Ask what is a line. I was offered 6 clp for a 42 black character line sm

Line pay for Per Diem [2008-11-20]
Hi everyone. I was offered a job per diem at 7.5 cents a line. I am an acute-care with 29 years experience. I think this is entirely too low. People said that would consider increasing to 8 cents per line after a couple of weeks, but there is no guarantee. My hubby went through the roof when he heard how much they wanted to pay me. I have a job right now that does not pay for spaces, rate is decent though 10 cents to 10.5 centers with no Sat work unless there is OT. I have another job offer where I have been hired to start in Dec which pay will be 9 to 9.5 cents working Tuesday-Sat first shift and now this per diem job. Per Diem job really offered me this jobfull-time, they have PT too but benefits were better at the job starting in Dec. I do feel I am worth more and I just wanted to use them PT just for pocket money. I told them I would try it for 2 weeks, and she said lots of MTs do that and then they go FT. They do pay weekly too. I am torn if I should even take this job at 7.5 as there is no guarantee they will give me more money. I would just have to trust them and if they do not I know what to do. Any advice. I am supposed to train today. I also have to decide if I want to stay where I am at 10 cents a line or go to a job that pays 9 cents a line with spaces counted and they do not care how long you work. My 10 cents a line job now does not let you go past 40 hours. Decisions, decisions.

I've been on it since the beginning. It sucks. My line count went down sm [2008-11-19]
about 20-30% and so did ALL of my co-workers, yet no one can explain it. Did we all lose our typing speed with the transition? I think not. I cannot, on my good conscience, recommend DQS to anyone. Look for better. Seriously. I'll save you the grief. So, I won't even answer all your other questions because if this doesn't scare you away, then nothing will.

Yoo hoo! Black Swan! I'm 60 yrs old. I just want to retire. [2008-11-14]
xx

Keystrokes, line counts, etc. [2008-11-13]
I have worked for them for over 2 years and I couldn't be happier. They are the BEST company I have ever dealt with and over my 31 years as a transcriptionist, I have dealt with many, both as an in-house employee, an IC, and an at-home employee. So, that said....I have never had any problem with pay or line counts or anything like that. Everyone I have had contact with at KS are the kindest people I've met. I have worked for companies that the lines are calculated by dividing by 60, by 70, by 65, with spaces, without spaces. It's all over the board. Most of the time, they do the line counting themselves, yes, but I like doing my own calculating because then I have something to verify against, whereas when the companies do it themselves, how do I double check it?? I'd much rather do it this way.

Anywhere from $17-$22 per hour, last I was offered. nm [2008-11-12]
x

Keystrokes Line Counts [2008-11-12]
Hi, I am a new hire, while they are very friendly and nice to deal with, I don't understand the gross line counts, dividing totals by 65, I never done this and I have been transcribing for 20 years. This does not seem fair. Over the last 5 years, I was making $30.00 an hour and now I am making $11.00. This is ridiculous!

nemt line rate is [2008-11-11]
7 cpl

They never change, 4 years ago a Xmas, they lowered everyone's line rate, I left then [2008-11-08]
NM

They never change, 4 years ago a Xmas, they lowered everyone's line rate, I left then [2008-11-08]
NM

As I have stated repeatedly, although very unfair, leads have line counts too. [2008-11-04]
nm

ASR line rate comparison [2008-11-02]
Can someone give me the average ASR they are doing on hospital accounts? Webmedx has recently switched to this and I am not sure it is a good move for me. I currently transcribe between 250 and 300 lph and with ASR implemented and still learning,I am only getting 200 lph with it. My cpl rate remains the same for another few weeks but then drops to 35% of my normal for any ASR work.ASR will have to do a lot better job or my income will drop dramatically. Any words of wisdom appreciated.

Line Rate Inquiry [2008-10-27]
When a company says they pay $.08 - $.0875 cents per 65 black & white character line is that more or less than the standard statement of a 65 character line? Not sure what they mean but they claim their pay is one of the best around.

