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VR companies to blame

Posted By: -- on 2009-05-18
In Reply to: All the talk about VR, are you sure the MTSOs are the ones? - SallySue

I had the same experience.  My MTSO did not initiate the VR.  They claimed they would not be making any profit.  The hospital bought the VR platform on the promises of how great it was, how much money it would save them.  In a conference call about it, my MTSO said they were making no profit.  I am not sure I buy that.  But then they said something interesting, and I am not sure if I understood it correctly.  They said the VR company gets a percentage of the line rate for the hospital using the platform.  That shocked me.  So, the hospital is saving money, the VR company is making money, the MTSO is making money, and not much left for the MT.  I could have understood this wrong, but that was my take on it. 


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Don't blame you.
This career is nothing special. I have been treated as badly as in any career I've had. Doesn't matter how hard you work or how much smoochin ya do, you get burned every way you turn.

My opinion of this industry has changed drastically in the last year. It sux.

I used to come to this board and wonder why people were angry and bitter and negative. It didn't take me long to figure it out.

Companies think we are so desperate to sit at home in our little prison cells we call offices that we will put up with anything.

There's a few good places out there, but they continue to dwindle. I'm glad I happened into this line of work when I did. With just around five years, I'm not too stuck to get out. I got a nice job outside the house that's easy and fun and pays well, and this is just a hobby anymore. If I hadn't paid so much for my education, I'd find a new hobby.






I would be more apt to blame
your employer for this and not UPS .. all things are traceable through their system and when they tell you overnight .. they mean it .. unless this week you live in Denver.  I would talk to the FutureNet people.  UPS cares about their reputation.
Can't say that I blame you! nm
nm
they need to look at mgt & not blame the MTs
It is mgt/team leads that is telling MTs not to record extra hours for OT if they work extra. That is not the MTs fault!!! Don't be nasty to the MTs who are the bread and butter of your company or everybody will quit!
I don't blame you one bit but....
There is an unrest afoot that is probably going to impact the people who pay us peanuts for our valuable talent. I am an MTSO and still have lots of work but I am not fooling myself that it will get worse before it gets better. In the 1970s we all got fed up with the low pay and walked off the job. Then the powers that be realized that they must pay us more. It got better for a long time but now we are up against India, VR and EMR. All those things are proving to not be what they are cracked up to be and it is just a matter of time before they realize again they they must pay us for our valuable expertise. So if you still want to get out, may I suggest real estate? If you rae smart enough to to MT, then you are smart enough to do RE. Anyway, just my $.02 worth.
I cannot blame the ones who have
had bad experiences with MQ, everyone is different with different needs, but this is exactly why I came back to MQ. I tried others over the years and have had the same experience you mention here. I need to work full time to support my family and so far MQ has been the only company that can provide me with consistent work, unfamiliar or familiar accounts - it is all money to me.  
I don't blame you at all...sm
Let me know how it goes and if you get your own accounts.
Everybody else to blame
You chose where to put your money. Yes,it's easier to blame everybody else. Go ahead a be a victim if you want, but it doesn't have to be that way. If you keep blaming everyone else for your problems,don't expect your situation to get any better.

Half the problem with our economy now is the victim mentality and everybody wanting someone else to take care of them and tell them what to do, and then when things go wrong, throwing blame at everyone and refusing to take any responsibility for their own actions.
I don't blame you one bit...
for getting out if they cut your pay for editing yet they get the paid the same as text. I think it's awful, and more MTs should not be putting up with that. I'm just saying for myself, where I am right now, I enjoy my job, make good money, great boss, and flexible hours.
Hey I don't blame you
not in the least little bit.

It's rough out there and to be frank, after 10 yrs of this work it seems it's gotten to be kind've the same all over. Just a small recommendation though, keep looking for other jobs as well. I don't mean quit Oracle, just another part-time job in addition. It's good to have a safety net.

Good Luck and I hope it works out for ya !
I don't blame her one bit. She will sm
find another job probably better than the one she had. Family still comes first and these companies an scr## themselves!
But really, can we blame her? If any of us

do the same thing.  I worked for MDI.  I loved MDI.  I have always known D to be someone of yes, integrity.  I don't believe her integrity flew out the window.  There is surely a lot we don't know.  And of course, D would not have been at liberty to discuss the coming merger before it happened.


