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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

worked 3 yrs, went to work for local hospital nm

Posted By: x-wmxr on 2006-05-02
In Reply to: to ex-webmedx - mac

nm


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JLG did work for our local hospital when I was there.
They charged us $3.50 a line. I saw the contract. I was shocked. We paid ICs $1.50 a line. And the work was horrible. Everytime they uploaded reports, 2 of us spent most of the day correcting them. After about 6 months, we fired them.


I work in-house at a local hospital...
And it's been pretty much famine conditions there, too. We're having to use our VH hours when we're called off for lack of work. I don't know where you're located, but I'm in central California. Perhaps it's a nationwide phenomenon for some reason.

Hang in there. The powers-that-be where I work keep telling us it's just temporary (although I'm preparing for the worst).

~hugs~
Local hospital - sm
I loved Medware until they started sending so much of their work to Medware India. I spent my days editing the offshore work.  Its incredibly frustrating.  It doesn't matter how much feedback you give, the same errors are made. A person cannot go day after day after day doing that without getting down. I made the decision to leave and have been so much happier.  I only have to worry about my own quality now. 
Our local hospital...
has closed the entire top floor, and the nursing students from the local college are lucky to get 1 patient for their clinicals. They are asking the older seniority nurses and other personnel to retire early. Another hospital has the healthcare workers down to 32 hours per week. I am in OH, and my area is really bad economy-wise.
Then a small co or a local hospital SM
would be better.  You are not going to find an MT service of any size that doesn't have a bunch of ESL dictators.  That's just the way it is.
Once, while working for a local hospital
I was also working PT for the service that the hospital used. The only conditions made for that were that I could not work on my hospital's account as that could be considered a conflict, i.e., less work for the hospital so more was available for the PT job. I have yet to have a problem working for 2 companies. Currently I work for a national company FT and a local company PT. They do not have the same accounts, so therefore no conflict.
Only when hired by a local hospital - sm
It is a little surprising to hear they want you to do this.  I was hired by a local hospital (an hour away) and had to come in for training there - up to 3 months, unless I got the hang of it earlier.  Some folks who worked there lived a little farther away (one was 3 hours) but all were within driving distance.  So I have been asked - however, I've not been asked for a place as far away as what you described. 
It's just a local hospital account, not a
national.  Most of the time I do their acute care work on Chartscript; I just help on radiology in Meditech if they are backlogged.  It's not the Meditech Magic version, though.  Don't know if that makes a difference. 
The local hospital I go to has it....I have to say it is impressive.
I have various scopes done periodically for surveillance, and for the last few years they have handed me a beautifully typed and surprisingly detailed report as soon as I wake up, complete with color photos. I recently asked how it was done so quickly. The nurse said the doc types it using a template.
Often it is better to apply at your local hospital. Many times they
train on-site. The training is invaluable as you can get training on acute care and radiology and you would have a mentor with you all day.
i just started working for a local hospital. sm
They pay for the entire phone bill and internet for an extra line to do their work.
Oh boy I will. It is nothing but depressing out there. I applied at our local hospital because I can
hardly stand another day of this disappointment. This business has gone down the tubes!!
I currently spoke with a local hospital and their pay was hourly with an incentive (nm)
x
Actually, my local hospital offered me MUCH less than what I make at my MTSO
By 4 cpl.
I used to make an hourly rate at a local hospital but s/m

The home-based MTs were on a tiered hourly scale depending on how many minutes we typed daily.  The in-house MTs were not on this scale and I believe they are the reason we lost our jobs to outsourcing.  They made the big bucks and could not even produce 80 minutes of dictation a day.  The home MTs had to produce 100 minutes a day to reach the maximum hourly pay. 


I feel that being paid by production is not such a bad thing because at least the ones who produce get paid for it. 


