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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

MT work losing money daily

Posted By: anon on 2009-03-09
In Reply to: It didn't help. Had 3 difficult reports by - onevoice

With the no raise and line count these services pay, 1 report with a difficult ESL doctor who makes a lot of money can end up with the TX making 3/hr. Illegal aliens make more so hospitals seem to hire interpreters now at 50/hr or more and thick accented doctors seem to not care to learn English and the Transcriptionist leaves holes for Editor - if someone else feels like learning their language - be my guest, but I have to feed a family and make some money in this dying paid profession. If I received 50/hr or 12 cpl, I would try to decipher but for 4 years .0825 and I cannot. I am not an interpreter. Starting to hate my job lately. No money. I see illegals with cell phones, nice apartments and yet they won't learn English and I struggle working 14 hours a day or more just with maybe a little food. The job is not an easy one but the pay is less than picking fruit in a field.


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Cut in pay/bounced checks/losing money
I have worked for this company for quite a while now. I have been very happy with them, until recently when they decided that they were going to cut my pay and other hardworking people's pay by 10% because they are losing money. They have had these accounts that they are losing money on for 3+ years and are just now realizing they are losing money. I have also had more than 1 of my paychecks to bounce. Beware!
Why are all these companies forcing VR at half rate? Are they losing money?
nm
No, they're not losing money....they're gaining!
If a company charges their clients by the line, I'm sure that line rate does not go down even though the MTs pay does.

ASR pays about 2/3 normal line rate to its MTs. Their ultimate goal is to have the MTs do twice as much work. Therefore, the client is getting their work faster, but paying their normal rate, while corporate gets that money and the MTs get the lower line rate.

Whether the newbies want to realize it or not, MTSOs have not increased MTs' salaries in the past 10 years. They still start out at the same pay as the last century!

This used to be a very lucrative profession. Nowadays, most MTs are considered to be paid at the poverty level. You don't believe me, look it up!
1200 lines daily is great if you have the work, personally, I never had enough work so
I left and have NEVER been sorry!
I used to work for a company who separated the MTs by work type daily. sm
regret ever leaving that company. we had a max of 4 MTs typing a large training hospital with clinics. i was assigned consults and discharges with consults being my priority. another MT had ops and admits, etc. it worked so much better. we were RARELY out of TAT and each of us were trained on other report types for backup in case someone need to take off. not to mention that we were easily able to learn the ESLs because we got them repeatively enough to learn them, set up templates, etc. much, much more productive for us as MTs, for the company as work flow, and i am sure for the dictator because they got someone who knew them and their dictations well enough to be accurate. i don't understand why large MTSOs cannot comprehend how much more beneficial that would be.
Daily Work and TAT sm
I just started a new IC position last Monday.  I had one day with some work last week (due to holiday) and yesterday there was nothing and today a 2 minute job.  The company says they do not know when or who will dump the jobs.  The TAT is 24 hours and work could be dumped any time of day.  I report for work at about 7 a.m.  Do you just sit around all day waiting for work?  Should there be a cut-off time when it's too late to start?  We do have lives too.  What would you do?  No other job expects you to wait around without being paid.  I must be thick or something.  Thanks for the input.
Daily Work and TAT............
It is probably just the holidays. Just hang in there. I have a very flexible schedule, so I know what you mean about waiting all day. I am home all day (homebody) and like the fact that I can check in, work when needed and get my house clean, take care of my kids and cook, etc in between time. I work for a GREAT MTSO and have never had an out of work situation until the holidays. It will pick up. :)
If HL people know they are going to be losing their jobs, why are they still doing work for them?
:+
Running out of work daily
We have started running out daily, a lot of the time when I sign on in the morning there is no work on my primary, maybe not even secondary. Our supervisor has asked many to switch shifts, to work the night shift and I know 10 or so have done so. It seems we were getting out of TAT in the evenings, so NOW it is over compensated and there is not much during the day, before noon, anyway. Used to work 8-10 hours OT every week, now that is down to 5-6 or less hours OT. I don't know what to do. I need my hours and some OT, too. Can't work nights.
Transcend's out of work daily.

You might be able to get enough work if your hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. but there is no work in the morning and at night I watch 40 to 50 jobs disappear all at once and I have nothing left to do. 


