But they will lose clients (sm)

You have your job to lose. [2008-08-06]

If I stay I will probably lose my job.nm [2008-08-06]
x

MQ will lose. They had no choice. Phillips was calling the shots. [2008-08-06]
MQ administrations were puppets to Phillips and are now puppets to C-Bay (Kumar).

We're overlooking the fact that most of the clients [2008-08-06]
don't want their work sent offshore. As long as this continues, the US MT still will have work. It doesn't mean, however, that we won't be replaced by speech recognition, or paid less because the clients are supposedly demanding lower costs.

Most clients do not care where the work is done, just who does it the cheapest. [2008-08-06]
They have budgets too and since insurance isn't paying what it used to the budget is limited. Aside from this, it's not like MQ is an honest company and how could a client tell where their work was being done? I know local hospitals where I live have contracted to have the work done offshore because of costs to have it done here in US. Also keep in mind, the people who bought MQ are not stupid and they bought MQ with a definite plan in mind.

It has always been about the clients and not employees. [2008-08-05]
Even the caller from Impact Center stated this. That is why us MT's need to do something. We need to take a stand just like Dinosaur states in her post below, This is important, take a stand.I am for the clients, but treat us employees fairly and not decrease our wages. Okay. You are a patient and you go to a private doctor's office. This is the best doctor in the city, but his office staff is horrible. The staff is rude, cannot keep appointments straight, keep you waiting too long, billing not done properly, etc. You will probably leave and go see another doctor. I was always told, even in school, you make the employees happy by treating them with respect, good pay, as they are the ground workers and keep the company running smoothly and basically make the higher ups look good. We are not treated that way. We are all not on the same page. Some get raiseseach yearand some take 10 yearsto get a raise. Some have primaries and somegetcesspool. By the way, did it or did it not state in MQ letterabout: I transcribing the work for (insert your primary account)or I transcribe the work (insert your accounts) for ateachinginstitution. Doeshe not know about the cesspool?We need to take a stand as Dinosaur posts below.

The only hope we have is IF the clients would [2008-08-04]
start checking their reports for quality. That is the KEY to solving this Indian mess. That, and trying to persuade US QA to stop QAing Indian messes. I have QA'd Indian work personally for years. It is horrible quality, especially the first few levels. It takes them about 4 to people to make 1 semi-quality document. Even when I would get the documents after 3 levels of MTs and 2 levels of Indian QA, the work was still often atrocious. They just don't have the language thing down, no matter what you may hear to the contrary. If the clients would just start proofing their records from Indian MTSOs, they would find the quality horrific. I go to several doctors in my hinky-dink town, and they all offshore to India or the Phillipines. I am about to stop going to one doctor, a pain specialist, as my medical records are inexcusably incorrect. I have even reported this to my insurance company, and its really a mess. These offshore MTs type anything. I have had trigeminal neuralgia for years, and they changed that into TMJ - quite a difference. My doctor kept asking me how my jaw was, and I kept saying what are you talking about? My jaw is fine. Then you have to actually argue about what your diagnosis is. My husband goes to a doctor who uses offshore Indian MTs, and he has lower back DJD. Two months ago, he went for a followup, and they told him his auto insurance had denied his whiplash claim. Again, not us, not his diagnosis, but he has had all kinds of problems fighting the incorrect diagnosis that some offshore MT put in his report. Its a disgrace, and I think that is our only option, but not sure who gives a hoot either. Government?

part-time requirements... you will lose insurance...sm [2008-07-31]
Regular Part-Time Employee (with limited Benefits): Employees working a minimum of 24 hours per work week, but less than 39 hours and maintain a minimum average production of 100 lines per hour (8 reports per hour for Radiology). Employees in this category are eligible to participate in the following part-time employee benefits: 401k, paid time off, Employee Assistance Program, and employee-paid voluntary benefits, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of each benefit program.

One little flaw in your US-MT-only clients...sm [2008-07-31]
A company can still have a ''store front'' here in the US and have the work done overseas. You said you know for a fact that not all clients want their work sent offshore, but I can tell you that I know for a fact that it is still done and done without the client's knowledge. I can't say anything regarding MQ doing this because I don't know that they do, and would guess right now that they don't, they have no reason to as they still have a lot of US MTs to do those clients. But I have a very close MT friend who has worked at a company (two actually) in management and in QA, where the contracts state no reports sent offshore. It's amazing the wording that can be used in a contract to leave loopholes. In one instance... and the reason why she quit that company... all of their work was done overseas by MTs, QA'd here in the US and sent it to the client. She wasn't even aware for a while that she was QAing offshore work because it was all coming in with American-sounding names... Sally Jones, Kathy Anderson, etc... all made-up names. She started suspecting something when she started seeing some celebrity names coming through for the names of the MTs transcribing them (how dumb do they think we are?) and confronted her MTSO about it. That's when she found out that all of the work was done by overseas MTs and edited by US MTs.... since they logged into the system in the United States via the internet, technically it never left US soil. Where there's a will there's a way and with a shrewd business man such as Kumar, I have no doubt they will be able to find a way to convince their clients that work never left the US.

