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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Yeah, I'm thinking I may have to go back to that.

Posted By: nm on 2005-12-28
In Reply to: Happy with my own hospital accounts. No more nationals for me. nm - 25 year MT

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yeah I was thinking about that...sm
Why is it the bully won't reveal who they are? I don't mind putting my name beside my posts (or screen name). But when someone is really ugly they don't want to put their name.
Yeah. I dont know what I was thinking LOL
nm
yeah, it is the point of the thread. thinking that
opportunity or training for this field of work so that only US MTs can have it.

go ahead. be an ostrich. stick you little teeny head in the sand and say it is unfair all you want.

you cannot stop other countries from doing business with the US and you cannot stop the US from doing business with them, either.

i doubt seriously anyone crying on this board has really done anything significant about it other than complain here.


Yeah, thinking about it sitting here in my sweats, hair up in a ponytail myself...sm

I must honestly say it is hard to demand respect looking like this.  Thanks for making me smile!  


It really does take unique people to be able to work while the kids are screaming in the background, the dog is bugging you because he wants to go outside for the hundredth time today, you know you only have one more load of laundry to catch you up for the day, and all the while you have the dictator who thinks it's ok to talk while he stuffs his mouth full of food, or to sit in the lounge where everybody is taking a break and making plans or whatever.  Oh well, from the looks of thes print on these sweat pants, I haven't lost my sense of humor anyway.  It is hard to be real serious when you are over 40 and running around with pink flames on your clothing, sheeesh! 


Back to thinking on this...
I'm on too many accounts, and woe is to me if I forget a little account specific rule. The QA peep will spank you hard. Yes, you pay for your computer. Platform's okay, but not generous. They are a company experiencing growing pains, I suspect.

I was loyal to one company for many years and rose through management. I changed horses and decided to do something on a related career track and do MT part time with with Amphion.

At first, it seemed great. They were good people, very responsive. As they've added staff and accounts, the good times have definitely gone away. I hope they get through their growing pains, consult with some people who really know how to run things smoothly, hire and fire appropriately (QA and middle management) and get on the ball. Then, they will be a company to stay with, hopefully. Unfortunately, I will probably be gone by then. Line counts are more generous, and QA is better managed elsewhere. (I find myself thinking who thought this QA method WORKS, anyway? Clearly no one who knows how to mentor MTs or run a QA department.
Thinking about going back in-house

We are moving to a new town, and two of the hospitals there have job postings for transcriptionists. I'm trying to decide what to do. I know it would be easier to sit down and do the work without the distractions of home, but I would also lose the flexibility.


Has anyone else out there ever gone back to the hospital medical records department? and what was that like for you?


Well she would actually be thinking about them by going back to school also (sm)
I am at a point where i need a divorce but guess what? No job security. So far my kids are staying in an unhappy home. I pray that never happens to her. Even if it doesn't she still needs job security to take care of her babies, married or not, and nursing would give her way more security than this.
Thinking back about what others were posting about VR
and how newbies could do, slow typists, etc. and now I hear you say you have to use your whole brain. If you are slow, no money in VR and a newbie could certainly not distinguish what a dictator wants, as in example 1 that changes their mind over and over again and you have to know what they means rather than what you think they might be talking about. So many want to put down people who do VR stating anyone can do. I would very much differ with that. It takes a lot to listen and be as 100% accurate as you can in editing each and every word that is said, much less getting the numbers straight.
Yeah you troll. Get back under the bridge.
n
Totally deluded thinking! "bring transcription back in-house to gain control of the cost."
I just outsourced a hospital where the MTs across the board were making hourly wages that would shock you. My husband, who has a doctorate and makes well over $100 K a year, isn't making what some of them were! Hospitals are outsourcing because the MTs are making way too much money for what they do! Bring it back in house? Not unless they can make it fiscally feasible and pay someone do manage the deal.
At first I was thinking that you were being unrealistic, not thinking about taxes, benefits, etc. bu
surprised to find that you are not asking the moon. Let me clarify a few things: Rates charged are not as high as 0.25 per line, but no one that has U.S. employees goes as low as 0.115 or they would not be able to pay their bills. A more realistic range is 0.125-0.165, and that top end is hard to find, most falling at 0.14-0.15 per line.

