MT India Newsletter - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MTIndia

01 Feb 2003
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ANNOUNCEMENT
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We have created a separate MT Jobs Newsletter for job vacancies, to
subscribe:
mailto:MTIndia-Jobs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Also, the Job Section in the Classifieds has been taken down.
Please use the Job Center:
http://www.mtindia.org/JobCenter/default.cfm

A Happy Republic Day - Long Live the Republic!

The MTIndia Team
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Ready... Fire... Aim

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Dear Friends,

Many of you after reading the Bow and Arrow Principle may be
wondering "but what about Ready... Fire... Aim"? That's Subway
sandwich chain co-founder Fred DeLuca's instructions - if you're
wrong, you'll get it right on the rebound! (DeLuca's own story is
entertaining: Starting at age 17 with $1,000 of someone else's
money and a blissful ignorance of the obstacles facing him, DeLuca
built a multinational corporation with annual sales of over $3
billion.) Surely the two principles are in conflict here?

Not at all. Let's take a moment to get the true perspective. (A
perfect example of the Bow and Arrow Principle at work!)

Anyone who thinks that cutting back on planning and preparation in
order to "cut to the chase" overlooks one important ingredient in
"Ready. Fire. Aim!" The first thing you have to do is get Ready. It
's the only component of the three that hasn't changed position.

And a critical part of getting Ready - planning and preparing - is
to create the measurement and monitoring systems that will enable
you to tell whether you're on or off course on the way to your
target. Let's go back to the idea of the bow and arrow.

The arrow is the real weapon. The bow is just a form of leverage
that gives you greater speed, power and accuracy for hitting your
target. The bow doesn't move toward the target. The arrow does.

Lawnmowers are very effective tools for cutting grass. But if there
is no off button, and if my lawnmower runs at full speed in my
garage day and night all the time, it soon becomes a very effective
tool for insanity instead.:)

Our brains are very effective tools, but few of us know where the
off button is, and the constant noise of the non-stop stream of
consciousness that is always going on can very easily drown out any
meaningful and useful sound that might be trying to find it's way
to
the surface. In fact, most of us don't even realize our brains are
most often in unproductive random cross referencing mode because we
have no other experience to serve as a basis for comparison.

The non-stop, point and click, instant gratification pavlovian
experience we call computing tends to open the throttle and funnel
even more gas to the bio-lawnmowers between our ears.

The winner is not the one who does it first. It's the one who does
it best or most. (Remember - in the legend, Robin won at Nottingham
Fair by doing it better. He split the arrow of his opponent. BOTH
of them hit the bull's-eye dead center!)

Regain your accurate perspective. Stop feeling guilty about taking
time out to think, plan, prepare and seize control in advance.
Remember - there are no rewards for being busy - only for being
productive. Like everything else we do, the bottom line is about
balancing quantity and quality.

Life is NOT about money - it's about winning!!

Cheers!!!

Maj (Dr.) Amit Chatterjee, SM
Strategist / Founder ~ mailto:amit@...
MT India ~ www.MTIndia.org
"The Community of MT Professionals"

"It takes years to become an overnight success! Inch by inch, it's
a cinch."

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------------------------------
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NEWS AND VIEWS :
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1) When politics overtakes economics, we're regressing

ONE man's food could be another's poison. And one woman's job - to
be fair to genders - could be joblessness for a man. Joblessness
for many men and women, actually, if Senator Shirley K. Turner of
New Jersey (NJ) is able to push through a controversial Bill that
aims at shutting out outsourcing jobs flowing into India.

In an article titled "Don't ask, don't tell", George Heymont raises
questions such as: "Should NJ pay the lowest price it can get to
staff a call centre by letting a contractor outsource the work to
India if doing so undermines the state's own welfare-to-work
program?

There are enough supporters to Turner. Zealots in the medical
field, for instance, are seeing the death of the offshore medical
transcription industry if a law were passed requiring anyone who
handles confidential medical information to be an American citizen.
This is an ethical dilemma, writes Heymont. "Is the pressure to cut
costs so great that we have no choice but to send work offshore
(especially when the cost and downtime spent editing and correcting
reports that were transcribed overseas may negate any anticipated
savings)?

When recently in Mumbai, Michael F. Corbett, an outsourcing expert,
had to assuage the software industry about the NJ problem with
something like, "You are making too much out of this. This is no
big deal," though Nasscom wants to join issue "taking it up in
different ways, at all levels," including fighting it out at the
WTO.

According to Forrester Research, over the next 15 years, 3.3
million US services industry jobs and $136 billion in wages will
move offshore to countries such as India and China.

http://in.biz.yahoo.com/030124/17/20ers.html

2) Long hours at computers may cause blood clots

If your work or life-style demands that you spend long hours in
front of a computer, change it. Doctors have found that the
activity could cause blood clots in the unmoving lower limbs, then
travel upwards into the lungs with possible fatal consequences. The
effect is chillingly similar to what is now known as ``economy
class syndrome'' - medically known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) -
that has led to the death of a few airline passengers who spent
12-16 hours cooped up in the cramped economy class seats of
long-haul airlines.