Emails daily regarding TAT, order of work
it's usually first thing in morning; then the auto-generated emails regarding STATS. Otherwise, it's *no news is good news.*

It would seem strange to get no communication at all.
My plumber doesn't do work for me on a daily basis. .sm
In my state, we need to get a 1099 if we make over $1000 as an IC. I have never paid a plumber that much money, thank goodness!
Anyone else working for eTransPlus running out of work on a daily basis?
How are you handling it?
Who here is required to type 1800 lines on a daily basis for FT work?
x
I'm lookin for part-time work (about 3-4 hrs daily) after 13 years of full-time, anyone know of a
company that is hiring flexible part-time?  I'm starting a career in real estate but don't want to totally quit transcription, but I think most places require 25 hours a week and I cant work weekends, as real estate sales are the biggest on the weekend with open houses and people off work to shows homes to.  If you know of a place I'd sure appreciate the info.  Thanks!
Me too. You work, you make money. SM
You work well, you make more money. You work smart, you make more money. You work long, you make more money. You work hard, you make more money. The key word all else depends on isn't zone, it's work.
At least you have work. I spent the money
I agree that the QA person there was very rude in the short time I stayed (believe me it wasn't long).
I would rather work on 1 account and make more money, than 5 different ones! No thanks. sm
I think their new program absolutely sucks and there are a heck of a lot of people who say the sound quality is horrendous. I wasn't sticking around to find out. I made my decision as soon as I saw what it was about and knew it would slow me way down. Hey, to each their own. If you like it, fine. I am happy about my decision and glad I did it.
I don't believe it - I work there too, have to earn my money - but I love it there.

good money but consistently run out of work??
/
Amherst so we make less money and they get more money for MQ and bigger bonuses. Our guidelines came
from Amherst.
The company takes the money out of your salary, before they cut the check. It is your earned money,
:+
It's about "money, money, money, mmmoonnney. Singing The Apprentice song.
:{
No, you won't make more money unless you do triple the work load. sm
Instead of transcribing 1200 to 2000 lines a day, you will need to edit 4000 to 5000 lines a day.

That is very difficult most days, the most I did, and this is with 5 years experience, was 3800 a day, and that is not consistent.

So, 3800 lines x what are you being paid 5 cpl = $190. I have to tell you 3800 lines of editing a day is tough to do most days. I had days where I could barely get 2000 done. It all depends on how recognized the dictator is and how many small errors are in the report.


I just spent about the last 5 years doing work I hate because the money -sm
was so good. Which is more important to you? Sounds to me like you'd rather take the one with the type of work you enjoy more. It didn't hurt me to do that work all that time. The money was so good, it made it seem more enjoyable. Isn't it so nice though that you have a choice!
I work at DDS and love it. Make great money!

Money not worth dreading doing the work, feeling
Personally, I won't settle for just anything in MT. I decided instead of letting offshore companies abuse my services, I would turn the table and use them to MY advantage.  The offshore co I still work for, I have a few accts that I make good money, too bad there isnt 8 hours a day of work to these acct. I asked to be taken off accts that were not money makers.  I looked long and hard to find another company with a platform I love, work with assigned accts, no pools, great support (which is a rare thing in my experience) and a polite, helpful qa.  This company wants to help MTs do great because that means the company will do great, something offshore co. don't get.  Oh yeah, this new company is US owned.
I am on a new account, doing work types I cant make money on. nm
xxx
I do ER and basic 4 work and make excellent money
NM
Anyone who is hired for one work type only should make less money (IMO)
nm
No need to look. Sending 90% of the work offshore has put money in the bank for me. sm
It has lowered my stress level. I work half the hours I used to. Unfortunately for those of you that have your heads in the sand, there are options for companies now that do not include putting up with what we had to for years from MT's. My accounts are happy because the turnaround times are better than ever and the quality is about the same. The offshore companies have improved greatly in the past 10 years and the quality for some of them is the same or better than some in-house departments. Even my customers are amazed when they realize this.

I tell my customers that the work is being done offshore and guess what? THEY DO NOT CARE! They just want it done fast, done right and at a lower cost. They are happy and refer us to other hospitals who also DO NOT CARE THAT IT IS BEING SENT OFFSHORE.

You are fooling yourselves if you think hospitals will not use a service if they send work overseas.

I just wish I had done this 10 years ago instead of 3.

If you think I can't sleep at night, you're wrong. Quite the opposite. I don't feel bad about sending work out of the country because I am now providing money to someone who might otherwise starve.

As Americans, we do not know what it is like to truly be hungry or need shelter. If we did, we might appreciate what we have a lot more. I certainly do now and to be honest, I am happy not to have to listen to every whine and ailment of transcriptionists and excuses all day long. I KNOW the work is getting done.
Why is pay rate confidential? It is YOUR money that YOU made with YOUR hard work. You should be
:+
She is talking about QA and money is not tops. It is line pay for junk work.
They need to pay by the hour like they used to.
I recommend Keystrokes too. I make great money, have a lot of work and have sm
been around the block a time or two.

