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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Listen, there is some truth to some of this

Posted By: EX-spheris employee on 2006-01-17
In Reply to: spheris growth plans - bill

I just left spheris. I do not have anything bad to say about them. I simply woke up one day and decided to give my notice without having another job. I left 2 weeks ago, and today I accepted a job offer. I simply did not like working for Spheris. Nothing bad to say, but the reports I pulled for samples from India had a lot of typos. Whole pages were crossed out and medications spelled wrong. That is the truth. I often wondered how do they reach 98% accuracy. I really do not think the MTs in India could maintain 98% quality. My guess is they probably are not required to maintain any accuracy, because every report I pulled was really, really messed up.


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Sure thing...M.M. Hate to trash a person personally but the truth is the truth. nm
x
or they know the truth and the truth hurts. NM
poo
Don't listen!
Trust me, honey. If you want to find out about OSi, you don't need to be reading this board. All of the "ex-OSIers" get on here and criticize OSi for trying to weed out the bad employees and become a better company. They make assumptions of upper management when they really have NO IDEA. Then they wonder why THEY aren't invited to the home office parties or why OSI doesn't take their "parties" on the road. Well, I'll tell you why...because OSI doesn't want people like them at their parties. Would you want someone that does nothing but criticize you to come to your parties? I think NOT!

If you're really interested in working with OSI, this is not the place to research. OSI is a wonderful company and they treat their employees with respect. Some will tell you that OSI shorts them on lines, OSI gives the easy dictators to their "favorites", and so on and so on, but if you believe that then you're just as ignorant as the people saying it. OSI is growing VERY rapidly and will only continue to grow. If they really were doing all of this stuff, there's no way they would be where they are today. So--don't listen to all of the nonsense on these posts. It's nothing but a bunch of unintelligent people getting together to complain because they have nothing better to do with their time.
Well we know what it is really like and if they want to listen to em, then they
are passing up a great opportunity.

I am happy here. I guess that is all that counts.


You don't listen
You are not understanding. I was never told that they weren't hiring. I was told she was too busy to hire. Didn't you read my initial post??!! Also, there were many other things going on besides that. Like I said, I am not putting their business in the streets, just a fair warning. Oh, and by the way, I am not an MT.
Yes, but 100% listen
so it is really a cut in pay for me.
Don't listen to them...sm
I've used Meditech with rad before and averaged $25/hr. Just depends on how lines are counted, etc. You know how it is. It all depends on the company/client.
That's not VR. On VR, you have to listen to
every report the whole way through and make corrections throughout the report, and there are generally a lot of corrections to be made because VR isn't what it's cracked up to be. VR will never be able to go straight through to the client without a complete listen/edit. I think you're thinking of QA, not VR (voice recognition reports). QAs fill blanks and/or do full listens/grading AFTER the MT has already either transcribed or fully edited the VR report.
Listen to this
I just got to work (am on the West Coast) and all of my accounts are packed full of work. This after nearly two months of famine. I am not complaining, just amazed.
don't listen to these people
find out for yourself. There's a whole lot of MTs at MQ that have been 'around the block' a few times and have been w/them for years. MQ is the biggest for more than a few reasons, one being that they have more to offer.
I just don't want to have to listen to the whining when this happens, as you know it will. nm
:9
careful what you listen to
You might want to find out from someone who knows.  Call the office, check what the TAT log says.  There is work, they have been doing overtime on many accounts.  If that person posting isn't working, it is because they aren't trying to.  There was just an email sent around that if you account was slower you could do a different platform, etc.  Can't blame the company for this one - blame the one who sits back and waits for the company to come to them.  Don't have to, too many others who are stepping up to the plate!
You should listen up to Listenup.

