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Companies that pay for actual lines, not divided by character?

Posted By: freeflyer on 2008-03-13
In Reply to:

Does anyone know what companies pay for actual lines and not by characters per line?


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It is actually the total character count divided by 65 sm
not the word count. To answer your question, yes, the total character count with spaces divided 65 should equal any line counting program, provided you are paid on a 65 character line count with spaces and headers and footers are not included.

Counting in Word does not include headers or footers.

My counts match those in Word.

It will also depend on how your company/facility manipulates the system. It seems the same program will count lines differently depending on the facility or company. It is not the program - it is the facility or company.

Been at this 25 years and investigated into many counting problems with various programs. When I realize my counts are off, I leave. There really is no way of knowing until you actually start working on that specific platform. Monitor your counts daily for a few days and see if they are off. Most likely, if they are, it will not change.

To my own knowledge, it is less, B&W character is just the actual printed out characters..sm
that appear on the page, NO SPACES, etc, so it could really add up, I have never taken a jot with those specs, perhaps someone out there doing this could say how they made out? But I have talked to recruiters about some of these jobs and it does seem to lower the line count.
65 character lines with spaces
I don't think so. You're going to do a lot of typing to get all those lines. They don't pay spaces, no way!
Gross or character lines
In word, under properties they do not count headers that occur on every page.  You have to add that in by the numer of pages, i.e. if you are doing a long psych report that is 9 to 15 pages and have a headed on every page.  I could be wrong and if so let me know.   I just did a count with a header and those lines were not counted.   But if you are doing a cpl you can count characters with and without spaces.  But again in word they do not count extra characters for capitalization, bold, underline, etc where as in line counting program, Sylcount, they do.  So will you be using your program or theirs to count lines?  Gross or per 65 cpl. 
*readable character lines*

Hey, y'all.  Is this subterfuge-speak for we don't pay for spaces?  (Because one does not *read* spaces?)


If so, should I opt out? 


*readable character lines*

Hey, y'all.  Is this subterfuge-speak for we don't pay for spaces?  (Because one does not *read* spaces?)


If so, should I opt out? 


Is it lines = character count/65 maybe?
me
companies or the actual jobs
Do you mean keep a list of companies that you work for or the jobs you work on. Any company that i get info on i save so that way i have it if i need to find another job.
Gross lines versus 65 character
What is 7 or 8 cpl gross equivalent to in 65 character
Sometimes a gross line can equate to more than 65 counted character lines
I know one company whose lines are in very tiny font with very wide margins. The line length for those gross lines is 104-120 characters. This is almost double a 65 counted character line.

You can make a comparison of which is better by making a copy of your report (use cut/paste or lift into an expander, then copy into blank document) and run it thru a line count program set at 65.

Your definition of gross line is correct, but your equating it to pay is only good if the line length for gross lines is maximum 65 characters. MTSOs are learning how to make this gross line sound wonderful but in reality are robbing you blind.
7-8 gross is great. That is equivalent to 10-12 65 character lines, as a gross
line is about 35% lower than a 65 character line. Will you share who is paying this>
$1,000 divided by 40 hours is $25.00 an hour. Where do you live that that is minimum wage? nm
:{
What companies still pay gross lines?
nm
Most companies either go by number of lines
a day or number of hours.  The hours can vary from company to company as to what is considered PT versus FT.   The lines can vary too, though 500 to 600 lines per day is what is generally considered part-time. 
55 is better. After gross lines, companies
went to 55 character lines, and now 65 character lines.

With the 55-char line, you only have to type 55 characters to get your line rather than 65.
Question about companies and lines...

Okay, I may sound stupid, but I am VERY confused.  I have worked for two different jobs that as long as I was just getting by making minimal line counts, not really making any fat checks, everything was fine.  But when I would push myself, get the extra lines, go into the higher rate of pay with the extra lines, a problem seemed to occur.


I found that once I was making a lot of money, first of all QA started really nit-picking my work.  I'm not just saying that, but they would call me out on mistakes that they never had before.  I would even go back and check previous work and ask them about it and never would get a direct answer.  Also, the work would show up for example as being 3 days behind, but mysteriously my work would run out, like they shut off my work pool or something.  Once I almost meet the cap to make the extra money, it would seem I wouldn't have work for days.  I e-mail the company and get It's just slow, BUT I KNOW it was behind.


