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Okay, okay....Please read inside.

Posted By: sm on 2005-07-21
In Reply to: To you, from the O'Donnell clan. - ya tinker!

I posted the Irish statement. BUT, there's some background here.

I'm heavily involved in all things Irish in various venues and have been for years. My statement came from a comment a friend made about our trip to Belfast next April. He was stating to his wife that, while we were staying in a very nice area, across the street is was "the troubles," and so we had to be careful with the children, to not let them wander without us.

For those of you who understand Irish history, you know what I'm talking about.

I simply was referring to the history the Irish have had for centuries, one side fighting the other while all the while being a steadfast and kind people themselves--kinda like we MTs. We're a family, but boy can we throw a bomb or two at our relatives without a moment's hesitation, starting a fight all over again, and at times just for the fun of the fight. You agree?

So, everyone please calm down. My statements were said not out of bigotry or hatred, but out of pure historical fact. The Irish are a fiery, feisty, and adorable people who can't seem to fight fair.

Aithníonn cíaróg cíaróg eile.


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    read inside.....

    I have been an MT for about 7 years now, and I  started working for a national company about 2 1/2 months ago part time.  I really enjoy the work, and I am glad to get back into acute care work since I have been doing mostly clinic work for 2 years.  I am still not meeting my line requirements yet.  Some days are better than others; it all depends on the dictators.  The company has been really flexible and said that I am doing fine and showing steady improvement. 


    Has anyone else been in this same boat or is it just me?  My pay is more and more each pay period as my line count goes up, but I just get frustrated because I seem to be getting nowhere sometimes.  Hope someone has some insight on this.


    Please read inside
    Please contact the website where they are advertising.  After informing them of a problem I had with a company - not only did I get my back pay but they cannot advertise anymore     - They encourage MTs to do this. 
    Anyone know of a Montana, I think I read it here-- see inside
    A Montana company that is good to MTs, does not go in for voice recognition and etc?

    I thought I read it here about a month ago and I looked up and found the above information on the web site. But I cannot locate it now. Any help would be good. It sounded like a good company that was interested in the MT and providing what an MT needed, and not investing in tech or voice recognition as a goal. Thank you. You can e-mail me, if you like.
    I copied the ad and it is inside..read it again--sm
    First off, you have to work at the company...then it says you need all this experience....see below

    At home or company: Work at company
    Full or Part time: Full-time position
    Type of Transcription: Hospital transcription.
    Specialty: Any Specialty
    Job Description: Radiology Transcriber Full-time M-F, Strong radiology background with knowledge and experience for all types of report modalities for radiology hospital exams. Must be very dependable and able to do a large volume.
    Hardware/Software: Cerner Radnet
    Method of sending/receiving dictation: Sending through internet. Receiving must have C-phone with unlimited long distance plan or wavepedal for internet access.
    Compensation Information: 65 character line .16 cents/line
    Date Posted: 2006-06-26 22:18:34.0
    Check out www.IRS.gov..read inside
    It does make a difference whether you work a schedule or not. According to the IRS, if you are an IC but are told what hours you are to work, then you are considered an employee and the company could get into major trouble and have to pay taxes, etc. A true IC sets their own schedule. Hope that helps!
    Please read: Inside is what we are being told
    This is exactly what we are being told. See below:

    this is more of a census issue. The thinking is that because brand-new deductibles hit in January, people are putting off going to the doctor's office and putting off having needed procedures done as they pay off the 2007 bills, etc. during this month.

    That paragraph is straight from managment.

