESSIONAL team members ( " medical language specialist " is a term I've heard). Professionals take responsibility for their work and for performing tasks as a TEAM member rather than a hired hand/clerk. >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Ok last message, but not least on this from me. Perhaps my statement sounded crude and uncaring, but that was not what I meant and was a bad choice of words. I am a professional and do take my work seriously. I give myself 110% to any job I have ever had. I started in this field because I liked working in the medical field. As I said before, I used to be an MA. I liked being an MA, but I did not want to deal w/ office politics and the stress. I chose this job so I could still work in the medical field, but I also would not have the stress of the office, the commute, etc. Please do not think that I am not a professional at this job because I most certainly am, and I am most certainly aware of the fact that what I transcribe in my reports has an impact on patient's lives. Holly ) In a message dated 6/29/01 11:06:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time, mgrant@... writes: << My whole point about all of this is to make sure that we are being professional, as Valeria said, to be a part of the team and to take our work very seriously. Many people get into this business just because they want to work at home. That's great, but you also have to take this business very seriously and realize that what you are doing could end up having a very real and very big impact on your patient's lives. You need to take this job very seriously and do it to the very best of your ability. Margaret >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Ok last message, but not least on this from me. Perhaps my statement sounded crude and uncaring, but that was not what I meant and was a bad choice of words. I am a professional and do take my work seriously. I give myself 110% to any job I have ever had. I started in this field because I liked working in the medical field. As I said before, I used to be an MA. I liked being an MA, but I did not want to deal w/ office politics and the stress. I chose this job so I could still work in the medical field, but I also would not have the stress of the office, the commute, etc. Please do not think that I am not a professional at this job because I most certainly am, and I am most certainly aware of the fact that what I transcribe in my reports has an impact on patient's lives. Holly ) In a message dated 6/29/01 11:06:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time, mgrant@... writes: << My whole point about all of this is to make sure that we are being professional, as Valeria said, to be a part of the team and to take our work very seriously. Many people get into this business just because they want to work at home. That's great, but you also have to take this business very seriously and realize that what you are doing could end up having a very real and very big impact on your patient's lives. You need to take this job very seriously and do it to the very best of your ability. Margaret >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Ok last message, but not least on this from me. Perhaps my statement sounded crude and uncaring, but that was not what I meant and was a bad choice of words. I am a professional and do take my work seriously. I give myself 110% to any job I have ever had. I started in this field because I liked working in the medical field. As I said before, I used to be an MA. I liked being an MA, but I did not want to deal w/ office politics and the stress. I chose this job so I could still work in the medical field, but I also would not have the stress of the office, the commute, etc. Please do not think that I am not a professional at this job because I most certainly am, and I am most certainly aware of the fact that what I transcribe in my reports has an impact on patient's lives. Holly ) In a message dated 6/29/01 11:06:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time, mgrant@... writes: << My whole point about all of this is to make sure that we are being professional, as Valeria said, to be a part of the team and to take our work very seriously. Many people get into this business just because they want to work at home. That's great, but you also have to take this business very seriously and realize that what you are doing could end up having a very real and very big impact on your patient's lives. You need to take this job very seriously and do it to the very best of your ability. Margaret >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 In a message dated 06-28-01 10:47:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, MGrant@... writes: << If we made errors which caused the patient to be given the wrong medication or to be given the wrong dosage of medication, then we could be inflicting harm. If we don't pay enough attention to what the doc is saying and type the wrong allergy and that is the only thing the new physician or facility has to go by and they give the patient a medication they are allergic to, then we are inflicting harm. >> Edix refers to these errors as patient care errors... and if you are discovered making them, you are in deep doodoo. These hold more penalty than a misspelling, which is, in my opinion, as it should be. It is definitely preferable to leave a blank or send it to the editor rather than guess. Sometimes a blank is a GOOD thing. Jan " Typing is my life " Remember.. WSTPMTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 In a message dated 06-28-01 10:47:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, MGrant@... writes: << If we made errors which caused the patient to be given the wrong medication or to be given the wrong dosage of medication, then we could be inflicting harm. If we don't pay enough attention to what the doc is saying and type the wrong allergy and that is the only thing the new physician or facility