Teletrak? did anyone listen to the
tapes on their site? They have voice files right there to listen or download.
I agree... but listen sm
The big nationals who underpay and push things through... nobody hires them anymore except for the most impossible hospital accounts. They are not going to last very long. Also, the best thing to do is for the companies to demand quality MTs and editors, pay well and take less profit, get better paying accounts.
Listen please. I've been at this many many
years. MDI is not DOING anything to you. I am confident they are not over-hiring. The doctors have to DICTATE consistently for there to be consistent work. It was just a few weeks ago with MDI that I didn't even take a day off for weeks as we were so busy. This morning, my accts are extremely low to empty. This business fluctuates, people, depending upon holidays, hospital deadlines, bla bla bla. Try to relax. It will not be this slow for long. I can tell you though, when the work was heavy, I felt almost alone out there -- very few people seemed willing to pitch in. I take the attitude to make hay while the sun shines. You newbies to MDI, if you'll just hang in there, I am confident you will be glad you did. Those that can't afford to, being this is SE status, you are certainly free to get back-up acct's with other companies for security. And don't neglect to talk with your liaisons, or even the recruiter. Let them know your needs/concerns. Things may look scary if you are new, but it is my firm belief that MDI will take care of you like no other company, and CARES like no other. Do what you have to, but I recommend hanging in there.
Listen to your second thoughts
As an employee, if your line counts is low for what ever reason, this puts your health insurance in jeopardy and happens too often. I would stay as IC.
You don't want to listen to this poster.
Really, it would be decent advice--except that you don't want to have anything whatsoever to do with Softscript!  Try any other company but them.  This person posting is either SS management or has never worked for them. 
This person is management - do not listen to
them!! They most certainly will as it happened to me!! I did a great job, but took time off due to a family emergency. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE ABOVE POSTER!! PLEASE!! SHE IS KNOWN TO POST HERE ALL DAY!!
Thank goodness you are all starting to listen!!!
None of what was posted on the board was to stir the pot but rather save a bunch of wonderful MTs that are being messed with. It is so true and I would look for another position ASAP.
They said we couldn't have people listen in - sm
nothing at all was said about discussing it afterward, and we were told all things regarding this merger were supposed to be 'open & transparent', & that no one would be kept in the dark. We're all entitled to our opinions.
I see you didn't listen to my last post sm
TT MANAGEMENT DOES NOT GET PAID HOLIDAYS. They are SALARIED. That means NO EXTRA for overtime, NO COMP DAYS either. They work when they are told. I can't be told to work on my days off, but management CAN and they frequently DO work on their so-called time off. Given that I make more than many people in management at TT, I will not begrudge them taking off Christmas or New Year's or whatever pittance they get in the way of a holiday off. I know 3 people in management who worked yesterday, from home on their *paid holiday* so that those of us who were working had a go-to person. They have management around between 6 a.m. and midnight 7 days a week, 356-1/4 days a year, and tech support too. If this **** you off so much, GO FIND A JOB WITH A SALARY and get a grip! I have had a salaried job and guess what? Worked more hours in a year for less pay than I get on production. You just aren't bright enough to see the writing on the wall. How is it you MT when you can't read?
So, listen to this, you would rather continue to retype
a VR report for only 4 cents a line rather than train it where you could hopefully just zip through it? It will never improve as long as being deleted. Does that really make sense to you? You are paid 8 cents a line if straight, 4 cents if VR and yet you would continue to retype time after time?? Again, this is making sense to you?
so 500 lines/hr listen through & edit???
.
Absolutely - listen carefully!

Though not at Transcend, I have just recently been a victim of exactly the sequence of events and circumstances posted above.  It was sooo hard to keep my mouth shut, with a lead sending condescending, negative, accusatory, power-hungry, and just plain idiotic e-mails.  Just couldn't do it, wanting to have my side/opinion/defense known to all the blind CC's - management.  The power went to her head, and it was like being assaulted through e-mail on a daily basis.  When I made a suggestion, it was rudely shot down immediately. 


I wish I had though, because it was my demise.  It also was a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation, though, so I really still don't know what I could have done differently.  You have to respect yourself, you know?


Anyway, to the posters who said just keep doing a good job -- that doesn't really matter anymore.  There is no work ethic anymore.  There are plenty in line waiting for your job.  There is no one to help us.  We are at their mercy.


And to the suggestion, if you don't have resolution, go higher -- YEAH, RIGHT!!!  Management just LOVES that!  Look where it got me!!  That absolutely does not work anymore - so please, please just follow the rules and keep your mouth shut about everything!


