July 23rd, 2009 
Health Guardz 
What is written in my medical records?
Have you ever left a doctor’s office or hospital with unanswered questions about your health condition or medical treatment? Given our current health care system, in which most doctors or medical providers spend only a few minutes with their patients, it is not uncommon for the patients themselves to have little or no information regarding their own healthcare.
While the health care provider may not provide much information directly to the patient, the patient’s medical record often contains important information regarding the patient’s health. When it comes to ensuring you are receiving the best medical care possible, obtaining copies of your medical records is a terrific way to meet this goal.
Why is having a copy of your medical records important?
Most people have more than one doctor involved in their health care. While your primary care physician usually acts as the manager of your health care, often your specialist physicians do not communicate with each other or do not receive important information about your medical history. Lack of communication between your physicians can lead to mistakes and problems. One of the best ways to avoid problems and to ensure that all of your medical providers have the information they need about your medical history is to keep copies of your own medical records and bring them with you to medical appointments. This doesn’t mean you need to carry around stacks and stacks of medical records. However, it is suggested you have your most up-to-date medical records with you at your medical appointments. It is not safe to assume that your specialist physicians, such as cardiologist, orthopedists and endocrinologist, have seen your medical records or have all the information they need regarding your health.
How do you obtain copies of your medical records?
You ask! The simplest way to obtain copies of your medical records is to ask your doctor’s office for copies following each appointment. Even if they are not immediately available, you should request your records or test results be mailed to you as soon as they become available. You will be required to confirm your request for records in writing and sign such request.
The laws in New York State allow a patient to request their own medical records from any medical provider or health facility. For example, the “Patient’s Bill of Rights” allows a patient to review their own hospital medical record without charge and to also obtain a copy of such records for a reasonable fee. The hospital is not permitted to deny you a copy of your medical records just because you cannot afford to pay the charged fee.
Other “qualified persons” can also gain access to medical records and obtain copies if requested. Such “qualified persons” include parents of minor children, attorneys, holders of health care proxies for living people and distributees of a deceased family member.
Did the doctor of hospital give me the records I asked for?
The quick answer is maybe, or maybe not. In the “old” days, medical records were kept in actual medical charts, on real paper, and were stored on shelves. However, those days are gone. You have probably noticed that many doctor’s offices and hospitals have computers, which the doctors, nurses and receptionists use to record everything that occurs during your doctor’s appointment or hospital stay. Many times the record or note of your medical appointment is only available on a computer system and is never printed off and placed in your “paper” medical chart. While computers have aided the medical community in sharing information about patient such as you, often times medical providers don’t know where to look for a patient’s medical records. One doctor may only look at the computer records and not the paper medical chart itself, when there could be valuable information found only in the paper chart, and not on the computer, or vice versa.
That is why it is very important that when you request to view or copy your medical records, you also request copies of any computer or electronically stored materials that relate to your health. For example, laboratory test results or radiology reports may only be available by searching a computer database, and not recorded in the paper chart, so you want to make sure to specifically request all records, not just those that are contained within your “paper” medical chart.
“Cheat Sheet” for your health
It seems like everyone today has a Blackberry®, IPhone® or at least a computer they use everyday. Why not create a “cheat sheet” of your medical information for quick use at medical appointments or in case of a medical emergency? It can be as simple as a list of what medications you are currently taking (including dosage and frequency) and the name, address and phone number of all of your current treating physicians. You may also want to include your health insurance plan information and the name and contact information of your heath care proxy, if you have one.
With your “cheat sheet” available, you can have confidence that your medical providers will have basic up-to-date information at each appointment. You can even provide the nurse or doctor with a copy of your “cheat sheet” to save time and ensure accuracy.
Watch the video related to medical records
Complete video at: fora.tv New York Times columnist David Carr shares his experience with an alcohol relapse 14 years into his recovery from addiction to crack. Carr says he thought, “You know, I wonder what would happen if I poured whiskey all over this?” —– David Carr talks about his memoir The Night of the Gun: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of His Life. His Own. Carr exposes his years as an addict and chronicles his journey from crack-house to columnist for NY Times. Built on 60 videotaped interviews, legal and medical records, and three years of reporting, this is a ferocious tale. – Book Passage David Carr writes a column for the Monday Business section of the New York Times that focuses on media issues including print, digital, film, radio and television. He also works as a general assignment reporter in the Culture section of The New York Times covering all aspects of popular culture. For the past 25 years, Carr has been writing about media as it intersects with business, culture and government. Carr began working at the Times in 2002 covering the magazine publishing industry for the Business section. Prior to arriving at the Times, Carr was a contributing writer for The Atlantic Monthly and New York Magazine, writing articles that ranged from homeland security issues to the movie industry. In 2000, he was the media writer for Inside.com, a web news site focusing on the business of entertainment and publishing. Prior to arriving in New York, Carr <b>…</b>
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It is the typing of spoken words, usually from a recording. Doctors speak into a recorder while seeing patients and then later their assistant types the information. It can be used for patient histories, letters, etc. Some people do this from their home and are paid per key stroke.