    Thanks
    Inside is original post by DK...read it
    JLG IS DISHONEST
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    [ Post a Reply ] [ View Follow Ups ] [ Company Board ]
    Posted By: DK on 2006-04-02

    I just completed an interview process with JLG. The owner presents herself as an MT who understands our situations. But they are very dishonest. Do not trust them. They are liars. I just wish I could find some honesty in this business. I have been in it for 20 years. It used to be a professional career with integrity, but not anymore. The disadvantage of working over the internet is that companies do not see you as a person, but as a computer, or a typist. They don't have to look into our eyes when they lie. They just really don't care. Thanks for listening.


    you really need to read through all these pages...see thread inside
    there are threads on pages on this company board that are not positive. however, people tend to post negative rather than positive at this site.

    people are not going to do your searching for you. do not assume because no one answered your question it is positive sign.

    for example, here's a thread at page 10.


    http://forum.mtstars.com/company/v/1/94910.html

    good luck.
    I read all read all the threads in the "companies" section
    of another board, MT Chat, and Googled each one that got positive reviews. If they had a website and a way to apply online, I did so. And that was how I got hired at TRS. They were not advertising at the time. By sheer coincidence I applied to Transcend just before I applied to TRS, and they were not interested in what I had to offer at the time. And now they've got me anyway, since they bought TRS. Interesting how things work out sometimes.

    Companies with negative reviews, or company queries that got only a terse I sent you a PM reply, I passed over.
    I read your post. What do you want me to re-read?
    and it seems those are your posts, too, so things just didn't add up and seemed inconsistent. If a place dropped me down to p.r.n. at 7 cpl or whatever and I already had another job where I could get 1000-1500 lines, I wouldn't give the first place a second thought so just couldn't figure out why anyone else would.
    see inside
    As I mentioned before, the best thing to do would be to send a resume directly to the medical records director. If they are in need of a transcriptionist, chances are they are going to walk that resume right down to HR and have them get in touch with you for an interview. And it also lets the MR Director know that "hey, there are people in the area, and we don't have to outsource overseas or out of the hospital."

    I can't say it enough - I wish I had lived in St. Louis because I would have taken the job in a heartbeat. Some people did work at home and others worked on site.
    See inside...
    I love the fact that there is always work (except on a few occasions around holidays, etc). I love that I can generally get an answer to a question when I ask it. I love that my pay is always on time (as the previous person said). I love that they do not outsource to India. I agree, there have been some changes, but I really love MDI.

    There are some minuses too, but I have worked for a few other nationals after working at a hospital, and really, MDI is the best I have seen.
    sm inside
    I was in a simlar situation once.  I didn't want to burn my bridges, just in case the other job didn't work out so I told them I could not commit to full time as some personal issues came up but that I would be able to help them out 1 day a week.  They allowed me to do this, and it ended up that I went full time with them later, as I actually made more money in the long run... better dicators, etc...
    Look inside for what
    Rolling On The Floor Scaring The Cat Laughing My @$$ And Other
    Body Parts Off.  Teresa, they may have an opening at OSi or SoftScript for you.
    Thank you!!!! Please sm inside
    Thanks for all the information!  Did you feel that you were able to get yourself on some sort of 'schedule'?  I just left somewhere because I had no idea from day to day when I would get work or how much and ended up waiting around all day long sometimes and either getting very little to nothing or too much at once for the TAT.  Did it seem pretty manageable?  (I would also rather work during the daytime hours...)  Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your help!  
    see inside

    I worked for them recently (within a year). They had software changes earlier to that, so if you see negatives about technology problems, it was before that. Evidently they did have lots of problems back before they were on their current system. Still some occasional bugs.

    IC only. Good accounts. Put you on one account, and you stay on that account. If you have a similar experience to mine, you won't run out of work on your account.

    Software getting dated. Not written by/for MTs or with requests for MT input. Hence, you have the programmer(s) doing really strange Keystrokes that are not productivity-friendly. They fix one thing and break three others. Need to fire the programmers and invest a bit more in getting decent programmers.

    Office staff--THE best, hands down. QA will leave you alone unless there's a problem. You don't get QA scores sent to you or nitpicking. You either have good quality or they'll be contacting you about it.

    Hours--THE best, once again. You have a quota to get in every week, and you give them a weekend day. Other than that, you're free to get that time in when you can.
    OTI is also the company in my experience that's come closest to actually treating ICs as ICs.

    I have worked for many nationals, and OTI remains my best overall experience. I had to leave because of needing benefits. That's the only reason I left. I would recommend them to anybody who's got at least five years of acute care experience in the Basic 4.


    See inside. sm

    SoftScript pays up to 10.5 cents a line with full benefits.