In this month's issue of the European Respiratory Journal, a team
of New Zealand-based doctors led by Richard Beasley, reports on the
case of a 32-year-old patient developing a life-threatening blood
clot because he spent over 12 hours a day seated at his personal
computer, rarely standing up in between. Initially he merely
suffered from swollen feet - a common experience with middle-aged
persons doing sedentary tasks. However, the condition persisted and
he lost consciousness after developing breathing trouble. Doctors
saved him by administering blood-thinning drugs.

This realisation is particularly relevant in India which is fast
emerging as a preferred destination for international call centres,
medical transcription and other outsourced jobs where thousands of
Indians in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai and a few other
places spend a full working shift of 8-12 hours sitting in front of
computers. While the majority of these facilities are
professionally managed and provide mandatory intervals - no one
really knows how many `sweat shops' operate in the smaller towns
where the operators are forced to do long shifts with few breaks.
The clearly-documented risks published this week may force the
Government of India to examine the possible medical side-effects of
India's quest to become the world's IT-enabled services leader and
attempt some form of control over the working conditions.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/030130/16/20lau.html

3) HealthScribe Acquires Scribes Online

HealthScribe, Inc., announced its acquisition of the Scribes Online
division of Medical Archival Systems, Inc. ("MARS").

Scribes Online provides medical transcription services to
hospitals, clinics and physician practice groups primarily in
western Pennsylvania, including the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center (UPMC). Scribes Online, headquartered in Pittsburgh,
PA, has approximately 70 employees throughout the country. Scribes
Online's operations and employees will be integrated into
HealthScribe to provide a smooth transition for Scribes Online
clients.

"HealthScribe's acquisition of the Scribes Online transcription
business is a key component of HealthScribe's growth strategy and
further enhances our medical transcription service offering,"
stated Dave Ehrhardt, HealthScribe's President & COO. "We are very
excited about the prospect of further developing our relationship
with Scribes' customer base and UPMC, as well as adding Scribes'
talented and experienced transcriptionists to our team."

http://www1.internetwire.com/iwire/release_html_b1?release_id=50584

4) Doing IT Right

In the past, there had been a much brouhaha over Nepal's prospects
in providing IT-enabled services like MT and call centers. As these
services are a billion-dollar industry in the US, tapping even a
small fragment of it could dramatically change the sector's
position here. The year 2001 had brought many promises for the IT
sector. The government had just introduced an IT policy that was
dubbed by the private sector as a dream-come-true. Dozens of
colleges providing computer education had sprung up, where students
lined up for admission. On the other side, IT-enabled service was
also making a remarkable entry. A number of private companies had
opened services of Medical Transcription (MT) and call centers.

But as the year rolled on, one of the companies providing MT
service closed down. The promised boom in call centers just didn't
happen. Even a company specializing in geographic information
system pulled down its shutters. Further in 2002, the only
promising MT institution ran into rough waters.

Unfortunately, the lone MT company Unlimited Numedia is running
into rough waters whereas two call centers are doing fairly well.
"As far as MT is concerned, there have been practical difficulties
worldwide. But we are confident that there are better days ahead
for IT-enable service providers," said Upadhyaya.

One of the major reasons for neighboring India's success in the IT
sector is its rich pool of human resources. It has in place, what
is called the four pillars of IT - keen government, academic
institutions funded by the government, vibrant IT industries and
enabling sectors. The earnings of India from IT alone run into tens
of billions of rupees annually. Indian cities like Bangalore and
Hyderabad have turned into silicon valleys of Asia.

http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishweekly/spotlight/2003/j
an/jan24/national2.htm

5) AAPC Initiative Prompts Governor Leavitt to Declare April 15th
as Utah Professional Medical Coders' Day

The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) initiative gave
Governor Leavitt a boost in declaring April 15, 2003 as the
Professional Medical Coders' Day for the state of Utah, which is in
conjunction with AAPC's national conference. Members from every
state are urged to establish a day of recognition for coders in the
state they currently reside.

The proclamation declares that professional medical coders'
expertise is a crucial aspect of medical care and requires
accuracy, patience, and excellence at all times. It goes on to
declare that medical coding is considered one of Utah's fastest
growing occupations, as well as one of the highest demanded in the
state.

According to the statistics from the Governor's office, hospitals
and medical-related companies have urgent need for people trained
in medical coding, medical transcription and insurance auditing.
Nationally, 18 percent of all medical coding positions are vacant,
with 10,000 new positions created each year and only 2,000 new
coders entering the field. The average wage for medical coders is
$13/hr to $15/hr, with top coders making over $60,000 a year. Jobs
typically pay an average of $30,000.

http://www1.internetwire.com/iwire/release_html_b1?release_id=50621

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Thank you for your interest in MT India!

The MTIndia Team
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