D is a businesswoman.  The purpose of a business is to generate income.  She ran her company with honesty and integrity.  I can't say I wasn't suprised, shocked even, at what has happened.  But I have known D since the early 90s and I know she is a good person and truly cares about people.  I don't know how to reconcile that with what has happened other than to think there is more to the story than we know and that it is the decision that D needed to make at this time for whatever reason, whether it be to ensure a secure retirement, whether it was because she was no longer able to compete with offshoring and VR - and I think this may be part of it because she had told me at one time that facilities were wanting to pay for transcription in light of VR and offshoring and their ability to get it for less elsewhere, or whether she was just tired and ready to not be the one at the helm any longer.


Whatever the reasons, I choose to believe that D is still the person of integrity I have always known her to be.  I just accept that there must be more to the story than I know.


I wish the best to D and to all MDIers.  I feel like an era has come to a close and it will never be the same again.  But I feel lucky to have been a part of Signal and MDI and to have known D.


blame on the advertisements
.
Hee, Hee - see all the stingy MTs - don't blame you either. nm
nm
Please, do not blame Dictaphone,
they are only doing what company says to do, they state that. The problem is, you don't know what the company tells them to put it at, unless Dictaphone does not know how to do this. I have found the most honest accounting is when you can go into sessions and it shows you the number of reports you have done and the line count. it is hard to manipulate line counts when you can double check them. You cannot do this when you have to go to the Dictaphone web site to get a conglomeration of line counts with nothing broken down. No single numbers, just the total line counts. Thus, if you lose 2-3 dictations in a day, no wonder you line count is down - your company gets the lines but YOU don't, not if the reports are dropped.
Don't blame you for wanting out. All
s
temporarily down and no one to blame
crap happens
ExText is not to blame .. the
clients determine the lines and how they are counted. ExText merely follows the commands of the person inputting the data as it is hardware that needs to be set by a person! Your company or hospital should, however, disclose how they are paying you and you certainly should ask for that information and get an answer or then I would certainly be wary.
Don't blame you for leaving

I worked for Focus for almost 5 yrs but with new management - aka Nuance - no thanks - income dropped, accounts lost, no job security and I was losing $500 a month compared to when Focus ran the show!!  You did great for leaving!!!


I blame the schools also.
Work at home, big money, easy job. Yeah, right. Just like stuffing envelopes.
Blame it on the Indians! LOL ! Like everything else! LOL..nm
nm
Sure, blame the reader for your
You do realize it is neither your responsibility nor within your power to 'make' any other MT behave as you desire?

I understand why so many posters do this, though: It deflects the frightening possibility that low wages, downsizing, lost benefits, etc., could ever happen to them onto those to whom it has already happened. It's a denial/distancing/coping mechanism. Totally get that.

But it's still obnoxious and unhelpful for others to read. No one asked for the nagging, ma.

Further, I would gently suggest you look up 'victim' in the dictionary. You may note that victimization requires two parties. Insisting only one of them bear any responsibility for the circumstances is like insisting your kid make the seesaw go up and down when he's the only one on it.

Hope that helps! If I've inspired only one MT to surf on before posting another sanctimonious lecture, my work here is done! I will prove that my work here is done by returning to the thread continually to insist that I am right and everyone else is just wallowing in victimhood/poor reading comprehension! Then I will ice the cake by blaming the whole contretemps on their bad childhoods.

Sorry, but I've got nothing but eyeroll for your input at this point.
Yep, blame the MT for no work!

Same situation at both companies - I came, I worked, I made money, the work disappeared, I went broke, I moved on.


Sure, its MY fault that work dries up after a year or so at each job I get.  I spread the curse of no work everywhere, and soon I may be getting a job at your company - so beware!  Your work will disappear in the next year or so!


Do not blame the MTs for company mistakes

I just received an email from my MT supervisor stating that she wanted to let us know that we just lost 3 worktypes on a major account because we were not transcribing, editing and delivering to the client within our contracted turn around time.  She said she was sharing this information in hopes that we will realize how important it is for us to work our shifts,etc.


