The secret to making a long evening of sm

Can the company making the deposit access your [2008-11-28]
Will the MT company paying my depositing into this bank debit check card account be able to access my checking account and take money out of my checking account?

Proofing Help Pleeeez! (long post) [2008-11-24]
I am 53,divorcee with 1 child in college, been MTing for 32 years. When I started out I was one of the best in my field, accurate, at my peak was making close to 50,000 a year, only one job and only 40 hours a week. Now, here I am going through menopause, working 12 hours a day (1 full-time and 1 part-time) and barely making ends meet. My production is at an all-time low, and I'm working on my 3rd or 4th job this year- I forget, it's been so many, for various reasons why they didn't work out. But, now I find myself, going into my third week of employment with this company, still in QA, making stupid grammatical errors, and leaving out words, that I am not aware of. I would like to say one of my problems is that this is a huge Children's Hospital with a lot of procedures, diseases, and terminology I have never heard of, but I cannot really say that, as most of my errors are gramatical, i.e. not putting comma or semi-colon where it belongs, leaving out it, and, but and they. I am beginning to feel they may not keep me. I am 1 pay check from being homeless, now jobless, already uninsured, as I could not afford the Cobra. I have applied for jobs completely out of the MT field, so far with no luck of being hired. I put in an application last week for a State Job with excellent benefits, paid by company, and although the salary is 22,000 to 36,000, if they call me, I am definitely going to take it. I figure I have 15 more years before retirement, and if I can tap into the retirement for the next 15 years, that would be a help, as I don't have any 401K to fall back on. Anyways, if you guys can give me some proofreading tips that will not take away from my production, I would greatly appreciate it. Most companies don't offer a training pay that would last at least 2 weeks, which would be a help. So here I am trying to make money, which is virtually impossible when you're training on a new account, new company, new software and everything. Help Guys.

How long on average does it take to type 30 min of dictation? [2008-11-20]
nt

??? Why Bill Gates. He is not making you [2008-11-20]
x

been doing MT for a long time!! [2008-11-18]
I still love the world of medicine and the language of medicine. I think if you don't have that love for it, you will not be able to suffer through the highs and lows of this field, and there are plenty. I am in my 16th year and have done everything from MT to QA to teach, to supervising, and I still love to sit down and transcribe. If you have a good company or a good hospital to work for, there's always plenty of work which makes for the ability to make plenty of money. You will get faster and faster as the years go on, and if you don't have a ShortHand program yet, get one. You'll never make money without one.

I work and do not have time to read such long posts, do you?..nm [2008-11-16]
nm

Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm [2008-11-15]
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but.... I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure. You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again. Good luck to you!!

I don't remember. It has been a long,...sm [2008-11-13]
long time since I had daily work available to me. I don't even remember. You know I seen on the world news last night that health care is slowing up because of the economy. Even people with health ins are not having surgeries, tests, or just simply going to the doc because they can't afford the copay or deductible. I know work has slowed.

secret to satellite and MTs [2008-11-10]
Get a static IP address through your ISP. It helps alot!

It has been a long odyssey [2008-11-09]
One of the things I thought might be a good alternative to mousing was the HP Touchsmart computer, which did not work out as well as I had hoped, but now I'm stuck with it. It is a really cool machine, but I do not use the touch screen much at all. I use a rolling laptop desk that I purchased from Wal-Mart (I think it was $69, ordered on-line and picked up at the store). The Touchsmart is a computer/monitor in one and it's pretty heavy, but the laptop desk does hold the weight (barely). I do have to be very careful rolling it to and fro, but if you've got a flatscreen monitor I'm sure it would do fine (although you would probably have to be just as careful due to it being so lightweight). Funny how some folks are about helping others out. A lady I have done some work for was like that and I just never understood why (mostly not sharing templates that she already had made up for the doctors I was working on for her), especially considering how willing and happy I was to share much information with her (like she was not even familiar with using AutoCorrect for expansions, forget about Expander programs). What comes around goes around, I suppose. Please forgive my rant!

i feel disbelief/wonder. been at it a long time [2008-11-08]
x

It is entirely possible to be making that [2008-11-07]
much money. I make close to 50K, but also work FT and as an IC at another facility, and luckily I work for 2 companies that actually appreciate their employees and pay a decent cpl.

