Joint Task Force Recommends MT Industry adopt visual black characters

There’s no question that the need for a standard unit of measure within the medical transcription industry is long overdue. With that said, earlier this year, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) Joint Task Force on Standards Development gave its formal recommendation that the MT industry should adopt visual black character (VBC) as the standard unit of measure for the medical transcription of medical records.

 

Originally a discussion topic within MTIA’s Billing, Methods and Principles (BMP) Committee, a statement outlining five billing method principles (Verifiability, Definability, Measurability, Consistency and Integrity) was developed to help identify key business practices. The BMP Committee’s principles later helped define the VBC.

 

As detailed in A Standard Unit of Measure for Transcribed Reports, the Joint Task Force defines VBC as “a character that can be seen with the naked eye.” Spaces, bolding, underlining and spell checking are among the configurations that would not be counted using this new measurement. In order to help MTSOs, medical transcriptionists and other industry professionals better understand the VBC, AHIMA/MTIA released a FAQs.

 

The medical transcription industry has developed a reputation of questionable integrity based on the unethical actions of a few rogue firms that have taken advantage of the fact that a line was virtually immeasurable. This should serve to level the playing field and let the best companies thrive. Needless to say, PRN Funding supports this standardizing venture.

Happy National Medical Transcriptionist Week!

Established in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan, National Medical Transcriptionist Week, National Medical Transcriptionist Week is celebrated annually in the third week of May to bring public and industry-wide attention to the role and contribution of medical transcriptionists in healthcare delivery and clinical documentation.

The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI), formally American Association for Medical Transcription is celebrating the week with the AAMT Walk for Red Day: Walk for Red Day is a day set aside during National Medical Transcriptionist Week for AAMT members and component groups to participate in a walk-a-thon with the goal of raising awareness about women’s heart health and raising funds to support both The Heart Truth and sponsorship of fitness celebrity Richard Simmons to the AAMT Annual Convention and Expo in Reno, Nevada, in August of 2007.1.

Nursing Shortage Inspires Legislation: Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2007

In the beginning of May, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Stark, D-CA, introduced the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2007 (H.R. 2122), which will limit the amount of mandatory overtime a nurse may be required to work.

 

“Mandatory overtime exhausts nurses mentally and physically, placing patients’ lives at risk and driving nurses out of the profession,” said Stark. “We limit the time that truck drivers and pilots can work to protect public safety. Safe nursing is in the public interest as well.”

 

It’s good to know that legislation is being passed to improve on the conditions of overworked nurses and overall nurse shortages in the United States.  Temp medical staffing agencies offer another alternative to combating nurse burnout rates.  By delivering fresh employees to cover overtime and vacation shifts, everyone wins, including the patient.

Nurses OK contracts at 13 hospitals

Here’s an interesting article that we found about nurses unionizing in 13 metro-area hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MO.  The group of 10,750 registered nurses (RNs) approved new three-year contracts that provide 11 percent raises, preserve their health plans, and establish committees to address issues of safety and nurse staffing levels. 

 

Click here to read the entire article in the Star Tribune: Nurses OK contracts at 13 hospitals.

Nurses picket hospital, hospital blames nurses

Nurses employed by the Boston Medical Center (BMC) picketed outside of the healthcare facility alleging violations of their employment contract with the hospital.  The nurses cited below-minimum staffing requirements, overtime pay deficiencies and vacation pay problems. The nurses picketed the hospital last week. Nurses also said that the BMC hospital management threatened to discipline nurses who took part in the protest.

 

Although this is an unfortunate situation for both Boston Medical Center hospital and the nurses involved with this protest, there are still patients that need care.  This dilemma presents an immediate opportunity for a savvy temp nurse staffing business owner to get his/her foot in the door.

 

Click here to read the entire article: Nurses picket the hospital, hospital blames nurses.

2007 MTIA Conference – AHDI & MTIA Join Forces

Two weeks ago, we had the opportunity to exhibit at MTIA’s 18th Annual Conference, and once again, we were pleased with the show. We had the chance to meet up with old colleagues and friends, while simultaneously meeting new faces and discussing PRN Funding’s factoring niche within the medical transcription industry.

 

We were also very intrigued and excited to learn about the new relationship between the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI)—formerly the American Association of Medical Transcription (AAMT)—and the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA). Seeing a trade association growing and adapting to serve the needs of medical transcription services owners (MTSOs) is a good thing, and PRN Funding supports the merge wholeheartedly. Although MTIA is an excellent association for the medical transcribing world, the organization was too small to effectively reach all of its members. We feel that this collaboration is a good thing for MTSOs worldwide. We look forward to the continued growth of this strategic legal partnership.

 

Q: How do you feel about the merge between AHDI (formally AAMT) and MTIA?

A: Jay Cannon (President of MTIA and COO of Webmedx, Inc.) commented about the new AHDI/MTIA relationship in the June 2007 issue of Journal of the American Association for Medical Transcription (JAAMT).  Like PRN Funding, Cannon is extremely thrilled about it.  In his column, he wrote “I do believe this relationship to be one of strategic importance as we mutually strive toward advancing the relevance of medical transcription in the ever-changing clinical documentation landscape.”

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