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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Been with Keystrokes for 4+ years and not planning on going anywhere

Posted By: Loving my Keystrokes!!!!!! on 2007-03-01
In Reply to: Keystrokes - MT

I type Radiology and the Company is great just scroll down and you will find lots of info on Keystrokes.


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OT isn't something you can count on. Are you planning
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Sorry. I have work, but already planning my
xx
I'm planning on quitting too. sm

I liked the idea of working for a smaller company and one that didn't offshore.  I worked for a BIG company that offshored, and I didn't like it.  Actually it started out as Edix, then Spheris came in and took over, and it all went down hill after that.  Once I found out they sent to India, I quit.  I'll be doing the same with MDI, probably after September, since I already submitted my September work schedule.  Good luck to all the MDI transcriptionists.


They are planning to bail on other company
that was in employee newsletter
Since you're planning to have a baby
a couple of years from now, you might also want to consider opening a flexible spending or a medical spending account and put some money aside on your own. Not to tie you to the computer 24/7, but perhaps you can pick up an account locally on your own and set the money aside.

This business is unstable with offshoring, buyouts, lost accounts and the fluctuating workload. You're smart to plan ahead, but I wouldn't exclusively rely on an employer. Is your husband's insurance another resource? Good luck to you.
Planning your time is very important
You don't have to be an MTSO to be an IC.  You can have your own accounts and not contract work out to others.  It is possible to do that and make money.  No one needs to work that many hours in a day unless you are not managing your time properly. 
I'm not planning on jumping ship, either. sm
The stress of changing companies is far too much for me that the stress of working more to pay the added cost. Less strain on the nerves to stay and just put in some extra time.
If you're planning on working as
You might want to brush up your computer skills, etc.  As the other poster mentioned, as an IC you are basically self-employed and marketing your business to that provider. 
I have been with Keystrokes for 2 years and can say the same as KSMT...
I have gotten a referral bonus, gift cards, et cetera....they are a really great company to work for and value their employees.
I left more than 2 years ago and went to Keystrokes...
I am way happier
I have been at Keystrokes for 2 years and I love it...
I have never experienced or heard of anything such as the OP is claiming...all I know is that Keystrokes is a great place to work for and you were unhappy there let it go and move on...I truly hope you found a better fit for you...and to those that do not like working for Keystrokes, find another job...
Been at Keystrokes for 2-1/2 years and LOVE it!
nm
I have also been at Keystrokes 2-1/2 years and love it...
Great company.
I am not sure about what big change they think but if you read the Qmail MQ is planning on having
work back to the client in very short order which is why they are hiring like they are. They are trying to hang onto accounts by providing almost a nonexistent TAT and that means multiple back up accounts to keep work. You do know that there are to be only 3 offices of MQ all running the same way and that is why we are being transferred and all offices are closing. You will also be transferred to one of the 3 main offices unless you already work in them and then you will understand what is going on. Only the people that have been transferred truly understand right now. The only thing that will change that will be a lot of people will leave MQ because of lack of work and multiple accounts or the new pay plan is not what they want. This is my view of the change that is taking place and it is happening very rapidly.
Well, I left MQ after 8 years last summer to go to Keystrokes (sm)

so I would have to say Keystrokes.  I have plenty of work and love my account and Keystrokes gave me primarily what I asked for as far as what specialty I wanted to type. I work in Meditech but there are other platforms there, it just depends on your account. MedQuist was a great place to work for about the first 7 years.  In January 2006 they introduced what they called the Rewards Plan and after that my work dried up in a hurry and I lost a LOT of money by staying there. But there are still people at MQ who have plenty of work and like it there, the way I felt about it in the old days. Both places have positive qualities but I am happier now at Keystrokes. It also depends on what you are looking for as far as how large of a company you want to work for...MQ is a big national, KS is much smaller and more personalized.  Good Luck!



After 8 years at MQ I went to Keystrokes in September 2006..and (sm)
I don't regret it.  For the most part my account doesn't run out of work.  I wish I had a backup but I haven't been able to get one.  But my main account is swamped a good part of the time so when they do run out of work it doesn't usually last long. Good Luck!
I agree 100%...I have been at Keystrokes for 2 years doing Ortho
and I love it...best company I have worked for...
Keystrokes is not as large as Transcend but they might be in the next few years. sm
Transcend has grown because they keep buying other companies, and Keystrokes does not do that. They have grown every year and still do because of getting new accounts and keeping the accounts they have.

Keystrokes is not in the $50M range; last I heard they were at $15M and will be in the $25M this year due to new accounts. They are very open about this, and also about the fact that they do not take on too much at once just for the sake of growing. They make sure that they are ready first.

Are they the perfect company? No, but they are better than any I have worked at since YOG. I have been at Keystrokes for 3 years. They continue to improve every year and have really worked through the issues they used to have including the insurance. The first year I worked for them, they were an OK company, the second year they were good, and this third year, they are great.

