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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

I'd do it in a heartbeat. You'll never beat a hospital's benefits or job security.

Posted By: WanderingMT on 2007-07-29
In Reply to: Is there really any way I can go wrong to accept at-home hospital job?SM - JT

I like the idea of going to my job every day, doing it well, and being done with it. You are not penalized pay-wise if you dont happen to meet your line count and the incentives are nice. I'd say jump from that sinking ship and jump aboard job security.




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Here Here!!! I just called the Social Security office to apply for benefits, and somebody is already
They needed and had my medical records to do this.!
Boy, would I do it for the benefits only ! Hospital, where are you ? nm
 b
Hospital Benefits

The hospital benefits differ depending on each individual hospital, but they are less expensive in general.  For my hospital, medical insurance is about $200 per month for the most expensive PPO for family. 


I do know that if you are looking into one of the hospital employee positions, you have to live in a state compatible with who the hospital accepts, i.e. usually that state and the states surrounding it.  I believe it has something to do with the state tax withholding, so not everyone will be able to work for the hospital directly.  Make sure you ask about it though with the recruiter.  They did the same thing to me (tried to push the Diskriter position), even when I specifically applied for the hospital position.  Good luck 


      


Hospital concerns for benefits.

Many MTSO's are hiring only ICs now with no no benefits given.  Now given these are mostly smaller company's.  But why don't the hospitals form their own and contract out.  That's basically what some of the smaller MTSO's are.  They use the hospitals equipment.  I work for a small rural hospital as an independent contractor.  I worked inhouse for 2 years doing their Basic 4 and radiology reports.  For family reasons I was planning to leave but they offered to send me home to work.  Since my husband had medical benefits, I did not miss the benefits at the hospital.  But this situation worked out fine since I had a sick child that I was paying daycare for when he was not even there but home sick.  Ten years later, I am still working at home for the same hospital.  Hospital's work has grown and I am not willing to work so much now.  The hospital thought about hiring a MTSO but decided not to after they found out what they charged.  Which was about 3 times what I did.  They hired part-time Transcriptionist themselves to cover what I could not do.  So, to all those below who thinks it wound not benefit the hospitals, here's one story where everyone benefits. 


Even hospital benefits are sky high
I work full-time at a hospital and basic family coverage without dental or vision is over $300.00 a month out of the employee's pocket, around $65 for single. 
That is exactly why hospital outsource so they do not have to pay out benefits, but..

You would at least think we were worth some decent benefits, good insurance at the very least but I guess if you work at home, you dont get sick LOL.. Point well taken as I have worked in a hospital and that was exactly why they outsourced. The hospital budget did not allow for any more employees.


Any companies out there that offer the hospital benefits besides Diskriter
I currently work in-house a hospital but they do not have at-work positions and I would like ot work at home so I wondered if there were other companies and/hospitals that hire at-home MTs with full benefits....besides Diskriter as I have not heard a lot of good news about them and it makes me nervous to apply.
Agree somewhat. I have done transcripion at a hospital and we did have benefits for PT status.
You just acrue it at a different rate but I certainly never had them take back all of my PTO I had earned when my status fell to less than FT. I even earned PTO time but just less per pay period, but to each his own. They do it because they can.
There's no comparison in being a hospital employee with benefits working rotating weekend and IC
Initially what made being an IC worth sacrificing benefits was having a flexible schedule. I have read the laws and have done research. An independent contractor is not obligated to a set schedule and this definitely includes holidays and weekends. So what if this is a 24/7 business? How many hospital workers do you know that work every weekend with no benefits?? Nada! I knew student nurses who chose 24 hours every weekend so they could go to school thru the week, but they were compensated quite well at 40 hours with full benefits.

A company may hire a lot of misinformed ICs for Sun-Th and Tues - Sat schedules, but by law they are pushing the envelope. ICs need to remind these companies what the legal definition of an IC is. I'm sure they remember that we don't receive benefits. They want it both ways. If I'm going to be an IC with the only benefit being flexibility, there's no way I'm giving that up!