Many of the global leaders in Medical transcription outsourcing business take around 24 hours of turn around time. Acroseas Global Solutions is one of such global companies that provide high quality (98.8% accuracy) medical transcription services within 24 hours of turn around time. You can get your free sample transcription at http://www.acroseas.com/landing/
Hi,
It is better to search for good companies, who provide training as well as job after completition of the course and less cost. You can go through http://www.andhrascribe.com They have office in California.
Continue to try Ebay. Also try craigslist, a yard sale, and a used book store. However, if you are going into the medical field, you might as well keep the medical dictionary.
Only terminology not sufficient to get job in MT, you should be good at listening. You have to hear different dictations/accents and type. It is better to exposue lot of dictations and different accents through practice from good institute online/office.
Length and price depend on the course you choose. There are several options, but you really have to do your research as there are several scams and many inadequate schools.
If your hoping to get into this field, though, you will most likely need training from an AHDI 'approved' program. Most employers require experience or participation in one of the top AHDI approved schools. If your looking into Medical Transcription pay the extra in tuition to attend an 'approved' school.
Many people have received training through inadequate programs only to find out that they are unable to find a job. AHDI sets the standards for MT courses. Employers know that graduates of these 'approved' courses have gained the skills necessary to begin their career as an MT. —— AHDI is the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity – http://www.ahdionline.org (formerly known as the American Association for Medical Transcription).
I attended Career Step and recieved a job (at-home) less than a week after graduating. I've received several more job offers since, but have stuck with my original employer because of the flexibility they offer. Career Step is an AHDI approved program and they are partnered with many of the major MT employers. In other words, their graduates get the jobs. Many companies require 2-3 years experience, however, a lot of these companies will waive this requirement if you graduate from the right school.
I recommend CS because they are partnered with MANY employers, self-paced (you can finish in a few months or take as long as over a year or two), and more affordable than many courses. Plus, I have personal experience (and success) with the program. Attending your local community college will give you a good chance at a job in-house, but if you are wanting to work from home, an online 'approved' course is the way to go. Choosing the right school is so important! They do offer financial aid and payment plans.
The US Department of Labor states" Employment of medical transcriptionists is projected to grow 14 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for medical transcription services will be spurred by a growing and aging population. Older age groups receive proportionately greater numbers of medical tests, treatments, and procedures that require documentation. A high level of demand for transcription services also will be sustained by the continued need for electronic documentation that can be shared easily among providers, third-party payers, regulators, consumers, and health information systems. Growing numbers of medical transcriptionists will be needed to amend patients’ records, edit documents from speech recognition systems, and identify discrepancies in medical reports."
"Wage-and-salary medical transcriptionists had median hourly earnings of $14.40 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.17 and $17.06. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $10.22, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $20.15."
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me: bcharmed01 at yahoo dot com
Go with Career Step. They are the top medical transcription school. My sister-in-law took their course and loved it. It is a tough course but it really prepares you for the job. She said that the people there were really helpful. They even help you in your job search after you graduate. They help you with your resume, give you interview tips and advice, and give you employment and referral directories. They have a lot of relationships with medical transcription employers so you kinda already have an in with those employers. As far as the course, they have games like crossword puzzles and things to make learning more interesting. There is a TON of dictation to go through which is awesome because it is a lot of practice. Overall she really liked the course. Right now they are doing free text books with each enrollment through thte 30th (everything you need is online but some people like to have printed books). I also know a few discount codes if you want them:
10percent (10% off)
ref10077 (additional $50 off- if you enroll online you have to put this in the "Were You Referred By A Friend or Relative?" box in step 2 of the enrollment process. Or if you call in, you can just give them the code and they will take $50 off.)
Good luck!
I worked in the medical field (physician office and hospitals) for years and years. Most of the doctor's I worked with didn't use a service or website to hire for transcription. It was usually someone who came into the office with a flyer about their service and their prices. Once hired, the person would come in at the end of the day and pick up the tapes for that day and would usually return them within 3 days. Most hospitals don't hire independent transcription contractors. They hire employees who work from the hospital. However, with telecommuting now becoming so popular, I would think a few calls to the HR dept. of several hospitals might just snag you a contract or two. You might also make a few calls to some labs in your area—you mentioned path is fascinating to you. I think if you market yourself in the right way and you have competitive pricing you'd have a really good chance of convincing some of the smaller places to give you a chance even if that hasn't been the norm for them in the past. Everyone is looking to save on costs right now!
I got my first MT job before I had even graduated from college. Once I did graduate, I had 3 other job offers that I had to turn down.
MTs should earn a min. of $9.00/hr, but can earn much more if they type extra. At the place I first started, if you could type 14 mins of dictation an hour, when there was extra work, you could earn $65/hr!!!
My tips? Go to a real school, not an online one. Getting a degree is better than getting a certificate, but either will work if it's from a reputable school. Don't expect to work at home until you have AT LEAST a year of on the job training at a hospital. It's just not going to happen any other way.