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...
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...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 I can see both sides of this. But, it is still the responsibility of the doctor who signs the document. Maybe we should just remove the " simply " from Holly's statement and put in another word. I think we all know we are to be private detectives and make suggestions and corrections to doctors or flag so again, once that is done, it is up to the doctor to SIGN that document saying in essence " Amen. " Aliceanne On Fri, 29 Jun 2001 10:43:43 -0400 Valeria Truitt writes: > 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 > ionals. 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 > > > 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 I can see both sides of this. But, it is still the responsibility of the doctor who signs the document. Maybe we should just remove the " simply " from Holly's statement and put in another word. I think we all know we are to be private detectives and make suggestions and corrections to doctors or flag so again, once that is done, it is up to the doctor to SIGN that document saying in essence " Amen. " Aliceanne On Fri, 29 Jun 2001 10:43:43 -0400 Valeria Truitt writes: > 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 > ionals. 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 > > > 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 I can see both sides of this. But, it is still the responsibility of the doctor who signs the document. Maybe we should just remove the " simply " from Holly's statement and put in another word. I think we all know we are to be private detectives and make suggestions and corrections to doctors or flag so again, once that is done, it is up to the doctor to SIGN that document saying in essence " Amen. " Aliceanne On Fri, 29 Jun 2001 10:43:43 -0400 Valeria Truitt writes: > 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 > ionals. 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 > > > 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 Valeria, That was very well said and really agreed with what I was trying to say in my post. Holly's 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. " was what bothered me the most about her post. I personally do not have to worry about insurance since I work for a hospital, where I am covered, but if I was an IC, I would probably have to think about doing something. As you said, we ARE giving patients medications in many instances. I know that there are times when the patient is transferred from our hospital and by the time the report is actually ready to go with the patient, the doctor has already left the hospital and is not available to proof the report before it goes out. We have received patients from outside facilities where the only thing that comes with the patient is a typed report, which that doctor may or may not have had time to proof before the patient was sent. These are instances where we must be very careful to make sure that we have transcribed exactly what the doc stated. I had a good example just last night. On the lab values, I wasn't listening as carefully as I should have been and I thought the doc said potassium 2.7. With a potassium that low, the patient would need to be started on replacement therapy, so I thought I had better listen to that again. Sure enough, I heard it wrong the first time, it was 3.7. If I had just left it alone, the doc at the new facility may have decided to place the patient on potassium. This can be very detrimental to a patient, as too much potassium can actually kill a person, especially one with renal problems. 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 >>> Valeria Truitt 06/29/01 10:43AM >>> 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. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Valeria, That was very well said and really agreed with what I was trying to say in my post. Holly's 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. " was what bothered me the most about her post. I personally do not have to worry about insurance since I work for a hospital, where I am covered, but if I was an IC, I would probably have to think about doing something. As you said, we ARE giving patients medications in many instances. I know that there are times when the patient is transferred from our hospital and by the time the report is actually ready to go with the patient, the doctor has already left the hospital and is not available to proof the report before it goes out. We have received patients from outside facilities where the only thing that comes with the patient is a typed report, which that doctor may or may not have had time to proof before the patient was sent. These are instances where we must be very careful to make sure that we have transcribed exactly what the doc stated. I had a good example just last night. On the lab values, I wasn't listening as carefully as I should have been and I thought the doc said potassium 2.7. With a potassium that low, the patient would need to be started on replacement therapy, so I thought I had better listen to that again. Sure enough, I heard it wrong the first time, it was 3.7. If I had just left it alone, the doc at the new facility may have decided to place the patient on potassium. This can be very detrimental to a patient, as too much potassium can actually kill a person, especially one with renal problems. 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 >>> Valeria Truitt 06/29/01 10:43AM >>> 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. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Valeria, That was very well said and really agreed with what I was trying to say in my post. Holly's 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. " was what bothered me the most about her post. I personally do not have to worry about insurance since I work for a hospital, where I am covered, but if I was an IC, I would probably have to think about doing something. As you said, we ARE giving patients medications in many instances. I know that there are times when the patient is transferred from our hospital and by the time the report is actually ready to go with the patient, the doctor has already left the hospital and is not available to proof the report before it goes out. We have received patients from outside facilities where the only thing that comes with the patient is a typed report, which that doctor may or may not have had time to proof before the patient was sent. These are instances where we must be very careful to make sure that we have transcribed exactly what the doc stated. I had a good example just last night. On the lab values, I wasn't listening as carefully as I should have been and I thought the doc said potassium 2.7. With a potassium that low, the patient would need to be started on replacement therapy, so I thought I had better listen to that again. Sure enough, I heard it wrong the first time, it was 3.7. If I had just left it alone, the doc at the new facility may have decided to place the patient on potassium. This can be very detrimental to a patient, as too much potassium can actually kill a person, especially one with renal problems. 