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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

They haven't forgotten about the cost of living.

Posted By: me on 2007-05-09
In Reply to: MT entry level? - ANNOYED

They are having to compete with India and other countries and to do that they have to hold their line rate.  Their rent goes up, they have to pay support staff, etc.  I'm sure the majority of the companies are not struggling to meet their obligations every month, but the profits aren't what they used to be.   As MTs we were spoiled when we were making $60,000+ year when that was very good money, but now that $60,000 doesn't go very far, but you'll be hard pressed to find that kind of money in most positions in other job markets.  


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They haven't forgotten, they're not MTs
Everyone who works for a company isn't necessarily an MT. I've had many who just assign work but don't have a clue how to do the work, so what makes common sense to us, doesn't to them. A lot of times the owners aren't MTs either.
You either need a job to fit your cost of living or a cost of living to fit your job. sm
While I agree that you cannot live in California on $35,000 a year, no one is forcing you to live in California. Suze Orman says either find a way to lower your expenses or find a way to earn more money. It's common sense :)

There was a post a few weeks ago about not everyone being cut out to be an MT. I agree.

The original poster needs to stop whining and either get a job that pays more or get a new career. She can make $15,000 on minimum wage at a mall or Walmart.

BTW, it was insulting of her to say that MOST woman don't need to work. How dare she? In this day and age, most adults need to work. This is not 1958, this is 2008. I am not a bra burner, but my husband and I both make similar money, clean the house, cook, raise our 3 children. I am just lucky to have a job where I can work from home. I hated commuting anywhere, hate traffic, no patience.

But that doesn't mean that I work less. I treat my job like a job. I work in my home office but I work all day. I do not do laundry, chat with friends, cook. I go to work each day by getting ready as if I were leaving for an office, pour my coffee, make sure I have everything I need and start. I take bathroom breaks and a lunch break and take the full hour that I would somewhere else. I work 8 full hours as I do not include my lunch hour, so my day is 8 to 5. When I am done for the day, I turn everything off, leave the room and close the door, as if I were in an outside office.

My husband has a salary of $71,000 and I make near the same as him each year. I do not work overtime except very rarely, an occasional Saturday here and there, just like if I were on salary in another profession.

I am not perfect, but I love my job and do it well. I also know that MT'ing is not for everyone, although it seems as if a lot of MT's who are not very good at their jobs have a sense of entitlement.
Variables in cost of living
Some states sound good, but then check out the taxes - real estate tax, personal property tax, sales tax, cost of heating/cooling, transportation, license plates, insurance, etc. A lot of it balances out in the end. Some states have outrageous license plate fees, (I paid over $600 for my car last year). I also get a personal property tax bill each year for everything including my dishes and silverware. State income tax is out of sight. Cost of heating in winter is unbelievable. I have to have 2 sets of tires for the car, 1 for winter, 1 for summer. I have to have 3 complete wardrobes for the weather changes.
does anyone know the cost of living in Bangalore? I need a job... lol nm
x
Cost of Living Increases

I work for a large MTSO and after four years have not received a cost of living increase. Is this standard operating procedure? Things cost more than they did four years ago. Do you think CEO is getting the same pay as four years ago? Any thoughts?


Cost of living is higher
In eastern bloc and Ireland and India. They're gonna want as much as we make. And if not now, then soon once they seal the deal. Plus our HIPAA laws still don't apply anywhere but here. There is still that.
It also depends on your cost of living.
I live on the California coast, which basically means I can't make a living at the national going rate. Fortunately, I also have one small local account that pays at a rate commensurate with the local cost of living, and because I have this, I can survive. Not sure I'd call it a good living, but I can get by.
But the MTSOs knew the cost of living would
contract with the hospital was even dry. They cut it too close by too much bottom-line bargaining, and didn't leave any wiggle room in order to be able to continue to pay the MTs that are the ones who actually produce what it is they're selling. No wonder we all play job-leapfrog all the time! The way they do business is too short-sighted to even be believed, sometimes. And the hospitals (most of which are WALLOWING in money) are taking total advantage of the average MTSO's lack of foresight, and most MTSO mangers' lack of even the slightest clue as to what medical transcription is, or how it's done. It's all too pathetic for words.
Heard no more raises or cost of living either.
a
to long time MT - the cost of living is about the same as the midwest - sm
you can have rent ranging anywhere from $500-900/month depending on where you live and what you want. It's not expensive like NY or DC or VA. The line rate is ABOVE - A-B-O-V-E 8.5/line and the docs are fairly easy with the exception of a few marblemouths, but I think every hospital has to have a few marblemouths, or it just wouldn't be right. If you are seriously thinking of it and would like to send us a resume, let us know your email and we will contact you!