    JLG, I believe, pays up to 9.5 with benefits (or at least they used to). 


    Be sure and watch the job boards for hospitals hiring for at home workers.  Good pay and full benefits at a great price.  Don't settle without checking all options and best of luck to you.


    See inside. sm
    Their ad on MTJobs says 7 to 9 cents a line. 
    see inside
    I used to work for them.  Is this transcription or editing? Is the patient name not there, or are you having problems getting the template?  Is there a button with three dots near the patient info on the screen?  If the patient name is not there you need to listen first and then input the first and last name on the screen.  It is hard to know exactly where you are.  Hope this could help some.
    See inside
    Pay rate - range is 0.7-0.9 depending on a lot of factors (for clinic). Includes spaces.

    Flexible - for clinic and ortho - YES!!!!

    Weekends - I do my Friday work on Saturday but not sure if required.

    Word - some accounts yes, some no. I type in Scribe, which is Word-based and very easy.

    In fact, flexible has hurt me today. I have not started yet. Queen of the game shows today!
    No. Inside is what you said in your OP.
    I just completed an interview process with JLG. The owner presents herself as an MT who understands our situations

    You are wacked and definitely not someone that any co would want
    See inside
    Then I guess Scribes/Nightingale lowering their rates (without notice) from $1.05/minute to $.80 or $.85/minute sucks even worse than I thought.
    Please see inside.

    This is my first time doing IC work.  I imagine it will eat up some of my profit, but I am just having my other job hold out a little more.


    You only do as much as you want.  She will send an e-mail out to the P.R.N. pool of transcriptionists stating, I have 60 minutes of Dr. Mickey Mouse available.  His speciality is ENT.  It is due back by noon tomorrow (Pacific standard time).  Does anyone want all or part of this?  Then (based on whoever responds first) she will assign the work.  Let's say you want 30 minutes of it--you would e-mail her and state, May I have 30 minutes of Dr. Mickey Mouse's work?  If you're the first to ask, she will assign it to you. 


    You don't have to take work...only e-mail her when you want it.  There is not that much work.  She e-mails maybe 1 to 3 times a day.  So the work volume is pretty minimal, but it is something to fill in slow periods with another job.


    Hope this has been helpful.


    Chickadee


    see inside
    I usually get what I need.
    inside
    www.advancedtx.com
    See inside.

    SPi Transcription - web site is:   


    http://www.spi-bpo.com/web/spi/text_page.jsp?fldr_id=199


    I read some of the MT Stars archives entries that gave the impression they were now an American company. 


    After reading more, you may be right.  I think they may be foreign-based.  They acquired an American-based MT company several years ago and set up their corporate office in Nashville, TN but sounds like they are still pretty much an overseas company.  Kind of confusing.  Anyway, check out the web site for more info. 


     


    Oh, OK - see inside
    I work for Cymed (now SPi) and no change at all as of yet.  Hopefully this will continue.
    See inside.
    It's an Indian company, run by (India) Indians, but they hire Americans and the accounts are American hospitals/doctors.

    They have both straight transcription and voice recognition editing, I believe you have to do both. Mostly hire ICs.
    What they did was ... (see inside)
    Suddenly, with no warning, cut people's salary by a huge amount. I had worked there for almost 3 years, and the cut took me back to the starting pay they had given me when I was fresh out of school. This was despite being able to do absolutely any kind of work they had, plus working on weekends and holidays with no extra pay or compensation.

    They were originally Scribes Data, bought out by Nightingale. We were assured absolutely nothing would change regarding the MTs with the buyout, but they lied.

    I really miss some of the doctors I transcribed for there, but I couldn't take a huge cut like that, especially without notice, it was a real slap in the face, in my opinion.

    I did learn an awful lot working there (acute care of all types).
    See inside...
    The present job may be sending you tons of work, but if they're not paying you, you're not making any money.

    I would do minimal work for them, and maximum for the new place. Old place can't complain about you not working if they're not paying. And the only way to see if new place will work out is to try it.

    Good luck!
    Sad see inside...