Recently applied at local hospital that paid incentive.
The local hospital here also pays hourly plus incentive. New MTs start at $15 an hour and then anything over 120 lines are paid at an incentive rate with the incentive rate increasing with the more lines you completed.
Anyone happier working for a national versus local clinic or hospital? SM
I'm with a national but from time to time, openings come up with areas places. None are in my own town, but would be 30 to 45 minutes away from home. In the case of at least one of these places, you are required to work in-house just to get used to their system, which I understand, but they say it usually takes a year before being set free at home. Now I can understand that if you are a brand new MT, but as far as just getting used to how they do things, that seems excessive. If you meet the criteria sooner, you can go sooner. It worried me about the length of time. That would put me in a bind with little kids and being away from home on certain days after they got off the school bus.

On the flip side, they pay hourly so I might like that, rather than make next to nothing on some days where the dictators are horrible on my current account. On the other hand, on a good day the lines are worthwhile and I'd come out ahead by LPH rather than hourly rate.

So many things to think about...oh, and another biggie...with this local place I'd get health insurance free for myself (not the family, but I have the kids covered on a plan I'm already paying for myself, along with me on the plan, which I could then drop myself from).

Anybody worked both scenarios and decided the national really was better? I actually interviewed here a year ago but didn't have to decide because they offered it to somebody in-house so I never got an offer. I have 3 years of experience but I still worry I would take forever to meet the criteria to work from home. I guess there are a few that have been there over a year and haven't met it. I don't want that to be me.
I worked for a small local MTSO for 10+ years, through

3 owners, and I trained the last 2.  The MTSO is a man.  He is extremely disorganized, just wants the job done, not interested in providing samples, doctor's lists, etc.   Frequently doesn't answer e-mails, not recognition for MT week.  I lost 3 close family members within a short time, never got a card, a plant, or I'm sorry.  When I worked there I did acute care and I didn't need samples, lists, because I had been there for so long I had the info or knew where to get it, but when this MTSO came on the scene things changed.   He lost the account to MQ, who has since lost it to CyMed, and he got a bunch of clinic accounts.  I left because I didn't want to do clinics, but I would occasionally do overflow for him.  He was always calling me because I wasn't doing something right, but he never gave me samples or answered my questions, so I did the best I could under those circumstances.  Pay is 7 cpl per gross line, which is 1 cpl more than I started out making 10+ years ago.  Never hear from him unless there is a problem or he needs a favor.  Checks are mailed and even though he is about 12 miles away it can take 3 to 4 days to get my check. 


I currently work for a small national (about 50 MTs).  Pay is better, MT week is recognized, my BD is recognized, Christmas is recognized.  Not that I expect these things but it is nice to feel appreciated.  I get an e-mail or phone call every few months thanking me for all my hard work and going above and beyond when they get in a bind, etc.   Pretty much left alone to work otherwise, but provided with any information needed to do my job.   I have direct deposit.


I briefly worked for YOG for a few months prior to their selling to MQ and it was the most disorganized company.  I didn't know who did what, couldn't get samples, had to frequently call for work because even though I was cleared by QA and should have been getting pooled work I wasn't.  Deducts if too many blanks.   I still had them calling me to work extra 6 months after I left.


 


ASCOTT - Regretfully I worked there as it is local company.
After years of working weekends and holidays plus the 40 hours, moved on after they lost a major account and was without work. Glad I did. Small family owned company with owner retired and new person in charge is their daughter w/ no MT experience. Support desk and QA and others not very nice folks. I think you should keep looking and would be miserable there. You can do better.
I worked at a hospital that used ...
Cerner for their medical records and I found it to be user friendly and easy to learn.
Most who have worked at a hospital know the
but, how many hospitals now the transcriptionists work anymore? To say you have gotten out, well you really are still in this line of work, just working for a hospital instead. I along with others on this board have been outsourced from hospitals and I along with others on this board made excellent salaries. What you are saying, we already know. Consider yourself lucky. I was outsourced from three hospitals before working for a company. The money here is good, just not as good as in the 90s working inhouse.
I know that feeling. The hospital I worked for
when I started had us all at the same "starting pay". Then they changed it to commensurate with experience.