I am currently making [2008-11-07]
about 52K, but I work 50+ hours a week.

I am definitely not one of those making...sm [2008-11-07]
the high annual income. My income is rather pitiful to be honest. But I don't have enough work and that is why. And due to not enough exp yet I am going to have to tough it out until I can obtain a better paying job or preferably where I am has more work for me or higher line rate. I love where I am. Some people may make up income or cpl or they may not. Who knows? Who cares? What do they have to gain by doing that? I understand your selfish longing to have that. Who wouldn't but remember you are doing your best and that is all you can do.

If you have a MT who is consistently making [2008-11-05]
the same mistakes after being given copies, corrections, etc., then it is time to refer all of this to her supervisor.

Most don't pay and a lot of making it mandatory [2008-11-01]
A lot of companies are asking for this now and will not pay for it and will not let you work unless you have it. Execuscribe and Transcend are 2 that I know for sure but I've heard that a lot more are doing it or thinking of doing it.

If you are already making that kind of money [2008-11-01]
and working less hours then I don't know why you would want to change to an unknown. BTW, would you care to share who you are working for now making over 50K and 6 hours a day? Pls e-mail me privately if you like. I won't post it, I promise!

I would jump on it in a heartbeat as long as [2008-10-31]
it is a reputable company.

Long reports, dead air time [2008-10-29]
Does anyone have any good tricks for dealing with the long reports with huge segments of nothing? On top of that, the people I am dealing with are ESLs so that's slowing me down enough already. At this point, all I do is speed up and fast forward but am wondering if there are other ways to compensate for this issue. Seems like someone would teach them how to pause when they stop dictating!

My DH is a programmer and was making $200k in the 90s, now at $85k. sm [2008-10-24]
We are not the only ones.

I don't know how long it takes YOU to go to the bathroom... [2008-10-19]
but 40 minutes sure is enough time in 8 hours...give me a break...

How long do you think they'd last..sm [2008-10-09]
if they never changed anything? If you had omitted the and, you can bet QA would have put it in there, from my experience. Remember, for lack of a better way to put it, they're paid to find fault and changing things shows their one-upmanship and shows management, Look ma, see... I'm on the ball!

Long time, I hear you... [2008-10-06]
10 years (probably longer) till I can retire and often think seriously about walking up to the corner Walmart and applying for something there. No, I sure don't love Walmart and doubt I'd be deliriously happy there, either. I'm also nearby a hospital, a Manpower and several schools that offer courses as pharmacy tech and such like. Wish I was truly interested in actively pursuing something different that pays at least what we make. I even live within walking distance of a hospital and thought about applying there for whatever, housekeeping, cafeteria help, anything but what I'm doing now, though I know it's not the answer. Every year when Social Security sends out that report that tells you what you can expect to receive monthly when you retire, I look at it and see how much I used to make in the past and how it appears to be shrinking yearly. Lord knows I work daily as hard now as I ever did. I just believe my industry is changing for the worse overall. Then I have to stop and realize I'm lucky to be working from home, some days are worse than others, but I still enjoy the reports, just don't like how things are managed these days and know things will never return to the old days/old ways. If you guys stumble on anything you find fascinating and not too demanding brainwise, ha-ha, please email me.

That's what i use too (v. long time MT) [2008-10-02]
x

Try the archives for this. Not too long ago [2008-10-01]
there was a discussion, not sure what board it was on though.

Just venting about TAT.... [2008-12-04]
If these hospitals are so picky about turnaround time...These docs come in on Saturday night and dictate 50 charts from the last 6 months that they haven't done, every report is 15-20 minutes long, and by cracky, they had better be typed and on the chart within 48 hours, or the transcription company gets a fine. OK. I feel better now.

