Re: As promised, results of the AAMT Public Opinion Survey

From: Jay Vance (digitalvance_at_aol.comdelete)
Date: 08/09/04 

Date: 09 Aug 2004 22:45:11 GMT

I don't think there's any question that MT as we know it will not exist in 10
or 20 years. The question is whether the SKILLS we possess can still be used
within the EMR creation cycle in a meaningful way, and if so, how, and what
should we be doing NOW to preserve our slot? By no means do I pretend to know
the answers, but what really gets me perturbed is that so many MTs aren't even
willing to consider the question, aren't willing to look that far ahead and
think about the changes that are inevitable.

I've been getting hammered all day on another forum for saying that, a) EMR is
coming; b) we'd better get ready for it; c) we have to be willing to go to the
policy-making table with all the other allied health services and fight for our
territory, just like they're going to be doing; and d) how can we insist that
the skills we bring to the process are UNIQUE and VITAL to the documentation
process, but not be willing to put our money where our mouth is with an
objective mandatory certification process that PROVES we are the professionals
we say we are? I'm also getting slammed for suggesting that the current
unregulated state of MT has actually CONTRIBUTED to the proliferation of
offshore outsourcing, in that overseas companies can hire pretty much anyone
and call them MTs. I've even dared to suggest that if certification were
mandatory for ANY MT IN THE WORLD in order to handle American medical records,
that in itself would go a long way towards "leveling the playing field." This
would be the one time when the difference in the cost of living would work to
OUR advantage; an American MT can afford to pay $200 or whatever to become
certified MUCH easier than a foreign MT, and I don't believe foreign MT service
owners would too keen about ponying up that kind of money for all their MTs
either. I'm sure some would, but I definitely believe mandatory certification
would have an immediate impact on the number of offshore MTs available to do
American medical transcription.

So we have a plan that is a win-win situation for American MTs--helps us at
home with the EMR and helps us abroad by leveling the playing field
somewhat--but the fact that someone connected with AAMT is suggesting it makes
it automatically unacceptable. Someone actually made the statement that they
would rather see "AAMT go down with the rest of us." That really, really does
not bode well for the future of our profession.

Jay
 

>Jay,
>Just as a matter or curiosity, won't the EMR actually replace MTs over time?
>What will be the purpose of the AAMT then? Offshoring or EMR, either way,
>I've been saying for years that the only MTs who will survive in the long
>run are those with the foresight to train for another career. The last few
>years I've been telling anyone who tells me they want to become an MT to run
>far and fast from spending their money on education for this occupation.
>Better to find something that will let them make a living for longer. Beats
>me what that might be unless one wants a career in fast food or maybe
>chicken plucking. At least those jobs aren't likely to be offshored. But
>then, if all the well-paying jobs are offshored, I don't know who'll have
>the money to buy Mickey D's or plucked chickens! Oh, I KNOW, we have too
>big of a slice of the pie. Thank goodness I'm too old to worry about a
>job, all I have to worry about is whether Ron's pension is safe (NOT) and
>whether S.S. will belly up!
>
>Dee

Jay

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." - Anais Nin

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