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Well, I left MQ after 8 years last summer to go to Keystrokes (sm)

Posted By: Another Ohio MT on 2007-04-21
In Reply to: MQ versus Keystokes. Opinions? - MTkat

so I would have to say Keystrokes.  I have plenty of work and love my account and Keystrokes gave me primarily what I asked for as far as what specialty I wanted to type. I work in Meditech but there are other platforms there, it just depends on your account. MedQuist was a great place to work for about the first 7 years.  In January 2006 they introduced what they called the Rewards Plan and after that my work dried up in a hurry and I lost a LOT of money by staying there. But there are still people at MQ who have plenty of work and like it there, the way I felt about it in the old days. Both places have positive qualities but I am happier now at Keystrokes. It also depends on what you are looking for as far as how large of a company you want to work for...MQ is a big national, KS is much smaller and more personalized.  Good Luck!





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I was with MQ for 11 years and left last summer.
The changes after 1/1/06 were not to my taste. And from what I can see over on the MQ forum, it hasn't gotten better. I started with TT last October and have really liked it. I've only run out of work a few times, and have had work in my backup. The office staff is wonderful. It was a very good move for me.
I left more than 2 years ago and went to Keystrokes...
I am way happier
For radiology, Keystrokes is the best. I worked at MQ for 8 years and left in January. sm
Wish I had done it two years ago. Lots of work, easy accounts, great team leads! I am making less per report but more each check because of better account with more work available!
Has anyone ever left Keystrokes and gone back? I left a few months ago and realize that I made a

nm


Left Keystrokes for MDI-MD
I do not regret my decision. My experience with Keystrokes was not a good one.
I left MQ and went to Keystrokes...so far I am not disappointed..(sm)
I haven't run out of work and I love the account I'm on.  I think if my account did slow down there are plenty of others that are coming on board that I could be cross trained on. So far..so good!
Just left after 5 years...

Up until Jan 1, it was fine, although my line rate was low.   They had bonuses that made up for that.  Then came Jan 1.  They took away the bonuses, which halved my income.  They promised a raise in my line rate, but it always got lost or forgotten, until I finally got sick of asking about it and gave up.  Before Jan 1, I ran out of work twice in the entire 5 years I was there.  After Jan 1, I ran out at the very least twice a week. 


If you do decide to work for them, make sure you get the line rate you want up front.  Once you are there, they never give raises.  Even when they promise them to you, it won't show up on your check, someone will have to check on it, and they will never get back to you. 


I left there maybe 3 years ago and
the part you mention about the 'medical lesson' reminded me of an embarrassing episode - I was taken to task because I put peridium instead of Pyridium - was just typing what I heard and meant to go back and fix and missed it on my reread and you would have thought I was in kindergarten the way I was taken to task for it.  I do  QA now myself and I know it was a bad error but give me a break - I'm the type that beats myself up and don't need to do them for me!!
I left for 2 years...
Boy was I happy. Then DH's business slowed down and I had to get a part-time job, figured I might as well get back in MT. Man, was I rusty after 2 years.

Now, I'm really wanting to get out but am afraid of that Rusty period if I decide to get back in.

I think I'm going to just help market my DH's business and maybe try to find a couple of accounts on my own.

I am sooooo miserable doing this. I have worked since this morning and barely got 500 lines. I'm bored and miserable.

I thought about going back to school. My kids are finally in school all day so I do have options now. Jobs are slow around here though, right now. Wonder if I can deal with 'office politics'. Of course it's not like I don't deal with it now, just more of a passive-aggressive-type office politics.

Anyway, going to take something for this borderline migraine!
I was there for 3+ years and still left
Things started going from good to bad.  Like I said it has alot to do with the account you have.  Lost an account that was absolutely the best, but had in-house hospital girls cherry picking there also, proved it and was told that was a HIPAA violation and not to be doing that.  I had just stumbled onto the fact and was in a position to prove it, which I did and had been saying so forever and a day.  We had in-house hospital girls along with the KS girls and cherry-picking going on a daily basis and that is still going on more than one account.  We were told there was nothing that could be done about it. If you want to deal with that crap and be told that I say go for it.  There are not many out there that care to deal with that.  But you will never know until you try it.
not me, left there over 5 years ago. just trying to help out sm
a fellow MT so she does not take a job that will make her unhappy, like it was your business anyway.
I left 2 years ago for same...
they are like this always. A revolving door. They just keep hiring and people keep dropping out for this, but they are always covered. the only ones paid are the recruters.
I left MQ after 11 years too...sm
I made the move about two months ago to KS - and I love it! No more time clock! And REAL PEOPLE to talk to if you have a problem. ALSO, ONE ACCOUNT and all the work I want. I don't know if this will apply to your account, but be sure you dont use ATT long distance for ULD. I did, and had to miss a few days of work while waiting for Charter to come out. (No one at KS told me I couldn't use ATT, but they did tell me they are advising future employees so they won't have the same problem. Other than that, the freedom from being out from under MQ will overwhelm you! Congratulations!