Not our problem... [2008-12-04]
As MTs, it's not our problem so why worry? As long as we do our 8 hours, why worry about what the doctor is or is not doing. I just wish that the powers that be remind them not to be eating while dictating and also be sure they are talking into the microphone and not off in space somewhere.

Tell her you will type what is on it, [2008-12-03]
especially if you did not charge the first time for the duplicate reports as you have been down this road before. Definitely do not WASTE your time by listening through first and making a patient list. You might suggest that the doctor separate his reports out in teh future as he dictates and then the office staff can make a list and give to you with the flashdrives. That way, if there is a patient on the list and you do not get you, you can let them know.

This account is sounding like both old MT sm [2008-12-03]
and the office staff are extremely disorganized. Other than making a list of the patients you transcribed, I would not get involved in any pre-transcription listmaking. That's the office's job. What should be happening is that they give you 1 jump drive for every 1 or 2 days' dictation ALONG WITH PATIENT LISTS FOR THOSE TWO DAYS. They have patient schedules in the office or a sign-in sheet, I am sure. They can at least provide you with those. As far as duplicates, state very firmly that due to the state of the records prior to you doing their transcription, they are probably going to have some duplicates and that you expect to be paid for everything you type. This is simply a cost of doing business the way they have been doing it in the past (or associating themselves with) and they are going to have to eat that cost. It's not your problem. If they give you any trouble with any of this, I would drop the account immediately and let them find a sucker to do free typing for them.

Fun? [2008-12-02]
OMG. I work on eScription and it gets on my nerves so bad. I'm so tired of getting pregnancy instead of parenthesis, words left out, and don't get me started on the numbering. I'm making half of what I used to on traditional because of all the correcting.

To: IT Fan [2008-12-02]
Thank you so much -- I do feel relieved. However, when I looked at the IT manual it seems complicated, with so many different choices. ShortHand looks basic and simple to use in comparison. If you have the time to answer these questions I would really appreciate it: 1. When you made the switch and imported the Shorthand did you need to learn new commands or do anything different to expand your former Shorthand entries? (I just type an abbreviation and hit spacebar and get my expansion). 2. Did it take a lot of time to get used to IT? 3. As a former Shorthand user what were the biggest hurdles you found in making the switch? 4. Now that you've used IT do you prefer it to Shorthand and if so why? Thanks again.

That's 1 reason why I voted for Obama - [2008-12-01]
stay in this business is if the tax breaks are ended and the loopholes closed for companies that outsource what used to be good American jobs. Ending offshoring entirely would be nice, but I doubt it'll happen. But it should cost less for companies to hire American workers at a decent, livable wage, than it does to send it offshore. Offshoring should be something they do in a pinch, not as a standard practice. Yeah, so what if they're making more money the way they're doing it now. Doesn't make it right. They're greedy and they're un-American when they put thousands of hard-working American MT's in the poorhouse, or out of a job.

I understand your point... [2008-12-01]
but just because you have been burned before does not mean that every MT is going to be burned. Sometimes we need to take chances in life, especially if the benefits outweigh the risk -- the benefits being money and possibly a long-term account, the risk being burned (but that only needs tohappenone additional time and then she will know the truth).Inthe tough economical situation that many are facing, I suggest biting the bullet thisone time and waiting it out.

You are right. While the people of Mumbai [2008-11-30]
are in my prayers in a time of crisis, I also think that this could help the US MTs, by making hospitals/clinics here aware of how vulnerable protected PHI is, to unauthorized access. The attacks earlier this year plus this recent attack hopefully will make healthcare providers realize where this info is going. A filthy and dangerous place.