loosing clients due to work done in India [2008-07-22]
This is going to be very interesting to see if clients read their reports and notice the change, or, more importantly legally, if MQ informs clients if the work is done in India. The service I used to work for was put out of business by losing a major account to India. In the past, clients that had gone to an Indian transcription company, usually came running back to us. Unfortunately, with the resultant closing of the service, we were not there to take that account back. I have noticed an account or two that we had go to India is in the list of client profiles, so obviously they weren't happy with off shore outsourcing. Frankly, I want out of MT altogether. My earnings have gone down, down, down over the last 20 years. Unfortunately, the career I want to train for has classes only in the daytime. I'm trying to figure out if I could actually successfully work nights and go to school days. It didn't work too well when I went to college eons ago. It's hard to fit in time to sleep.

informing clients [2008-07-22]
As I recall, companies are now legally required to inform clients if their work might go overseas and allow the client to chose not to let that happen. I recall this starting after the fiasco with a San Francisco hospital's transcription being held hostage by an overseas subcontractor who hadn't been paid, and the hospital had not known their work was being sent overseas by the company they had hired. I might be wrong about being legally required to inform the client, but I do remember the incident very well. Our senator made a big stink and was claiming she was going to make it a law that medical paperwork had to be done in the US, but after everything calmed down and got forgotten, nothing was done.

I thought that was only certain clients? [2008-06-29]
x

I totally agree with you. Either way you lose money S/M [2008-06-28]
being on ASR with a cut in pay, or having the terrible dictators and bad audio that slow you down and cut my pay terribly. Either way it's no day at the beach.

I was told by management that clients do know [2008-06-05]
whether or not their work is being offshored. They can decide in the MQ contract whether or not they want their dictation to be outsourced. An account I currently have has decided not to offshore. However, another account does offshore most of its work and that is their choice. I can only assume it has something to do with the price. They are not in the dark. They know where their records are going and the public doesn't appear to care as so much personal information is already readily available on the internet and in databases everywhere. Thus, notifying clients would be redundant. Even if they claim not to know, it's in the contract. They know.

What about the fact that most of the US clients DO NOT want their SM [2008-06-04]
work sent to India. Is MQ just going to do it anyway??

Are MQ MTs actually notifying MQ clients? [2008-06-04]
If so, what exactly are you telling the clients?

Clients [2008-05-28]
I know for a fact, at least with the client I work for, they have written in their contract absolutely no work sent overseas as I am sure other clients do. I am thinking they will need to honor those contracts until the contract is up or the client will go elsewhere. If my client does go elsewhere, I will just follow them as I have in the past. I guess it is wishful thinking, but I do not think drastic changes, if any happen to occur, will be happening for quite awhile as transition takes time. My PS said right now they cannot afford to lose another MT as they are losing MTs. I for one will sit tight for a while. With the way the economy is going, nothing and I mean absolutely nothing is a for sure thing anymore and I think a secure job is a thing of the past--now that is sad.

Following clients. [2008-05-28]
How do you know where they have gone?

clients [2008-05-23]
I know the account I work with has written in their contract no overseas work is to be done on their account and have been very adamant about this in the past. They still have to meet the requirements of a client to keep their business. The account I work with left without much notice from a previous service as they tried to sneak some of their work over to India and they found out--pretty much left without warning as that service broke the contract by not meeting a specific requirement this client had made. Right now they need the MTs more than the PS, managers, etc., as I think their jobs are in more jeopardy right now than ours and I am sure they are just as nervous as a lot of you are. I for one am going to stick it out and see what transpires--could get better??? I follow the account I work for. If that client ups and leaves--I will go where they go. No job is a for sure thing anymore with the economy taking a major nose dive, lay offs, down sizing, etc. Could be worse or even get worse anywhere else.

so start telling the clients!!!!!! [2008-05-23]
nm

I lose sound occasionally and have to reboot; otherwise no problems on my 3rd shift. [2008-05-14]
x

I agree. I just cannot believe the clients are getting charged less. [2008-05-11]
I believe they don't even KNOW when they are on ASR. I can see them not RAISING their fees to the clients, but not reducing. They are paying us less to edit and pocketing the rest. IMO

But they will lose clients (sm) [2008-05-09]
if they lose all of their top notch experienced MTs.... how long do you think clients will stick around if the work is out of TAT and of poor quality to boot... right 25K is nothing to them, so why don't they use some of their $$ to keeping their MTs happy and on the job... bad management I'd say.

