Medical Transcriptionists - Protect Your Ears!

By Mary Ruff-King

If you are a new medical transcriptionist, it won’t be long before someone screams in your ears. Not literally, of course. However, it is a given that sooner or later you will be listening to a tape or a digital recording and someone in the background will be screaming or some other awful noise will accost your ears. This can actually be painful and quite startling.

Doctors are notorious for flipping x-rays around while dictating which can jar your ears. Also, a sudden ringing of the telephone or even the flushing of a toilet (!) can cause you to yank off that headset in a hurry. I think most medical transcriptionists agree that we have all suffered from aural fatigue at one time or another by having to transcribe dictation accompanied by noisy backgrounds and various god-awful sounds.

Medical transcriptionists can protect their ears to some degree by placing the earbuds of the headset over the tragus (plural form: tragi) of each ear and turning up the volume, if required. When working in an office environment, this is the best solution to this problem.

Those medical transcriptionists who work at home have the luxury of not wearing headsets at all and can turn up the volume without fear of disrupting anyone else, save their family and/or pets.

If this problem persists throughout the dictation, report the noisy dictation to your supervisor and play the tape/digital recording for him/her. The doctor can be apprised of it too, either directly by you or by your supervisor, depending upon your particular work situation. Sometimes that will help, at least for a while.

Also, you can go one step further and purchase a custom set of earplugs that can be worn when you are in a movie theater or a noisy place, such as a mall. Custom-made earplugs may be obtained at local gun shows, and they will serve you very well in your efforts to protect your hearing when you are not transcribing medical reports.

Medical transcriptionists need to protect their ears, their most valuable asset, at all times but especially when transcribing dictated medical reports.

Mary Ruff-King is an author who has worked as a medical transcriptionist for many years. Medical transcription is a field which is wide open for opportunity and advancement and offers flexible work opportunities. For further information on medical transcription and related articles/information about becoming a medical transcriptionist please visit http://www.mtmasterycenter.com

Travel Medical Insurance - Why You Can't Leave Home Without One

By Wade Robins

It's bad enough to fall ill or to encounter an accident these days, but it's worse if it happens to you while you're in a place that's far from home. You're out of reach of close friends and family members, you're in an unfamiliar place, and even the doctors who are likely to treat you are total strangers.

Travel medical insurance can't make everything alright, but it can substantially lessen your worries. When you know that you won't have to worry about paying the bills or going back home in case something unexpected happens, traveling becomes so much more enjoyable. Peace of mind is indeed priceless.

There are several companies offering travel medical insurance whose websites are comprehensive. This means that you can perform a veritable canvassing of prices and policies without having to leave the comforts of your home. Some websites even offer free personalized quotes and compare packages from different companies.

First, choose a company that offers 24/7 service for your travel medical insurance. What's the use of getting protection when you can't be served when you need it? Second, choose the package which you think would benefit you the most. If you feel that you can manage with a policy that pays only a percentage of your medical bills, that's fine. They would, of course, cost a lot less than travel medical insurance policies that would practically "pay all the bills."

Third, ask your travel medical insurance agent about pre-existing medical conditions which may disqualify you from making certain claims. This is especially important if you are 55 years of age or older. It's a given that any kind of policy has its own fine print, so make sure you read it thoroughly.

Feel free to ask travel medical insurance companies about health advisories and required vaccinations. If you fail to comply with the rules set forth by the country you are visiting, chances are your travel medical insurance won't be liable for the medical costs you'd incur that are related to that ruling which you failed to pay attention to.

A few of the items you need to look into when choosing your travel medical insurance are doctors' fees, hospital payments, ambulance services, emergency treatments, return flights home, and prescriptions.

Next time you fly, don't get caught flat-footed. You'll be saved from a lot of trouble when you're armed with the right kind of travel medical insurance.

You can also find more info on Travel Guard Insurance and Travel Insurance For Backpackers travelinsurance-help.com is a comprehensive resource to get information about Travel Insurance.

International Medical Insurance - Stay Safe When You Travel

By Judy Wellsworth

Everyday you can go about your business with the peace of mind of knowing that you are covered. When life throws something unexpected your way, your medical insurance has you covered. But what about when you leave the safety of your country's soil? If you are traveling abroad and not covered by your regular health insurance, international medical insurance can help you fill the gaps.

Most regular insurance plans do not cover you when you are overseas. In all the excitement of planning our trips, we often fail to think about the fact that, if some unforeseen medical emergency were to occur, we have no coverage. You would be at the mercy of a foreign country's healthcare system, which may not provide the adequate care or payment solutions that you need.

Getting Traveler's Insurance
The first step in planning for your medical needs overseas is to look at your regular insurance policy. It will tell you all the specifics about what is covered and what is not covered. Most plans have some limited coverage options for travelers built in. For example, there may be coverage for life-threatening illnesses or serious accidents. Look at your plan carefully and see what is already offered.

If there is some coverage that you lack in your regular plan, you can sometimes get short-term coverage for your trip. Your insurance company can attach what is called a "rider" to your current policy, extending coverage for the specific times you will be traveling.

If they can't cover you, or if you aren't happy with the coverage options, you can also take out a supplemental insurance policy from another company to cover your visit. This might be especially handy if you will be away from your home country for a long trip. Coverage from your company may be hard to get for more than a week or two.

How Much Will It Cost?
Rates vary among different companies and for different lengths of time. Different carriers will also get different rates. Some countries will carry higher insurance policies than others. For example, a country where there are certain risks may be harder to insure. It also depends on the healthcare structure of the country.

You will also be asked if you will be engaging in any risky behavior overseas. This would include extreme sports such as mountain climbing or deep sea diving. These activities carry high risks and are hard to insure, but some companies offer special supplemental package deals for extreme sports travelers.

Coverage Options
Depending on where you are heading and what you are doing, you may want to consider some different options with your coverage. For example, you may want coverage for medical supplies.
If you are going to a remote area and may need to provide your own First Aid, you can get covered for this.

Another possible option is evacuation. Nobody wants to think about something terrible happening when they are overseas, but there are sometimes emergencies. Evacuation insurance will cover the costs of getting you to a safe place.

Billing options also vary. Some companies will expect you to pay everything out of pocket, and they will reimburse you later. This is an important issue, because you need to make sure you have the cash on hand to pay. In some countries, medical attention may be denied until the bill is paid.

International Medical Insurance Tips
Your insurance company will issue you an ID card and you should keep it with you at all times. It may be more important than the money you are carrying.

There are several international organizations that provide emergency help for international travelers. These include Medex and SOS. There is also the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT), which offers free services.

When you are traveling, it is important that you have the same peace of mind you would have at home. Look at your insurance policy's international medical insurance coverage and pick the best option for you.

You can also find more information at Short Term Health Insurance and Travel Medical Insurance.

Medicalhealthinsuranceguide.org is a comprehensive resource to get help about health insurance.

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