The rates of pay you propose are very reasonable IF the following is true: These are seasoned MTs who do not need a lot of hand-holding, QA or blanks filled in, unless a very difficult/impossible doctor.

How about a scale based on experience and accuracy of 0.09 - 0.105 per line (acute care), and $1.15-$1.30 per report (radiology)?

The VR one is tough as everyone, MTs and MTSOs and facilities are still feeling their way on this. As an MTSO who was an MT, I feel that VR editing is as difficult to do as regular transcription. I don't think that it should be substantially less pay or charged less as the end product is still the same.

Funny thing here? My company already follows that scale. We should work together, not at odds, to reinforce this industry and bring it back to where it should be, right here in the U.S.A. with a decent paycheck.
lmao!! yeah maybe I'm the recruiter...suggesting that my co-worker is the problem. yeah that make
x
Yeah, yeah, I spelled health wrong -
I am very angry right now and my fingers are taking it out on the keyboard.
I worked in QA for Transcending back in 2000-2001. They were paying hourly back then. SM

The accounts weren't too horribly bad.  The reason I ended up leaving was because slowly but surely they began to inch closer and closer to paying QA by production.  When I first started, the quota was something like 30 reports a day.   We simply had to make sure that we QA'd all reports that were close to being out of TAT first and then do the rest.  Then, my supervisor left and they hired a new one who immediately called a big teleconference meeting and said we had to up production to 60 reports a day.  Then, they started counting lines.  Which was fine because they were still paying hourly.


Next, there was an MT who used VR software because she was blind - yes blind.  Again, when I first started, I was told we had to edit her entire reports because she used the VR software and we had to make sure that everything was correct and made sense.  Then, we are told only check the blanks.  I wasn't comfortable with that and I continued to completely proof every word.  Then I was called on the carpet not because I wasn't meeting the production quota, but because I was ONLY meeting the production quota.  I told them I was proofing all of the MT's work that used VR, I was told that no one ever told me to proof every word of the VR reports and that I needed to fill in blanks and move on.  When I voiced my concerns, I was told that was my job, to fill in blanks and I should move on and strive to product above the standards.  Next thing you know, rumors abounded about changing the QA staff to being paid on production.  So I left. 


There just seemed to me to be too little concern for quality and more emphasis on quantity and I just didn't want to be part of company who would take money out of my pocket just to line their own and that's what they were doing by putting QA on production.  I also am not comfortable with the job of QA being thought of as a blank filler.  There is much more to the QA profession than just simply filling in blanks. 


I don't know if Transcend ever did start paying QA by production, but I could see that the idea was being floated there.  Maybe there was a enough protest that they didn't change from hourly. 


Good luck to you!


Phoenix Medcom- Another apply a few months back, ask to take a test and never heard back??
I applied a month or two ago, received an email from someone asking if I would take a test and said she was getting ready to go on vacation for a week, so I hurried and immediately and told her I'd love to take the test. I never heard back. I waiting thinking she went on vacation and would contact me when she got back to do the test but nothing...very strange..Just wondered if this happened to anyone else.
Has everyone heard back from Keystrokes yet regarding the email we received a while back?
Just wandering why I haven't heard any response yet.
Yeah, yeah, AND enjoy!

I sent them an email back in August and never heard back sm
Is this company on Long Island? I checked out their website and even tried calling once. Were you successful in contacting them? All i know is that the company is owned by some doctors.

