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I believe the speed setting varies with platform

Posted By: VR4TT on 2009-05-13
In Reply to: I have a very hard time believing that. - Doubting Thomas

Some are actually able to increase the speed more than other platforms, I believe. That might explain the difference.

I use the Escription/Editscript platform and love it. I have to admit I am blessed with a great account that has some truly excellent dictators and I've no doubt that makes a huge difference.

I think VR is something one either loves or hates. I'm apparently in the minority that love (as do my hands and wrists and shoulders!).




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The setting your own schedule thing varies. For example, physicians who work in the ER may be
independent contractors, rather than employees, if they are moonlighting on weekends or whatever. But notice they are told what hours to work... There's no way to keep a transcription service alive with people working whatever hours they feel like whenever they feel like. That's just not reasonable.
Easy platform, PTO if you are employee, production incentive, direct deposit, work flow varies on
different accounts, but usually have enough to keep busy, lots of QA feedback.
setting a bad name
Please dont allow this poster to set a bad name for all of us that didn't graduate from Andrews I believe you are what you make of yourself, and the effort you put into what you do reflects on who you are, not what school you went to. This poster should quit making excuses for his/her bad luck.
I still think you are setting yourself up (sm)
to be the PAYEE to this woman when her attorneys get done with you.  You need to take this up in the correct place, not on an anonymous board.  You still haven't answered the question - WHAT have you done, or your friend (besides threatening here) to secure payment?  Did you do the formal demand letter?  Have you notified the courts?  Filed the complaints?  You can threaten and post all you want, but it's not going to get your money.  Do the right thing - you are not sounding very professional or mature in your handling it.  Sorry, but that's the impression you are leaving. 
I think that setting a $$ amt for FT is ... sm
ridiculous. I don't understand why it can't be hours worked, i.e. 40 hours if FT or 36 hours, or whatever. Their reasoning for not having a line amount anymore was because of VR, but an hour is an hour whatever way you look at it.
I think that's what it is - a speaker setting.
I can certainly understand their needing their hands free; I hear them on the computer all the time, usually just hitting one key repeatedly as they look for lab findings. But that's when I have the most blanks, when I can hear the nurses and clerical people talking better than the dictator.
I see nothing wrong with them setting a
time frame for when you can or cannot work. The IC is not the only one working, and all MTSOs need coverage at specific times. If they advertise for an IC for weekends or nights only, then that is when they need the coverage. If they have 10 people on 8 to 5, then they don't need anyone else then, only for shifts they need covered.

On the pay matter, yes, they have the right to say we are going to pay xx cpl. You then have the right to counter back or not take the position.

Just because you are an IC does not mean you can work for whatever pay you want or whatever hours you want. You can pick the hours within the timeframe they need someone and you can decide what pay you will accept. They just cannot hold you to specific hours, only a certain timeframe.

At my IC job, I work at night and have until 6 a.m. the next morning to get my work back. I can begin whenever they send the work and not do any of it until 3 a.m. if I so desire. However, I cannot tell my manager that I will work 10 a.m. to ??. If she does not need the coverage she is not required to meet my specifications.
Happens in the home setting also
More than you would imagine. Tons of management paid to slough off their work to the idiots who take it.
Thanks for setting my mind somewhat

nm


Thanks. Again I'm not asking what you CAN do because I know that it varies quite a bit with
platforms, but what is required to maintain your FT status, i.e. 1200 per day for an 8 hour shift, etc. 
Probably varies, just ask them
/
It varies
from work type to work type as far as ESL.  I do not feel it is too bad.  We have some difficult docs just like every other service.  As far as pay per line.  I feel it is decent.  They go by your experience.  Gulf Coast is completely Independent contractor, no benefits, as of now.  However, they are working on trying to get insurance for us :-).  I enjoy working for them very much.
D&L setting the record straight

I posted this below - but moved it up so it does not get lost in the soup.