    First let me say I am not paid by the line, but by the report.  Secondly, my lead has been wonderful.  I keep in close communication with her.  I also let her know that if extra help is needed I am available.  I honestly feel like me keeping busy is related to the two accounts that I have as well as my lead.  I was adamant about getting a second account.


    I am sorry that your best day this pay period has been 175 lines, but you really have to question the variables surrounding this.  Do you work on a large account, what about your scheduled times.  I know that with radiology, usually the doctors are very active first thing in the morning taking care of the films from the night before.  This is a good fit for me and I will continue to voice that.  Even if things were really bad, I would be ringing the phone off the hook with my lead and the office trying to get resolution.  Jumping ship is not always the answer as we change and find ourselves sinking. 


    In the past I left one company that I had been with for 6 years and it took going through 3 other companies before I found one worthwhile, which was not KS.  I hope things work out for you and you can pick up more work because no one can survive on 175 lines per day.  Good luck!!!


    Looking for a job? See inside, please

    MTStars provides the most extensive listing of job opportunities anywhere.  Our Job Seekers forum is free and the job advertisements are usually very descriptive.


    We also offer a free resume bank for you to post your resume on. 


    If you have questions about a specific company, please ask here on the Company board.


    Please:  Do not post job-wanted posts.  Do not ask what are good companies. 


    Otherwise, you will have to search for your position through the job ads and the application process like everyone else. 


    If you have questions, feel free to email me.


    Goldbird


    See inside
    Granted, there are many, many Americans who do not use the language properly even a little bit, but these people typically do not become MTs either!

    Oh, if only this were true! Some of the work from India I have seen is MUCH better than some of the American work. Way too many poorly-trained Americans with terrible grammar skills, and many of them can't even spell grammar!
    More inside ....
    I know now that they pay by production and that the minimum per day is 1350.

    I'd have to go in house for training but only until I'm comfortable with the system (it's a new platform for me) and they are comfortable with letting me go. The transcription manager told me it would probably only be a few days. The hospital is about 45-50 miles from my house so I'd want to come home just as soon as I could.

    All their employee MTs work at home except the manager, and she has been there for I think 13 years herself.

    The other thing that I didn't mention is that I have done work for this hospital before, but I usually do ops and I probably wouldn't get those from the hospital as obviously they send those out.

    I guess I'm just not sure whether to jump ship now since this particular new position is open (if I could get it), or wait until I actually have no job.
    Inside...

    Do a search in the Company Board forum (make sure that's what is selected) for Focus and/or Focus Infomatics.  That should give you plenty of resources.


    Their pay is 8 cpl standard transcription and 4 cpl edited.


    Amanda


    Look inside....sm
    They require everybody to be at least 20 hours a week. I work 25 a week and make the 6000 minimum line count (for part time) in the 2-week pay period. I'm usually at least 1000 above that so I could probably work less than 25 hours a week and still make it. I have been working at least 30 now with extra hours during the time they need extra help, so I'm easily beyond and don't have to worry. The account instructions aren't so bad if you stick to your primary most of the time. It's just flipping back and forth that makes you pause and think it through when you come to something that you know can go either way. They are awfully picky on some things. For the demos, a lot of things fill in but not all, so you have to take some time to do that, depending on the particular account. It's not hard, just time-consuming.

    It's like any job...some good...some bad...but overall it has been fine for me and I'm glad I tried it out. Of course I don't have any other national to compare it to since I've only been with local clinics before.
    see inside
    1. No longer treated as professionals. **********I have never experienced this. I am always treated as a professional business owner. Maybe it is the way you carry yourself??

    2. Just got offered 14.00 to 16.00 per hour to write a transcription training program for company in India. (yea, for that amount... it is not going to happen). ***********I would not accept $14-16 either. Is that the maximum you can get these days. I have been fortunate enough to have good accounts so the per-hour-figure has been good for me and others from what I hear.


    3. I truly feel SOME MTs do not take the work as seriously as it was several years ago so therefore the more need for QA (added cost for companies) *********Not sure about that either. The work is now outsourced where as before it was done in the hospital, and the doctor could just pop in the department and ask for a correction (that drove me nuts but they did it). Services have to offer some sort of guarantee (second review by QA if necessary) to be competitive don't they??

