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Focus layoffs?

Posted By: Long time MT on 2008-05-04
In Reply to: its a mistake. This was before - mt345

Why did people get laid off at Focus?  I worked there a few years ago but it was a joke with the editing.  I hope its because work is coming back to US companies and US MTs.


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layoffs
the Heartland MTs did not get laid off because they wouldn't or couldn't do weekends, or for poor quality. They got laid off because of the bottom line. I know about the kids excuses, etc., but in this case, it was not the case. They were laid off through no fault of their own. My latest and greatest audit on a report MT'd and QA'd from India - Dictated: Pate is balding. Transcribed: Pate is bowing. If it wasn't so funny, I'd cry.
Layoffs

I didn't even get the invite to the conference call.  I was working one day and started getting an error message that my account number was inactive.  Through a series of emails and phone calls, I found out I had been laid off!  Thanks a lot!  I just found another job working as an IC.  I think I'll be much happier! 


the layoffs...
were about a year ago, so that's not current news. I felt the conference call was superior to any communication we have had in the past. She was up-front about the vendor situation and it sounded more hopeful and positive than previous quarterly meetings which focused on the business end -- this felt more personal and pertinent to what the MTs want to know. Any time I have emailed Patty she has been prompt to respond. The loss of the Santa Clara people (executive level), while unfortunate, would be expected in a business model like this. I agree with the reasoning that it was due to redundancy.
Heartland Layoffs
Were you aware that they already laid off about 30 US-based MTs at the beginning of APril... with only 1 week notice?

I was one of them. They lost an account and simply dumped everyone for whom it was a primary account. They begged all of us to take on secondary accounts not long before that, but at the time of the layoff call they said there was no work on any of the secondary accounts. And, BTW, your conference call sounds exactly like ours.
Heartland Layoffs

First of all, I would like to say that I sympathsize wtih those that were laid off at Heartland, however, I believe that that there were probably indications that this was going to happen, I for one, remember seeing a LOT of job ads for Heartland and they suddenly stopped on the 2 major transcription job boards. For me, that was an indication that something was going down the tube.


I also do not agree wtih offshoring, but when I read the posts on this board, I see one theme over and over; that being laziness in general. I see posts where people gripe and complain about having to work weekends or nights or whatever and wanting to get paid decent money, but they want to only be able to work 8-5 Monday through Friday.  I have been in this field for over 20 years and I believe that I have always pulled my fair share.  I have seen it in the company that I work for now, and the work load goes up dramatically on the weekends, because NOBODY wants to work and as we all know, medical transcription, for the most part, is a profession that is 24/7.


Sadly to say, our society has become one, where we expect to have something for nothing. Meaning that we want the nice thinngs, but we don't have to break our necks for it.  I hear of friends who are giving their kids brand-new to almost brand-new cars in high school.  Heck, when I was growing up, if I wanted contacts, or a car, or clothes, I had to detassel corn or work in a fast food place to get the money to be able to have those things.  I don't see that happening now, and in essence, that is why so many of our jobs have been offshored.  Its not only a cheaper labor cost, but most of these people in general have a better work ethic.


My company takes pride in the fact that it doesn't offshore and it will be a cold day in a very warm place before they do.


My only advice to those that were laid off is to hang in there, send out the resumes and hopefully, you will be able to find a new company that will treat you like an employee and not a number.


 


 


 


Heartland Layoffs

Some people seem to be missing the point here -- I also do QA as well as medical transcription and I generally am working MANY hours a day and usually 6-7 days a week, because I know budget-wise what it takes for me to surviive. 


As a QA person, I see a quality of work that is totally unacceptable and it is from American medical transcriptionists.  I read about people saying they can do X number of lines in an hour, or that they type X number of words a minute and as a QA person, that is usually the persons report that has 10 or more blanks in it, because UNFORTUNATELY they are more concerned about production than they are quality. 


I sometimes wonder how many medical transcriptionists go back and re-listen to a report they have typed and then are able to figure out what the doctors are saying?