All of us working on this specific account are ICs. What has been happening is they want to treat us like employees.  We get demanding emails to work and tons of how to do lists.  No one at this company are employees,yet they want us to work like employees.  When are companies going to realize that if you want someone to work a set shift and answer and read daily emails, then they should make us employees.  This particular company send out daily long emails and only pay 5 cpl to edit acute care accounts with no benefits on escription.  As an IC I never put all my eggs in one basket and especially not for 5 cpl.  I do not feel the MTs should be blamed for losing these work types. I feel the company should take responsibility for this.


If the MTs are not meeting TAT or their said upon line count, then management should have let them go. However, I personally am required to meet 2,500 per pay and that is exactly what I do and no more at these rates and especially not for this company who make demands on us like we are partners in the company.  I feel companies try to get off cheap by hiring ICs, but then try to hold you down to a schedule and treat you like an employee when you are not.  This loss of work is the companies fault.  Any opinions.  Thanks


 


 


 


 


MTSOs have only themselves to blame for their plight.
They were so quick to jump on the bandwagon and train the indians, etc., to do work cheaply and now that they are trained, they are taking their work away. They will not wake up until they find that their nice little management jobs are just as easy to outsource as are the MT jobs.
I dont blame you on the taxes

My husband makes more than that himself though, so we are stuck with the taxes no matter what.  They take half our pay checks, I just did our return and had to write them a nice fat check for that, and then find out we dont get the stimulus check (big shocker there). Just seems like we get screwed from every different direction.


With the cost of living what it is, I sure don't feel like we are rich but the government seems to think we are and taxes accordingly.


Blame the economy not libbers. sm

Actually I could have written your post, except for the women libbers part and the SAHM.  I've been doing this for 32 years.  My ID says it all.  The economy makes it almost a necessity to have a 2-paycheck income if you have kids.  I'm single with no kids and trying to make a living with MT with no second income.  Its tough.


Women wouldn't have the opportunities they do now if it wasn't for the libbers and the suffragettes. Its great now we have more choices than ever.  Do you realize it hasn't even been 100 years since women had the right to vote?  And we came close to having a woman president!  I think about all the sacrifices the women before us went through to get us where we are today.  One reason I make sure I vote is to honor their sacrifices.


Why blame MTSO owners?

What's so hard about that?  If you don't like being an employee, then become a business person and charge the big bucks.  Many of you probably have never even managed your own accounts, but all ready to say how you are underpaid for what you do.


This career is based on production. Get used to it. Paid days off?  Who gets those?  Even if you do, it is probably a smidgen of what you would make if you worked as an employee that day.


Have fun fighting AHDI as well.  I'm sure their hands will be in the till. 


I wouldn't blame you if you threw sm
in the towel on this. But please for those of us who DO appreciate it, if you never do another interview, do this one! After that, it is up to the rest of us. The ones who want to gripe and complain are always the ones who gripe the loudest too about no work, outsourcing, offshoring, no hours, supervisors and just complaining in general. some folks you can't please no matter what you do. I wouldn't want to take the abuse either, but its started, please finish if for no one else YOURSELF!!!!!!! I, for one, APPRECIATE IT. The ones who are being the nitpickers about the difference between outsourcing/offshoring are probably the same folks in QA who will throw a perfectly good report back or fire you for a misplaced comma!!!!!!!! Please hang in there!
It's a foot in the door. I don't blame them for grabbing it up
I started out the same way, making .05 per line about 4 years ago now.  It was my foot in the door.  I was on full QA for about a week, quickly went to .06 per line, then .07, and then changed to an account that was .08, in less than a year.  I've since moved on from that company, and I think I'm doing pretty well for myself now, but I wouldn't be here if I hadn't taken the opportunity when it came along.
I think you hit the nail on the head. We blame our company (sm)
and these other countries when in fact it is our very own country that makes it profitable for them to do this.