So, new hires (even those with less experience) were getting hired in at sometimes THREE BUCKS more than I was getting.

They wouldn't raise me up to make up for it. So, I quit.
The hospital I worked at used C-Bay and needless to say
It was a nightmare. They are an Indian owned company with an office in Annapolis, Maryland. ALL of their transcription is done in India. Our department spent so much time redoing the reports that we just got sick of it. They still got paid, but we ended up doing double the work.

They will not lie to you about the fact that they offshore. There have been many articles in newspapers (check the Baltimore business newspapers for the articles) about their offshoring to India.

Good luck and get ready to redo a lot of the work. You probably will not see any mistakes for about 4-6 weeks. They make it a practice to do excellent work until they feel the client is comfortable with them enough to stop checking the work.
When I worked for a hospital we used their computers

I could chime in anytime to see what we were doing.  They did it to me several times.  Plus, they could read our e-mails even though we were at home.  They were more worried about us minding our own business and working and not snooping into medical files.  


When we were connected to the VPN, internet was blocked.  We could surf without the VPN.   We could not put any software or any extras on it except what the hospital wanted. 


I am using my own computer now but I wonder if I would be better off with a company that provides the equipment for more structure.  


when I worked in a hospital laboratory...sm
it was suggested to some of us (including me) that we take anger management (don't know if that's the same thing hehe). Of course, we were in denial and decided to step lightly instead.
When I worked in a hospital, we all fought
for ER dictation, so much that we were assigned days. Love ER. There are a lot of runny noses, etc., but the docs normally say the same thing over and over, so you can get lots of macros to increase your line counts significantly.
rad dept at the hospital I worked at
everything was automatic and errors throughout; no one cares anymore.... .  it's sad in a lot of ways... . needless to say, I no longer go to that hospital ; they can forget it; I wouldn't send my worst enemy there; yes it's that bad....
I worked in the hospital for many years - sm
and worked for private doctors' offices on the side with my own business. When I relocated rurally, I found it so much more cost-effective to work at home. No uniforms, no gas, no lunches out, etc. Could get up 15 minutes before my shift, etc. Now the companies all offer full time status (usually a minimum of 39 hours) with full bennies. Your hourly wage would depend on your speed. You would have to type over 200 lines per hour in order to get the salary you are quoting. It really depends on what you want out of the job. If it's social contact, that surely is lacking. But the pay and benefits are similar, and as I said, some of the additional costs of working outside the home are saved. Also, if you set up an office in your home, you can get tax benefits for that. I came home finally full-time because the bennies at the hospital were way too high a cost. Cheaper with the company I work with, a LOT cheaper. Plus my dad, who lived with use, got cancer, and I needed to be closer to him, as the hospital was over a half-hour away. That's my story, though. Hope yours goes the way that gives you more of what you want. Good luck to you!
When I worked at a hospital we were told
that if stupid mistakes continued from using expanders, we would not be allowed to use them. That is probably the problem, too many mistakes.
Do you work for local doctors?
If you do, how many do you work for to make that kind of money?  Do you charge $.15/line?  Thanks.
I work for local clinic 17 cpl
But it's only two doctors and another MT and I split the work.
First for hospital, then outsourced still on same hospital work
and believe it or not, the hospital was so much easier. Had worked at the hospital for 11 years before they outsourced and then worked another 3+ years for the company they outsourced to. What a difference! The company had so many rules and regulations you could hardly keep up with them all, thousands of them, on the same account, mind you. The higher ups would not leave you alone, constant IMs about any and all. I have gotten to the age where I do not need all that and walked the other week. Have scheduled testing with another hospital for this month. Hope I make the cut, love the hospital work 1000 times more than a company.
I know her personally. We worked together at a hospital for years. nm
x
Not compared to what I used to pay at the hospital I worked for. I have better coverage with sm
Unicare than the one that my hospital used (United Healthcare).  It includes prescription coverage too.  I am about half the premium I used to be.
This happened to me in a small hospital I worked at SM
several years ago.They actually saved the ESLs for me! With that on top of DS which I can't make money with (I love OPs), I found another job.
I was lucky and had on-the-job training in the hospital I worked for. SM
But, it wasn't the medical terminology that I had trouble with. It was the medications that always got me!
Do you have to be local to their office in order to work for them? nm
xx
Who did they outsource too? Seems like I briefly worked for a company that did ER for a hospital in
either Wyoming or Montana. I cant remember.
It is weird. I worked for the Florida Hospital thru Diskriter.... SM