I left the Q after 18 years for TT. I am very
happy here. You are treated like a real person. Work can get a little low at times, but that happens everywhere. I think you will be happy here.
over 2 years ago I left WMX because of $200
a payperiod cut in pay after working on VR there. you mean they are lowering even further? I was there 2 years and when I had started it was the best company around.

boy was I wrong. once that pay cut hit and I started questioning, they turned on me as did a lot of people on this board.

that was at a time former MQ people had almost completely taken over and they sort of turned it into MQ philosophy, in my opinion. attitudes changed, everyone got meaner/nastier, and that wonderful job I had with all the nice people, GONE in a heartbeat. my supervisor got changed and well thank goodness I left when I did.

I feel your pain - there are no jobs out there really. 1 job opening and probably 500 MTs apply. anyone who tells you it is easy or there are jobs is I think in denial. who cares what those people think, we know differently.

we missed the boat on forming some type of (labor) organization. I know 'union' is a bad word and as with anything these days not to be trusted, but we have absolutely no representation or advocacy whatsoever. this is ridiculous, like living in China. ever see how Chinese people work? I saw a documentary and trust me we are not far from it.

you think it will not happen? it will exactly happen. this profession for some reason attracts a lot of sadistic people...too many with really bad attitudes.
I left MedQuist last July and went to Keystrokes..(sm)
I like it there.  They are very nice to work for.  The pay is on time.  I always have plenty of work on just one account, maybe a couple slow periods but there is still work to do. I also have a backup account but have only typed on it once because my main account has enough work. I type on Meditech and don't find it bad at all. I can still produce a lot of reports. I hesitated to leave MQ because I had been there 8 years and thought I would never leave.  But I had several accounts and none of them had work and I was losing so much money. All in all, I'm glad I  went to Keystrokes.  Good Luck!
I left a couple of years ago
From what I heard they still deduct like crazy but maybe they are better now than they used to be.
IMO is it that bad. I left after 12+ years. As of July 1 no
incentive, replaced with a quarterly bonus that is almost impossible to obtain - also the amount of bonus is subject to how many MTs receive it and how much they decide to pay out for cpl. Also if you like transcribing 8-10 or more different accounts a day then go for it. A good many of us lost our primaries and went to a national pool and some were reporting 25 different accounts in 1 day. Impossible to obtain line count and/or quality. They are now apparently losing many accounts because of the poor quality of dictation.
I left after 7 years, and am much happier,
after MTing for 30+ years, i too dread learning new things. I find the bayscribe platform to be not as perfect as DQS in some respects, but much simpler in others. It was a heck of a lot easier to learn! another big bonus was being able to transfer my Expanders over. but like another poster said, my stress level is 0 now, i am not reduced to complaining all the time and i suggest you go on with your thought to move on. i don't regret it one bit.
I worked for MQ for 12+ years, left in
6/07. Up until 1/07 it was a good place to work. But in 1/07 they started losing accounts and in 6/07 changed the incentive plan to the point I was losing $600 a month, not to mention the inflexibility of schedules, no communication, lack of raises (did not have one in 5 years), etc. I have never once regretted leaving especially after reading the MQ Board. If you just start there and did not go through the changes it might be okay, but if you have a choice to not go there.
I just left there last month after 2 years -
I had been really happy with my job until about last November. I finally even applied for and received unemployment. Not only was my line count down from 20,000 a pay period to sometimes 7000-8000, but that also meant my line rate of pay was down because of their tiered schedule. It did not seem to matter how much I asked or complained about the work and begged for more, there was always an excuse.
I worked there for 2 years and am glad I left
However, I have several friends that still work there, love it and probably will never leave. I personally choose not to work for a company that outsources overseas. Just my opinion though.
Been here about a month, but worked for them 3 years ago and never should have left.
I left the first time cuz DH (now my EX-DH) was less then cooperative to say the least.

