Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

The difference is - when economy improves

Posted By: our wages will not rise again on 2009-09-29
In Reply to: The economy - ChiquitaBanana

And what has been the excuse for the steady decline prior to the economy being the new, improved wage cutting excuse?


Chiquita, I see you like to play devil's advocate and defend the indefensible.  I think the sky is blue...ready to argue that also?




Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

I got a pay cut for the economy
Now I make less than 3 cpl. Really! Don't think I'm not looking for something else. I might even give the company the same retro-notice they gave me when I leave, which was an email saying effective two-weeks ago, your pay is now lower than snake dung in a wagon trail. And they sent me such a nice Christmas card too!

Sure, I would work for two companies. Clearly, it doesn't pay to be dedicated. Whose to say they even need to know about each other anyway?
I believe it is the economy ..
Many MTs got fed up and left the field but now as the outside jobs dry up, they seem to be coming up. It is definitely a good market for the MT companies and a horrible market for the MT. Competition is horrendous!

I have had the same experience but now work for a great person. Would like more work but it's not essential. Working for a super ethical, honest and fun person is wonderful and, sadly for me, a rarity.


economy
It's not just the MT industry. People around the country are getting laid off right and left and many others are being forced to take a decrease in pay and/or benefits. Even nurses are being laid off in my state (with a nurse hiring freeze). Over a year ago, one of my sons was laid off and the other had to take a 35% pay cut several months ago. A good MT friend of mine also had to take a pay cut and is averaging $4 less per hour than before. My friend's husband also lost his job to to downsizing and the economy. I'm make a little less myself than I used to, but I still have my benefits and have a job with a company I really like. I thank God for that because I'm on my own, 1 paycheck, and have no one else to rely on.
Right-on. Normally, in an economy such as ours, you'd
a saving grace. Something that people who were rural, or in small towns where the mine or the mill or the GM plant closed down, could do that was good American work, that not only benefitted American citizens who were patients of American doctors and hospitals, but also that paid money into the tax system. And if the hard-working American workers earned a living wage, they might be able to buy houses, or GM cars, or support all the other businesses that have died. But when the work goes offshore, and little to no American taxes get paid, and the system further hemorrhages money to pay for buying to support those of us who are now displaced, whether it be out of a job, or out of a home, things just spiral out of control. Look at GM. They just plain got too big, as did many of the banks, stock brokerages, and other big business. Bigger is not always better, and what better example of that than the MT business.
The economy
Evidently the economy is starting to show its ugly head for us now. We really were the lucky ones in the beginning, but as more people got laid off and lost their health insurance, I feel that we are now seeing the effects. Hospital censuses are down, MTSOs are losing volumes, etc.

I totally understand the frustration and desperation that is on this board, but I think that the issues are a lot broader than a bunch of suits sitting around with cigars laughing at MTs or MTSOs coming together to fix prices or to push all of the work offshore.

I honestly feel that this is a result of the recession and everyone is feeling it... not just MTs.

That's my 2 cents worth.
ENOUGH WITH THIS ECONOMY CRAP --- sm
True, the economy has taken a whipping for the last 3 quarters or so -- recession as of last fall, less than a year, so how do you blame the continuing DECREASE in MT salary since the last 10-20 years?  Or maybe figure we dumb MTs can't add or put 1+1 together.  You middlemen/suits/MTSOs have been making a FORTUNE off of the back and sweat of hard-working, underpaid MTs or years and years (otherwise, you'd be in a different line of work, wouldn't you?) and you darned well know it.  So stop blaming the current economy!  What was your excuse 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 years ago?
They have not helped the economy of the masses
in India who need help. They have helped to deepen the rift between the classes, - the rich get rich, etc. The poor in India cannot even consider moving to get work now because the cost of housing in cities has escalated since we have created jobs for those who really did not need jobs. And those who need health care are really suffering and why? Because the trained doctors and nurses are the ones who have become the transcriptionists, since the transcriptionists make more than a doctor does in India. Check your facts on India. This one-sided trade agreement with India is not helping anyone but the big companies in America who can get work done cheaply. The companies HAVE increased their rates for the hospitals, have decreased our salaries by this farce they call voice recognition and reduced their costs even further by offshoring the work.