MT LITTLE is just sharing an experience, you better listen to your fellow US MTs.
I dont know why even other countries can view this site. MT LITTLE is just giving a general warning to everybody concerned with the MT industry. Kasmir pls go home.
I am glad I did not listen to the nastiness of this board. Going to sm
Keystrokes was a good move for me. What kind of promises could be made? We do our work, we get paid. We know our pay rate from the day we are hired. We have a book sent to us that explains their expectations and our benefits. There should be nothing to have a broken promise about.
Listen, Howie, go back to surfing the net...
or recruiting more followers or however you spend your days. Most of your minions are fleeing the cult. Your lies are becoming apparent to even the most naive and foolish among the Evil Q MTs. About time!
I agree that QA is there to listen to blanks that the MT cannot understand...
However, there are times I see so many reports where people do not even try to find the blanks and think someone else is going to do that for them...I wouldn't spend hours finding a blank either but you made it sound as if you didn't even try to find the blank...obviously you are the type of MT who are not talking about so you shouldn't get offended...I don't think doing QA means your above anyone...you are there for an extra set of ears to see if you can hear a blank but some MTs take advantage of QA as a backup to not finishing the report...
Co I work for, large national, allows normals. Of course, you must listen
zz
You make a lot of good points. Listen up, MTSOs.
nm
Hi, Unfamiliar. An already typed report comes up on the screen. You listen SM
just as you always did to the dictation and hop the cursor along the sentences and down the page with the dictation, making corrections as needed, such as correcting formatting, names, spelling, and wrong words, correcting and adding punctuation, filling in blanks, and so on.

It seems to require somewhat different skills from straight transcribing--ability to read and decide what and how to edit fast and accurately are needed, in addition to the ability to listen and type. I have the audio speed cranked up at or close to maximum on dictators I'm familiar with and whiz through those reports. Some make more editing and love it, some make less and hate it.

But all produce a lot more lines editing than transcribing. My company pays exactly half the transcribing rate for editing, feeling the average person produces about twice as many lines per minute of dictation on our platform, but some produce significantly more. So when you see someone fussing about how she's going broke earning only 60% of her transcription cents-per-line rate for editing, it's possible that she's significantly below average in her ability to edit quickly. Or something else is wrong, because at current pay rates a competent Editor should be making a decent or even better living.
maybe we're hoping companies listen up when setting
next year's goals...


Short attention span, now listen closely
I have reached the age of retirement. I do not have children to raise. I have a husband who pays for the housing, the vehicles and I pay only small household bills as in gas and electric. I have no debts. That was not the case years ago but now is. I work PART time now, my choice. I do not have to work 2, 3 and 4 jobs, don’t now even have to work part if I do not want to. I have money in the bank, financially well off now and will get in almost $2,000 a month now on social security because of my strong earnings in the past. I do not have to struggle like in years past. What do you not understand now? As my daughter says, don’t hate.
All the old reviews say they're horrible. Listen to those MTs and choose another company. nm
x
How is editing for them? 100% listen, fill in blanks, lots of feedback
p
The truth

Many good and bad things can be said about this company.  I am currently with them, going on my 5th year. 


First the downside.  They do outsource offshore, no secret, says so on their website.  Hospitals can choose either U.S. or if unwilling to pay that higher rate can opt for the offshore services at a reduced rate.  The reason they do this is at the request of the HOSPITAL, and to stay competitive with other vendors.


They have had some dishonest supervisors in the past that allowed cherrypicking to occur, now if you get caught doing so, you can be written up and terminated, it is NOT tolerated anymore and those who get caught do get reprimanded (I am on a team who has had several cherrypickers and the whole group got the nasty emails so everyone would know it was going on and that they better not do it because it hurt the whole group).


They do have clients that are soley re-record and overflow.  But, they also have full service accounts that are not re-record.  The sound quality on both is superb, only a slight difference on re-record, but not enough to complain about. 


Their pay is fair and if you are as good as an MT as everyone claims to be, you can make really good money with them.  The faster you type and more accurate you are the more you make, plain and simple.  If you know your terminology and don't have to waste time looking up things, no reason to not meet and exceed your required line counts and get that incentive.  Also, have heard that they are now paying extra incentive for 2nd and 3rd shift to get people to work those shifts - not something that used to happen.