has to go by and they give the patient a medication they are allergic to, then we are inflicting harm. >> Edix refers to these errors as patient care errors... and if you are discovered making them, you are in deep doodoo. These hold more penalty than a misspelling, which is, in my opinion, as it should be. It is definitely preferable to leave a blank or send it to the editor rather than guess. Sometimes a blank is a GOOD thing. Jan " Typing is my life " Remember.. WSTPMTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 In a message dated 06-28-01 10:47:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, MGrant@... writes: << If we made errors which caused the patient to be given the wrong medication or to be given the wrong dosage of medication, then we could be inflicting harm. If we don't pay enough attention to what the doc is saying and type the wrong allergy and that is the only thing the new physician or facility has to go by and they give the patient a medication they are allergic to, then we are inflicting harm. >> Edix refers to these errors as patient care errors... and if you are discovered making them, you are in deep doodoo. These hold more penalty than a misspelling, which is, in my opinion, as it should be. It is definitely preferable to leave a blank or send it to the editor rather than guess. Sometimes a blank is a GOOD thing. Jan " Typing is my life " Remember.. WSTPMTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 In a message dated 06-28-01 11:18:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time, HollyBerry1295@... writes: << If the doc can't talk right and has mush mouth........he is going to get a report w/ a lot of blanks on it. If he doesn't want a report w/ blanks all over it, he better learn how to start dictating in plain English. >> I like the way you think. We are in TOTAL agreement on this point Jan " Typing is my life " Remember.. WSTPMTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 In a message dated 06-28-01 11:18:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time, HollyBerry1295@... writes: << If the doc can't talk right and has mush mouth........he is going to get a report w/ a lot of blanks on it. If he doesn't want a report w/ blanks all over it, he better learn how to start dictating in plain English. >> I like the way you think. We are in TOTAL agreement on this point Jan " Typing is my life " Remember.. WSTPMTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 In a message dated 06-28-01 11:18:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time, HollyBerry1295@... writes: << If the doc can't talk right and has mush mouth........he is going to get a report w/ a lot of blanks on it. If he doesn't want a report w/ blanks all over it, he better learn how to start dictating in plain English. >> I like the way you think. We are in TOTAL agreement on this point Jan " Typing is my life " Remember.. WSTPMTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 I'm not sure yet where I personally stand on this issue, but it occurs that perhaps one doesn't need insurance to be protected from the patient as much as from a doctor who had been sued and wanted to turn around and sue you for his/her mistake. Is that a viable concern or is my imagination running away with me again? Lee RE: The ultimate one responsible is the doc......bottom line. They are his reports. If he signs it, he is saying that everything in the report is correcto mundo and thus the responsibility lay on his shoulders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 I'm not sure yet where I personally stand on this issue, but it occurs that perhaps one doesn't need insurance to be protected from the patient as much as from a doctor who had been sued and wanted to turn around and sue you for his/her mistake. Is that a viable concern or is my imagination running away with me again? Lee RE: The ultimate one responsible is the doc......bottom line. They are his reports. If he signs it, he is saying that everything in the report is correcto mundo and thus the responsibility lay on his shoulders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 I'm not sure yet where I personally stand on this issue, but it occurs that perhaps one doesn't need insurance to be protected from the patient as much as from a doctor who had been sued and wanted to turn around and sue you for his/her mistake. Is that a viable concern or is my imagination running away with me again? Lee RE: The ultimate one responsible is the doc......bottom line. They are his reports. If he signs it, he is saying that everything in the report is correcto mundo and thus the responsibility lay on his shoulders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Holly, Thanks for keeping the topic going and providing a springboard for additional valuable discussion. I'm bothered by your statement that " We are simply putting the doc's word on paper and making readable and professional documents........we are not GIVING patient's meds or inflicting any harm here. " I've worked hard to persuade my students that they will be active members of a health-care TEAM, and many transcriptionists have worked hard to persuade others in the health-care team that they are PROFESSIONAL team members ( " medical language specialist " is a term I've heard). Professionals take responsibility for their work and for performing tasks as a TEAM member rather than a hired hand/clerk. One of the tasks of a professional is to question anything in a record that does not make sense or that is outside a " normal " range. In the event that a transcriptionist puts a decimal in the wrong place in a medication and the error is not caught in the proofreading process, the transcriptionist MAY be " giving " a patient medication. In the event that a transcriptionist transposes two figures in a medication and the error is not caught in the proofreading process, again, the transcriptionist MAY be " giving " a patient medication. Statistically, the