I understand that I may have been a pain in the butt - but business is business. I have left D&L so feel free to go back to work or continue if you enjoyed / enjoy it. I won't be bothering you anymore. I left D&L, I was not fired or let go, and my concerns are valid to me - does not matter to anyone else. so any problems they may have should be reevaluated by those applying. I do not see them going downhill - I have not heard anything negative, and personally - the people who work there the worker bees - are a great group of people that I would keep on my friends list. And they do have plenty of work, the pay is compatible. My personal feelings and opinions have nothing to do with the co-workers or the IC trans - or the work they offer. So again, I guess when I left I did them a favor and took the problems with me - or not. So now you all can get back to getting the scoop on the employer and not the employees.


As for those of you who say I was the beast I do not recall bringing anyone on for a short time, or having problems with any transcriptionist. All Transcriptionist at D&L have been long term employees, if they did the work.  I am in frequent contact with many who are still there -  on a different level of course, and had you been made to feel bad, you should speak up - this not only for those who dealt with me, but with anybody.  I know that without good transcriptionists, a transcription company is not going to make it.


So again, my aologies if I hurt your feelings, work is work, and to get a paycheck I did my job.  So again, try to get information on the company, not the employees, but also use your better judement in order to run the company you own - as an IC.  I appreciate everyones comments on my performance etc at D&L, no hard feelings.  If that is the reason why so many of you had problems, go back - they are hiring and I am not there.


Setting the record straight here, sm
I used a poor term, cheesy, because that is what these unthankful people used in THEIR posts, some called their own gifts lame and said things like it stinks to work for a company who sends out dollar gifts, I wish were more appreciated, or I'd rather have cash.

I wasn't meaning it in any way other than OTHER people come here complaining about their companies, complaining about their gifts, and I thought maybe it would be nice to let them know that Diskriter is a company that values their employees. EVERY year I have been here I have gotten a bonus, as has everyone else who qualified by years of service. My gosh ladies and gentleman, get over yourselves.

I was not bragging, only saying I am happy at my company and feel they value all of their employees.
It could be a setting. Ask your employer to check it. nm
nm
First line should be *hospital* setting -- NM
xx
Setting the record straight

I have been with All Type for quite some time and never had any problem with management or pay - EVER.  A contract is a legally binding document for both the company and the MT and not so easily broken as you portray.  The employee handbook and the contract that are signed by employees have very specific production requirements.  These have been in place for 3 years that I personally know of and not changed.  There are 2 sides to every story and I wonder if you would care to share if you were actually meeting those requirements or if what you are saying happened occurred because you did not meet them?


Varies from one account to another

I'm assigned to work on four different accounts, and two have demos (we call them census) and two do not.  Of the two that do, the screen usually comes up with most of the information, and then you just have to select the right visit, which you can usually do with the date of service.  I work in a Word-based platform, though it's not actually Word.  I also use ShortHand and autocorrect for expansions (though this wasn't asked, just thought it would be helpful to know).


I hope I didn't miss any questions!


From what I recall, it varies.
I think the low was something like $12 a PP (with a high deductible plan), and I forget what the high was. All of their plans had fairly high deductibles, with the lowest being $1500, I think. They start 30 days after probation, which means 120 days; a little too long for me.
Its odd how much the job experience varies

I left Spheris for almost identical reasons to those posted above.  Going to Webmedx was the best thing for me - I love it, my supe loves me and I've made more money this year than ever before in my life.


Just goes to show that each experience with a company is so varied that no matter how much advice for and against a company is on these boards, you never really know what your own experience will be until you're there.  No job is perfect for everyone.