ESCRIPTION INFORMATION [2008-11-29]
Just within the last 2 weeks, I was unable to pick and choose the reports that I loved doing inmy queue anymore. WHY? I wasn't sure at first. Then after 2 weeks, I finally IM-ed the trainer for our company and asked her, thinking SURELY she would know since she was the one who trained us in Escription to begin with,what was going on? I was told she didn't know and referred me to my immediate supervisor. Ok.. so I wrote her an email and she came back with the reason they did that was because the OLDER jobs were being missed and the TAT was in jeopardy (I knew this was a crock because most of those reports have dates on them that were dictated 3-4days earlier) and she said it was also because they weren't able to send us the STAT reports that needed to get through to a random Editor to do in ahurry. I knew THAT was a crock too becauseInever had a problem with them sending those in my queue as welland did them whenever they wanted me to. Okay.. so I deducted those2 replies as meaningless andwas still leftwondering WHY they did it. No one had an answer for me, but... lo andbehold.. this past pay period was a real eye-opener. I was given a WARNING letter by my supervisor because she said my production per hour fell short of my rate per line and they had to give me minimum wage (according to what itisin my state of course)and that 3 of those WARNING letters ina 6-monthpay periodwere cause for termination. Shesaid it was in the manual. I looked andfound nothing in therepertaning to any of that.This is actually what she emailed me: If after payroll is processed your lines per hour multiplied by your line rate is less than minimum wage, that is what puts you at minimum wage where our company, by law, needs to pay you at least minimum wage. It is possible that one can type 4000 lines, for example,in the pay period and not be paid minimum wage, so long as the number of hours they worked did not put them in a minimum wage situation, i.e., 80 hours compared to perhaps 40 hours. Okay so why didn't someone say this to me a while back and where in the manual does it say this? In any case, aside from being monitored after wondering WHY we can't pick and choose our reports, I started thinking back to the days when I made 9 cpl for editing for another company.. then I was talked into coming to the present company I work for now and was given 8.6 cpl because they were just starting a new Speech Team and I was excited to say the least.. I finally have the dream jobI wanted! Well.. thereagain, I spoke too soon and then my immediate supervisor, the one who tried soooo hard to get this going, was demoted to QA with a cut in pay because they wanted to do away with speech forever. Needless to say, she left.. I was the only one left on the Speech Team and DID stay at my rate which was fine. It was then that I left for a month to try another company and I found out they were worse. Long story short, I came back to present company and then ESCRIPTION came into play... 5.5 cpl.. well.. okay.. the platform is better and I think I can do okay.. then more people were hired and NOW it's 4 cpl. I am struggling every day to make ends meet. Even if you were to get 15,000 lines per pay period, that is only 600.00 BEFORE taxes.. that's still poverty pay. Part time, you need only 6,000 per pay period and full time at 12,000. You aren't making jack crap. My co-worker and I get picked on and singled out when we ask questions or challenge them about our pay and find errors in the way the ADJUST it for Escription. Yes, they adjust our pay and we just figured out that our PTO time isn't the 10.00 per hour as promised but they calculate it on the last 6 pay periods.. Didn't use to be like thateither.. it was always at 10.00 per hour. Back to the pick and choose thingee.. Yes, I think they DO keep thegood ones for the clique. It's likehighschool.. you are either with the IN crowd or you're an OUTSIDER and notgood enough to join the GANG.... it's sickening... I have looked high and low for a decent paying editing job out there and there is none to be found..There has to be a better way than this??

Nationals who outsource to India [2008-11-29]
Will the nationals in this country face financial hardship if the Obama/Biden administration cuts tax incentives to companies who outsource their MT work to India? I know of one company who outsources and they are not doing too well financially and their CEO resigned not to long ago, no reason given. I know a lot of MTs refuse to work for companies that outsource but many domesticMTs do work for them and maybe now is a time to bail out. Any thoughts???

I am sure they will [2008-11-29]
but again, if they would pay their help better and treat them better, they could keep the domestic MTs. I don't appreciate having my pay cut to pay for someone in another country to have a job, especially when the CEOs are making such good money themselves, plus the perks and bonuses. I almost wish it would happen and it would bankrupt them. All it will actually do is cause newer companies to spring up--and probably ones that realize that US MTs can't live on minimum wage pay.