Overall, I would suggest this company to anyone that is a quality MT, if you don't want to work hard, don't waste your time because that is how you make money in this field.  I'm not a cheerleader for the company and there may be other companies out there that are better, but to each his/her own.  No company is a perfect fit for every MT, this just happens to be mine for the time being.  You have nothing at all to lose by applying and trying them out for awhile other than a learning experience for yourself.  Who knows, they might be a perfect match for your needs.


 


 


Just the truth
Like I've said, I've never posted here before but everyone reaches a breaking point. I didn't mind lying low and minding my own business for all those years because I had 3 accounts to work on so rarely ran out of work. 2 were their worst accounts but I've never worked for any other company at home, only in hospitals. I am just so disillusioned that they would offer us a quality incentive after complaining how bad the quality was and that they were losing accounts and then for those of us that have always done good work, the money never came. And the fact that they just ignored my messages not once but 3 times is so unprofessional. I am totally ashamed that the VPs would stoop so low. I probably would have accepted an excuse if they would have replied and been upfront about the incentive thing falling through but they didn't do that. Its just too much to swallow and it makes me sad to think people would treat employees that way. They are going through so many people so quickly that soon no one will want to work there. Its a shame because I really liked 2 people that you had to deal with on a daily basis and they were always nice. Unfortunately they are not in a position to make changes that desperately need to be made.
To tell you the truth,

I really don't care whether MQ finds out I am posting comments or not.  What are they going to do?  Fire me before I can quit?  Blackball me so I can't get another MT job anywhere? 


Also, I sincerely doubt that with the reduced staff MQ has, they have enough people to sit around and monitor/read our postings here. 


some truth--but...
I agree with your point that people are car pooling, etc., which contributes to the lay offs.  Foreign cars being better than American made, sorry, that I don't agree with..but we are all entitled to our own opinion and I respect yours as well.  Maybe you had a bad experience with an American made car to give you this opinion.  Don't give up.  There are good American made cars out there as well.   Just, think about this, when you go and buy a used car, and I commend you for doing that...I think it is smart, just think about buying an American made car.   I think we need to support our own and maybe if we do things will be better for our children and their children!!  We can't change the world in a day as it took much longer to get us to the state we are in, but if everyone made a conscious effort to do just 1 thing everyday to support our economy by buying USA or even making an effort to let your hospital know how you feel about them offshoring when your American earned $ are what is supporting them, if everyone would do just one thing a day, that would be just 1 less thing to support the off-shore community, and 1 less thing per each person in the entire United states adds up to billions of less things done for off-shoring.  Now that will make a difference, and just think if each person would do just 2 things each day, etc.....It can be done!!   Just make some noise.  That is what these companies whether it be medical transcription, car dealers, or whatever, do not want!! 
You want me to not tell the truth? Why?
I made 38K as a base with added $$ over a certain number of hires a month. I was offered more by another major MTSO, but I decided to get out of recruiting altogether for reasons cited in my other post, and declined the offer.

A recruiter I know personally was paid much, much more than I was and I have no reason to believe she'd lie to me. She made a great deal with the company. Sometimes it's about who you know, or your reputation in the business. They want you bad enough, they'll pay.

You can't equate what production pays versus working a deal with senior management for a salaried position. There are QA managers and MT supervisors out there making $30K, and there are those out there making $50-60K and probably more. (I was offered 50K to supervise, but you couldn't pay me enough to assume that particular nightmare.) Bottom line is that it's all about the deal.

Bottom line: Just because you don't believe it, or haven't seen it personally, doesn't mean it isn't so.
tell them the truth and see what they say!
nm
Ain't that the truth

Awhile ago they were having some big brujaja and taking up huge amounts of space on this forum, pushing everything else out. We asked the mod to give them their own board, and she did. Thanks...


Spheris is an okay company. I have nothing bad to say about them. I left for personal reasons. Never tried the #1 squid, but I had worked for a number of companies they ate up.