I am impressed with them because they still treat their employees as if they are a small company; we are not just a number to them. I am also impressed that they give more to their employees every year instead of taking things away, like a lot of other companies are doing.

I am happy at Keystrokes, as are over 400 of us. For those that are not or did not like working there in the past, I hope you find the company that works best for you.

Different strokes for different folks, but I have found the company that is best for me and plan on staying!
Keystrokes does. I have worked on ortho only for them for 2 years. sm
I have my own docs and my supervisor is great. She leaves me alone to do my work and as long as I do it well and on time, she leaves me alone. I prefer this, so it is a great job for me. I average 14,000 lines a pay period and make 0.09 per line. I do use their insurance, which costs me $204 per month, but it's only me. So far, so good with the new insurance!

I'm not sure if they are hiring but it would be worth trying.
I worked for Keystrokes for a couple of years...
I was very happy with the company.  I didn't have a problem with them, just needed to take a leave for a while and ended up starting with another company a few months later.  It's been about a year and a half since I worked for them, but at that time there was plenty of work.  I had no problems with supervision.  I really don't have anything negative, but again it's been a while, so I don't know what the workload is like these days.  Hope that helps - good luck!
I want to clarify something... i have no clue what they are planning in the upcoming days... and it
nm
Over 9 years ortho experience and not even a callback from Keystrokes..
I can assume that they were swamped with applications or maybe I was just not want they were looking for. Oh well....other ortho accounts out there. I have enough acute care that I should find something.
Keystrokes for the past 2 years!! I plan on retiring with them !! nm
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Agree with LTMT about Keystrokes..I've been there nearly 3 years (sm)
I had a bumpy patchy for a while with no work but the owner herself and some of the office staff worked with me to find a good secondary account that I couldn't be happier with. 
For radiology, Keystrokes is the best. I worked at MQ for 8 years and left in January. sm
Wish I had done it two years ago. Lots of work, easy accounts, great team leads! I am making less per report but more each check because of better account with more work available!
I worked for Keystrokes a few years back. There were some problems but was told they were working on
I had heard that before, too many times to count, so I left.

I came back 2 years ago and it was like night and day.

All of the old problems are gone. They blamed them on growing pains and never denied them. Instead they fixed them. They have my vote!
Did Keystrokes sell to Transcend? I thought Keystrokes was buying up companies sm
but I heard from another service owner that they sold out to Transcend. Anyone know if that happened?
keystrokes ad..can someone tell keystrokes their banner ad needs a hyphen...quality-minded
nm
Did Keystrokes sell to Transcend? I thought Keystrokes was buying sm

small companies but another service owner told me that she heard that Keystrokes sold to Transcend.  Is this true? 


I posted this down below but meant to post it as a new thread.  Before I apply with them, I would like to know as I left Transcend a few months ago and do NOT want to get back into that mess.


Not only that, but I would MUCH rather work for Keystrokes than Spheris as Keystrokes doesn't

I talked to them today. They want 3 years in a hospital or 5 years combination sm
hospital and at home or clinic and at home. For radiology, they want 3 years full time radiology. I thought they were very nice and I have a few friends that work for them and are happy. The pay seems average to high for what I am seeing now. I think they are 0.08 per line or 1.08 for radiology. Beats what I will have with the new MQ program.
Honda is 11 years old, 190,000 miles . Toyota was 15 years old and 279,000 superb
x
I worked on site for many years. I've been doing this for 10 years... sm
I've worked on site, at home, for small MTSOs, for nationals, for hospitals. I've been paid per line, per minute, and per hour. I've been an MT and a QA. I have ALWAYS worked weekends and ALWAYS worked nights for the shift differential because MTs can't survive on 6 or 7 cents a line. At least I can't and I type 105 wpm.

I've BEEN dedicated from day 1, sister, so you are barking up the wrong tree.
15,000 lines per pay period. 8 years with KS, 6 years on this account! nm
Not going anywhere else!
30 years - this WAS my career. The last few years you guys have ruined it.
You work 9-5? Big deal. I work more than you do. I bet I work harder too. Treat US with respect, lady!

Don't talk to us like that and don't expect us to kiss your feet. Kiss ours for a change!
See if you'll be producing more after 30 years of MT'ing and at 50+ years old.
I don't think so. My income increased every year also, until I reached age 50 and 30 years of MT'g, been downhill ever since.
Only Keystrokes. Worked at MQ until I came to Keystrokes. Started at sm
Keystrokes PT, liked what I saw and experienced, gave notice to MQ and went FT. Have not look back since. I had previously worked at 2 hospitals, for MDI, Transcend and MRC until bought by MQ. I plan on retiring here as long as they stay as they are.
No, Not with Keystrokes, visiting friend and using her pc, she got job with Keystrokes
I forgot to change the Name. I do not think Keystrokes is hiring anymore now. Would like some info about Diskriter though.
Ditto, Keystrokes is a wonderful company with wonderful people! I love working for Keystrokes!
I am just not making enough money.  They are a great company though, just ask for a back up account.
It wasn't tough 5 years ago. Or 10 years ago, yet
How to you spell
G-R-E-E-D ???