To my own knowledge, it is less, B&W character is just the actual printed out characters..sm [2008-10-27]
that appear on the page, NO SPACES, etc, so it could really add up, I have never taken a jot with those specs, perhaps someone out there doing this could say how they made out? But I have talked to recruiters about some of these jobs and it does seem to lower the line count.

It totally lowers the line count because of [2008-10-27]
x

I would think that black and WHITE means they pay for both black characters and spaces. [2008-10-27]
There is no such thing as a white character. But I would definitely clarify this in your interview.

Line Counts [2008-10-27]
I have been with Axolotl for 3 years and the line counting has been better than with any other company I have worked for. I work on several accounts and I have recently been adjusting to learning new dictators and my lines have come down some. I still make better money than I ever have with any other company. I don't think there is a better company out there that matches the benefits and downtime pay. I can almost bet things will be picking up before long.

In this same line sm [2008-10-22]
You'll hear someone come in here and pitch a fit about not getting just OP notes from TT. I get it that way, but that is my PROVEN skill set. It is nice to want this or that, but if they are not capable, they won't get that work type. End of that story.

Regarding line rate? [2008-10-20]
I know I probably should know this but is .005 cpl half of a penny, .01 cpl 1 penney or some type of tenth of a penny, also what about .015 cpl.

Do you make more that .15/line? [2008-10-18]
I worked for a company that sounds similar to your situation. I worked so many odd hoursand sometimes long hours to make 24 hour TAT.Made a whopping 11.00/hour. In today's economy that's not much. You don't get paid vacation, benefits, etc. Hated it - in fact, I hate this profession and glad to be getting out soon.

Yes, partially, if a line requirement is met per PP. [2008-10-17]
x

Webmedx - don't think I get get line count in for payperiod this time. (sm) [2008-10-15]
Several days of no/low work and last weekend when usually can pick up lines there was nothing. This weekend will be last weekend of payperiod so I don't hold any big hopes for that. I am relatively new to Webmedx and this will be the first time I haven't hit the requirements. Can you tell me what might happen if anything. Thanks.

MDI-MD - What is the usual starting line rate? smsg [2008-10-15]
Upon receiving email from MDI, it states they offer a generous line rate? Any input here? I'm interested in the cpl rate. Thanks for any info!

Could someone tell me what QA is usually paid per line. nm [2008-10-15]
Thanks

Offered a job at KS... [2008-10-14]
...and now after reading some of the posts, I'm afraid to accept it. I can't afford to run out of work.

Offered C-phone position at KS [2008-10-14]
Is there plenty of work? I think they actually want me on 2 accounts. I'm scared to switch companies...but the company I'm with now is using and abusing me and I need to find something else.

To MQer [2008-11-20]
I am one of your co-workers. I don't care for the Q any more than you. However, in all honesty...my line count doubled when I went into DQS. It was ASR that turned it into a flaming downward spiral. DQS is all about shortcut functions and typing speed. It does take about a month of like full time killing yourself to get used to it. I have worked on 3 different platforms before. As an aside, you have to remember this was back in the VERY BEGINNING of DQS before they added all the templates and standards into the system. Now it sucks almost as bad as ASR. I think it will depend for them on what they are doing with DQS. If they don't have all that stuff they have to do like the Q makes us do, they may actually improve. I would have to say that just about anything the Q touches these days goes sour. BTW, I was reading on a posting in the SEC filings that the Q has some sort of patent infringement suit going on over DQS.

Line pay for Per Diem [2008-11-20]
Hi everyone. I was offered a job per diem at 7.5 cents a line. I am an acute-care with 29 years experience. I think this is entirely too low. People said that would consider increasing to 8 cents per line after a couple of weeks, but there is no guarantee. My hubby went through the roof when he heard how much they wanted to pay me. I have a job right now that does not pay for spaces, rate is decent though 10 cents to 10.5 centers with no Sat work unless there is OT. I have another job offer where I have been hired to start in Dec which pay will be 9 to 9.5 cents working Tuesday-Sat first shift and now this per diem job. Per Diem job really offered me this jobfull-time, they have PT too but benefits were better at the job starting in Dec. I do feel I am worth more and I just wanted to use them PT just for pocket money. I told them I would try it for 2 weeks, and she said lots of MTs do that and then they go FT. They do pay weekly too. I am torn if I should even take this job at 7.5 as there is no guarantee they will give me more money. I would just have to trust them and if they do not I know what to do. Any advice. I am supposed to train today. I also have to decide if I want to stay where I am at 10 cents a line or go to a job that pays 9 cents a line with spaces counted and they do not care how long you work. My 10 cents a line job now does not let you go past 40 hours. Decisions, decisions.