It happens in all MT companies. Clients leave and [2008-05-01]
It's part of this business.

but as it continues not to learn we lose money! nm [2008-04-23]
nm

my heart and prayers go out to you [2008-09-05]
Since you've already been through one, you know just how disastrous it can be. I experienced the same thing during and after Hurricane Katrina. Eventually had to relocate so I could get back to work. Although I didn't get paid while being out of work, I didn't lose my job. That is one good thing I will have to say about MQ..they will work with you in helping you get back to work. My PS was wonderful. Just keep in touch with yours and keep the communication channels open.

Ah yes, residents are wonderful - not. [2008-09-05]
And my primary is Residents R Us A 13-minute dictation usually means 50 lines with lots of waiting and changing just to get those 50 lines. And they wonder why some of us have difficulty making the quota. Sometime ago there was an email from our supervisor that we were the bottom producing group. Wonder why (I know why). I also noticed a large percentage of fellow MTs in my primary's group in the first email admonishing us to make our quota or lose our health care.

I am just curious..does the AAMT [2008-09-04]
these days do ANYTHING to protect the interest of the MT..or is their only interest is pandering to the MTSOs and finding minute ways to tear apart a report (i.e. the ever changing and arbitrary BOS)? Why isn't this organization, who supposedly is an organization to support the profession of MTs and not the Industry per se..but the individual professional, not more vocal about off-shoring..about the drastic reduction in pay...about how advancements in technology(ASR) is used as a tool to again drastrically reduce out pay, instead of enhancing (all the while MTSO are absolutely charging clients the same price for ASR report or MT'd report). Am I being naive? I have never gone to a conference, but I am assuming it is just one big exhibitor love fest between MTSOs, transcription software platforms, etc...and not serving the interest of the individual MT. Anybody have experience with this useless group? Am I wrong? We as a profession would be greatly served by collective bargaining and since we are individual and isolated, we have no collective bargaining, which is why huge MTSO get to do whatever they want without so much as a blip from the 1000s of MTs they employ. Would not AAMT serve us in that regard? UNION!! UNION!! UNION!! UNION!!

Primary is [2008-09-04]
The main one or two clients that you get on...dare I say...a consistent basis. When hired on they told me what facility would be my client, that's changed 4 times in the last 6 months and probably most of what I have transcribed in the last 6 months hasn't been my primary.

and... [2008-09-04]
..ya know, i wouldn't hate Medquist so much, i'd be willing to put up with the cesspool, and the multiple clients, if they didn't have the stringent so many lines in a certain period of time constraints. it seems they could deal with accountability in a more flexible way that would helpthe MTs be more productive. some days (most days recently) it is simply impossible to make 1200 lines in a day, when dictation after dictation is done by a doctor who has conversations with co-workers, sits there leafing through the charts, does everything BUT dictate. you can't fast forward through everything and speeding things up doesn't always help in these types of situations. what it does do is make it so there is no way you will reach your line count. of course, we have no idea if anyone ever speaks to the physicians about this or not. if they knew this was affecting our pay check, they might make more of an effort, but maybe i'm just being naive. but anyway...i feel there shouldn't bethese rules that set us up to fail. maybe we should have to work a certain amount of hours to get benefits, and maybe we should have to make a certain line count for accountability, but they should let us do it more on our own time, and if some days it takes us more than 8 hours to get our lines, they should let us. i'm fine with working 8 hours and if i have a great day and hit my 1200 in 5 hours, fine, i'll keep working until my 8 hour shift is done. but on those other days, they should just let us catch up on our line count, off the clock, whenever we can. i know i would feel a lot better about myself if i could average what i'm supposed to. i guess this opens those murky waters of labor laws and people who might take advantage, i dunno...just babbling here on my break....

it's not only ASR, bonuses changed as well .. [2008-09-03]
I was not here but they abruptly changed their bonus/incentive plan, which from what I hear was good and motivating. A lot of transcriptionists were dedicated, hard working and were compensated for that. The current bonus plan is so convulted, I doubt even most of managemen could figure it out. Then, shortly after that, the push for ASR began and more and more clients/dictators were added. So, the combination of the two has drastically affected many's paychecks. Also, on ASR, the trend seemsm to be the faster transcriptionists suffer the most; slower transcriptionists on good accounts do see an increase. hope this helps.