Hopefully, you will hear back. Unfortunately, I immediately heard back from MD-IT
but somehow with over 16 years of experience, I blew the test.  I was soooo disappoionted and yet pretty stunned.  I am by no means perfect but I haven't flunked a test in years.  I expected it in my early years but not this far down the road. I was so confident and they will not tell you which part you did not pass and why so it really just blew my mind.  I must have been in shock for like two hours after I got the email. Oh well, someone will want me....hopefully.  I was thinking about OSi but I don't think I could take another rejection if I never heard back. 
I had the same thing happen, went back to MQ, went back to KS and could not be sm

happier.  I am on a different account then the first time and it is as if it is a different company.  I have a great lead who leaves us alone most of the time but is there when I need her.  It showed me that you can have a different experience within the same company.


I have to say that in the few weeks since they have the new office, it is much more organized probably because there are a lot of people there all the time.  I had the pleasure of speaking to the new HR manager who was HR at a hospital, got my questions answered about insurance as I am going to full time and had a live voice pick up the phone.


Not all change is bad.  This is one company that has changed for the better. 


I was reading about the back up help. I would like also to have some back up work.
I am not getting anywhere near 12,000 lines this go around.  My goal is 12,000 lines each pay period.
Back away from the hoops!! Back away!
I worked for them about 6 months - same mess to get hired - FBI check is right! It was unreal. I was so excited, though - they promised me the moon, and I really thought I had found my new home after centuries with that other company who shall not be named.  What a disappointment, to say the least. All around horrible experience, and I would NEVER recommend them. Certainly they were not worth the hoops at all. Total waste of effort.
That's exactly what I was thinking
I didn't see anything about 10 cpl for ESL accounts.  Thought I was losing it.
Could you tell me why you think this. I was also thinking of looking into them.
:
What I was thinking!
x
Exactly what I was thinking.
nm
I am thinking that..........
I am thinking this is a former disgruntled employee who acts like they are still employed.  According to other posts in the past it seems some on here post info as such.  Possibly they are trying to stir something up.  Search it out on your own to find out fiction or fact and make own judgement.
i was thinking...
if it was a total of 150 reports and they paid the $3 for only the first page of those 150 and the $1.50 the other 149 pages, that would still equal almost $230/day. Did I do that math right?! Sounds good to me!

that's what I was thinking
NM
Thanks.....that is what I was thinking too.
This is for a hospital
That's what I'm thinking and

y


Thinking of doing ASR

I've been an MT for about 20 years - 7 years with MQ.  I used to do on average about 300+ lines per hour on my primary and made a pretty decent living.  With ASR, I've gone down to an average of about 239 lines per hour.  Plus, they pay us about a penny a line less on ASR after you do a 60-day trial.  I tried quitting the ASR, but if you do that, all you get is the really crappy dictation, so the ASR becomes the lesser of two evils. 


My theory is that, since the ASR system apparently learns as we make corrections, that MQ is going to keeping sending it to us while we teach the system.  Then, when the ASR system has learned all it can and is doing perfect work, they'll ship all the work to India and pay them (the Indian ME's) 2 cents a line to edit it. 


If I were you and I were making a decent living doing regular transcription with a high line rate, I would not consider ASR.  I think the only ones who make any money at the MT's who did not produce huge amounts to begin with!! 


I would NEVER recommend MQ.  They're all about the bottom line and I guarantee, MQ ASR will be going to India -- just give the machine enough time to learn. 