I LOVE it here.
Poster said she left there at least 4 years ago. did not say she knew what was going on now.
x
I was there 12 years, left 3 weeks ago. Many are leaving. (nm)
x
I left after 14+ years. I loved MQ and my PS until July 1. sm
I left for another company. I started with the new company and also with Instant Text on the same day....threw myself into the fire! I so struggled the first 2 weeks and even questioned both on here. I decided to stick it out, and I have to tell you that I definitely am getting settled and love it. When you see dictator names and report types come up that you actually RECOGNIZE, the feeling is amazing. Even tho I felt that i was struggling, I made a bonus for my first full pay period. The grass..IS GREENER! Good luck
Run, run away. I just left after working for them for 12 years . Go to their forum
and read a little bit.
I just left MQ after 12 years, read their board before
thinking about them.
Read their board. I left after almost 12 years. (nm)
x
I just left a company after 10 years, making only
nm
I left MQ for KS 2 years ago and love it. They have a lot of rad accounts. sm
I make great money even though I took a report pay cut because there is always work!
left after 6+ years - loooooong wait
on invoices and they are very good at finding deductions and telling you after the fact (that is, when you finally DO get your invoice). Great account (not EMDRAT) but I can't work for free!
Left MQ after 10 years for Webmedx, a better place. nm
x
not matching for a couple years now since I left.
It was just sitting there. Started another 401K with next job. Let it ride say the politicians...yeah, right. Could have done better in Vegas.
I wasn' screaming...I left MQ after 8 years and worked for MDI-MD
for 1 month before I finally went to where I am now.  I just asked if anyone else got theirs.  I got mine from MQ and now I have to wait for 2 more.  It was just a generalized question, not accusatory at all.  What a jerk!
I left there several years ago, but from reading recent posts, SM
it seems to me that if it's the MTs who have been there for a couple of years or more that are are liking it fine there and sing the praises, and that it is the new hires or recently hired people who don't like it and don't seem to get work or at least get bounced around.  Just an observation from what I've read.  HTH.
I left EDiX/Spheris after 8 years there to come to Webmedx. SM
I moved over here in 2003 because I knew the recruiter and she told me it was a great place to work. She was right. The benefits are fair, the work plentiful, the bosses fantastic, and the QA staff wonderful. Good luck!
I left them over 4 years ago. Best thing I ever did. Moved to Webmedx. Quite happy. nm
.
I left after nine years in June before the pay cut and I am very happy in my new position and making
NM
I left MQ after years and went with a highly rate company on this board (sm)
my account has dried up and I am constantly out of work now...same with backup account.  I like the company I'm with and don't want to leave but I HAVE to have a steady account.  I realize there are slow times of the year but on this account they have overhired and now it's low a lot of the time.
I left Amphion a couple of years ago and never looked back.
It was one of the best moves I ever made.
They never change, 4 years ago a Xmas, they lowered everyone's line rate, I left then
NM
I hope it's a rumor..I left MQ for KS 3 years ago..I finally found a place I love (sm)
so I hope the rumor is not true!
Been with Keystrokes for 4+ years and not planning on going anywhere
I type Radiology and the Company is great just scroll down and you will find lots of info on Keystrokes.
I have been with Keystrokes for 2 years and can say the same as KSMT...
I have gotten a referral bonus, gift cards, et cetera....they are a really great company to work for and value their employees.
I have been at Keystrokes for 2 years and I love it...
I have never experienced or heard of anything such as the OP is claiming...all I know is that Keystrokes is a great place to work for and you were unhappy there let it go and move on...I truly hope you found a better fit for you...and to those that do not like working for Keystrokes, find another job...
Been at Keystrokes for 2-1/2 years and LOVE it!
nm
I have also been at Keystrokes 2-1/2 years and love it...
Great company.
After 8 years at MQ I went to Keystrokes in September 2006..and (sm)
I don't regret it.  For the most part my account doesn't run out of work.  I wish I had a backup but I haven't been able to get one.  But my main account is swamped a good part of the time so when they do run out of work it doesn't usually last long. Good Luck!
I agree 100%...I have been at Keystrokes for 2 years doing Ortho
and I love it...best company I have worked for...
Keystrokes is not as large as Transcend but they might be in the next few years. sm
Transcend has grown because they keep buying other companies, and Keystrokes does not do that. They have grown every year and still do because of getting new accounts and keeping the accounts they have.

Keystrokes is not in the $50M range; last I heard they were at $15M and will be in the $25M this year due to new accounts. They are very open about this, and also about the fact that they do not take on too much at once just for the sake of growing. They make sure that they are ready first.

Are they the perfect company? No, but they are better than any I have worked at since YOG. I have been at Keystrokes for 3 years. They continue to improve every year and have really worked through the issues they used to have including the insurance. The first year I worked for them, they were an OK company, the second year they were good, and this third year, they are great.

I am impressed with them because they still treat their employees as if they are a small company; we are not just a number to them. I am also impressed that they give more to their employees every year instead of taking things away, like a lot of other companies are doing.

I am happy at Keystrokes, as are over 400 of us. For those that are not or did not like working there in the past, I hope you find the company that works best for you.

Different strokes for different folks, but I have found the company that is best for me and plan on staying!