MyMT [2008-11-20]
Most of these folks haven't got a clue as to the seriousness of what they are going. God help anybody who stored my medical record on their private computer. I would sue them from here to eternity. This is one of the problems with people working at home. I myself have legal insurance covering me and have a very clear understanding of HIPAA. I have a feeling that many docs just hire the cheapest and do not realize that they are endangering their patents' privacy and their own incomes. If the privacy of any of these medical records is breached, the lawyers will come after the docs (who have the deepest pockets) but the MT will certainly be right on the firing line as well as he or she should be.

My opinion [2008-11-20]
10 cents a line without spaces is only about 8 cents a line with spaces, I think. So if you've been offered 9-9.5 cents with spaces, I'd go for that. Meanwhile, you could try the 7.5 cents a line job for two weeks until the December job starts You said you'd try it for two weeks, and if they agreed to that, why not? Then you'll find out if they will raise the rate. If you like it, I'd keep it per diem when the December job starts, just in case that doesn't work out. Then you'd still have the option of diong that full-time later. Just my opinion.

ARe they persisent [2008-11-20]
in you meeting the line counts? What I mean is do they get ticked off if you do not always get all of them in? I would not mind part time to try it out but I am afraid if it will interfere with my other job but I would turn that into pt if i were hired by mdi-md. I had an offer with them last year but had to back down for other personal reasons at the time. Thank you for your help!

they have been very firm lately, [2008-11-20]
if you make a committment, you are expected to keep it. We had an email regarding those who repeatedly failed to meet their lines, and they were told they'd be changed to prn status at a much lower line rate.

Need IC advice/help--TIA [2008-11-20]
I have just been offered a part-time position doing MT work for a local surgeon. The onlything is he may hire me as IC instead of employee and I am not sure how much to charge. I have never worked as an IC before. I know to charge more because I have to pay my own taxes, but have no idea how much. Can anyone offer any advice? TIA!

IC pay [2008-11-20]
Hello, When I worked for a hospital as an IC i charged 10 cents a line and they were okay with it. I hope this helps!

I never got past a rejection e-mail [2008-11-19]
I applied for a job with them before. I had experience in all of the specialties they were advertising for (even a few more years experience on top of the experience they were asking for) and I got a rejection letter telling me that they weren't going to move forward with my application because their current openings wouldn't take advantage of my skills/experience. I thought taking a test would prove that much, but I wasn't even offered that opportunity. I guess it was meant to be anyways. Doesn't bother me, but definitely made me feel like an idiot, as I haven't gotten a rejection letter like that before when I had over the required experience in all advertised specialties. The questions that you asked here, I asked some of them in an e-mail, but they weren't answered. :) Ah, at least they respond back to people who send resumes. Good luck, though! Hopefully someone can better answer your questions!

OSI [2008-11-19]
If you dont mind saying, what is their line rate, I am about to fill out their application before an interview and dont want to waste anyone's time. Thanks

DocQScribe [2008-11-19]
I have a few specific questions about DocQScribe, but would also appreciate any additional info, good, bad, otherwise. (I have read past posts but found conflicting info and the posts were not that recent.) 1. Does the ShortHand Expander work on DocQScribe? 2. How easy is the platform to learn? 3. How easy is the platform to navigate around when you are in a report -- and are there a lot of steps to saving, sending, etc? 4. Can you look up prior patient reports? 5. Can you make your own templates? 6. How is the spellchecker? 7. Can a fast typist make good line counts? 8. Is the line count mechanism accurate? Thanks in advance for this and any other info you can provide.