A national I worked for, which I won't name (squid)tried that on us after taking over our company. They even used scare tactics. We still didn't get on every weekend. There was nothing they could do and they knew it.
If your hired FT and you fail to meet line counts, you'll lose your benefits including any PTO
that you have acrued. So, it's best to stick to what you signed up for or you'll get moved to PT status and have no benefits.
They would do it to you in a heartbeat!
x
i would take $20 an hour in a heartbeat!
x
I'd be out the door in a heartbeat.

The folks in India would stab us in the back in a heartbeat.

I would not go so far as to say they cannot be beat. sm
There are several services out there offering 10 cents a line AND they pay full benefits, PTO, 401K, holiday pay etc, AND they have direct deposit, which FN has for only a very select few.  Who wants to pay $25.00 a pay day to have your check overnighted?  Not me.  Otherwise, you wait for the mail which could take over a week to get to you.  Not very technologically advanced in my opinion. Plus, the ESLs really are the worst ever.  I am glad I left and got a REAL job with REAL benefits. 
Beat you both....
I am 66 years old and still working full time at home. Worked as a legal Transcriptionist for over 30 years, but had always been interested in medical, so I took a course, and been working ever since. Just wish they had telecommuting many years ago!
Don't beat yourself up
I have a 5-year-old who is prone to ever respiratory illness known to man it seems, which terrifies me after him being born with CDH and one lung not fully functioning. Anyway, even at this age, he knows my work is important but that I'm here for him if he needs me. I actually have my office set up with a small sofa in it. If he's sick, he lays in here with me where I can keep an eye on him. I don't believe your child will be traumatized with you having to work while he's sick. Just the sight of mommy makes things seem better, and at least he has that. :)
Oh I can beat that one...
How bout they email to say there's no work...then close with, Take this slow time to get some Christmas shopping done or to do something nice for yourself! Excuse me, if I aint making cha-ching...I aint Christmas shopping and I certainly aint gonna waste money on a massage or a manicure...Puhleeze!!!
do not beat yourself up

I took the test for the WMX and did pass (they would not accept the schedule I needed).  I do believe that I left a blank on one of the reports, could not hear what was said and I belive I left blank lines for any MD name listed. 


It might have been something else, like maybe you did not hyphenate (5-cm incision), or maybe it was a wrong medical word. 


No one ever tells you what you did wrong.  Maybe you could e-mail them back and find out what it was.  Just tell them you would like to learn from your mistakes so that you could re-apply in the future.


You beat me to the punch. - nm
hehehe
I think you are both saying the same thing. Why beat each other up? nm
nm
Wow. That's really beat. There's a butt for
.
SHOULD HAVE BEAT THEM AT THEIR OWN GAME...SM
Sounded like a backstabbing, dirty trick to play.  But if you had known (and the NEXT time they ask you for a list of worst dictators) you will know what to do...thanks for the tip for the rest of us:  Just do a turnabout and give them a list of your BEST one...they'll send the worst to India!!! Kind of like switching drinks with someone who's spiking your drink when they're not looking (LOL)
BEAT FEET!
I agree with everyone. If this is an example of how they treat you in the beginning, just think of what it will be like after a few months!
IMO, TT is hard to beat
Nice people, including the nicest QA people I've ever encountered, low-key, let the MTs do their work without micromanagement, great communication, and a really generous bonus plan.

The account I'm on is on Escription but they have other platforms, too. I love my account and actually look forward to working every day.

I haven't been there very long, but I just can't say anything negative at all.

TT pretty much is the best I've worked for.
You are right. It is hard to beat the experience of having someone sm

right there to listen for you.  I worked in a department where there were ladies with 20+ years of experience.  It was amazing to me that they could listen once and knew what it was.  Unfortunately, not many places offer inhouse training programs anymore, and even when offered, it seems that most people want to start working at home immediately.  I have tried to mentor people by having them call me and play the dictation over the phone, but it is still not the same.