Sounds okay [2008-11-28]
It sounds like a good alternative to DD, as long as you don't have to pay a hefty fee.

Depends on type of prepaid card sm [2008-11-28]
I have a Visa debit card through ADP. They are the payroll processing company used by Medquist (which is where I got the card initially) and many other companies, not just MTSOs. The only fee involved is $1.50 per month to have the card and fees for using it at an ATM, which is the same as if it were through a traditional banking account. I can also transfer the funds to my saving account if I want or set it up to have a certain percentage put on the card and the rest in the bank. I have had this card for about 3 years now and love it. However, if the card they are wanting you to use is like the ones you can get at grocery stores, Wal-Mart, etc, stay clear. They require fees for almost everything from getting your money loaded onto it to using it for each and every purchase. As far as not wanting to give out routing information for direct deposit, why is there such a worry? So long as the information is given only to your employer, there shouldn't be a problem. Unless this is only a short-term job, I don't see the big deal.

Fighting Fractured English [2008-11-28]
Blanks are not your problem. Poor dictators are. It has become a standard in the industry to make the problems of an ineffective dictator and make it an MT problem. This is not and was never an MT problem. We are required to transcribe in English, and the oral work coming in needs to meet an acceptable English standard. I've been in the business for 15 years, and frankly I am sick of it. Having exhausted every other resource to resolve this problem it is now time to fight back and sue these companies and the facilities who have made this our problem. We are TRANSCRIPTIONSTS, not TRANSLATORS OR LINGUISTS. If we are required to translate, they need to cough up the average salary of an interpretter which by the way is $200,000 a year. I dare say none of us are making that as MTs. The time has passed when someone else's disability directly impacts our paycheck when it is not our skill in question. Enough is enough. If you or anyone else is interested in pursuing this stand up with me and make your voices heard. Send me an email. I will keep your information confidential. The industry will never change as long as we continue to allow them to abuse us. NO MORE SWEAT SHOP LABOR. THEFREE RIDE IS OVER.IF THESE COMPANIES AND HOSPITALSWANT IT TRANSCRIBED IN ENGLISH, GIVE USA MINIMALLY ACCEPTEDORAL ENGLISH TO TRANSCRIBE.

now you did make me laugh....sm [2008-11-28]
because i haven't thought of Bosco since I was a kid - and it's been a pretty long while since I was a kid!!

I believe Spheris has something like this [2008-11-28]
I remember doing a lot of lines and being really proud of myself for making those lines only to find out they docked me for blanks on an account I was unfamiliar with and had to send to QA. I think the blanks have points and all added up they deduct using that system. I was po'd to say the least.

by doing the harder dictators you.... [2008-11-27]
get valuable experience and when it comes down to it, YOU are the one who looks good and has more potential for raises and promotions because you can do those and do them well when no one else can. Also, you are the one that they'll see can ultimately do ANY type of report/dictator without hesitation or problems. So let them cherrypick. They're only hurting themselves in the long run. (that is, if you work for a company who actually appreciates it's employees!)

Not only that. sm [2008-11-27]
It is not only blatent theft, it is cheating, lying and or course stealing. In my 25 years I have found that few companies do anything about it - as long as they have a few professionals who will transcribe what comes their way. My sister worked for WebMedx and said their platform was cherry-picking proof, but I don't know if she has had enough on-line experience to really tell.