two errors least likely to be caught in keying numbers are first, transposition errors and second, decimal errors. And of course, errors in figures are much, much more difficult to catch than are errors in words. You may be aware that nurses fought for years to be considered professional members of the health-care team rather than handmaidens to physicians. Ironically, nurses were required to complete formal education as well as pass a certification examination in order to be licensed by the state in which they practiced--and they were not considered professionals. That situation has, thankfully, changed. Medical assistants have also worked long and hard to be considered professionals. While many of them were also trained on the job, their job pathway has changed and now they are required to complete formal education and licensing examinations (at least they are in North Carolina, where I am). Nurses and medical assistants who are carrying out physician's orders are expected, as part of their professional standards, to critically examine all orders for accuracy. They are expected to question any orders that they believe to be unusual, outside the normal range, or downright erroneous. Many hospitals insist that all medication dosages be verified by two nurses before administration, and sometimes it is the second--or third--person to look at orders who actually finds an error. Perhaps the day when transcriptionists are expected to be part of the checks-and-balances system has not yet arrived--and perhaps it will arrive as soon as transcriptionists are considered professionals (a chicken-and-egg question, maybe?). When the first questions arose about the likelihood that a transcriptionist would be sued, or included in a lawsuit against a care-provider team, I did a lengthy Internet search to see if I could find a case. Nada--not one. There are any number of case summaries involving hospitals, physicians, nurses, and HMOs summarized on sites on the Internet--I use them frequently as discussion topics in our ethics course. I pondered why there would be so many about other care-team members and none about transcriptionists. Is it because there has never been a successful suit against a transcriptionist? Can't be, because the text we used a couple of years ago had several case studies that involved transcriptionists' errors. Then I realized that the nursing suits were on nursing sites and the physician suits were on physician sites, and so on. The AAMT, the logical place for the " lawsuit of the month, " doesn't currently summarize real cases against transcriptionists. Does that mean that there aren't any cases? No. I did find a summary of the opinion of the author of a " how-to " book on becoming an independent medical transcriptionist. That person's opinion is that insurance is unnecessary, apparently on the theory that if you have no money, nobody will bother to sue you. My belief is that if people are after money, they may include you in a suit on the theory that you may be able to contribute to a settlement, and every little bit helps. If they are after revenge, they don't care about money--and putting you out of business would satisfy them very nicely, thank you, until they can get capital punishment for transcription errors made legal. You might argue eloquently that verifying the accuracy of your transcripts was the responsibility of the physician, and that may cut little ice with bereaved parents who want everyone involved in the error that cost them their child to suffer as much as they have suffered (but they'll settle for putting them out of business). Perhaps discussing this topic will get some folks interested in pursuing further information. It might be a good idea to invite a lawyer who specializes in malpractice litigation to speak to the next meeting of your professional society or informal group of transcriptionists with whom you get together. The result may be that you are reassured that you can save your money and forget the insurance; it may be that your consciousness is raised and you decide to insure yourself. Either way, you will base your decision on a PROFESSIONAL opinion. Something to think about, at any rate. Valeria At 10:03 PM 6/28/2001, HollyBerry1295@... wrote: >My .02..........I honestly don't see why an MT needs liabilty insurance. How >could an MT ever get sued.........for goodness sakes if the doc doesn't read >his notes and correct errors IF errors are made.........then he is ultimately >the one at fault. He is the one providing the care........it is the doctor's >job to make sure his/her patient gets the proper care. That is my opinion, >and I am sticking to it. I am sorry, but I just think it would be totally >ridiculous for an MT to be sued.........sued for what?????? We are simply >putting the doc's word on paper and making readable and professional >documents........we are not GIVING patient's meds or inflicting any harm here. > >Holly > >In a message dated 6/28/01 9:45:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time, >auntyfrog@... writes: > ><< Well I went to the AAMT site and read what they had to say. Not much in my > opinion. Many of the scenarios used to support purchasing insurance will be > reduced/eliminated with the HIPPA regulations. I cant see a dr. suing if > your phone-in system crashes and HE has thrown his notes away. Duh! Doc. > don't throw the notes away until the job is done. You should have insurance > because you are a professional and professionals have insurance, is > convoluted reasoning. > > Maybe I am missing something but none of the examples given realistically > support liability insurance. > > Go look and see what you think. > http://www.aamt.org/eando.htm > > > > Aloha, > Pam > >> Valeria D. Truitt, Instructor Medical Office Administration Craven Community College Phone 800 College Court vtruitt@... New Bern, NC 28562 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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