Yes -let us not forget that all ASR accounts [2008-09-03]
from having had some cesspool accounts that some ASR is great, but my primary is not great - a lot of changes have to be made on a consistent basis. One particular thing I have noticed is that the fast talkers on ASR lose a lot of their words, Im talking complete sentences. Its just ridiculous IMO to keep these guys on ASR.

Great! [2008-09-01]
There you go! Do your colon/comma thing after the salutation unless the client has a preference. I do have to say, though, that if the account wants strict AAMT preference (okay, AHDI), then I guess that's what we have to do. However, in my QAS experience for several years now, there are very few clients that are that strict with that silly comma/colon after the salutation. I am way too busy correcting BIG things like wrong medications, wrong doses, wrong diseases, to worry about other stuff. Audit situation is a bit different (not sure how they work that), but rest assured, big issues are more important.

Client Preferences [2008-08-31]
Some clients want things differently, like capitalize the clinic specialty whether it's associated with the clinic facility or not. This is where it's dumb. MQ should not put up with this sort of thing, and should just get with the retrofit and be done with it.

Silly me. I did it again. [2008-08-28]
I forgot this yet again. Call it being conditioned to not being paid as we once were. That did remind me of all the reports I type daily where I have to do all the clerical stuff and lose that. I know this subject has been discussed at length, but I'd like to see (and have) the cumulative amount I could have earned per PP for all those NONpaid items. Multiply it by 12, and wow! Even so, it does make me wonder why 95% or more of my reports come to my desk with no ADT info. The only thing I can guess is due to TAT.

You go, girl! (or boy) [2008-08-27]
I was the same as you, terrified to try, but finally realized that things were getting so bad here that I really had nothing to lose. I have been training at my new job for the past 2 weeks now, a few reports a day, and love it! Three days to go at MQ...

In your rush to judge, you've missed the point entirely. [2008-08-27]
Please do not presume to tell us that you NEVER lose your concentration, that youNEVER get in a hurry, that yourmindNEVERwanders, andyou NEVER make a mistake. I do not PUT my brain on auto-pilot, it simply goes there sometimes, as everyone's does. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough. Thiswas meant to be a continuation of a thread from below. My point was simply that ASR can be every bit as dangerous to patient care as canned text, which we have specifically been asked not to use. MQs policies are contradictory and confusing, and I'm so glad I won't have them to deal with anymore.

Baloney! sometimes ASR is so bad [2008-08-27]
that you lose track of where I am at!!!!! and I have to relisten to the section or report - really increases my production. Can you drive your car with two flat tires? I can't. If ASR worked decent even the majority of the time, it would be easier to deal with. Again, JMHO

RE: Inserting whole-report expansions/templates [2008-08-27]
discussed in previous posts below. I talked with my PS and he referred me to this, found on MQ Central: In the MQ DQS production standards documentation it says lengthy expansions are not recommended. Certain clients prohibit their use. *Not recommended* does not equate to *illegal* or you absolutely are forbidden to use them ever, unlesstheCP prohibits them. If you are not careful using them, i.e., deleting things that are not dictated or changing what needs to be changed, you will probably get an email about it but notinstant terminationas some have suggested in the posts below. You can use them if nothing in CP stating otherwise, just be very careful when you do. End of discussion.

Yes! Me Too unfortunately. [2008-08-25]
Which puts me under you're going to lose your benefits gun constantly. I worked like he** the other day and only got 2 lines above the quota.

Are you one of those who lurks around [2008-08-25]
these boards to bring in clients? Just curious. BTW - my comprehension skills are fine, but I wonder about your reading skills. I say again, find the word QUIT in my original post. I'm sure you won't, but you can find it in this post: I QUIT -- you win. There, feel all high and mighty now? Why not encourage the poster not to follow her employer's instructions, so she can get fired and hire your firm for her case? I hope you read legal documents better than you do these boards.

but that's the choice [2008-08-25]
You know what to expect when you go in to McDonald's or Four Seasons. The client has the same choice and can always leave MQ. Then you will end up without the job and you will cost other people their jobs. Okay, I know a lot of people don't care if they lose their MQ jobs but a lot do. If you don't, then leave and stop jeopardizing it for others.

That's a great way....sm [2008-08-25]
to lose accounts or like the other poster said...get canned. Any way you look at it there's just no justifying it. JMO.

