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Will minutes of dictation be considered? Some

Posted By: reports are long and some short! on 2009-01-14
In Reply to: Being paid per report for editing. - sm




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80-100 minutes of dictation
Can anyone tell me approximately how long 80-100 minutes of dictation takes to do with variables I know of a good or bad dictator but on average.  A 60 minute microcassette tape on both sides of 120 minutes, is that something to compare this to? Thank you.
Wow! If you do 240 minutes of dictation in...
8 hours, that is great!  Congratulations!
60 minutes of dictation
I take about 60 minutes of dictation each day and make between 50-60 dollars each day so yes, to me that is low.
60 minutes of dictation for $40
worth it or not?
Minutes of dictation, help please
This is the first time I am on an account that gives you large files of work.

My questions are, what is an "average" number of minutes to transcribe a day? Is there a basic rule of estimating how long it takes to type a minute of dictation? What about a basic rule of lines in regards to minutes (X number of lines per hour of dictation, etc)?
30 MINUTES OF DICTATION
Hello, I was wondering if you could tell me how long it takes you to transcribe 30 minutes of dictation.  This is a clinic account that I will be transcribing 30-50 minutes of dictation M-F.  I know that there are a lot of variables, inlcuding dictator speed and expanders, but on average how long does this amount of work take you?  Thanks so much for your help!
dictation minutes
If anyone would have told me how much this could vary I would have never believed it. Currently I get paid by minutes. All very short reports and for each report we first capture patient info in the EMR, then transcribe in Word, and then save to correct folder in order for clerical to put back in the EMR. In addition, we have access to the EMR and are expected to put in any missing data, date of visit, attending, etc. 10 minutes an hour on average is a really good day, but bottom line for me is what do I average per hour and benefits. In this case, could be better but could be a lot worse.

I take a certain # of minutes dictation per day. nm
nm
actually i would rather be bonused on minutes of dictation.
it works to my benefit when i am trying to get a bonus and have a slow dictator which more often than not i get, more so than a fast dictator.  it levels the playing field from those who get fast talking ops or ERs and can get a better line count. 
How much time does it take you to do 60 minutes of dictation?
I talked to a newbie just the other day who has taken a course but has just started his first job and he blows my time clear out of the water!  I may  not be the fastest typer but 60 minutes in a couple of hours!  Does that seem real?
The least I do an hour is 10 minutes of dictation - sm
so in 7.5 hours you should be able to do 75 minutes with relative ease. But if you are new and somewhat slow, I'd start with 45 and work my way up to 60.
60 dictation minutes is only about 4-6 hours

I do 60 minutes of transcription in about 4-6 hours - I think it goes 10 minutes of dictation = approx 1 hour of transcription or thereabouts.  I am not 100% certain and it would depend on the types of dictators. 


Best of luck whichever way you go. 


 



how about 196 minutes of real dictation!

My mom got a 200 minute file and she couldn't open it on her computer and asked me to do her a favor and transcribe it (which I do when this happens), figuring the doc left the tape on... Well.  She didnt leave it on.  She dictated.  The whole time.  About two weeks worth of dictation.  And she never bothered to tell me when the date changed, just went ahead and dictated, and dictated, and dictated.  It took me days cause even though I could have had it done within a day... it was just the thought of the same person speaking for so long!!!! :)


How many minutes of dictation do you type a day?
.
I have been give 300 minutes of dictation...

I am an IC and have been given 300 minutes of dictation (digital) due by Wednesday.  Is this possible?  I am not the fastest MT either, which has me very concerned.  Is this something most of you can do?  I may have to give up this job if it is not something I can accomplish.  ');> I am just so stressed out and want to cry. 


 


TIA


I am an IC who averages about 120 minutes of dictation per day. SM
I am quite familiar with my accounts, and only have to look up occasional words, e.g. new devices, and the dreaded address for the referring physician that the dictator does not bother to take the extra five seconds to give you when the information is directly in front of him! I use no Expanders as the doctors who I transcribe for are not repetitious with their reports. It takes me about 6 hours per day to do 2 hours worth of dictation. I have to be pretty disciplined, but take frequent quick breaks (probably 5-10 minute breaks 5 times) to just stretch, get a drink or grab a bite to eat. Unless you would work a 24-hour stretch and are extremely quick, I don't think 300 minutes is very realistic. I have been doing this for over 20 years, and I can't imagine how your client or company could possibly expect this time frame? Did they just give you the work or have you had it for a while? Good luck. However, without having the actual dictation in front of me, I cannot say for sure. Some doctors can stretch a lot of "BS" out to consume a lot of dictation time, when in reality maybe they only dictated several pages. Speaking for myself, my doctors usually productively dictate for 2 hours worth of typing. I don't know your situation however.
I did 103 minutes of dictation today
and it took me 6-1/2 hours. Let's see if I can do the math ... 6-1/2 hours = 390 minutes of my time, divided by 103 minutes' worth of dictation, comes out to 3.78 and change, so that means each minute of dictation took me 3.78 minutes to transcribe... right?