Here is my question though.  Am I correct in thinking that the company gets paid by the line as well, or not?  So, they should be happy if I am making more money because they make more money, right?  I am just confused.  Thank you.


Do any companies guarantee lines?
Like in the case if you ran out of work during the day, would they compensate for missed lines and you would not have to make them up?
Most companies go by the number of lines per hour,
adjusted for full-listens, etc. To try to go by the number of reports is idiotic. There are too many variables for that.
Any companies hiring for 300 lines a day and very flexible with hours? SM

I am looking to work for a company who is looking for some overflow help, 300 lines a day.  I am willing to give and take a little in regards to the work schedule.  If some days there is not enough to get 300 lines that is fine and if some days there is an abundance of work and you may require more from me, that is fine also.


I would love to find a company who uses a transcription-friendly software like DocQScribe (not sure of spelling) or Inscribe.  I am also looking for a flexible schedule, where I can just hop on throughout the day and transcribe.


Does anybody know of such a company?  I would be more than grateful to hear of any.


Thanks so much!!!!


I agree, but it is what it is.....the companies don't care about anything but TAT and lines, line
Unfortunately, it all boils down to the bottom line, money.

I believe a "thank you" is warranted in many cases, but don't hold your breath for one.

It is sad, very sad.
For companies that hire FT 1000-1200 lines, what happens when
Due to low work or a particularly bad day maybe in which you struggled with difficult physicians? I am an IC so never had to deal with how many lines to get in a day or having to keep up with a certain quota. I am not particularly interested in any insurance or anything but perhaps PTO and 401k, so taking a look around and trying to figure it all out. Thanks MTs!
Companies that require ONLY lines - not certain hours, preferably internet sm
based and part time.  TIA
When is the next actual payday for TT?
I will be starting soon. When does the current pay period end, and then when will the check for this pay period be paid? Is the pay period Monday through Sunday, then it is paid by the following Monday? I will have DD and want to plan my finances this weekend. If I can get a pay date for the next check, I can plan ahead for every two weeks. I forgot to ask the recruiter and don't have my packet yet. Thanks.
not for test, for actual job
x
Are you an actual DR employee?
Or did they hire you as a hospital employee?  I didn't get anything and I was surprised because they sent me something for Thanksgiving.  I didn't want to ask my supervisor because I didn't want to sound like I expected something.  
It's actual work......
nm
Sorry, actual not actuall. lol n/m.......
x
Perhaps an actual answer.
Sheesh! Does the sniping never stop!

I don't know if TT is still offering the bonus, but you can easily call and find out. In May 2008 my husband and I bought a Prius, and I asked about the incentive. At that time, they still offered it and we did receive it.

And by the way, we saved nearly $3000 in gas expenses this year driving the hybrid. Yes, gas prices dropped, but we actually drove significantly more miles than the previous year, as my husband drives quite a bit for work.

Regarding some of the spewed responses posted here... geeze, give it a rest! Does anyone think for even a moment before they post something here? There are people who can still afford new cars. And just because someone is buying a new car does not mean they are going deeply into debt or into debt at all. That's their own business. If TT is still offering the incentive, then great! What car a family chooses and how they choose to pay for it is that family's concern and no one else's.
You would think the actual transcription portion, if
That's IF there is one.  And a transcription test is more indicative of the kind of work you'll receive.  Hellllllooooooooooo!
you just don't discuss pay. Ranges maybe, but not actual pay (sm)

As with every company that I know of, there are big ranges in pay, and it just should not be discussed on a public forum, or actually even with people you know.  Not everyone may be offered the same thing and it causes too many problems.  Any professional person would know this, no matter what field you are in.