We posted this because we wanted to know our options - rather than to have an outside service take the overflow.
Medware has been paying $14 for years, No cost of living increases there! nm
n
Slipping Backward - Line Rates and Cost of Living

This is for those of us who have been in the business awhile. 


 I stumbled across an online calculator that lets you input a dollar amount and a year in the past, and see what it would be today with cost of living increases.  (Link below).


You can use this with line rates and do it two ways - either as cents, which gives you a whole number result, or as dollars, which gives you the decimal portion as well.  In other words, if you made 8 CPL, you can either enter it as $0.08, or you can enter it as $8 and then move the decimal point over to the left two places in the result.  The multiplier is the same either way, so the dollar method with the extra decimal points is more precise.  Just remember to move the decimal point over.


I was making 10 cpl in 1990, so I gave it a spin and ran some different line rates through it using 1990 as the base year:


8 CPL = 12.96 in 2009


9 CPL = 14.6 in 2009


10 CPL = 16.2 in 2009


11 CPL = 17.8 in 2009


12 CPL = 19.4 in 2009


Is there any doubt that if the line rate had even kept up with the cost of living, people would not be feeling the way they do about this industry? 


Then I did something else and tried different input amounts to see what amount in 1990 would have equalled 9 CPL today - a typical line rate.   I had to back off to 5.56.  Someone earning 9 CPL today is making the equivalent of less than 6 CPL in 1990.


It's kinda fascinating playing with this thing (the way watching a train wreck is fascinating, I mean).  Here's a link you can paste into your browser, or you can follow the link at the bottom of the post.


http://www.aier.org/research/worksheets-and-tools/cost-of-living-calculator   


 


 


 


LOL !!!!! I'd forgotten about that one! -(nm)

and thank you! I knew there was something forgotten!
nm
I've been forgotten again. Oh, well. Too bad these bonuses

incentives, beach parties,  and whatever else is going on at Transcend/MDI are only for their favorites.  The only way we know about them is a message with the backlogs saying what a great incentive party they had the day before. 


If they are going to reward their pets they need to keep it hush-hush when talking about it after the fact.   So much for MT appreciation - a broken coffee cup and a calendar and a hint that you are not good enough to participate in their fun things.   


 


 


Transtech has forgotten about their "love" of their MT's

Always something BIG coming our way . . . This has been promised for almost a year now.  Nothing but low/no work situations on a weekly basis, whether end of pay period or not.  This is the 1st week of pay period and NO work. 


Nice just doesn't pay bills.  So you who say how nice people they are must have someone else to pay your bills!  


TT has REALLY OVERHIRED within the past 3 weeks, but NO WORK BEFORE THEN even.  Just not thinking of their MT's obviously.  TT was an excellent company before the past year . . .


Too late for your reaction..you've been forgotten...
BTW, maybe you can't make $5000/MONTH AS AN IC CONSISTENTLY because you don't know how to read lol. You might as well stop while you're behind--YOU HAVE NOTHING ON ME LOL. PEACE HATER LOL.
Isn't that what we do for a living?
That's why keyboards were invented.
They will not hire MTs living in CA or CT.
nm
How can she pay living expenses on that? nm
X
making a living

Is there anyone out there supporting themselves and able to make living with a transcription company?  i I have been wanting to make a switch but need a push.  thanks so much


making a living
I have been an independent contractor for over 20 years (MT for 30) and have 5 kids which I have raised alone with no support from their dad. I have bought my own house, have a decent car, pay all my bills and my kids have many excurricular activities (which runs into moocha dollars). Hope this answers your question.
making a living
I would definitely recommend Transtech for you, and if you are full-time, they offer you benefits, and can provide you with a computer if needed.
Decent living..

