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Prior post said it's so-so to use, but only counts the black chars., no spaces. nm

Posted By: NM on 2007-03-19
In Reply to: Anyone have Cquence experience? - wonderin'

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I would think that black and WHITE means they pay for both black characters and spaces.
There is no such thing as a white character. But I would definitely clarify this in your interview.
Is their line 65 chars with spaces, etc.?
What platform are you using? (Do they have more than one?) Were you able to get a rate equivalent to what MDI paid you?
1 poster from last year said it was okay, not great, not awful. BUT it only counts the black
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black characters=without spaces.
nm
Definitely is spaces include, black and white.
Indeed it is.
Visible black character spaces
I work for a company that only pays VBC and let me tell you it takes forever to get that line count. In my opinion that space bar does not move by itself. Getting cheated but I need the job.
visible black character (VBC) spaces not counted SM

I just ran across this as bit long article but it is worth saving to your PC and reading a bit at a time.  I recall posting that Probity used this, I posted this meant NO SPACES and somebody came back and said they do pay for them. Boy they are really really making extensive calculation, guess always have and we did not know it.


Last year, KLAS reported that the industry appeared to be moving towards a standard


pricing model based on visual black characters (VBC), especially given the joint announcement from AHIMA and MTIA endorsing the adoption of VBC. The vision was for the VBC to be used to develop service level agreements, benchmark internal


transcription performance, foster better business relationships with the MTSOs, and improve the tools for evaluating and selecting MTSO partners. However, based on this body of research, adoption of this standard has been slow and billing per line is still the predominant approach.


 http://www.californiahia.org/Content/ul/8694//Kivi_Dale_Transcriptions_New_Standards.pdf


 


VBC - visible black character - no spaces, returns,
It reduces your pay by about 30%, because you still have to hit the spacebar and return even though you are not paid for it. 
I believe AAMT guidelines is 65 chars. with spaces. Maybe go to aamt.org and see if you can
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Cquence pay is 65-character with NO spaces, only black characters which equates to
approximately 1.5 to 2 cents per line less than 65-character with spaces.
It means characters that are printed in black and white - no spaces included. nm
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I emailed and asked. Said it was 65-character line with spaces or black and white.
clear as mud.
Apparently you missed the prior post.
AcuQuist based it's pay cut on an attempt to bring us in line with an average industry wage, part of their new mediocrity- not just for cheap wine policy. Therefore, being better, faster and more accurate, is not a desirable quality, and therefore we are being penalized for it.
I had posted that question right up under the original poster and prior to her post being answeredsm

Looks are deceiving and I AM paying attention.


The lazyMT was from a prior post about testing..NOT about my personal habits. I find it odd that you
would reply with someone so insignificant and to which no one cares about your opinion.  You don't know me and you certainly have no idea if I am lazy in regards to my lifestyle habits so go back where you came from, troll..
Of course they pay for spaces and I believe the line counts to be appropriate sm

I said appropriate without making a statement about accuracy.  My body knows when I have made my 1100 minimum.  I can do that in about half to two-thirds of a shift.  I can tell when I am at my usual 1600 to 1700 lines for a day too.


I'll agree...base rate is not stellar, but then again I never make that...I make more.  I am routinely on the third line rate incentive tier, which puts me up above the last line rate I was paid.  There is a QA bonus and I have gotten that which is per line bonus back to line one.  It is easy for high-caliber MTs to make very good money.


With the better insurance rates they have come up with, all those bonuses and the wonderful people...well I have found my heaven on earth.


 


Difference in line counts with/without spaces

I'm looking at swtiching companies but I'm tryint to figure out approximately what the pay would be like.  If I take the new job I would start at $ 0.005 less than what I currentently am paid but I would be paid for spaces and the job I curerntly have does not pay for spaces.   Any imput is appreciated.


Thanks


Yes, it counts spaces. It does not count headers/footers. sm
Chartscript counts the demographics i.e. headers/footers. That may be where your difference is. ES used to count them, but no more. It is about 15% less lines now that they do not count them.

Spaces are counted.
If Ichart deducts 8% from ExText line counts, you are actually not getting paid for spaces

It is the equivalent of a 70.2 character line with spaces, 65  characters without spaces. 


Hmm, post is about skewed line counts. Could that
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The only thing I noticed was counts slower to post - but accurate,I think
nm
A post from May said they paid 7 cpl with NO spaces. That's all I have. nm
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Older post says they didn't pay for spaces. nm
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In orig. post; she did not ASk if paid for spaces.
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Did you read post? OP didnt ask if pay for spaces.
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thx to prev post re viewing how DQS spaces being counted
i finally see now what i had heard rumored -- how we can check a previously transcribed report and see what QA filled-in the blanks.  So instead of waiting for feedback, i can just go back and check myself now, voila!!  In dQmanage, just choose your date, detail, click on job #, and instead of taking that payroll option, take the user option, and there's the finished QA'd report. Dang, wish i'd have known this before.
I recently saw a post about changing the two spaces after period to one at end of report. (sm)

I have been trying to search for where I saw this formula, but can't.  Any help appreciated on how to make this conversion a little easier.


I worked for 3 hours today before I remembered I was supposed to be using just one space after periods and colons instead of two.  Hard to do. 