Nice to meet a fellow TTer 


 


Not to beat the break thing

to death, but I just read the responses to my question about the lunch/breaks and think I might have been misunderstood.


It is line-based pay (not hourly).  I don't expect to be paid for lunch (that is voided out like other jobs).  We work the extra time to have the lunch so doesn't affect our line count


It just seems like if workers are legally supposed to have 2, 15-minute breaks during an 8 hour shift but line count is based on 8 hours, then it's sort of like we really don't get the breaks (like if in an hourly-wage job, people got pay deducted if they took their breaks).


Am I making any more sense wording it this way?


New accts. Can I beat myself with a stick now? A-G-G-H
nm
Oh yeah...I can beat that one...How about the IT guy who tells who...
that the company has massively overhired on the account that you were just hired for. Hmm...could that be the reason why I have no money to buy my kids any Christmas gifts this year???!!! 9 months to go and I will never go near this transcription bullcrap ever again!!! This is my last Christmas ever again that I can't buy my kids any Christmas gifts!!!
I got that beat - three days to figure out it wasn't for me (sm)
Spent more time flipping through paperwork trying to figure out spellings for carbon copies.  (CC to everybody! referring doc, primary doc, all docs on speciality team).  Spent more time arrowing up and down the prefilled headings looking for the one the doc was dictating.  Had to delete headings not used by dictator (but prefilled on form).  WASTE of my time.  Hopefully they've fixed all this mess.
I have worked at MQ before and I would say that HIS has them beat when it comes to playing dirty!!
nm
Trying to beat the mass exodus. May be hard to
 
Not a chance in the world. Why would I let the company get beat up again sm
when it has been quiet for the past few weeks?
NO job security
Well, I can add a little more information about Interpro. I signed on to work, as usual, on this particular day, second shift and had an instant message waiting for me that said, "I sent you an email. Please read ASAP!"...it was a letter telling me that as an IC, I no longer had a job as of IMMEDIATELY and that they were phasing out the ICs in the company. I've never, ever lost a job in my life! What's more, the team I was on had gotten along great...one big happy family....that worked their rear off!!! I've seen these gals work over 16 hours a day to get the work out. I worked on a great team. Those ladies were great! They worked their rear off and for what? They never talked to you like you were stupid or beneath them. They were real, real people! They were awesome bosses! Sorry you new folks won't have the experience of working for them. This company needs to learn to appreciate their workers. Hey Interpro, the majority of your workers actually DO work and should NOT be treated as just a production number in the computer or as a pile of crap. I'm not there anymore, and that's fine. But Nandan needs to wake up and see what's going on in his company. It was much, much better before, Nandan!!! You made big major administrative changes in the last month and it is ruining your company...and just for the record, they do send work to India. I certainly miss the folks I worked with, but I don't miss the company itself.

Security fob - sm
Do you find that to be terribly inconvenient, i.e., does it interfere with your production at all in your opinion?  I tired to use one with one job, and while I wasn't with this job very long, I strongly disliked it LOL.
Me too. Also, job security to the MTs
My son's pediatrician and my own doctor have English as their second language and I would bet my life and my son's life on both of them. They are wonderful people. Both of them said they would love for me to tanscribe for them, too, if they did not have their own service. I guess we all get to do in life what we are destined to do. I do see these so-called ESLs as people who provide great care and honestly I have transcribed for so long, I don't even blink at who is dictating. It is the dictator in any language who disrepects the medical record by misspeaking terminology or just plain disrespects the Transcriptionist in that they think we read their minds that I think less of, in which case I leave a blank. They can fill it in, and read their own mind. LOL.
I be wlling to bett you my $200,000+ house here in Georgia will beat
anything like that in California. I watch HGTV and cannot believe what kind of crappy looking homes you get there for a price that is so over the top. I have a stand alone 4 bedroom, 4 bath, stucco house with over 600 square feet great room and a huge fireplace. I was in Sacremento about 2 years ago and what gives with the homes connecting onto 1 another? That was really strange for me. We live in Georgia also and with his salary and mine we have gone to the $90,000 salary per year. I would take my home here any ole day than what is offered there for 4 or 5 times the price of mine.
What do all you IC's do about Social Security? (sm)
I see all these good-paying jobs for Independent Contractors, but wondered what do you do about paying your social security??
Extra job security, anybody do this?
I recently took on another job, this one part-time.  I had been working for several months for a company that was constantly running out of work.  This way I can always be sure there will be work in one place or other.  I think in these economic times we have to protect ourselves.  Anybody else do this?  How does it work for you?
False security...DUH !