I think a lot of the problem with [2008-11-19]
lower line counts on MQ/DQS is that you are required to search for demos & fill them in completely but MQ doesn't pay for it.

What's with all of your rah rah posts? [2008-11-19]
I've been with Webmedx a long time. I like the company and I DO find it believable that the recruiter would be honest with someone who described a situation of being a sole supporter of their children. That's a plus, capiche? I've been sitting here reading lots of your posts and thinking you're not on even keel here. Like I said, I've been with Webmedx a long time and like the company, but some people ARE having very real problems. It's not that they don't do acute care, aren't willing to do ESLs, etc. You're painting everything with a very broad brush and I'm finding your posts don't ring true. I'm with the company because overall they're the best out there, but they are far from being perfect. Some employees are running out of work. Some are struggling to meet their line counts. Some ask for extra accounts and are told nothing is available. My suggestion to you would be to get a little humility and realize that your situation is not that of everyone else. Quit shooting down people and suggesting they're lying just because they're having a different experience than you. I've been here long enough to see that there are many different boats afloat and the view looks different depending on which boat you're in. And it's not necessarily simple or even possible to change boats at Webmedx.

specific answers .. [2008-11-19]
hi .. 1. Does the ShortHand Expander work on DocQScribe? not sure .. pretty sure it does. 2. How easy is the platform to learn? very ... just use keyboard commands instead of mouse 3. How easy is the platform to navigate around when you are in a report -- and are there a lot of steps to saving, sending, etc? I find it easy and there are not a lot of steps .. 4. Can you look up prior patient reports? no 5. Can you make your own templates? You have to put them in the expander and it depends on company policy; they do not want cut and paste as it can affect formatting on client end 6. How is the spellchecker? okay 7. Can a fast typist make good line counts? yes .. friend does over 300 8. Is the line count mechanism accurate? mine has been when I checked it From my experience, it is a great system. I too lost production but I started using it but that has been true for me with any windows-based program I have worked on .. give me back my DOS and WP .. .that is when I used to make good money .. LOL good luck to you .. you will be fine PS - However, The speech recognition of MQ (ASR) is terrible unless you have really great dictators.

make better money coding...sm [2008-11-19]
I do earn more money coding, mainly because it is hourly pay (so no fluctuations like you get with line counts) and the value of the benefits. I do think there are coding jobs which are much less stressful than where I work. Actually, I think most of them are. Our facility is huge, actually has it's own little city, with 3 hospitals, one with a level 1 trauma center which is shared with a children's hospital, 150-some clinics, an eye institute, and a cancer center plus is a teaching facility so we do the coding for the college facilities. Most coding jobs in my area (midwest) are working from home. Our benefits include health, dental, life, disability and vision insurance, FSA and HSA accounts, tuition reimbursement, AHIMA membership paid, 403B match, 4.6 hours of earned vacation and 1.8 hours of sick time per pay period (2 weeks) so they're pretty good. I do know coders in other facilities around here who do not have the same stressful conditions which we have and who love their jobs. Much of it is due to size and our remote management. I used to work at a smaller hospital and really liked coding there. I left when my daughter became ill and needed me home. I ended up at the facility I am with now because they were one of the few places who did have home coding available at the time that i started. Now I just think I am too darned old to start over someplace else and give up my seniority, vacation accrual, etc., so I will stick it out until I can retire. So it's my own fault I'm miserable 'cuz I don't make the change! If you go into coding, I hope you get to be one of the people who does love it and would venture a guess you would not find the stress level to be what ours is unless you work for one of the largest of facilities.

To: Good Luck - One more question [2008-11-19]
Could you please tell me how you go about checking whether your line count is accurate? I have never done this and usually accept whatever the platform line counter gives me. But since the person at MQ experienced line count reductions, I would like to verify my counts when I start out, to make sure DocQScribe is correct. I would appreciate knowing how you do this. Thank you again!