back in 2005 when Diskriter first landed the gig.  I had to take a drug test, see my personal doctor for a physical and have him fill a very long and involved form, and get a TB test all for a facility I would never set foot in!  It took three long weeks for me to get through all the red tape and actually start the job.


The work was okay, but it ran out and you had no secondary account because you were employed by the hospital.  So if you wanted a backup account, then you had to go through more red tape to actually be an employee of Diskriter too and there was a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo that came with that because Diskriter was managing the transcription department for this hospital and the hospital had a contract that said that Diskriter could not put the hospital's employees on Diskriter accounts without express consent from the hospital. 


The supervisor of the hospital employees was employed by Diskriter and was incompetent.  We weren't able to get sample reports, normals, etc. out of her.  We always got the standard I'll look into that or It's in the works.  It seemed she had no contact with the hospital HIM department at all.  However, they could have a new person in that position now.  Like I said it was all brand spanking new back then.


Oh and your benefits were out of Florida.  So unless you're planning on flying into Florida to see a doctor or have an operation, you're basically screwed.  The bennies may have changed too by now though -- so who knows.


After three months, I just decided it was all just too much and left.  All the hoops I jumped through to get the job and then to have the job be such a disappointment was just irritating!


I worked on a large teaching hospital account and was
frequently out of work.  KS didn't have the entire account.  I don't know if they had in-house MTs or they used more than one company.  You should have a backup account too, though there may be some  lag time between getting you a backup as they figure out where they can plug you in.   They supposedly are getting several new accounts so surely they should be plenty of work. 
Their website says the MTs work remotely. Could be local from home or far. nm
s
I'm sorry, I should have said I work as an employee for a local nephrology office
I tried working for a National, but it wasn't a good fit for me because I didn't like the fact that I had to work holidays and weekends. And yes, I know that sick people don't take vacation days and there's work 24/7, but it just wasn't the job for me. I love my 9-5 job. I guess that's probably the only way that MT's don't have to work weekends and holidays, by working for local doctors.
keep those local clients and work part-time maybe SM
Depend on ourselves for a change? I don't know.
Used to be 7.4-7.7 cpl for clinic, 8 cpl for hospital w/1 weekend shift, 10 if U worked entire
s
Ewww - I worked on Meditech Magic in a hospital system - sm
unless the platform has improved mightily, it was horrible. There was no word Expander in Meditech and the spellcheck dictionary was very limited. By changing to a Word-based platform, my lines per hour increased about 75 LPH in one whack.
Much easier and better process of doig this, as I worked at a hospital on ExText nm
n
Yes, it is about the almightly dollar. I worked for a hospital who outsourced to Spheris
and the only reason was NOT because they could not find available MTs but it was because it saved them money from having to pay benefits etc..
Like I said - it depends who you work for. I work for a hospital at home - not a company. nm
x
As ICs at the hospital I used to work at ...
you got a contract for 2500 minutes monthly at $1.50 a minute. All minutes past 2500 in the month were $1.75.

Same here, no hospital work.....:(
Bills to pay and no work....
Hospital work
I do think spring breaks are playing a part in this. I work a few independent accounts and half of my docs are out this week. I also think the situation is made worse because of the services overhiring due to ridiculously promised turn around times. In the case of the account I work on for a service, the client expects and contracted for H&Ps guaranteed back in 2 hours, but on the other hand, no guarantee from them regarding the volume of business. A win-win situation for all but the MT.