The email address isn't what they check; any dummy can use a false name.  IP address and computer MAC address is what they check.


No anonymity.


How do you NOT have to pay Social Security??
x
Work 3 - like the security - cm
I am an IC for a doctor working about 6 hours a week.

I am an IC for a small service about 15 hours a week.

Lastly, I work as an IC at a midsize service to cover the rest of my income.

My preference would be to have 2 income sources instead of 3 as I don't really make *more* this way; however, the job security is better this way. I can always move work around to cover when I have less work from another source. I can't afford slack paychecks as I am a single mom with no CS.

I like that I am doing clinic work and acute care work so I don't get pegged into one hole and lose marketability. I also like the extreme flexibility in that I can do the work any time during the day and not be tied to a clock.
I think I beat the dictators on that made-up term -- deductionable ! Oops ! nm
l
If you timed in for WEbinar let them know so they can take it off time card. Doesn't that beat a
.
Diskriter off off offshores - and on some hospital accounts - they have not informed the hospital
x
Jewish is the main hospital, St. Mary's is another hospital under their management. (nm)
x
It is a matter of security not personal. nm
nm
Self-employment tax IS Social Security...
As an IC you pay it all, rather than when working as an employee and paying half with the employer paying the other half.
Does Keystrokes use a security fob for their accounts? nm
xx
What about violation of Homeland Security
They have all our personal information over there where it isn't safe. I was told of an Indian that was doing AIDs patients, got mad, printed their information, and sent their reports to family members....Go outsourcing!!! If my doctors outsource I won't go to them anymore. Ask before you go...
Social Security & Medicare
Here's the scoop: As an IC, you are responsible for all 15.3% of your combined social security (12.4%) and medicare taxes (2.9%).

As a statutory MT or a full employee, the MTSO will pay half, or 7.65%, of your social security and medicare taxes. It is only as an IC or statutory that you are able to fully deduct your home office-related expenses on your tax return. I think an employee can only take SOME of the home-office write-offs, but I am not sure which ones.

Also of note is that only the first $92,000 of your income is subject to the SS and MC taxes (not that many of us make this much, but it's good to know!) However, you are only required to report your income if you made over $400 that year.

When you file your federal taxes at the end of the year, you will have to pay a self-employment tax which is what takes care of your SS and MC taxes.

If you expect to OWE more than $1000 in self-employment taxes at the end of the year, then you will actually need to make quarterly estimated tax payments or risk paying a penalty fee when you file annually. To compute that, I believe that you would owe more than $1000 in self-employment taxes if your taxable income is more than $6500 per year (which hopefully includes nearly all of us!).

If you can find a company who will treat you as an IC (not binding you to specific schedules, etc) yet will hire you to a statutory position, then this, in my opinion, is the way to go.

For instance, I currently work for two companies, one as an IC and one as statutory. They both pay me the same per line, but since the statutory one also pays half of my SS and MC taxes, it's like taking my line count and adding 7.65% to it!

You may ask why I don't just go full-time with the statutory--the answer is this: My IC account has a lot of standards, so I actually make about the same, if not more, even after I consider the fact that I am responsible for all of my taxes for income made with this account.

Hope this helps to answer some of your questions!