I work for another company, [2008-11-19]
not MQ, and I absolutely despise this platform. My line counts went way down, rebounded a bit but never got up to what I can do on other platforms. I have worked on 3 other platforms and this is absolutely the worst.

The good news is that... [2008-11-19]
there ARE companies paying 10 cpl now. Honest. I work for one as an employee paying me 10 cpl and I work for two more companies as an independent contractor and am paid 11.5 cpl. These rates are based on 65 characters per line including spaces. They DO exist. I won't name them though because I am currently employed/contracted by them and I do not discuss money/pay regarding those I am working for at present. My best advice would be to have a good well-rounded resume includingproficiency with ESL dictators, do excellent on testing (check and re-check everything, time permitting), and when asked what pay rate you are looking for, don't hesitate to say it.

DocQScribe, SM [2008-11-19]
I have been using DocQScribe now for about four months and I love it. I think it is very fast, very efficient and very easy to learn. My ShortHand works fine with it, I can make my own templates, never have had any problems with it. And my line count increasedright away whenI started using it. I can look up past reports but you have to also have access to DocQRoute which some companies will allow and some will not. Just my experience.

I work for Keystrokes on DocQScribe and love it. sm [2008-11-19]
I find that my line count is accurate (I pulled a few reports out into word and counted that way). ShortHand works, or I would not be able to type, seriously. I type 1500 lines a day, most days, worst being 700 in the beginning and 2357 being the best. This is 8 hours. I have done more but worked longer than 8 hours those days. The only thing I was faster on was WP5.1+ with PRD+ but maybe it was just that my fingers were younger :)

Here is a job listing I found in New York - 45K a year. sm [2008-11-18]
Location: New York, NY 10001 ( Map it ) Base Pay: $40,000 - $45,000 /Year Employee Type: Full-Time Employee Industry: Healthcare - Health Services Manages Others: No Job Type: Admin - ClericalHealth Care Experience: At least 1 year(s) Posted: 11/17/2008Contact Information Contact: Risa Fox Phone: (212) 719-9600, ext. 208 Fax: (212) 719-9384 instantly fax your resume Description Busy radiology clinic needs experienced Transcriptionist to fill a full-time, permanent position. The schedule is from 11:00-7:00 (can besomewhat flexible --10:00-6:00), Monday through Friday. An attractive salary and benefits package are offered. Apply now! Interviews begin soon. Qualified candidates are encouraged to register with http://www.promedpersonnel.com/ to be considered for this and future opportunities. Requirements Must have one year of experience in medical transcription

Not so on the low pay. [2008-11-18]
That may be what you got offered but has not been my experience. First time anyone took my experience into consideration. I do not feel I have the luxury to beanything but flexible in my shifts and work second and some on the weekends. They were actually able toput together a schedule after I askedfiguring in thehighest pay for a flexible schedule on my part. Not unhappy at all with this and am being compensated accordingly.

Radiology [2008-11-18]
Of course you beg to differ, as usual. Some of us are not as fortunate and are not being given the inside information you seem to always have. No such updates here from my STM. Offend me? You're joking right? Exactly what I was trying to point out to you. You are constantly trying to shove your fantastic experience down everybody else's throat and God forbid they beg to differ with you. Read my post again. Nowhere in it did I state I did Radiology. Hate it, wouldn't do it. I stated that was all I saw being offered for overtime. Silly me, not privy to the inside information about OT you seem to have.

Spheris - Losing benefits??? [2008-11-17]
Can anyone tell me if Spheris is taking away their benefits for employees? I see benefits listed on their website, but another company I used to work for says it is so. This is a former company because that place took away all our benefits and paid 2 cents a line less. And we are suppose to be thankful to just have a job. It gets to the point that you look for a place not that is good to work for but not as lousy as the one before. .

Who's pay isn't insulting anymore? [2008-11-17]
The best I've ever been offered was 8 cpl for standard transcription on an account that only had editing at half that. The MT business just does not seem fair anymore. Sometimes I think they don't want us to make a living. But it is not like they can survive without us. Besides greed, what are they (MTSOs) thinking these days?