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I've just read the article, "One Way or Another" (April 2009) regarding mandatory certification for MTs. It seems the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) has spent a lot of time in Washington, DC, and they have learned a valuable lesson-that being, the real way to make money in America is to force unnecessary, unwanted legislation down the throats of citizens.
The industry is already suffering low-paying wages due to outsourcing overseas. The advent of EHRs and speech recognition is also eliminating the need for MTs. AHDI's membership is flailing, so how can they repair their bottom line? Force mandatory certification on an industry that already polices itself. If each state refuses to elect to comply, well, just have the federal government continue its overreaching policies to make them obey.
The article also states there is a shortage of MTs domestically and that is the reason for offshore MTs. Will these offshore MTs (who earn even lower wages than those in the U.S.) also be required to get mandated certification? Or is the reason for so many offshore MTs the low wages they accept?
Someone needs to start being honest, please. While certification can be a good thing, it should be a choice made by employers, not the government. MTs need to get active now before it's too late and contact their state's congressmen and senators to fight this.
Outraged in America
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