Losing accounts [2008-08-25]
I'm not even trying to justify it, just do what it takes to earn a decent wage. If you want to work for pennies, be my guest. Also, in all the years I've been in this business, I've never known a company to lose an account because of format errors; they go with the cheapest price they can get.

I agree we deserve a decent living wage [2008-08-25]
But I do not agree with short changing the client to get it. If you aren't making it at one job, move on. And no, if MQ loses accts it is because the clients did not get what they want. the bottom line is your responsibility to perform the job you were hired for, not the job you want to do. If, indeed, MQ loses the clients, they will have to sit up and take notice.

don't be silly [2008-08-21]
there are a lot of ESL, but i don't believe the majority of physicians in the US are ESLs. and not all ESLs are all that bad. but from working around different places, i think all the clients that have signed onwith Medquist have the WORST dictators in the US, both american and ESL. the worst dictators i've had today are americans who are too lazy to open their mouths and make no effort to be understood. the ESL docs make an effort at least.

I for one would like to take a moment to thak QA...sm [2008-08-20]
I am an MT/ME, and there is no way I would want to nor do I think I could perform the QA position. You have to listen to stuff that no one else can understand, weed through a lot of noise in the background, etc., etc., you know, the stuff we have all screamed, pulled hair and nearly cried to get through. Can anyone imagine that being ALL you get all day? You know how we complain righteously about difficult dictators, poor sound quality, stupid ASR, etc., etc. AGAIN, could you imagine this being all you do all day long, every single day, and then have to get berated and dogged because you have to do your job?? No one likes to be criticized, but before QASAR,QA had to figure out a way to let the MT know what they did wrong every single report without offending or negative feedback. I for one am glad QASAR is here as it gives QA a tool to correct mistakes and generic feedback set up by a program, not QA's personal comments. I have contacted my QA Team Lead with a few questions about QASAR and waiting for some answers like how the system figures feedback points, etc. Later post to follow when I get info. From what I understand here, QA does not control this feedback. I can see where that is true from some of the feedback I have received. As for a QA person saying they get paid to find MT/ME mistakes, maybe they were just trying to get a point across, being sarcastic or just having a bad day and taking it out on MTs. Who knows, and you guys well know you cannot put in stone everything that is said on this board, it would be pebbles with all of the different answers given for each question or comment. I for one appreciate the hard work that QA does. You know that old saying, don't shoot the messenger. We are all under a lot of stress, so MTs and QA really need to work together, and quit bashing each other. I have never seen such bad bloodlike this before.Both positions require a very high level of professionalism and charisma. Of course, you also know the old saying one bad apple can spoil the whole barrel. We all work hard on both ends to produce accurate quality reports to the clients. On this end, I keep asking when we are going to get the forum in MQC where we can go and actually help each other with words, difficult dictators, etc., etc. It is supposed to be in the works right now. Who knows when it may actually come about. I am not saying we should walk around with blinders on, assuming all is well and nothing bad is ever going to happen. All I am saying is appreciate each other and make the best of the situation we are in. We should be working together, not blaming each other. QA and MT positions do not set the rules, we just have to figure out the best way to abide by them. I hate sending in reports with any blanks at all, much less swiss cheese, but I know on that other end there is a person who will do their very best to make sure the report is its highest quality possible. Thank you QA for doing such a great job!

Anyone else have lots of work. [2008-08-18]
My group in SA5 area has over 3700 min of work. Must have had lots of people quit. My group usually runs out of work ALL THE TIME, but we have so much work in the last week. I am not complaining, but you would thinkthe clients will not be happy andwill leave MQ.

I know [2008-08-18]
I have not hope for a retrofit, at least not one that's long-lasting. Clients want what they want and that is the end of that story.

Retrofit [2008-08-17]
Does anyone know what happened to the retrofit MQ was supposedly going to be doing? I know a few accounts are on it, but it's a long way from being utilized in a big way. I have been one of those peoplewho have stated that it's really not going to happen, but I actually almost got my hopes up when people told me I have a bad attitude. My viewpoint is that the client wishes come first, and there is no gosh darn way we can get all the clients to agree on one way of doing things. I understand that with the retrofit, there would be some exceptions, but MQ has too many clients to even think that a standard (with those exceptions) would even work. This client wants patient name in report, this one doesn't. This client wants referring physician in Optional ADT, this one doesn't. This client wants dates spelled out, this one doesn't (unless it's dictated spelled out, except for dictator so-and-so.) We all know the drill, MTs as well as QASs.