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 >>> Valeria Truitt 06/29/01 10:43AM >>> 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. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Holly, I want to go on record right now that I am sure that you are very professional and, from what I have seen from your posts, you are really trying very hard to be sure that you know and understand what the doc is trying to say. I am trying to make sure that especially any students out there understand how important this job is and how important it is to make sure that they know and understand everything the doctor says. We all need to know that what we are doing can harm a patient if we do something wrong and can help a patient when we notice something the doc said that seemed wrong and bring it to his attention. And you are right, for those who just see this as a good way to work at home and are not willing to put in the time and trouble to be professional about this, they had better get the insurance. Margaret >>> 06/29/01 10:59AM >>> 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 ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Holly, I want to go on record right now that I am sure that you are very professional and, from what I have seen from your posts, you are really trying very hard to be sure that you know and understand what the doc is trying to say. I am trying to make sure that especially any students out there understand how important this job is and how important it is to make sure that they know and understand everything the doctor says. We all need to know that what we are doing can harm a patient if we do something wrong and can help a patient when we notice something the doc said that seemed wrong and bring it to his attention. And you are right, for those who just see this as a good way to work at home and are not willing to put in the time and trouble to be professional about this, they had better get the insurance. Margaret >>> 06/29/01 10:59AM >>> 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 ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Holly, I want to go on record right now that I am sure that you are very professional and, from what I have seen from your posts, you are really trying very hard to be sure that you know and understand what the doc is trying to say. I am trying to make sure that especially any students out there understand how important this job is and how important it is to make sure that they know and understand everything the doctor says. We all need to know that what we are doing can harm a patient if we do something wrong and can help a patient when we notice something the doc said that seemed wrong and bring it to his attention. And you are right, for those who just see this as a good way to work at home and are not willing to put in the time and trouble to be professional about this, they had better get the insurance. Margaret >>> 06/29/01 10:59AM >>> 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 ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Holly, I want to make it very clear that your personal professionalism is not the issue. It's apparent from this and other messages that you have posted that you are quite experienced in the health-care field and that you are conscientious and vigilant in your work. You are far from being an intern in the field, and you have every reason to be confident in the quality of your work. For those who are students or who are in an internship, though, there may be more reason to seek legal advice and to do further research into the cost of liability insurance--and the need for it--before deciding that it is unnecessary. With any insurance, the lower the risk of a loss, the lower the cost. Perhaps I should state my own bias: I've never had anyone claim on my homeowner's liability insurance, but I will continue to carry it. Nobody's ever claimed on my automobile liability insurance, but I would carry it even if the state didn't require it (and I carry a LOT more than the state requires). Nobody's ever claimed on the liability insurance I carried for years to protect me if a student sued. Have I been lucky? Probably. There have certainly been instances over the years in which I held my breath, because someone COULD have sued. I also don't go to Las Vegas and I have been known to pass right by lottery tickets with narry a desire to try my luck. If I decided to enter the medical transcription field as an active-duty transcriptionist, I would get liability insurance (probably as part of my umbrella liability coverage). But that's me. Of course, each of us has to make the decision on his/her own. What I advocate is gathering full information before making the decision. Valeria At 10:59 AM 6/29/2001, HollyBerry1295@... wrote: >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. >> 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...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Holly, I want to make it very clear that your personal professionalism is not the issue. It's apparent from this and other messages that you have posted that you are quite experienced in the health-care field and that you are conscientious and vigilant in your work. You are far from being an intern in the field, and you have every reason to be confident in the quality of your work. For those who are students or who are in an internship, though, there may be more reason to seek legal advice and to do further research into the cost of liability insurance--and the need for it--before deciding that it is unnecessary. With any insurance, the lower the risk of a loss, the lower the cost. Perhaps I should state my own bias: I've never had anyone claim on my homeowner's liability insurance, but I will continue to carry it. Nobody's ever claimed on my automobile liability insurance, but I would carry it even if the state didn't require it (and I carry a LOT more than the state requires). Nobody's ever claimed on the liability insurance I carried for years to protect me if a student sued. Have I been lucky? Probably. There have certainly been instances over the years in which I held my breath, because someone COULD have sued. I also don't go to Las Vegas and I have been known to pass right by lottery tickets with narry a desire to try my luck. If I decided to enter the medical transcription field as an active-duty transcriptionist, I would get liability insurance (probably as part of my umbrella liability coverage). But that's me. Of course, each of us has to make the decision on his/her own. What I advocate is gathering full information before making the decision. Valeria At 10:59 AM 6/29/2001, HollyBerry1295@... wrote: >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. >> 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...