That included several difficult dictators, the ones with the long pauses while they shuffled papers--and a lot of e-mail reading (and answering) and internet-surfing on my part in between. Shh! Don't tell anybody!
Formula: Dictation Minutes x 3 = 3 hours
That's always been the calculation -- a ten-minute report will take 30 minutes to type... one minute = three minutes, etc... Depending on how slow the doc is, though, you can really speed him up and sometimes type real-time.
The MT average is 20 minutes of dictation/hour
x
how long to transcribe 60 minutes dictation
I've always heard this used as a standard - Transcription equals 2-3 times longer than the dictation.  Lots of factors such as clear sound, clear dictation, formatting of typed work - going in and out of jobs, typing speed, use of expanders, etc.  but its a pretty good rule to go by.  So 60 minutes would take 2-3 hours to type.
A bad day, I do 100 minutes of dictation and more like 130 to 140 on a decent day, an 8-hour day sm
but I have been doing this for a very long time and have a perfect expander.
I generally request 60 minutes of dictation for the weekend

So it doesn't matter if you got a 30 minute file and only 3 minutes of it is actually dictation,
nm
In the "old days" of dictation on vinyl belts, the quota was do to 15 minutes an hour. sm

To me, it seems realistic, but then again, each situation is different.  On account I know, I can usually do 30 minutes an hour, although being money-oriented and paid by the line, I usually gauge things by lines.  I do 250-300 lph, but those little dinky reports ARE an irritation -- no argument there -- hardly enter the header info and *poof* the dictation is over.  Would be hard to make a decent line count that way.


But ... surely your employers understand there are variations on such things.  Maybe you average 8.9 one month and 12 the next ... I would think it would even out.


Anyway, i'm into that gray zone where I know nothing about, but I wish you good luck.  To me, in the days when I was supervisor, if I knew someone was doing the best they could do, that was all that mattered to me. 


I used to say he nursed for 30 minutes every 30 minutes. I was trying to figure
out a way to strap him across my chest so he could help himself while I went about whatever it was I had to do.    I really miss those days too.  
ATT- I was paying $320 for 7000 minutes, I am now paying $175 for 5000 minutes in CA. nm
nm
I seriously considered it myself because

my former coworker kept telling me how great it was.  She planned on getting rich off of it and retiring by the time she was 35.  She was too busy promoting her "home business" on company time and the company computer to even get her work done at her regular job.  She's still not rich or retired.


Also, there are a lot of negatives out there regarding Ameriplan.  There is one dentist in my entire state that accepts Ameripan cards.  No other medical providers will even consider it.  One good post by someone trying to sell Ameriplan doesn't negate lawsuits, BBB complaints, and thousands of people who weren't given refunds when they requested.  I would never stand behind a company that wasn't ethical and honest with people.


Believe me, I understand what it's like to work hard and still live paycheck to paycheck.  However, "Posting advertisements or solicitations of business" and "spamming" are against MTstars terms of service, which you agree to when using this site.  Selling the discount cards (and/or recruiting people) is what you were trying to do, so be honest here.


Have you considered......
Where I work, there are a people who actually work part time, at 30 to 35 hours per week so that they do not have to meet the high line count for full time. If benefits is not an issue for you and you are paid by the line maybe you should consider 30-35 hours a week instead of 40. I am sure you would not loose much money and making rate would not be a problem because you would have that big gap i.e part time rate is 5,100 and full time rate is 10,200 that would mean your only required to make 5,100 a pay period even if you are 30 to 35 hours a week......then you would'nt have to work so hard and you could have more time with you son. From what I have heard from other MTs...it was actually a relief for them to have to go part-time because they did not have all the pressure anymore.....it is something to think about. However, if insurance/benefits is an issue than I could see how this might be difficult.

You might also want to try getting on earlier, ie. 4 am to 7am and then once your son is off to school get back on and complete your shift. I wish you luck. I am sure something will work out.
Have you considered
asking your company if you could copy someone's? You wouldn't happen to be working on ExText and using the ESP would you?
It's not anything I considered, but I just...