Renee, it varies from job to job, sm
whether with benefits, inhouse, hospital employed or at a service. I'm guessing the average is 9 cpl/per 65 w or w/o benefits. Advise shopping around FL for the best deal. Good luck. I'm looking for greener pastures, too.
Mine varies but on VR usually
anywhere from 3000 up over 4000 per day. I also do some straight.
Any company out there that allows you work without setting a schedule?
I am looking to pick up some extra cash but cannot really commit to a set schedule. There are a few times a week when I have a few hours (especially on the weekends) that I could type and would love to do some extra work.
If IC lets co. use her as employee, setting sched,
x
I love you. Thanks for setting my mind at ease.
 Thank you so much.  You don't know how much your post has helped during this difficult time in my life. 
I spent years in the hospital setting
had no clue about working from home, did not know there were companies even doing transcription from home. What also gets me is the fact that people will state they do not have work, sitting by waiting for it to come in, working all kind of weird hours to make a line count. It is no wonder and the MTers are to blame if the companies take advantage of them because they let them. How one can wait on work day after day is a mystery to me.
Mandatry varies by account needs.
Of course they hate demanding it.  On my account they more often than not ask for help first, then offer incentives before we get to the mandatory stage.  If we had a few more good people, maybe it wouldn't happen so often.  Maybe we can interest you
No, only that work varies over the pay period sm
I see my primary account in week 1 of the 2 weeks. By Tuesday of week 2 of 2 weeks, I see my secondary and my primary and as the week wears on I have less and less of my primary and more of my other 3 accounts. I guess I know that some people are making up their lines, but that is now how I work.
The count varies, but today
in my first 2 hours I had over 1000- I think only 58 of those were straight and the rest VR, but according to the work, I have done over 700-800 an hour. It is possible and if you know the work, easy to get at least 500 per hour.
Probably varies by account, but 24 to 48 hours
x
Thanks for setting the record straight. I was going to apply with them but that scared me off. NM

maybe we're hoping companies listen up when setting
next year's goals...


It varies. Once an MT is comfortable with the software and the account, and...sm
QA is pleased with the quality of work, then an MT can be released from full QA.  Lots of factors involved, no set time.
It varies widely. Most companies pay per line.
I've seen it as low as 3 cpl.  Some companies pay per hour, some as low at $10, others up to $16.   The ones that pay the lowest is probably off-shore work and in that case is isn't enough because you have to 100% edit and correct half of it- could also be VR work. 
I find it varies widely by dictator
Caveat up front: I've only been on VR less than 6 months. More experienced MT editors might have a completely different VR experience.

That said, I notice the big factors in how many LPH I can do with it are (1) how long the dictating provider has been using the VR system and how many times s/he's been through readaptation, (2) whether the dictator is ESL. The software so far seems to favor native speakers over ESL's; it 'gets' the native speaker's speech pattern faster.

I am looking for quality, myself. The temptation to 'skim' is there with this kind of work, but I'm too afraid I'll make critical errors that way.

If I have a good dictator who's been readapted a few times, I can get by with little editing and average 400 lph. Most of the editing I do in that capacity is formatting, and a few good ShortHand entries can make a world of difference in speeding that up. I'd say definitely visit the Community page Training tab if you haven't already.

With a new and/or ESL dictator, though, I admit it: It's faster for me to straight-type it. So I do, because I can get between 300 and 350 lph that way. Editing might easily drop me down to that 200 lph ceiling you're struggling with. I don't know if that will always be so, or if, as I get more used to the rhythm of editing, it will become second nature and go faster. But right now, if the report's bad enough I simply transcribe it.

Again, just my experience so far.
I tell people the same thing, that was told me....and you 5 years in a hospital setting to be able t
nm
A majority want 600 lpd for PT. Being able to put in extra hours varies from place to
s
Yes we do get bonuses. It varies. Line and a half or so much $$ for so many reports.
NM
Your line count varies based on QA score.
nm
I suppose it probably varies with each account. My primary has been slow sm

since the holiday, but I am able to get my lines.  I'm hoping it picks up soon.


Hope this helps.