In short....the answer about Is it possible to make a decent living with them, without having to work 40 or 50 hours per week?.... NO 


This is where living in a certain state...
makes a HUGE difference in such things.  I currently pay for the insurance for my husband and I (no kids but still need family plan) through DeVenture and it costs me a brutal $136 per WEEK, and the copays for office visits and drugs are still hefty.  This is one of the main reasons so many people in this state (Maine) are uninsured...it's just too frickin' expensive
MQ looking to earn a living
With ASR making money is getting tougher and tougher. Years of transcription experience counts for nothing here.
Try living in Delaware where the just

1,100 workers worked their last day on Friday.  What do they tell their kids.  You are worrying about a measly Christmas bonus and jealous of CEOs?  What about these auto workers? 


Have some dignity and stop with the 2-year-old me, me, me.  Be lucky you have an income and are not being told sorry this is your last day a week before the holiday season. 


No one is ever just happy they wake up in the morning these days.  It's always want, want, want... 


Not sure what us living in the same state has to do with anything. sm
Everyone's experience with a company is different. I think it just all depends on what your specific needs are. It's disheartening when I hear that other people have had a bad experience with a company that I think highly of.
It's because they are living in a falsehood.
If the person just does a one liner to sound like they are bragging, they are just trying to ruffle feathers.  Don't believe everything you read on this board.  Its anon and it is open to the public. 
Living Wage
I don't know exactly what I would call a living wage for a weekly amount. I can tell you that for my family of 5, the GOVERNMENT says that if I make less than approximately $40,000, that I qualify for various forms of government aid due to low-income status.

$40K divided by 52 weeks per year works out to about 1700 lines per day at 9 cpl.

If you're only making 5 cpl (case in point: That recent ad on the Jobs Bank!), then you would need to type 3076 lines per day in order to keep a family of five above the cut-off for food stamps and free lunches!
I think a living wage is
1 thousand dollars a week.
No cost here either
x
cost...
For medical and dental it is around $85 biweekly.  SGS is also the only company I know of that allows contractors to have medical and dental, around $110 biweekly, as long as you meet 9600 lines minimum biweekly, which is pretty low these days.
how much did YOU cost THEM?
If the FOB belongs to the hospital, why in this world would you not want to do the right thing and send it back even if it means going out of your way (although it is crystal clear here that this would be against your nature) to do right by the hospital?

I could never, ever do something that could cause an MTSO to lose a client and if you chose to follow the road you are on that is what could happen. It doesn't belong to you. It has security codes on it. The hospital is upset. The MTSO is upset. You are upset. Crimy!! God save the MT profession from crabby, nothing-better-to-do-with-their time old timers like you!!!!!!

Do you think that you are so special that you were the only one who lost money on trying to get you started up? People in the hospital were helping. People at the MTSO were helping. You were sitting around waiting, not helping and you continue not to help.

Send it back all ready and be done with it!!!!!!
I guess I'm living proof

that past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior.  Did you ever have your days in the beginning when you could have been one of their cheerleaders?  I know I did.  Yet, I still saw those unhappy posts and, rather than automatically think they were lying, instead I wondered how they got so unhappy.  I think I found the answer.


How do they make a living if they don't get paid for their
services.  I don't know that they get a percentage of the line rate, doesn't make sense that it would be like that, but I'm sure they get a flat fee.   The MT doesn't pay, the company does.  I didn't ask them about getting paid because that was none of my business.   Maybe they don't get paid unless the MT accepts a position.   A lot of companies offer referral bonuses, could be the same thing with TM.  
We have to make a freakin' living
..
living "in the sticks"
I too live where there is no DSL or cable option. I use wild blue satellite. It is fairly affordable, though more expensive than DSL, but it works great - I started out downloading with dial up, and the difference is wonderful. You can Google search wild blue to check out the service closest to you.
barely making a living
Used to make a decent living but lately (past 2 years) have not. Major pay cuts in all 3 jobs (per diem to hourly and page count to line count) and big expense of benefits for single mom and 2 kids.

I sort of lost all my incentive and feel very used. Thought my salary would increase over the years (or at least stay the same), not decrease. Keep trying to get motivated but can't seem to get there.

I am currently employed by a national, benefits are $550 a month and I have no control over how my lines are being calculated, plus it is on a 74 character line, not even 65 so my lines in my pay are way lower that what the company is calculating already.

Recently tested and interviewed with another national but they pay per page (which was way less than my page rate 10 years ago) and beneftis were more than $600 a month.

Any suggestions and ways to get motivated again would be appreciated.