I have worked both inhouse and from home and I really have to agree that if someone TRULY wants to get started in this field, then they should work onsite first to truly get a grasp at what medical transcription entails.


There ARE people who are medcal transcriptionists who DO work long and hard hours and ARE getting shafted by the companies they work for, but quite frankly, I am tired of the ones who have toddlers and small children at home and whine about how they can do this work and take care of their kids too  -- just because you work at home, dosen't mean that your children can be underfoot all the time and it is also learning about priorities as well.  If you were working on the outside, you would NOT be allowed to take a huge amount of time off for kid activities or family activities, so the MTSOs do have legitimate gripes when it comes to employees not working when they say they will or keeping to a schedule, and this is where I am coming full circle when I talk about a work ethiic  -- it has slowly and steadily been disappearing over the years.


 


 


 


SPI in another round of layoffs
Last week they announced they were dropping the smaller hospital accounts that used domestic MTs, today they emailed QA staff and had them call in on a conference call just to tell them they no longer had jobs.  So this nice big foreign company who came in and assured everyone how the company would be bigger and better only took 6 months to start weaning out all domestic staff. I wish the facilities knew this.
CBay layoffs

Where's everyone planning to go now that Cbay has laid off the rest of the editors?


Oh, Lordy... NO Layoffs! sm
Acusis DID have to lay off some MTs about a year ago when they lost a big account. There are NO layoffs currently - unless you know something I don't know.


Yes, Layoffs coming
Red Team teleconference yesterday advised us that company-wide layoffs were imminent, not only for the Red Team, but all teams, including corporate staff. Word is that 27 were terminated today.
layoffs and hires
Can someone explain to me why a company would lay people off and then hire new people?  Were they just getting rid of the riff-raff?
To MsAnonnieMouse below re Heartland layoffs

While there are many employees in all areas who fit the poor work ethic you describe, it is by no means anything but a lame excuse for greedy corporations to do what they would have done anyway.  It goes along with the jobs Americans won't do we hear so much about these days.


I do think the handwriting has been on the wall about Heartland.....er...I mean HEARTLESS for some time.  I personally don't and never have worked for them but I've been hearing for a year or so that their ultimate goal was to do exactly what they just did.  Still one can hardly blame those who chose to stay and watch the ship go down, it isn't like HEARTLESS doesn't have lots of company these days.  I believe I actually read somewhere that companies are rewarded tax-wise for shipping jobs overseas.


Now is the time for all MTs to prepare for the future, although I have no clue as to what career or occupation would immunize employees from the exact same thing that just happened at HEARTLESS.  A casual observer can see the increase in the number of job postings for VR editors so the next step will be unless we are willing to spend all day every day transcribing impossible ESLs, mushmouths, Speedy Gonzales and all their kin, MT is going to be gone.


There is also something to be said for the way MTs in most, if not all, companies are treated.  Here we have QA people who search for MINUTE things or even WRONG things to correct so they can meet their quota or whatever they are evaluated on.  Why, I even had one QA person correct Tessalon Perles that I had transcribed to Tessalon Pearls.  Cold hard fact of life is the suits at the corporations care nothing about quality, they just make a show by saying they have QA people to ensure quality.  HA!  The hospitals care nothing about quality, only the bottom line.  The physicians (most) care nothing about quality, only their insurance reimbursement.  So there you have it, a grim future for all of us.


Lastly, anyone who falls into the jobs Americans won't do and offshoring is necessary because there aren't enough qualified Americans, is nothing short of a fool.  What they mean is Americans can't and won't work for less than it takes to maintain a decent standard of living and the cost of living in the good ole U.S. of A is not cheap.


I have nothing to offer the employees of HEARTLESS other than that my heart aches for them and their plight and I pray each and every one will be able to find a decent place to work in the short term and that they will be looking to see how they will survive in the long term.


GOD BLESS ALL YOU EMPLOYEES OF HEARTLESS, INC.