I have worked for them for 6 months but had worked for them previously (in 2003). I left for several reasons but all of them have been resolved. I think a big part of the improvement is due to direct deposit and the office. When I worked for them before, the owner ran things from her home office but now there is an office that has a lot (not sure how many) people in it and I can get answers and help quickly when I need it.

I think that they had some growing pains but resolved them. I know that they are still growing, even faster than ever from what my lead tells me. If you have a lot of hospital experience, they are hiring for two new accounts and need good MTs.


No, I wouldn't go back. I lost too much money there ALWAYS running out of work (sm)
There were days at MQ I would type 2 reports during my shift, and I had a LOT of accounts in my pool!  A friend of mine who started at the same time I did with MQ is still there and she is always out of work. I just can't take the chance. 
Venting- how can you make money or get line counts when all the work is given to someone else!
Nothing seems fair anymore.  Does anyone else ever have this happen?
You wont make any money with them. Expect to get ripped out. The hospital they do work for should...
be ashamed to sent their work to Indian companies like treat their employees like crap. You can bet the hospital pays full price, but once the MTs get their part, it is minimal. Dont go there!!
I am glad to hear that a lot of money can be made with MT work. This gives me hope for the future.
$$
I have dial-up and make money. I download my work and I can start transcribing

as soon as the first report has downloaded.  Once I download I disconnect, do my work, then connect and send my completed work.   I usually start my download in the morning then go take my shower, feed all the animals, grab myself something to drink and I'm ready to go.   Once the work is downloaded what type of connection you have doesn't matter.  


Sure it is safe to post your resume on the net, provided it is a reputable site.  I would not just post it anywhere, but post it on the job boards here and other reputable sites.   Most sites have some type of safeguards in place so that you have to have registered with the site and/or paid a usage fee to view information like addresses and phone numbers, so that not just anyone can view the information. 


Another option may be an account that has C-phone or similar accounts, where you aren't downloading, but dialing directly into the system. 


 


yep, gotta spend money to make money. NM
.
So does yours. Perhaps you need a basic money class to learn to keep money. sm
I am off today and appalled at reading the posts on here.

Are you always this bitter? Do you have a family and friends who are safe and healthy? Count your blessings instead of being so angry and you might see that this is not a bad field to be in. It has kept food on my table for 27 years and will continue to do so. Is it harder now? You bet, but it is not impossible to make a good living of $50,000. You just have to work hard, give it your all and appreciate the good companies that are out there.

If I were an MTSO, I would find out who all these people posting such bitter posts are and find replacements for them a.s.a.p. Negativity spreads like poison, and with the world in the state it is, we should bond together not make it worse.
Money is not the root of all evil, the LOVE of money is. nm
x
My account went to India, have been struggling to make any money for the last month, crappy work. nm
xx
I am not losing anything as those
do not apply to me.
So after losing all that, what did you do? nm
X
They are losing their credibility, though.
We started that new account just a month ago and already fighting for work. I cannot do this anymore. I cannot be tied to my computer all day long just to get my line counts in. Does anyone know a good place to start with companies?
Losing account
Do you work for the company whose name starts with F? Have you received info on a new account yet?

I was very panicked last week when I got this news. I have settled down a little bit now, but also I have started looking.
they are probably losing accounts or going to VR..sm
Have the attitudes of people in the office changed for the better? I remember the nastiest dispositions I have ever encountered in this business.

Good luck in your job search.
You have posting so much you seem to be losing it now
You are saying with a trust fund you would be able to make money on VR. Have you taken your medication today? Run along and say nite-nite to the grownups.
It's a losing battle
Or, at least, it has been for me. I got off on the wrong foot with QA where I am now and it has been drudgery ever since. Yeah, I was right in what I said and they were wrong or at least were not 100% right (a judgment call type of thing) but since then I get the crappy work, I get nitpicked on everything, and I think I am tagged 'the troublemaker' in general. I dread working now. Unfortunately, in this situation, if you stand up for yourself with QA you end up losing either way. You lose for the points being marked off and you lose for getting that label right out of the gait.
I'm not losing out; I have had my own accounts for
they aren't going to get anything better than they had with MDI.  Just not gonna happen.  Not everyone has the ability (opportunity, connections, know how, experience) to get their own accounts.  I feel fortunate that it has come easily to me.  I loved MDI but left because I made more with my own accounts.  If not for those accounts, though, I would have definitely stayed with MDI.  If i were with MDI now, in the situation today, I don't know what I would do...