Yes, you are living in a dream world, but you might get 11 cpl
nm
Terrible....can't make a living on that.
`
See the TransRAD ad for 7 cpl? No one can earn a living on that! If you see this

How many foster children are living with you?
The two comments made after my initial post left me so frustrated that I debated on responding. In the real world, most consider me to be kind hearted and easy going. For that reason, I usually avoid controversial issues for the sake of arguing.

This particular subject matter just hits very close to home and I have zero tolerance when misinformed people offer unwarranted advice. I feel it's very inconsiderate. The OP just asked about companies with insurance plans that covered IVF. She didn't come here asking for opinions or the blessing of MT Stars. What she is going through is difficult enough without complete strangers (probably sitting home with their 2-3 kids)telling her that wanting to start a family with her husband is completely unnecessary. I'm still amazed at how cold people can actually be.

Now to respond to your post.
First of all, if you did any research at all on the foster care and adoption systems in this country, you would not only be saddened, but you would not have posted. I'm not trying to be mean at all, but you are truly so misinformed that I don't know where to start.

My husband and I actually looked into foster parenting and even took the classes. We have a couple of friends as well as my in-laws who are foster parents. First of all, becoming a foster parent IS NOT a permanent situation. The small percentage of adoption that does result from being a foster parent can take up to 5 or 6 years! Plus, a very high number of foster children have special needs, severe behavioral problems, or mental issues caused from abuse. I do have one daughter who was 4 at the time we were taking classes. After spending years being protective parents, researching, and taking classes,we were afraid of exposing our small child to the abuse (physical, mental, sexual, drugs), that put these unfortunate children in foster care to begin with.

Yes you are right about so many beautiful children that need homes. There are literaly 1,000s of childless couples in this country that would love nothing more than to get serious about caring for them. Have you tried to adopt in this country? Good luck if you decide to take your own advice. You are looking at a long waiting list, tons of red tape and buracracy, not to mention a few grand. Oh and there is that chance after you have brought that sweet child home and bonded with him/her, that the crack-head bio-mom will decide she wants to play house and ger her an attorney (that you are paying for with your tax dollars.) After the court hearings are finally over (1-2 years later) you can kiss that little one good-bye. I've seen it happen to people very close to me...not on Lifetime. It does happens.

Seriously, why do you think so many Americans pay obscene amounts of money for international adoptions? Think about it.

Out of curiosity, do you have children?
and when you can't make a living anymore--sm
due to schloping American jobs to third world countries..it will be too late for ANY solution.
Can you make a living at home?

I have been an on-site MT for 15 years and have clinic-only experience in several specialties.  I am considering a change to working from home.  I am wondering if it is possible to work from home and still make good money.  Do you folks feel that you do just as well as you would working on-site? 


Has anyone made a substantial living off of an MLM?
I am talking about those companies where you sell and recruit...mainly recruit.  My cousin has been a real PITA. She just signed up on one and has been on me to have a party or grab this golden opportunity and make lots of money.  I really hate her speeches because she tells me like I have never heard it before but it is the same verse I have heard by many different at-home sales opportunities.  They all say that you can make tons of money working part-time from home.  They show people with fancy cars and fancy homes with swimming pools all thanks to this particular MLM.  I have seen so many people join up with these things but never have seen anyone succeed.  Has anyone else?  Anyone else would have gotten a door in their face or a click and a dial tone if this was done by call but I cannot seem to do this to family.  I have bought toys from her but I cannot buy every time.  Boy does she make a person feel like a but-looser for it too as in  No I don't want to spend anymore time with my kids.. No I don't want to buy educational toys for my kids.  No I don't want to make 10k working part-time from my home.  UGG
Can you do both and making a living there? In a word, NO nm
nm
Do I paint gourds for a living s/m
I do and love every minute of it. 
Then I guess I have been living in a cave...sm
too huh? What the h** is up with you? Let me guess, you are of Oriental descent? I have still not figured out what is wrong with the word Oriental.
Does anyone really make a good living doing VR??? sm
I currently work for one of the larger MT companies that is mostly VR, platform isn't bad, but just not able to get my line count up.  I was curious if it just me or if there were MTs out there who were doing good on VR and glad they have made the switch.  Thanks. 
you are living in the real world. sm
When some of these people get to that point they have to then they will be screaming for work and will type whenever they can.