    4. People that work at home do not work the schedule they agree to. (this is a job).************ It is a job, but for some a subcontractor's job. That means work the hours you choose. If I agree to a schedule I'll work it, but I'm not sure what others have agreed to work and either are you. How can you presume??

    5. I can't be grateful for not having to purchase clothes for work. I still have to have clothing to wear and that same clothing is what I can work in. ********Can't speak for everyone, but I am definitely not transcribing in heels :)

    6. More and nmore people look at this job as a way to take care of young children at home. i.e avoid the cost of daycare, etc. Please!! It is still a job!! You have to work! **********It has been exactly that for me. I have been able to raise my children and earn a great living. I do my job so well I can do both. Sorry you feel you have not been able to or others like you could not achieve that.

    7. Absolute thing worst about working at home..... there is no difference from being at work and at home. *********I don't know any other job where I could throw a load of laundry in, start the dishwasher, run an errand, or work at 3 in the morning if I could not sleep.

    Sorry for the typos, but I am so tired of seeing/reading how great it is to work from home. It would be great if people took it seriously, but they do not! *********Maybe all don't take it as serious as they should, but honestly is isn't it that way everywhere?

    5. ********Just my humble opinions :)



    See inside please
    Since when does a Transcriptionist have a college degree? Well I have had my degree for eight years now. And yes it is a degree from our local college, and yes it is in medical transcription thank you very much.
    see inside
    be a high producer, be able to cover every work type on your account, be able to work more than one account -- and be very consistent in meeting line counts! My raises were for bribes to get my line counts higher. I've been on start up teams for several new accounts because of the versatility in adapting to different account specifics.

    In other words, make yourself invaluable and the money will come.
    see inside
    Dan,
    I just read your post and I think it is great that you so openly willing to discuss your business, mistakes, strengths, etc. If only more business owners were like you who realize that everyone is human and mistakes do happen and would accept constructive critism. You sound like you would be a great person to work for!
    See inside
    It usually costs $15-$20 to do so and I would definitely charge you more, if I were them.

    It takes time to process the info for FedEx or UPS deliveries and, if you've missed the pickup deadline, you have to go out to a dropbox, etc.

    I'd definitely charge you past the cost.


    See inside
    Genius, what I said was the problem with your statement that a credit check tells how responsible you are. It DOES NOT tell how responsible you are - it reflects your financial situation, which is controlled by many, many outside sources.

    You sound like a spoiled little princess who has a husband who gives her everything she wants and you work for extra money to spend on yourself.

    Maybe one day you'll face a divorce, death of a spouse, prolonged illness, legal problems for yourself or a family members, that will tarnish your credit rating and then you'll see how real people have to face consequences that are not always a result of their own actions. What a little snit you are.
    See inside

    First highlight the text that you would like to copy to Shorthand.  Once highlighted, hit cntrl and insert twice to copy the text.  ShortHand entry box will pop up, add keyword and hit okay.  You may have to do it twice for it to work.  The text will populate into the text to type box when successful.  I have added plenty of entries using this method and have had no problems.  Hope this helps.  By the way, I work for KS, so I know this method works with Meditech and Shorthand.


    Yes, see inside

    Put in your keyword and go to text to type box.  Click on tags, keystroke, then message comes up the next key typed will be the key assigned to the shortcut.  Hit your backspace button, click okay, save and this should take care of it. 


    Don't go with either of them...see inside
    I have worked for both...don't do it! I have been helping a new company out recently called MagnaDoc Solutions. Everyone is so nice and the pay is always on time and very flexible. If you are interested their e-mail is magnadoc_solutions@yahoo.com. JMHO. Hope that helps.
    look inside
    Pregnancy complicates health insurance options. Federal law bars pregnancy from being considered a preexisting condition, which means if you change health plans while you're pregnant, your new insurer can't deny claims related to your pregnancy. But a variety of loopholes means pregnant women could still lack insurance coverage for their prenatal care if they don't do some careful planning.