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Holly, I want to make it very clear that your personal professionalism is not the issue. It's apparent from this and other messages that you have posted that you are quite experienced in the health-care field and that you are conscientious and vigilant in your work. You are far from being an intern in the field, and you have every reason to be confident in the quality of your work. For those who are students or who are in an internship, though, there may be more reason to seek legal advice and to do further research into the cost of liability insurance--and the need for it--before deciding that it is unnecessary. With any insurance, the lower the risk of a loss, the lower the cost. Perhaps I should state my own bias: I've never had anyone claim on my homeowner's liability insurance, but I will continue to carry it. Nobody's ever claimed on my automobile liability insurance, but I would carry it even if the state didn't require it (and I carry a LOT more than the state requires). Nobody's ever claimed on the liability insurance I carried for years to protect me if a student sued. Have I been lucky? Probably. There have certainly been instances over the years in which I held my breath, because someone COULD have sued. I also don't go to Las Vegas and I have been known to pass right by lottery tickets with narry a desire to try my luck. If I decided to enter the medical transcription field as an active-duty transcriptionist, I would get liability insurance (probably as part of my umbrella liability coverage). But that's me. Of course, each of us has to make the decision on his/her own. What I advocate is gathering full information before making the decision. Valeria At 10:59 AM 6/29/2001, HollyBerry1295@... wrote: >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. >> 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...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 Holly, Your professionalism is not in question by anyone that has previously read your posts. The attention to detail that you employ is obvious and impressive. Please don't take any personal offense. Your comments did serve to spark a very important discussion that is quite relevant to my situation as a person that does type " Dictated but not read. Subject to transcription variances. " If anything you have provided a service in supplying a catalyst for discussion. I am perhaps a little less at risk in my particular situation because this doctor is a chiropractor and thus does not prescribe meds. After the responses on this subject I am re-evaluating whether or not to put " Dictated but not read unless signed " and put a line for the doctor's signature. I don't have a formal signed contract with this client but I certainly will type a disclaimer stating that the final responsibility rests with the doctor himself and not me. All in all this thread has been very enlightening and my thanks go out to all who have participated and will continue to. Carol B. Re: Error Insurance 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 >> 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 Holly, Your professionalism is not in question by anyone that has previously read your posts. The attention to detail that you employ is obvious and impressive. Please don't take any personal offense. Your comments did serve to spark a very important discussion that is quite relevant to my situation as a person that does type " Dictated but not read. Subject to transcription variances. " If anything you have provided a service in supplying a catalyst for discussion. I am perhaps a little less at risk in my particular situation because this doctor is a chiropractor and thus does not prescribe meds. After the responses on this subject I am re-evaluating whether or not to put " Dictated but not read unless signed " and put a line for the doctor's signature. I don't have a formal signed contract with this client but I certainly will type a disclaimer stating that the final responsibility rests with the doctor himself and not me. All in all this thread has been very enlightening and my thanks go out to all who have participated and will continue to. Carol B. Re: Error Insurance 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 >> 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 Holly, Your professionalism is not in question by anyone that has previously read your posts. The attention to detail that you employ is obvious and impressive. Please don't take any personal offense. Your comments did serve to spark a very important discussion that is quite relevant to my situation as a person that does type " Dictated but not read. Subject to transcription variances. " If anything you have provided a service in supplying a catalyst for discussion. I am perhaps a little less at risk in my particular situation because this doctor is a chiropractor and thus does not prescribe meds. After the responses on this subject I am re-evaluating whether or not to put " Dictated but not read unless signed " and put a line for the doctor's signature. I don't have a formal signed contract with this client but I certainly will type a disclaimer stating that the final responsibility rests with the doctor himself and not me. All in all this thread has been very enlightening and my thanks go out to all who have participated and will continue to. Carol B. Re: Error Insurance 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 >> 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 No doubt in my mind. Thanks for helping with this discussion. I think it made a lot of us think. Aliceanne On Fri, 29 Jun 2001 11:21:43 EDT HollyBerry1295@... writes: > 