They are interested in actual time. SM
I switched to them from the Q, and they are a vastly better company. Full-time is 35 hours a week. You do punch a time clock. I don't find them very flexible, but I think that's just my supervisor. I have only been there 6 months, so barely any PTO yet, and my STM (their acronym for supervisor) would not allow me non-paid time off for a non-pleasure trip to help my sister with something very important, so I didn't go. She would have switched me to part-time status had I gone. I am very productive and accurate, so I did not appreciate that. E-mail me for more specific details on bonus structure, etc., if you'd like. They will definitely expect you to work your chosen schedule. If you think you will need time off for any reason within the FIRST YEAR, make sure you tell the recruiter.
That's because it's actual hospital employee and
x
It may be an actual person who pays, but
they're using a home phone number and personal email address. Their website was extremely amateur and advertising web radio.
Have read that a ByteScribe is more compatible, but no actual
s
More than 1/2 the time you don't get actual facility samples, tho, just
s
Wow, a company with actual ppl and not reasonable facsimilies!
It's nice to know there are still companies out there that give a darn about you. I'm sorry for your losses and very glad you didn't have to worry about HR coming down on you cuz u took 1 minute too long on your time off. Jobs worries can add so much stress to a person's already hectic life.
The actual program behind it is AnyModal Edit, sm
It is hard to make money on anything that uses AnyModal Edit. I went from one company with it, to Transcend who says they use BeyondTXT, but once I got started turned out it was the same program in the background for editing, AnyModal Edit. Don't be fooled, it is very hard to get a good line count with this program. I can straight type 250-300 words per hour easily, but in this program for VR struggle to get 150 lines per hour, you have to edit a lot, this program is awful and it's faster to type most of the reports.
Yes, and actual Word clients in platforms sm
like MedRite XL, Extext and MTWorld and there are a couple of others.  Whatever platform Keystrokes uses, it works there too.  I didn't know if DocQScribe was one of them.
Testing sound quality has nothing to do with the actual sm
sound quality you get when you work there.  Trust me, the sound quality is absolutely horrible.  You struggle to hear every single report.
Please tell me you aren't saving actual reports...?
Please reassure me/us that you aren't saving the actual report with patient demographics, etc., and then showing them to others? That would be such a huge compromise of HIPAA and would bring to light a whole different set of reasons for possible future termination from an employer if it were found out.
Actual work history total is 50 years, only
36 in MTing. You quoted as desperate, unskilled, newbies with Dorland's could probably do VR which shows your lack of knowledge in talking about VR. Why spread falsehoods any more. Learn about it first. I love VR, make a good salary and glad I don't have to wrack my brain trying to transcribe word by word everything the multitude of ESLs dictate these days. I have no plans to retire, don't want to because I love the money. I spoke about you going back because you have no knowledge about doing VR, otherwise you would never had spoken like you did. Takes just as much knowledge to do as straight transcribing.
Does anyone have actual experience in the quality of off-shore work?
A physical therapist in my area said they kept a file of the funniest errors they received from the off-shore work. I do believe that most of the hospital staff that get the work back care diddly-squat about quality -- it's probably not read, only filed.
I was told by several actual Indiam MTs that they were trained by watching ER episodes and typing SM
as the show was aired. They were rated on their speed, not accuracy! He said that when he did start working, the actual reports were to be edited in the US, so accuracy did not matter. I found this shocking, although the best line rate there at the time was 2-3 cpl. His accounts that he was assigned in India were for many US VA hospitals He has since come to the US and works online for a major company, last time I spoke with him, he was getting 11 cpl. He must have been trained with one of the more complicated episodes of ER...LOL BTW, I did tell him that he should be an entertainment industry MT, he would probably make more money...
The Above is for a 65-character line.
Sorry...I left that part out.  Thanks.
8.5 for 70 character line
That is what I thought.  The guy I talked to said this was the same as 9 cents per 65 character line or a little more.
It is not 65 character line. It probably would come out to 75-
zz
They also pay on a 55 character line rather than 65.
x
When they say 62 character line or sm
68 character line, or 55 or 65. What is better for the MT? I am dense. Thanks.
Has anyone done a character count/65? Just cause
x
55-character line
Is a program that measures on a 55-character line good or bad? Don't they generally do 65-character? I know this is dumb, but which is better?
How can they sue for "defamation of character", when
.