All the shifty, dishonest, greedy pigs in this country belong in JAIL.
Been with Keystrokes staying with Keystrokes

I was there for the promises and guess what Keystrokes is making good on those promises. 


I get vacation time, 401K, and even AFLAC.  My pay is great, always on time as well as accurate. 


I have my main account and have been given back up accounts for which I have been fully trained and am comfortable typing on.  I have great leads, great tech support and plenty of work.


Am I biased???  Yes I am biased.  I am grateful everyday that I was given the opportunity to work for Keystrokes and their team.  I am grateful that my company's owner is a fellow Transcriptionist that goes home at the end of the day and works like the rest of us so she knows what a hard job I have and I know that she is working to make things better for me because unlike other companies I have worked for she understands what it is I do.


Please accept my apologies that you were unhappy with Keystrokes and chose to move on before all of the promises came to fruition but don't begrudge those of us that stayed loyal and are now reaping the benefits of a GREAT COMPANY WITH GREAT BENEFITS, LOTS OF WORK AND THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THERE ARE MANY MORE GREAT THINGS TO COME!


I just want to say Thank you Lee, Jeff, Becky, Karyn, Martha, Annette, Paul and everybody else in the office for all that you do.


Keystrokes does not go by keystrokes, we go by lines. sm
1200 lines per day comes out to 150 lines per hour. Most transcriptionists are able to do 200-250 lines per hour, so this is not unrealistic, nor is it unreasonable. The hospital that I used to work at prior to coming to Keystrokes had a minimum of 185 lines per hour. The service I worked for prior to Keystrokes had a minimum of 200 lines per hour.
Did MTfor 10 years; QA for 2 years and now
doing editing of speech/voice recognition.  I find all three to be very different.  MT you start with a blank page or a template, QA you have the whole document and you need to give a good quick read and check for correct name, MRN, formatting, and all blanks, etc., and if you know the MT you do not necessarily need to give the whole document voice to typed - editing is a whole 'nother thing.  From what I have seen so far - you have a document and you cannot count on anything being correct - you need to change almost everything in some cases - which is more difficult than a blank sheet as there is a lot of deleting and it is confusing.  It can be helpful because some of the medical words are in there and some of the drugs can be correct - and although I have found easier on the wrists some days - still very, very difficult.  You must match exactly voice to type because you cannot count on anything to be correct - JMHO
I think it just boils down to years and years of
If you kick a dog often enough, it's going to not only turn on you, but other dogs as well. Even though I made more money as an in-house MT, our managers were the worst. All greedy, self-serving women who lied, cheated, and made their way up the management ladder by stepping on those of us who worked under them. They created hostility, distrust and ill will in the office by pitting MT against MT (I suppose they figured it would keep the MT's from turning on THEM!), and the suspicion it bred created a hostile workplace like no other. I finally couldn't take it anymore and quit to work at home, for less than half the money. I'm lucky - I have an employer that at least treats me well, even though the pay stinks. But from what I've read here, that isn't the norm at all. So it's little wonder so many at-home MT's are ready to chew someone's head off. They're tired of being lied-to, cheated on line counts, disrespected, and at the same time expected to produce more and more work, with little to no mistakes. So it's little wonder we're all a mite cranky.
Some of us have been at MDI for years and years. Why should we have to start all the way at the bot
x
Keystrokes?
n
Keystrokes

I was hired by Keystrokes for clinic work back at the first of June, worked 1 week, and then the account was lost--no real explanation for the reason.  I've been trying unsuccessfully to find out when or if I'll be put on another account since then (over a month now).  Has anyone else had this experience? 


I went with Keystrokes because of the mostly positive comments from this board and others.  I don't want to badmouth anyone, but these actions seem to uncharacteristic of them, and the lack of communication is really taking its toll on me--why wouldn't they let me know something?!! I understand most of their accounts are radiology, and there may be problems placing me on another clinic account, but I need to know something! 


Thanks for any insight--


 


Keystrokes
There has been NO response to emails or calls. Left messages, but no response. Finally gave up. May or may not hear from them again....only time will tell.
How many keystrokes did
 you average in an 8-hour day?? I was told I have to do a minumum of 60,000. I've never been paid by the keystroke before. Don't know if I want to be, either...
Keystrokes....sm
You have too much work because the people you hire never get to start working for you...never hear back from anyone after hiring!
Keystrokes - sm
I was not hired by Becky or Karen but by Lee herself...and I have also called and emailed numerous times with no response. Apparently this is the NEW hiring procedure..and I KNOW I was hired, have copies of all my paperwork that I faxed in, and I have programs on my PC. How do you explain that one?