Well, on the other hand, I would like to apologize. [2008-11-27]
I have been at this since 1979. The changes that have occurred over the last 25 years have been dramatic and mostly, they have been oppressive. Now, I know I will see e-mails stating that this is the greatest job in the world and who could ask for more than being able to stay at home and make a living. It is more than that. This is the only field where the wickedness comes out of coworkers to the point of disdain toward their comrades. I don't understand it. It is not like this in any other field. Mostly, the team work that is necessary for feel like there is a common goal (giving the client a perfect report in a timely fashion)and a common enemy (QA which dissect our reports, turning even the most seasoned MTs into self-doubting, defensive and trembling people who, of course, realize they are on the brink of losing their jobs). The past performance however perfect is wiped clean with one bad QA result. Supervision becomes god-like, determine how much income we will make, how well we will enjoy our work and how we feel about ourselves depending on their feedback and encouragement. There isn't much more to say about this job - it does pay well but comparatively speaking, after 25 years in the same field, you could say, we have not had a raise. Speed typing engines keep our production up to a level that gives us a decent wage. Say what you will about this job, but it is always going to have good and bad days. Over the years, our hearing will diminish, tinnitus from noise exposure, carpal tunnel from repetitive movements, the innumerable physical conditions which result from sitting still for such a long time (heart attacks at 50 have occurred to two of my comrades), isolation, depression. And it is not going to get any better. Trying to consider that I am working to help a physician perform his duties as he treats his patients is what I personally focus on. It helps to be fascinated by medicine. But, to the new MTs - I apologize for the bad and hope that the good makes up for it. I hope you realize that the patient is why we are here, so be sure that our report is accurate so that proper care is provided. The personalities in this field can be abrasive, and it may be that reason why they turn to solo work but again, that goes with it. Best advice is to keep to yourself, not gossip nor listen to gossip, type every report like it is the only one, and realize that the money, even 60 thousand a year, is far from enough to compensate us for doing a job that is so rarely appreciated by the CEOs, that our line count and bad QA score over a 30 day period can take us out of a job we have been in for 20 years.

Feel your pain [2008-11-26]
You need to stay calm and focused and hopefully you have a macro Expander which can help alot. Obviously experience is not what you are lacking. You need to find balance in your life with good diet, exercise, proper rest and perhaps take some herbal supplements also. If you are making grammatical errors that can be easily corrected. Don't feel bad about making less money as you are not alone. I am sure most of us are in that situation. No one is having an easy time these days. I would say stick with MT it. You know it, you've done it for years and now you need to take it up a notch and hone your skills a little better. You really have an edge over a lot of new MTs with no experience.

Do you relisten to your entire reports after you finish each one or how do you [2008-11-26]
edit your work before you send it in. Do you reread each one. Sometimes I think you can miss a word if you dont but not sure how to edit before sending without making minimum wage.

cherrypicking [2008-11-26]
I need to vent. I work for a really nice company, have been with them for several years, and really like my work. Lately a couple of new people were hired, and it is obvious they are cherrypicking. Tough dictators get refused/sent back to pool. On our platform, we can tell when a job is sent back. If you are one of those people, why do you think you have the right to pick and choose your work and leave the crap for everyone else. it is only fair to take the jobs as they come. We will all get some good, some bad. Would you like the shoe on the other foot - you get stuck with all the crappy dictators? I am asking here, please do the work as it is assigned. Play fair, will ya? I have seen people post on this subject before but had never experienced it. Now I know why prior posters were so PO'ed about it. It kills the line count for the day, every day, while the new kid on the block is raking it in. Whoever you are, I hope the boss confronts you and assigns you all the junk for a while or fires your butt so those of us who have worked there for years can continue with the jobs we have loved for so long. You are ruining it for everyone else. Okay, vented. back to work. wonder what is in the pool now.

My thoughts on cherrypicking - newbies please read [2008-11-26]
Cherrypicking isn't right for the obvious reasons. But another thing, and this is what I decided early on, it's best to just sit down and learn to do those hard dictators, especially if there's QA or somebody else around to help you. Because someday you may be in a position where you HAVE to type that dictator, either because it's assigned to you or it's a stat and you're the only one available. It's too late to say you can't do it, especially if you've been on the account for a long time and are expected to know the dictators by then. I don't ever want to be in that position. That's just my opinion.

When I first started at this, my [2008-11-26]
supervisor told me if I was uncomfortable doing a certain type of work to leave it until I was more comfortable. Same with dictators. I didn't do it long, just a week and would try the odd work I never did before in between the good stuff. Could this be the case with your company?