I haven''t heard anything about layoffs..
and I work there...not that that surprises me or anything.    Was this a particular office or just certain accounts?  I'm currently looking for a new job, but I'm obviously curious and would like to pass this along to some of the other MTs so they know what's coming.  Thanks so much for any help!
Anyone heard about layoffs from Cbay? sm
Someone posted elsewhere that they had been laid off by this company.
Wonder if other companies plan layoffs?
Please post so I will know where not to apply.  TIA!
Oh geez, when I saw "ax", I thought we were having layoffs
My heart went into my throat. I normally associate ax falling or the term getting the ax with being terminated. I was relieved when I saw it was only about going to VR!

Whew...time to slow my heart rate down, lol!
The news always announces pending layoffs
and company closures.  If the news would know about it in advance of closure, it would seem like the companies had announced it.
No, they kept me with all the layoffs, and my accuracy rate is upper 90s, so not worried about that
x
University of Iowa Med Center announced layoffs yesterday
I think the news report said they were getting rid of 130 people now, a total of 200 this year. Fortunately (their word, not mine), they're not going to have to make any cuts in people who have patient contact but in administrative areas (that'd be us). Truthfully, I'm not sure if they even still have in-house transcriptionists, but you know that if they do, they'll be the first to get their marching papers.
Focus, focus, focus on your work. It's amazing what you can do! nm
x
Focus. sm
I worked for Focus doing editing and was not happy with the company. I applied for a transcription postion and was hired on the spot for an editing position.  Little did I know that I was editing work from India, which did not sit well with me.  I was using the Netcare platform and hated it.  I could not work for this company knowing that they were sending their work overseas and taking away our US jobs - but I had many good laughs while editing of what was actually dicated from the doctors and what was transcribed by the people in India. 
Focus

No, I did not until I was hired. I live in Mass and their offices are also in Mass. I applied through an ad in the local paper.  When I met with them at their offices, I was told I would be transcribing for a local hospital account and also doing some editing, which was not the case when all was said and done.  I never did do any transcribing and lasted only a short time doing editing.  I agree that the line counts differ from your own and is something to be careful with when working for this company. 


Focus
I have worked in transcription for 8 years at local offices and just have started working with Focus.  I have trouble not having jobs available during the hours that I agreed to work.  I was given the impression I was taking an editing position but so far have only done transcription. Please give me names of good companies to work for.
Focus
If you visit their website, it says they are based in Mass with offices all over the US. I could not find anything about India anywhere on their website. They may be Indian, but I was hard pressed to find that info. Also, if you Google them you will get negative posts about them being an Indian company (all from this site), but I have yet to see anyone actually back that up with concrete evidence. I guess you'll just have to decide for yourself. They wouldn't be the only company that is Indian anyway. There are companies that advertise on this site that outsource.
FOCUS, RUN AWAY
I worked for them and most of the office staff is Indian and they treat their employees horribly. They cut the all the editors pay. Most of the accounts are have horrible dictators. You can't make any money. They don't respect the MTs/editors.
RUN AWAY FROM FOCUS
They treat their employees terribly. The office staff is mostly Indian and they have no respect for their employees. I would not recommend working there. I know, I USED to work for them.
Focus
They currently pay .08 cpl for transcription and .04 cpl for VR editing.  You can either be IC or employee status.  I currently work for Focus Infomatics as an Independent Contractor and love it.  I do not do VR editing.  I have worked there for approximately three months.  Everyone has been very kind and helpful.  The account I work on keeps me very busy and I am making very good money.  They did mention VR editing to me when I was hired, but I have not been set up to do that yet.  It will be my decision to do that though.  They do offer benefits if you are employee status and they have direct deposit.  So far I have no complaints whatsoever!
FOCUS
Anybody out there who works for Focus doing editing on voice rec, can you tell  me what the average lines per hour are that you are able to achieve. Thanks a bunch for any info. 
Focus

I am so glad to hear somebody else out there has the same problem I have.