Used to use this in a hospital setting, admin could change the number of characters per line (sm)
at one point they had us typing an 80 character line. Talk about zapping your line rates down. Of course we worked for an hourly rate so it really didn't matter, just management's way of pushing us to do more. They only required 800 lines per day for a FT MT so they were trying to get their moneys worth I guess.
Actually Transcends pay varies greatly depending on negotiations, accts, etc
x
TA Speed sm
I don't use TA Speed, I use Instant Text, so I can't answer your question about imports into it. However, I do use AutoCorrect for correcting my typos, and I have no problem with it. Your original AutoCorrect file will still be there, even after you install your software. I don't see why you couldn't just continue to just use your AutoCorrect if you wanted. During my initial training, I told the techie-type critter that I wanted to use my Instant Text (and not the TA Speed), and I *think* he went into the system and did some kind of techie voodoo, so keep that in mind (and mention it to the tech if/when you do work for them). =)
It took me a while to get up to speed
I do acute care only. I know when I was hired, I was told I would not be paid for any carbon copy information, but I don't remember about demographics...Demo information would only be a line or so, anyway at most.

I do know the computer strips out any hanging spaces at the end of paragraphs, but a lot of companies can do that with their platforms as well.

If your headers and footers are embedded in the template, I don't see how you could be paid for that as it would not be something you produced as part of the report.

As far as lines per pay period, I print out a copy of my schedule, jot down my line cout for the day and total it out at the end of the pay period. When I get my check, it always matches what I have calculated.

If you are limited in what type of work you can produce, you probably will have a hard time making lines. The more diversified you are, the more likely you can be cross trained and placed on backup accounts.
ASR Speed
Had to give you a pat on the back, ndmt. Excellent, excellent point. Why doesn't someone stop the madness?
Speed

Reading this board, I am being disabused of the notion that I am any good at MT at all.  Been at it about 15 years and I'm a part-timer; always have been.  I came to it when I was over 45, as a retirement job.  


I don't get to use a lot of templates or normals, so this is not a factor.  On a good day, with really 'clean' dictations (good sound quality, clear dictator who is not constantly correcting himself) not having to spend a lot of time looking stuff up and with the wind at my back, I can produce maybe 250 lph for 2-3 hours.  I always thought this was pretty good.  Then I get fatigued and drop to 200 or so.  With really bad dictators/sound/subject matter, I get as low as 150.  I believe my knowledge and accuracy are good, but obviously my speed sucks. 


On this board I am seeing claims of sustained speeds of 300-400 lph or more.  So I'm thinking that maybe VR could actually IMPROVE my production. And as my company seems to be phasing this in ,account by account, I will soon have the opportunity to see for myself.   


I would like to take an informal survey of speeds and VR vs straight transcription.  Anybody willing to weigh in on this subject?


Speed
Been on VR for a year, been an MT for 25, have also been a book editor/manuscript proofreader. None of that matters one bit. And, no, VR does not learn and improve--at least not the platform I use. My top VR so far is 350 lph, average about 200-250. Main problem is reports with no punctuation, SR guessing at words, having to insert numbering, but my absolute favorite is docs taking personal calls while microphone is still on. I've heard everything from 2 docs discussing whether to seduce a woman with wine, candy, flowers, a skiing trip, etc, and then one of them calling in midst of same report to ask some chick if she'd sleep with him that night, that he was having dinner catered, also docs talking to their stockbrokers and car dealers, wondering whether to buy the green or the black Jag, and docs screaming at their kids and/or spouses--all this goes into SR and the old SR gremlin tries to turn it into part of the report, just as it does when the doc says--Go back and insert so and so under the diagnoses and take out so and so from the med list and add 3 more cc's, ad nauseum. All that stuff and more will slow you down terribly. You can never count on getting good clean SR reports for a whole shift. I think I need to get a job selling SR/VR systems but I couldn't stomach that kind of dishonesty to promise that MTs would be doing 600 lph in no time.
No problems with the Indian techs setting you up or any problems with their program? Bud of mine
b
RISS is not a platform. RIS stands for Radiology Information System. The platform sm
would be EXText.
actually, the typing speed...
is not as important as learning to use an expander to do the work for you.  This is the REAL key.  I type perhaps 300+ words a minute using mine.
How long did it take you to get up to speed (sm)
As to the 300 lph? I'm pretty excited as I've been offered a position with them. Thanks for the info.