Googled scoping and came up with quite a few hits that should be able to give you some info.


re: anybody ever considered
A lady I know is married to an HVAC man, and she got a general contractor's license. She makes money off it, but subcontracts all the work out on building jobs. Her husband does the HVAC part.
Anybody ever considered

becoming a plumber or some other type of construction?  My husband and I are looking at things we could do together.  Don't even know if a woman could do the job and I'm 54 so might be too old to cut the mustard and been doing MT for 9 years so out of shape.


Is 4 cpl considered too low?

Is 4cpl, 65 character line including spaces and hard returns, very low for a new graduate?  I've been told that this is exceptionally low.  BUT, with companies offering MTs with 5+ years of experience 7-9 cpl I thought it was a fair wage. 


Am I wrong?  Am I working for a MT 'sweatshop'?  The accounts are not difficult, and no ESLs. 


Now after hearing some people tell me I am working for peanuts I am wondering if I need to find a different job.  I like these accounts, but I also want a fair wage.  I was told we'd renagotiate pay when I got off full QA.   Am I being taken advantage of?


I have considered that myself but have yet -sm
to find a product that I can get my hands on cheaply (i.e. wholesale) in order to re-sell at a good profit, not 1 or 2 dollars. I have 2 boxes of stuff right now that I plan to put on ebay, old kid toys basically, books, etc. Don't care much about making a bundle just want to de-clutter my house some, one man's junk is someone else's treasure and all that jazz. I have toyed with the wholesale designer clothing scene (returns/imperfects) but it requires connections and basically buying a tractor trailer worth of clothes for $5K or more, nothing to enter lightly. As with most risky ventures you have to have money in order to make money (i.e. stock market). But in regards of gettign out of MT I have just gotten my CDL for bus driving, have 10 more hours of training (paid too at $8/hr) then I can substitute drive for my county, yeah! Within a year I should have my own route (don't have to use my own gas either to get to work, nice, they have a shuttle pick you up at home), work 2-3 hours a day and get $60 a day for my trouble, a lot better than I make doing MT. Great thing is I get paid 12-months a year and make about $1K a month which is not much less than I make now and I work a lot more than 3 hours a day. I still plan to do MT but cut back some so I can reclaim my life a bit. I will still have freedom to do what I want during the day and have a well paying PT job (which they call FT and it has benefits too, health insurance and 401K). So it is an interesting alternative for me and will give me a steady income and I will have job security too unless I have a ton of accidents for some reason, but really don't expect that to happen as I am a good driver. In time may apply to the USPS for driving the smaller mail trucks (not tractor trailers, different CDL class), have to get 1 year experience before I can consider that. Just looking at my options for the future as my DH wants to retire in 8 years at 55 (who doesn't?)(I'm 7 years younger by the way) so I need a job with good health insurance IF we have to change insurance that is, something I do not want to do since we have phenomemal coverage. Doubt this helped you at all but maybe it will get you thinking of other avenues other than ebay. Good luck!
Have you considered therapy?
zz
We were considered a valuable
not just a sweatshop drone. 
Have you considered asking your instructor
for help? After all, you are presumably paying for your education. Shouldn't the school be helping you when you have difficulty? Why should you expect working MTs to drop everything and help you? Maybe you just need to put more time into your studies. If you're going to be a successful MT, you're going to have to learn to figure things out for yourself.
I considered a lease once (sm)
but when I found out my payment would be only $1 different I decided to buy instead. My loan was for the same length of time as the lease, had no "fees" attached, and didn't require a down payment. Make sure you read all the fine print on a lease. They can determine who services the vehicle. They determine "wear and tear" when you turn it in, early termination fees (you never know), and on and on. Any little dent that might be on the vehicle will need to be repaired, either by your insurance or out of your pocket, or they will charge you for it at turn-in. Beward of leasing salesmen that call you after you have already leased the vehicle and try to squeeze cash out of you. I've heard of that scam more than once.