A call from the CEO? I do not even know his/her name, nor the names of any of the corporate officers. That is how much they care about me. Yeah, I got a mouse pad, a 1x12 inch glue down calendar, and a pen. I got more than that from the Golden Arches when they gave me a chicken sandwich when they opened up a new line 2 months ago. At least everyone in my family got a free sandwich.
Blame the economy not libbers. sm

Actually I could have written your post, except for the women libbers part and the SAHM.  I've been doing this for 32 years.  My ID says it all.  The economy makes it almost a necessity to have a 2-paycheck income if you have kids.  I'm single with no kids and trying to make a living with MT with no second income.  Its tough.


Women wouldn't have the opportunities they do now if it wasn't for the libbers and the suffragettes. Its great now we have more choices than ever.  Do you realize it hasn't even been 100 years since women had the right to vote?  And we came close to having a woman president!  I think about all the sacrifices the women before us went through to get us where we are today.  One reason I make sure I vote is to honor their sacrifices.


Yeah. Why is it everyone forgets economy was
nm
In this economy, lots of places (not just MT)
The ground-level people usually are not cut during a sale, but if mid and/or upper management start making an mass exodus, that could be a sign.

For the most part, you won't know until it is a done deal.
I thas nothing to do with the economy...it started before that (sm)
It has to do with the fact that they are over-staffed and in order to get your lines met, you have to rush through every friggin report in order to get to the next one in hopes that you can make your line count.

JMO.
Frontline Episode on the Economy
I watched this on PBS last night and found it very interesting. There was a lot of commentary on behind-the-scenes kinds of things that gave far more insight to the situation and how it was handled than came across in the news at the time.
MT companies competing in global economy. Best
xx
Economy affecting work load
Is anyone else out there who may be struggling for lines thinking like me; that it may be people are just not going to doctors or electing for treatment they can possibly put off because they cannot afford it?  My accounts have been pretty slow over the past 6 weeks or so, and when I hear that some people, especially the elderly who lost or suffered a huge reduction in their retirement when the stockmarket went down the tubes, are forgoing medical care in order to buy food or heat their homes, it makes me wonder how huge an impact this could eventually have on our jobs as MTs. 
economy trickle-down effect hit me hard

company i was working for filed BK and no one new. Two unpaid invoices later, out $5K for October.  I new there would be an October surprise.....I just thought it would be in the presidential race.


Apparently they're 'equilibrating for a global economy'. n/m
x
Global economy's grip on the short hairs
This is what happens in a global economy. I don't know for sure, but I would hazard a guess that the companies with the ads paying the miniscule amounts are not behemoth MTSOs. Sadly, they feel the need to try to undercut the MTSOs that do have the advantage of sending their work across the Pacific where 5 cents a line would be considered golden. Much like the Union Label we're told to look for on clothes, maybe the real American little companies would be better served to charge a little extra for the service, and pay the Transcriptionist a living wage, because I'll bet there are still some individuals/clinics/etc. that would pay for the security and skill that an American MT provides.
I've decided that MTSOs are sticking it to all of us and blaming the economy -

Here's my thinking -- they all have boats, or houses, or a lifestyle they love so they think HEY... LET'S SCREW THE LITTLE GUY... cut benefits, cut pay, cut jobs, just cut cut cut cut... so that MY life is sweet.  In the process people lose healthcare, income, homes, cars, MARRIAGES....


so thank you, MTSO owner, for shoving it right up our southpole... we love you for always looking out for us... NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


Oh, and MTSO -- the only reason we don't move on is because there's nowhere to move TO.  Everyone has followed your lead and decided shafting the worker bee is a great idea.  Well .. it's not.  And someday you'll get it back 10 fold.


I'm thinking economy and people just aren't having elective surgeries or (sm)
going to docs and really think twice before heading to the ER. I put off my son's braces for a while and just made the appt this week after going for his consult a year and a half ago!! I know how you feel though; it's hard not to be paranoid these days!
There is a difference! nm
nm
What difference
will it make if you buy or not on July 7? How will this hurt Heartland? I admire your gusto and intent, but do not see how the dots connect......
What is the difference?