Focus Infomatics- I was warned, have no one to blame but myself.
They are the most disorganized company I have ever tried working for. After signing you on, it takes 3 weeks to months before actually working. I was eventually emailed by team lead welcoming me to the company giving me the name of the account I was on, and that I would be pleased to know that it was a very GOOD account.  They set up training, which was 25 minutes.  Thank goodness it was a program I was familiar with.  I was emailed the account specs, and sure enough it seemed to be a relatively good account.  Then I had to wait 3 days before getting username and ID to get into system.  After getting ID,  ID did not work.  After a week, I IM'd team lead asking if she knew when I would be up and running..  She says Oh you're not working yet, I'll call my supervisor. I get an email this morning from someone from Timbuktu asking to get into my computer to download another account. This particular account, I had heard about on the forum was a terrible account.  After approximately 1 month of not being set up to work, I call it quits.  They won't hear from me again until they call asking for their footpedal.
I disagree. I don't blame them for wanting to clue some people in. (sm)
Some people obviously have a lot to learn about applying for a job. They covered such things when I went to business college in the 1980s, but I remember when I was a secretary in an office, seeing the IC Transcriptionist come into the office wearing outfits I would never be seen in public in, let alone a professional office I was getting a paycheck from.
I hope she learnd how to answer emails and not blame it
x
Kind of hard to blame the post office when
the company hasn't even mailed it!
I don't blame you. We have personal information on those resumes, addresses, phone, etc. (sm)
and any fool can access those.

Hopefully they learned their lesson on this and will not post anymore resumes like that.
As an ex-Keystroker, this behavior sounds like the norm. It is convenient to blame the person who
x
TransTech and Medware, are these companies considered large, medium-sized or small companies? (sm)
TIA
Yikes.. That is only inline with companies like Focus and such. "Real" companies pay their MTs
decent rate.  I make over 5 cpl editing. So, if I got that slap in the face, I'd be outta there.
Do the research...most companies, and not just MT companies, do not pay for maternity leave...
we get time off but not paid...and I really don't even understand the point of you posting this...
How do you know which companies are Nationals and which are smaller companies.
Is there a list somewhere? I'm new to this.
By "most of the companies", I meant MORE than MT companies.
clarification
Sten-Tel is the platform. Different companies use it, pay and how companies run are different. nm
:P
Nobody said MT companies were not for profit companies. (sm)....
As MTs we are an important segment of what it takes for the company to thrive, but we are still just part of the whole structure.

Not trying to be argumentative, just think sometimes we get that "I'm the quarterback" attitude and forget that we can't get anywhere without our line men.
Companies that outsource to other companies?
Anyone know of any reliable companies that will outsource to American companies and pay a decent line rate? I am amazed at what the companies charge and then want to offer in this business anymore.


2 companies with that name. Was this the NJ job? nm
.
I have been through a lot of companies and
they are all the same.  I just found that out not too long ago.  I am with a company now that everyone cheers about.  They are just the same as everyone else.  Nothing to cheer about IMO.  This business has gone downhill fast.  Sad.
What companies, if any,
. . .

. . . hire and actually promote professionals who have forgotten more than many MTs know, have years and years of experience, work when needed, don't rock the boat, and produce excellent work?  At my company, the editors and managers usually have just a few years of experience as an MT, if any, and many have no management experience.  Some managers have never even seen a typed document.  That doesn't make sense.  What companies give one a chance to actually grow with them?  Any of them?  How do the promotions go to those who took an on-line class and have been an MT for 2 years?  Kudos to anyone who could answer this . . . Bewildered 


He said that some companies do that, but
usually when they do there is a reason for it, so told me to keep an eye out for future class action lawsuits or that sometimes they use it as a means to withhold severance pay, etc.  IMO - basically it's a CYA letter.  Atty agreed.  But again, IMO, why be worried about a CYA letter if you have nothing to CYA for?  Any company that wants ex-employees to sign a release from future lawsuits is definitely not up for nomination for Employer of the Year, that's for sure and just one more bit of proof that it isn't the MLSs at fault.   I'm not concerned about it, but I'm sure as heck not signing it either.  I just think it's hilarious that a few Transcend groupies come out of the woodwork ready to blame the MLSs that left as if they weren't the GOOD transcriptionists and that's why they left.  Seems to me if they weren't any good they wouldn't be able to get hired anywhere and so would want to stay put where they know they have a sure thing.
Some Companies...
Charge you per report for their useless template. What a rip off...
QA Companies
Anyone who works as a QA; I am curious as to what you think of the company you work for?  Good or bad.  Looking for a new QA position and would like some information on the companies.  Thanks.