Focus
The same thing happened to me at Focus. I am at another company working on the same platform and make alot more money as well. There is something going on with the way they count lines.
Focus
I started with Focus a couple weeks ago and love editing. Only drawback right now is running out of work but supposedly more accounts are coming on board soon so hopefully it will pick up then. I have no complaints other than low workload.
Focus
I worked for them last year and loved editing, but I had the same problem with running out of work.
Focus
I currently work for Focus and I am very happy there. There have been some changes made within the company lately including a new QA manager, which was greatly needed. I have plenty of work and make a good line rate. No complaints.
Focus
Yeah, and I see they have an ad today about needing MT/editors immediately! What's up with that? I have no work to do but yet they need them immediately!
Focus
I currently work for Focus (about 2 weeks now) and have run out of work almost every day. I love editing, but when there's no work, it doesn't pay the bills. I see today they have an ad to hire again.
Focus
I have been hired by Focus and I am supposed to start Oct. 9th. After reading some of the posts, I have really thought twice. I work P/T now and make about 400 every two weeks. Will I get that working P/T for Focus? Also, do they offer direct deposit to P/T or just F/T? Thanks!
Anybody know anything about FOCUS

Focus
You will never ever get an increase out of this company. Also, really, really poor response to concerns and hard to understand tech support and supervisors.
NAH, bet it is Focus. nm
Most frustrating and underpaying company I ever had the misfortune to almost donate my time to.  Got out quick.  There are other Escription companies that may give the same cpl but man do you get more lines and make more - telling you just how dishonest Focus really is. 
Isn't that the new name for Focus? If so, run away! nm
s
Are they still Focus?
I saw all the stuff about Focus but nothing recent about Acetera.
The did NOT used to be Focus...sm
I just talked to them regarding a position and that is one of the questions I asked. They are an independent 2 year old company that is NOT a part of Focus Infomatic. They have done some work for them, but are not affiliated in any way. I was also offered a position, as they found my resume information on Monster.com, and being curious asked. FYI.
Focus

Thanks for the information.  I will be running as I am an IC and work privately for a group in town that has outsourched to India and I have lost 4 Drs because of this and I am now down to 1.  I cannot believe this outsourching to India for a cheaper rate and all jobs are being lost here in the US.  I am going back to school for my coding CPC as I have done billing for 12 years and I feel transcription is going to the birds.


Thanks Again.


Focus
They are in India, I have seen pictures of where they work. They have mostly men doing their transcription. Stay away.
Pay at Focus

What percentage of your 2000.00 per pay period is editing and transcription?  Thanks.  Do you work on more than one account?


Focus
I applied with them and took the time for the entire test.  You have to pass the first 2 parts to go on to the transcription.  I thought I did well on the transcription, but just received an email that I did not pass.  No phone call, no score, nothing....Then I read on this site many negatives. Maybe a blessing that the door did not open.... 
Focus
I had worked for Focus for a little over a year and finally just got out and got a job with DRC.  I did speech recognition editing and as far as doubling your line counts, forget it.  There were so many mistakes, it would have been faster to type the report from scratch.  As far as an incentive program goes, there is one in place but it is extremely difficult to meet.  Just to make 9 cents a line, you would have to do 2000 lines a day if you worked five days a week.  Even though DRC pays by the keystroke, I was STARTED at what equals out to be more than 9 cents a line.
Focus
I worked for Focus for about a year and a half and really had no complaints.  Yes, your supervisor will be in India, although I really only talked to him over instant messenger.  I never had any problems with them harassing me about how much work I did, and my quality was good so that wasn't a problem either.  My pay was always on time direct deposit and I was an IC so I could work whenever I wanted as long as I got my account done.  I was the only one doing this particular account so I wasn't in a pool or anything.  I did not like the voice recognition editing that I did.  There were so many mistakes, I felt like it would be quicker to just type the report from scratch but that could have been the particular account I was doing it on.  Not a bad place to start out I don't think. 
Focus
The replies are still down there and they are not all negative. I like working for them. My account has a combination of standard transcription and voice recogn. editing. I just started a couple of months ago PT and I am making more the longer I work and get better at the editing. The only problem is a language barrier with the Indian staff but personally it hasn't been a problem for me yet.
focus
Focus Infomatics?
Focus
Anyone out there know anything about Focus Infomatics?  TIA