I'm just looking into this field as an occupation. What is the difference between a template, a normal and an expander?


The difference is
The kids for the most part are full of life and amusing. The doctors for the most part are arrogent and self-righteous - no fun. Good for you if it pays enough.
I'm believe that it's about an 18-20% difference, so

compared to with spaces for it to be equivalent.  So about 10.8 cpl without spaces = 9 cpl with spaces. 


The difference is,
they're not applying for a job, just sending a general message rather than a potentially offending personal e-mail. I would think that if anyone reading this thread has done these things and not been hired, they might appreciate the tips . . . however ridiculous it may be that they have done them in the past, or that they did not realize that doing these things appears very unprofessional. Would it be better that they continue to wonder why they cannot get hired?
There may be no difference in pay
regarding shifts, etc.  If you are an IC, they can't set your schedule.  They are not supposed to anyway.  Some people work a set schedule as an IC and that is not good practice.  As an IC you should be able to set your own hours.  This does not seem to be the standard in this profession with some of these online companies anyway.  That's why you make more as an IC because as an employee, they have control over you. 
Difference in Pay
Does anyone know an example of the difference in pay in a 65-character line with spaces and without spaces?  I did a search but did not find anything.  Thanks.
What a difference between

the pro-KS posters and the people who post negative experiences.  The pro-KS make insinuations and assumptions about things they could not possibly have any knowledge of, while the other side simply states their personal experience.  Pro-KS'ers, you are really hurting your cause with your adolescent posts.


 


not IC's but SE's -- there is a difference.
x
I would like to what the difference is too
x
There really isn't any difference.
20 years is 20 years no matter where you worked or how you got the work done.  I had anything and everything thrown my way.  So, please do not generalize.  Even though someone has worked at the same institution does not mean they are not well rounded.  Also, please keep in mind the AAMT was not around forever, so the new MTs are learning a new way of doing things.  Those of us who have been in this field listened to the doctors' way, and not a book.  If a new MT could do what someone with 20 years of experience can do, they wouldn't be on here begging for companies that hire new MTs.  That's proof right there that a new MT does not have what it takes at least at first and I'm not knocking the new MTs because they are the wave of the future; however, they need to learn before they can apply it. 
Is there a difference?
Repost - Are the H&Ps and consults that are done for hospitals very different from the H&Ps and consults done by large specialized medical practices (such as large cardiology, ortho, GI groups etc.)? I wanted to do hospital H&Ps, consults, discharges for a company but was told by this company that I did not have the experience (acute care), even though I have had about 20 years doing the large specialty practices, large HMOs and a little hospital work. They said that the hospital reports would be too involved for me. I've seen hospital H&Ps, consults and discharges, and they don't look any more complex than what I had done in the past. Any opinions? Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.
What's the difference?
What is the difference between learning something new at your present employer, or quitting and learning something new with a different employer? Sometimes it makes sense to wait it out or learn something new that your present employer has to offer.

Medical transcription changes daily. It's always to your advantage to learn all you can...new accounts, new platforms...everything you can. The more you know, the more money you make, and the more valuable you are to your employer.
I would like to know the difference here
I have used both 6 and now 8 and frankly I do not see any difference (except how the header looks and much more friendly now) than before. What do you think is different?
Difference (sm)
The subject with the Keystrokes lawsuit is bringing in personal insults and attacks, warring between the company and current/past employees on the board. We are not going to provide the environment for this.

If the topic itself would be discussed, it would stand.

Moderator
Difference? Pay
There's nothing wrong with working at Wal-Mart unless you are a paraprofessional with skills that enable you to make 3-4 times an hour what Wal-Mart pays.

Generally, when someone in our field references going to work at WM, it's because they've been slapped with the reality of sinking MT pay yet again.

There isn't a profession on earth that I don't feel is admirable. Freeloading is not admirable. Work is.