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 > >> > > 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 No doubt in my mind. Thanks for helping with this discussion. I think it made a lot of us think. Aliceanne On Fri, 29 Jun 2001 11:21:43 EDT HollyBerry1295@... writes: > 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 > >> > > 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 what I do. Aliceanne On Fri, 29 Jun 2001 10:43:26 -0500 " CJ " writes: > Holly, > > Your professionalism is not in question by anyone that has > previously read your posts. The attention to detail that you employ > is obvious and impressive. Please don't take any personal offense. > Your comments did serve to spark a very important discussion that is > quite relevant to my situation as a person that does type " Dictated > but not read. Subject to transcription variances. " If anything you > have provided a service in supplying a catalyst for discussion. I > am perhaps a little less at risk in my particular situation because > this doctor is a chiropractor and thus does not prescribe meds. > After the responses on this subject I am re-evaluating whether or > not to put " Dictated but not read unless signed " and put a line for > the doctor's signature. I don't have a formal signed contract with > this client but I certainly will type a disclaimer stating that the > final responsibility rests with the doctor himself and not me. All > in all this thread has been very enlightening and my thanks go out > to all who have participated and will continue to. > > Carol B. > > > Re: Error Insurance > > > 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 > >> > > 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 30, 2001 Report Share Posted June 30, 2001 Re: Error Insurance >If I decided to enter the medical > transcription field as an active-duty transcriptionist, I would get > liability insurance (probably as part of my umbrella liability coverage). > But that's me. Of course, each of us has to make the decision on his/her > own. What I advocate is gathering full information before making the decision. > > Valeria One problem I see though, is that the pay for medical transcription does not compensate for being liable for the contents of a medical report. If we are to share the liability of the information in the medical record then certainly we should share in more of the earnings. Also take into account how many transcriptionist are under orders to dictate verbatim. In order to be able to absorb liability would we also not need the ability to correct a report if we suspect it is wrong, which is in fact impossible because we may have the working knowledge but not the full facts or firsthand knowledge let alone the complete medical training required, to be able to correct the information to clear our liability therein. Sounds like an impossible and dangerous situation to me. Maybe this is at the extreme but must be considered, I believe. Quixote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2001 Report Share Posted June 30, 2001 Re: Error Insurance >If I decided to enter the medical > transcription field as an active-duty transcriptionist, I would get > liability insurance (probably as part of my umbrella liability coverage). > But that's me. Of course, each of us has to make the decision on his/her > own. What I advocate is gathering full information before making the decision. > > Valeria One problem I see though, is that the pay for medical transcription does not compensate for being liable for the contents of a medical report. If we are to share the liability of the information in the medical record then certainly we should share in more of the earnings. Also take into account how many transcriptionist are under orders to dictate verbatim. In order to be able to absorb liability would we also not need the ability to correct a report if we suspect it is wrong, which is in fact impossible because we may have the working knowledge but not the full facts or firsthand knowledge let alone the complete medical training required, to be able to correct the information to clear our liability therein. Sounds like an impossible and dangerous situation to me. Maybe this is at the extreme but must be considered, I believe. Quixote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2001 Report Share Posted June 30, 2001 Re: Error Insurance >If I decided to enter the medical > transcription field as an active-duty transcriptionist, I would get > liability insurance (probably as part of my umbrella liability coverage). > But that's me. Of course, each of us has to make the decision on his/her > own. What I advocate is gathering full information before making the decision. > > Valeria One problem I see though, is that the pay for medical transcription does not compensate for being liable for the contents of a medical report. If we are to share the liability of the information in the medical record then certainly we should share in more of the earnings. Also take into account how many transcriptionist are under orders to dictate verbatim. In order to be able to absorb liability would we also not need the ability to correct a report if we suspect it is wrong, which is in fact impossible because we may have the working knowledge but not the full facts or firsthand knowledge let alone the complete medical training required, to be able to correct the information to clear our liability therein. Sounds like an impossible and dangerous situation to me. Maybe this is at the extreme but must be considered, I believe. Quixote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2001 Report Share Posted June 30, 2001 Re: Error Insurance > 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. >> > Say this type of error is made. Say it was not the transcriptionist but the doctor, or the resident dictating for the doctor. The recorded dictation is now gone. Who is liable? Will it then become the doctor's word against that of the transcriptionist? If that amount of liability is to be transferred to the transcriptionist then so should be more of the earnings, and participation in the care of the patient to be able to double check against mistakes which may or may not be attributed to/and or caused by you. Quixote aka Thraq [LD] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2001 Report Share Posted June 30, 2001 Re: Error Insurance > Quixote aka Thraq [LD] Opps. Ignore this signature line. It is one I use in a gaming forum. No underlying meaning here or anything. :^) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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