Let’s talk about change for a minute, shall we? Change is something that happens in every aspect of our lives – we get older (dang it!), our kids do, we move and relocate, we get new cars, we utilize better technologies, we have way more than 3 or 4 channels on TV, we don’t have to wash dishes by hand, we have energy efficient appliances that do more, cost less to use and in general improve our efficiency.
All change is not bad – but change is a fact of life. Let’s face it, many of us used to transcribe on typewriters with carbon paper or at the very least white out. We have seen various renditions of voice capture hardware. Long distance used to cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars on even modest plans. Now most everyone gets unlimited long distance for about $25 or perhaps even VOIP for a flat rate.
This industry has witnessed many changes and evolutions. We must embrace change – many of us should be change-agents by now because of the many changes we have witnessed, been through or otherwise led changes.
Most of you know what kind of crisis healthcare is in. And you also know that we have a President who vows to fix healthcare so everyone can have access. The debate is long and volatile about how to exactly get it done the best way, however, we know that the “status quo is not an option on the table,” as stated by Barack Obama. We have already been impacted in many ways by healthcare reform.
The drive to push costs down is being driven by a huge number of reasons. MS-DRG changes, ICD-10 upcoming, RAC audits nation-wide, POA (present on admission) to name a few and with 54% of the nation’s hospitals operating in the red and 80% of those with 500+ beds in the red, our healthcare system must change and is changing - now. That means we must evolve with this change.
I know many people like their present routines and don’t want to change, but the EHR is shrinking our market share. That’s simply the truth. Those with the best skills, the most differentiators and the willingness to change and evolve as our sector does will never worry about a job.
Did you know that people who are optimistic about change, even life-altering change live longer than those who are not? These people have the secret recipe of not only making lemonade with the lemons that come their way, they are also constantly seeking out enough lemons to make lemon meringue pie! Be creative and keep a smile close at hand.
We are not witnessing an end-game strategy, it is an evolving shift - and as Darwin said, “it’s not the strongest or the largest of the species that survives, but the one most adaptable to change.” So please everyone know what’s going on in our profession, be the best you can be – make yourselves indispensible to your employer! Be flexible and know what the drivers are in what’s taking place here and let’s move forward together and succeed!
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
2 comments:
Change is good but my biggest problem is finding some place that will hire someone right out of school with little experience. Most places want anywhere from 3 to 5 years experience at a facility and if no one give us newbies a chance how can we get experience? Hope you have some kind of advice. If anyone does please send me and email at cstump03@gmail.com
Hi Christa - You are not alone. This is very difficult and the first thing I would say is study and get your RMT if you do not have it already. The next thing I would do is scour ads for any good MTSO looking for help on a clinic account. If you can't find that, check with your local hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices. This is a great place to get that first important job where you will obtain experience. The main reason why MTSOs as a rule require experience is due to the difficulty factor involved in the dictation that they work with. Many times, hospitals outsource because the dictation is very difficult and they struggle with finding local or even regional talent that can handle it. When someone right out of school faces work that tough, they can easily become discouraged and give up. So get your experience any way you can - but best options may be local and/or working on site at a facility for a while. Once you have some experience, you will then more easily get a job working from home and obtain that career you are hoping for! I sincerely wish you very good luck.
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