Re the link I posted, I find it interesting that WM has decided to enter the arena of HIM. They already have their doc-in-a-box ophthalmologists, etc. So they already have been creating some significant databases.

If they look at MT and figure out the profit and the ability to continue low pay for high effort, I truly expect them to expand their HIM efforts.
The difference here
Apparently not going to be much soon as TTS does VR and I hear (by the way of rumblings)TransTech is going to VR. That is all I know about the companies.
So what is the difference in your pay
now since you have mastered VR. Do you make the same as before or have you increased your pay?
There's a big ole fat difference
Between being US-based (i.e., corporate headquarters located in the U.S.) and hires only U.S. transcriptionists. Any company can have their corporate headquarters in Applepieamerican, Illinois but could have half of their staff earning 3 cents a lie in a sweatshop in Ammakandakara. Fat lot of good that does us American MTs, lol.
Wonder what the difference is?
I wonder why more lines can be made on the P account instead of the others? What is so different about that account?  
What is the difference between TT, TTS, TTD? Any

NM


What is the difference between TT, TTS, and TTD?

NM


The big difference between
is...

the cars were actually *better* quality as well as cheaper. Not the case with the transcription.

It reminds of the Mechanical Turk. It's a website by Amazon that allows you to get on and do small online jobs contracted by others and paid into a Paypal account. They started it because they found that a computer couldn't not recognize duplicate pages to delete them and so had to hire humans to do it. Mechanical Turk was an machine in the 18th century that could play chest and that supposedly beat the likes of Napolean and Benjamin Franklin, but then it was discovered that it was actually a human chess master inside.

My rather obscure point is that transcription done overseas might end up the same quality as domestic transcription but only after going through extensive edits, usually by American MTs. So, to the client, it ends up looking like excellent quality when, in fact, there was a transcription master behind the machine doing the work.

What were we talking about? Oh, yeah. Offshoring...the patriotic way to create more unemployment, create a bigger budget deficit due to less taxes being paid here in the States (both corporate and income tax), and, in what is touted as a booming field, we find ourselves in a reverse economic anomaly where the field is booming yet salaries are going DOWN.

Yep, offshoring...good for all Americans.
Difference in pay per line?

I posted earlier but may not have been clear.


When you get paid $.08 per 65-character line with spaces and have been making $.09 per 65-character line without spaces, is the end result in pay the same? 


Actually, I am comparing work done in Meditech to other platforms out there.  Anyone with any input on this would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks.


Difference in machines

Can anyone tell me the difference in a C-phone and a Lanier 219?  I have found a listing for a DA-128 that can be used with a few different systems.  Does that include the Lanier system?  I am interested in finding the Lanier XL 219-1 with VTI but I can't believe the prices.  I guess actually I can but I want to know if there is a system out there that is compatible or if I need to specifically get the Lanier.


Thank you everyone for your help in advance.  If there is no compatible system, does anyone have one for sale?


Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.


Tabatha/Charleston, SC


what's the difference between a VA account and one that isn't? (sm)

Are VA accounts harder than regular accounts?  Why is it harder to get a good line count on a VA account?


What difference does it make?
Just proving my point. If you expect an MT to perform at a certain standard during a verbal test, no excuses, no exceptions, then you should show that same standard everywhere you go, message boards included.
What is the difference between using a C-phone...
Hi!  I am not sure if this is where I need to post this question, but was just wondering what really is the difference of a C-phone and regular dictation using a foot pedal?  I have been in the business for MANY years, but never had to use or come across a C-phone.  I see lots of things about a C-phone.  Just would like some information.  I am thinking about taking a job with a C-phone but do not know anything about them.  Thanks for all of your help!
No difference. You can have your opinion. So
I'm not an industry bottom dweller...be careful about the name-calling Laurie.
Ahhhhh. Big difference than

just taking a course and getting a certificate. Thanks. I'm not that then. Is there a difference if you are?


Thanks.


What is the difference between specialty
and work type. I am filling out an application for OSi and they want to know my favorite specialty and work type. What is work type? Duh! I guess I am having a too-soon senior moment, must be the stress of job hunting. Thanks!