    Under a law known as HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, health insurers cannot consider pregnancy a preexisting condition. So, unlike illnesses such as diabetes, they can't deny you coverage when you go from one job to another and switch health plans.


    Sorry not sure of a good company for better insurance for you


    Does anyone inside KS (sm)
    know why the insurance didn't start 6/01 and why nothing as been said about it to employees?  I don't mind the wait as I have not had insurance for years because I never could afford it, but I am simply curious.  As I said, even if it starts later on in the year, I'm just grateful to be with KS and to have it.  Just curious....
    See inside
    Go to Yahoo groups and search for Transtech group
    See inside
    No, I don't believe they test anyone. They go over your resume in great detail to find your strengths and try to match you to an available account. There is an extensive phone interview (mine was about 60 minutes, maybe even a little more). If they think you've got what they're looking for for a specific account, they hire you. BTW, the phone interview isn't emotionally taxing or anything like that, so don't be nervous. It's just basically to talk more about where you've worked, your likes/dislikes, things like that. You're never made to feel as if you're being scrutinzed.

    As for picking what you would like to work on, that I'm not sure about. I had a pretty extensive background in a particular area on which they had an opening and had actually sent in my resume a couple of months before. My liason remembered my resume and my experience in this particular area and contacted me regarding a specific account. I'm sure if you tell them of your love of ops, if they're able to accommodate you, they will.

    I think you will find MQ and MDI-MD as different as night and day.
    See inside.
    They advertised for an opening in which I have a lot of current experience. I sent in a resume hoping for the best and they called me 2-3 days later, talked about an hour, and by the time I hung up I had the job and was just about dancing around the room. I opted to use one of their computers which shipped out 2 days later, so within about 7 days from the initial contact I was actually on board and working.

    It is a great place to work, to be completely straightforward. Nice people, great communication, great platform, and I'm totally in love with my account. They even checked several times the first couple of weeks to make sure I still was enjoying the account. The QA person is also one of the nicest, most helpful and informative people I've worked with in my entire career.

    I could literally go on all day about this place and how great I think they are, but I'd strongly encourage anyone who has the chance to apply or test for them to go at it with every ounce of knowledge you have, because it will be well worth your while.
    See inside
    No, TT management is not on this board, nor do they actively check it unless something is brought to their attention.

    When a TT employee shared the fact that TT is starting some accounts on VR, some of us who already do VR tried to reassure the posters who were panicking. Because we stated that once you learn it, you make actually the same money or even a tad more than with straight transcription, some poster(s) started calling us liars, saying we were management in disguise, saying we must be incompetent, etc....you get the idea, if they can't do it, NO ONE can do it mentality.

    The poster referred to as being 'nasty' is the one who started talking about the TT employees revolting and staging a 'mass exodus' (her phrase, not mine), and just trashing TT all around and trying to get others on the bandwagon.

    Many posters were sensible and decided because they like working for TT so much that they will stick around and at least give the VR a shot. But this particular poster would start another thread, calling the VR people 'TT cheerleaders,' 'liars,' etc. There was NO reasoning with her and no amount of reassurance that she might in fact like VR once she learned it would dissuade her onslaught of posts. I finally gave up trying to reason with her and explain VR and how it is not a salary cut at all, but she's 'heard' otherwise so she 'knows' better.

    I think enough posters had their fill of it and finally told her if she was that unhappy, rather than trying to start a cyber riot, she should simply just start looking for another position with another company that didn't require VR.

    Hope that kinda clears things up for you, and hope this doesn't start a flame war, but I think any VR person or REASONABLE, RATIONAL MT that was involved with the thread will tell the same story I just told. I love VR and am very proficient at it. Heck, if TT asked me, I'd even be willing to mentor an MT while she learned VR (well, not that one poster with that attitude, but the ones who are going into it with an open mind).

    Different strokes and not everyone is going to like VR, just like there are those that prefer VR to standard transcription. I think that those of us who are proficient at VR and make decent money doing it just haven given up on posting about it, because we're always met with the accusations of lying, being incompetent, being management, or just a 'cheerleader' (apparently if you enjoy your job and like the company for which you work, this is NOT a good thing to some people).

    *Another TT Cheerleader*