The only way to end up upside down on a loan is to pay more than it's worth to begin with. As soon as you drive a new vehicle off the lot you are upside down on the loan and will be for at least 6-12 months. You'd be better off buying a vehicle from someone else who made that mistake. Not a lease buy-back, but from a private individual who needs to get out of their loan and hasn't driven the vehicle into the ground in a year's time. With a year-old vehicle you can easily determine whether there are major problems with them too, unlike new vehicles where you just hope it's going to be okay. Check epinions.com and read reviews from owners who are already driving that vehicle. Good luck!
Are you serious? Is 1400 really considered low???
nm
Have you considered the Kinesis?
I have the Kinesis Classic and I have tried several types of keyboards and find this one has the lightest touch that I have personally tried and it also stopped all my finger, hand and wrist pain I had prior to that. They are pricey and take some time getting use to but, to me, it is well worth it. I can't even type on a regular keyboard now. I use one even with my laptop.
Patti, have you considered

considered overnighting tapes?  Find an excellent MT to subcontract and overnight the work back and forth when you need time off (we ALL need time off!!!).  If your clients are willing to wait days for you to do the work that has built up, they may be willing to wait an extra 12 or 24 hours for overnight.  Once you train your sub, you can go on vacation, your client's office staff overnights tapes to your subcontractor, the sub overnights the reports back. 


I know how it is to come back from vacation and have piles of work staring at you.  That is one of the reasons I stopped taking my own clients and now only subcontract from services. 



Trolls are considered to be the certain--sm
individuals who frequent the board and post responses to other peoples posts that could be considered rude or inflammatory, just to start an argument.
Been at it 33 years - most likely that's considered well beyond
X
what are considered ops notes?
I currently type clinic reports but I would like a change. I was considering ops notes. I am not sure what it means when a company indicates Ops notes experience.
No lawsuit even considered

I nor my friend have even considered a lawsuit.  I just get mad at being pre-DISQUALIFIED no matter how good I am at my work.   I have had to deal with this problem all my life, so it is nothing new. It is just that  I have never been visually disqualified for anything before in regard to work and this was a real eye-opener to me. 


And for the record.  Morbid obesity is a legal handicap and so is being left handed which I am both.  It is just sad.  Oh well... I will continue to work where I am appreciated for my job well done...and so will my friend....:)   They pay me way more anyway. 


I think it's really sad when 0.095 is considered good
I made that over 12 years ago. To know that MTs really believe that 9-1/2 cents a line is mouthwatering pay these days just shows how much the industry has changed for the worst and isn't ever coming back to us.

All our skills, knowledge, intelligence, experience, work ethic, and everything else we bring to the table as MTs is worth little more than 7 cents a line, if that, no matter if you have 10, 20, 30+ years experience.

To get the ever-evasive 10 cents a line, you either have to jump through hoops with the most awful ESLs or American mushmouths you'll ever hear in your life...OR...you'll only get 5 reports a day because there's not enough work to go around.

I admit I'm just beating a dead horse. I really need to get out of this business, I know. I rue the day I chose medical transcription as my career of choice. What a stupid thing to do.

Just wondering - doesn't anyone remember probably about 1998 or 1999, if I recall correctly, when almost all the jobs on the MT job boards would pay at least 9 cents a line for experienced MTs?

At that time, I remember it was the norm for MTs to come on the boards and complain about any companies who were trying to get away with paying experienced MTs a measly 8 cents a line! LOL I remember those days well. That's why I have such a hard time with 8 cents apparently being the norm even for EXPERIENCE now, when it was higher a decade ago. And 9 or 9.5 cents being considered frickin PRIMO pay. ..? Uggh!!!

I'm just royally ticked. I know what's happened & no use going back and rehashing and torturing myself, so I have to let it go. Maybe go get a waitressing job here some time this week, too ;)
I considered polysomnography, too....sm
There's a school nearby that offers it. Then in researching online I found a chatboard much like this one, but for polysomnographers, and the complaints were rampant...long boring hours, understaffed, low pay. Didn't seem like much job satisfaction. Gave me a bad taste, and I dropped the idea soon after.
Isn't this considered a policitical discussion?
Along with daycare, mothers working, breastfeeding in public, cosleeping, religion, politics, and all those other hot topics that are just going to flame anyways?
Isn't your husband considered family? LOL
Come on, let your inner child out.  Which movie star do you have a crush on?
Driving a van was actually considered "cool"
x
Have you considered a split shift? DH and I

are on separate schedules (though I have some flexibility) and we find we have to plan private time.  I'm a night person, he's a morning person - just doesn't work very well.  If you worked Sunday through Thursday schedule you'd have a chance to have some time to sleep on Friday and you could still have a weekend and not be dragging your butt.   If kids are all in school you could sleep during the day and working nights might not be so bad.  There will be a period of adjustment and there will have to be some compromise about when you sleep and when DH takes care of the kids, but you do what you have to do.