TIA


 


Wouldn't do it. You'll end up with lines that are in the 70 and 80 chars. long length. They
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Go to their website. They don't pay for headers, footers, special chars. and they're Indian
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Actually I have only done a few ops prior to OSi
I had mostly done MS clinic. I have worked in acute care before, but did everything but an occasional op. I have to say that ops are my favorite by far now. I was terrified to do them, but now I love them! You're right. It is easier to be negative than positive, but at the end of the day, every company has good and bad things. It may take searching, but there is a company out there for everyone I think. In work, as in life, you have to kiss a lot of toads to find a prince.
prior response
Sorry. That was addressed to OP and MsAnonnie Mouse.
you need to really look back to prior postings
This company has been flying all over this board even back in March. I think it goes further than disgruntled employees. Take a look at how their lead people handle these comments. They have badmouthed these employees horribly. Yes, companies will have unhappy employees and there will be some grumbling, but it clearly looks like a much bigger problem with Shapin. A lot of drama for low pay. I would have nothing to do with them and NOT for the grumbling of past employees, but for the obnoxious and crude way Shapin's management individuals conducted themselves!
Work for SPi now, prior CyMed...
and EVERY company has issues, you just have to figure out what issues are deal-breakers for you personally. SPi HAS started switching QAs around to all different accounts, but not sure about the MTs; however, on the few times that these accounts have run short of work for the MTs on them, they've had them actually doing QA! That's ONE position, at least, that you can guarantee you'll move up to if you're competent and want the move.
Their benefits are better and less expensive than CyMeds were, and vacation time is actually a bit better.
There are no yearly or scheduled raises with SPi.
My advice is to ask LOTS of questions BEFORE accepting either job with either company; you should also get EVERYthing in writing, AGAIN, do this BEFORE you accept either position...especially as relate to compensation, benefits, and work hours. :D Best of luck whatever you choose!

Spheris isn't the only company getting prior MQ work....sm
our company has also picked up several million dollars worth of business that MQ used to have because of the clients either having been overbilled by MQ or fears that they would be with all of the legal problems MQ is having.  Other current MQ clients are getting bids for when their contracts expire so I expect the MQ "tumble" to continue. 
I had knowledge of VR and pay rates prior to this job search.
When I was in school, all we focused on was straight typing and nothing was ever taught about VR - I graduated earlier this year. In my job search I'm really not seeing much about VR. The place I am now has four or five accounts and all of them are straight typing. As for the shortage of work, I am on the largest account in the company and the shortage is felt across the board. Even the supervisors are aplogizing to us for the shortage.

Oh well, for the meantime I will just see what is out there, test and interview if asked to and go on from there. For right now though I have a job at a place I like - it's better than nothing!
Insist on sample of prior reports, lots of them. Then when you see it, sm
you will say, Oh, so that is what he is saying.  Then, put it in your expander.  Phrases work the best for me, not normals.  Phrases in the Expander for what each item these guys use.  But you need to see lots of samples of prior reports.
Prior contact said you work the first 2 wks WITHOUT PAY, and then you're offered a very low
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Prior info said they take $300 out of your pay $50 at a time for something, rent or deposit. nm
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I left a couple of months for the same thing. The prior

3 months I was lucky to get in 800 lines a day.  I had a couple of days where I got maybe 4 reports.  I would sit in front of my computer for 12 hours/day, checking every 5 minutes, and still couldn't get my lines with 3 different accounts.


They hire away ahead of time for new accounts and after training they have to do something with them until the account goes live so they put them on other accounts temporarily and then there isn't enough work for the regulars. 


When I first started running out of work I watched the backlog report to see where an account might have a big backlog and there were 3 or 4 who were on OT most of the time, but when I asked to be put on one of those accounts I was told no.  There were many days that it looked like half the accounts had a 0 backlog.  Then they started hiring for 3-day weeks and 4-day weeks so there was no work on weekends to try to make up your lines/hours. 


 


I think most places pay for spaces. I work for TransTech and they pay for both spaces
as well as punctuation. I would never work for an MTSO that doesn't.
Old posts say hire for Emp. only, 120-150 lph. Software said to be glitchy from a prior contact. nm
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Prior posts say you need a C-phone & 2nd line, and that they follow BOS II guidelines very
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Prior posts said they used CareFlow and Cquence software, both of which get knocked down as
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Prior search shows 8.5 cpl for FT benefit position. Do you still make this base pay after 1-1/2
n
ChartMatrix (TransHealth) has archived/quick access to prior reports. nm

Last year you needed Word 2003 to work for them. Prior to that, you used their machine
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Prior complaints of low work loads and only short reports, so struggle to get lines. How about
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65 with spaces versus 65 without spaces; how to calculate?

Can someone tell me if you are getting 9 cents per 65-character line with spaces how much you would need to be paid per line to make the same amount per line if you are offered a ''65-character line without spaces?''  Thank you very much


So, if not spaces paid, what cpl would be comparable to at least 9 cpl w/spaces, do you know??
Thanks.
Black and white. nm

Black Lists?

No, I don't believe there is such a thing. Then, do companies talk to each other about former employees? Yes, sometimes that happens. It's simply the course of doing business. It's called a network and often called checking your references.


As for recruiters not knowing each other, at any given AAMT meeting there will be 5 to 20 companies exhibiting, each with their recruiter there. Of course they get to know each other. It is, again, about networking.


I am curious, though. If MTs can create a blacklist for companies, what would be wrong with employers doing it??