 


 


 


Just tell them the truth (sm)
Tell them your kids come first and you have other commitments than your job. If they want mandatory OT, if you are willing to do OT, tell them it has to be at your convenience or you will be unable to fulfill the requirement. If they are in that desperate need for OT they will take it when they can get it and when it's convenient for you. If you don't want to do it tell them you aren't doing it you have other commitments that came before the OT was instituted and you can't just get rid of those responsibilities. they will deal with it, they need you.
Boy, that's the truth!
It seems that all companies are offering 7 cents per line even if you have 10+ years' experience or more...........
Boy, is that the truth!!
I have gone through this in the years, also, and it is crap to say the least, the very least!! 
See? They tell the truth.
nm
Boy is that not the truth...
I get a daily update on what is going on with the account and my leader askes us to work on such and such and we do. I however work earlier than I get that report and later in the afternoon and evening, so I get to make a choice about what I get done that day based on what is required. If we need work on OPs I concentrate on Ops for about half my shift adn then I might go do some H&PS and then work on a few discharge summaries. Always keeping my eye on the backlog. It is really, really, really great that I get to choose. That way I am not stuck on having to do op reports day in and day out and day in...well you get the picture. I get to have a cross section of reports and I really x3 like that. Now I am certainly not going to site on HPs or whatever if were are several days behind in op reports. I guess I just like that I can make that decision.
The Truth...
It has been my experience with Focus that they are very good to work for as an MT. They offered me a position on the SWAT team which I declined due to the fact that the hourly rate would be about a 50% pay cut from my MT pay. They came back later with a per line paid QA position which I accepted. I have been doing that for some time now, however on Thursday they called me out of the blue and let me know they were eliminating US based QA/QC on the platform I was working on. To add insult to they offered me a position with a 1 cent pay cut and a change from M-F first shift to Sun-Thurs 2nd or 3rd shift. I honestly feel that this job offer was more or less a way to eliminate my ability to recieve unemployment. Now I get to wait at least a week to get setup and trained for the new platform.
Again, not the truth sm
I have been there a year. When have I run out of work? Holidays. July 4th was okay, but nothing on Labor Day much. The only other time was for about 3 hours late in July. Other than that, I have never run out. I don't wait for anything to load, my Q is always full.

Part of what you are hearing is the pickiness of others. Many MTs at TT are cherry pickers of sorts. They refuse a secondary account. They refuse work types (although I do too) and worst of all, they refuse to do certain doctors. They are not telling the whole truth.

As for over hiring, that is not really true either. IF they do, it is not deliberate. If a hospital says we have X amount of lines per month at our previous company, then TT hires based on those numbers. If the previous service was padding lines or didn't report accurately for whatever reason, then yes, TT over hired, but through no fault of their own. They try to run initial numbers of MTs high with new accounts because of attrition.

ALL companies have this problem: Hire 20 MTs. 5 stick to the job, their schedule and their commitment to you. 5 flake from day one. 10 won't show up regularly and when they do, they don't meet their commitment. Given that a company hires based on a certain number of lines generated, hires to their minimum requirements (say 1200 lines per MT per day)...the bad habits of the majority of MTs leaves them high and dry. Either you work your existing MTs harder or you hire more. Of course, when a flake pulls her head out of her rear and starts to try to meet her commitment, there isn't going to be the sort or amount of work she wants to do.

This is why I defend TT because I work there, because I am still ecstatically happy after a year, because I have never had a problem and I am glad I didn't listen to all the dissenters. TT is not my only job and I don't keep a second because I don't have work anytime I want it. I work my second job because I love it and they love having me on the team. I am part of management at my PT job and I see both sides of this equation.

Of my dozen or so MTs, I have 1 whose work is stellar and she won't show up. I have one who is not quite the MT she thinks she is, but she is good enough and she shows up every day. I have one who is a very hard worker, but whose work is sub par. The rest are fair to passing quality wise and work most of their shifts. That one really good quality MT is 10% of my team. The hard workers are 20% of my team and the other 70% is so-so. I am not the only team manager putting up with this.

I am telling you people to grow up. Act like a professional, live up to your commitments and do your job. Furthermore, take a page from Amanda's book, the MT with the timer on the main board last week, and sit down and work! You'll find that this business is not going down the toilet. It is merely that most MTs prefer to witch, moan and complain while they do the swirly dance.
We know the truth
The truth is you work for TTD.  Admitting you have a problem is the first step.  Go ahead, take the first step.  We are here for ya!