 


That's what I was just thinking
They sent me an attachment that had a bunch of questions like what version of MS Word do I have, version of windows, etc. They even asked me if I would buy a foot pedal from them for $60! On the top of the attachment, it had my full name and state that I live in. Hopefully I don't hear from them again!
I'm thinking....sm
I have been an MT for 10 yrs.  Been on a 5-month break and just recently started hitting the job search more seriously.  I've already been off for five months so what's another few weeks (hopefully no longer) when I could just avoid the exasperation of the last couple days and not embark with them at all.  Just received an e-mail that they once again cannot locate an attachment I sent them, which I have sent TWICE.  This is just too screwed up to even dabble in while I keep looking.  They drained me.
that's what I was thinking, too.
nm
Not yet. Thinking about it though
I'm just afraid of change, whether it will be better somewhere else. Things have been okay for me at OSi up until now, but things are changing. Things have gone on the last several months that have really started to take away my enthusiasm for my job there, and now this. There are people there that I really like, and then there's one that has made things not so nice anymore. I've gone places there, so leaving would be a step back in a way, but with what's going on now with the new partners, and with what I know is going on with certain accounts, I just am not comfortable staying here anymore. I think more changes are coming, so I probably should just go now. I just don't know.
Thinking about what I want

I heard back from a position I applied for.  The person is asking me about what I want in an MTSO & I thought I'd share: 


No micromanagement.  I will work the hours I say I will work and if I’m doing so, leave me alone.


I don’t want to hear about everyone else’s mistakes in a nasty e-mail where you threaten to dock everyone’s pay.  Address the issue with the individual.


 


No demanding I work overtime & then being unwilling to pay extra.  If you ask me in a civilized manner I will see what I can do to help.


 


No new and creative ways to rip the MT off.  I don’t care about your VBCs.  I want to be paid for my time and typing – including templates and spaces.


 


A company which pays on time.


 


Low ESL, while I can do ESL it doesn’t mean I should have to do so continuously because everyone else has cherry-picked or they just can’t do it – they need the practice, I don’t.  While it’s true I can make money on ESLs because they tend to say the same thing over and over, when they don’t, they are a royal pain in the @ss.


 


Pay equal to my experience level.


 


State of the art equipment – No DOS!  No cumbersome software wasting MY time looking up patient demographics.


 


I think I might prefer ER or clinic, I can make more money with those than with op notes, even though they pay less per line.


 


A company that DOES send positive e-mails and keeps its MTs up-to-date with feedback from the accounts and abreast of latest terms.


 


 
Anyone thinking about going IC?
Just wondering if anyone is thinking about it, or is doing so soon?
Exactly what I was thinking....sm
I am so hurt over it and I keep thinking....what am I going to do if this credit check becomes the norm? I will never be able to pay the bills then. Also, I used to be employed by them many years ago and did a fantastic job for them and was sought out by them, tested very well, and then offered a job, did the paperwork, and then apparently kicked to the curb without even letting me know why or the fact that I didn't get the job afterall. It's not the correct way to deal with anybody, good or bad credit! Merry Christmas.
What are they thinking?
Glancing at the job board just irks me.  This Denise Workman with SW Transcription offering a whole .06-.08 per line for exp acute ESL work.  Pulled up their website out of morbid curiosity to see no where on their site is a physical location, which normally means they not US based.  Of course they want US employees for acute work because their .02 per line employees can't hack it yet.  Shows on their site they charge .10 to .12 per line to their customers.  My feeling is this company is an Indian company disguising itself as an American company.  It's either that or these two women running the company are disgraces to the American transcription society.  That's my feeling. 
Yes, that's what I was thinking too
This is a relative of mine who has told me this story. I knew it didn't sound right. I also had a feeling she wasn't working her schedule, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was it. She seems pretty devastated today about the whole thing, but I'm not sure she should be surprised.

I've been accused of never believing what she tells me, so just wanted other opinions on this. Thanks to all.
That's what I'm thinking
I'm thinking I have the ability to do more work on my own schedule rather than just 8 hours with one.  I appreciate your perspective into this as I needed to hear from others that are doing it already that it is the right thing to do or at least plausible. 
I was thinking that also...sm
I'm trying not to worry so much like I did at first. I've only been doing radiology for 6 years and it's my favorite so I hope I can do this. Right now, I'm just glad I got the position. Thank you for the assurance.
I was just thinking that before. An old saying my mom
would tell me, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Funny how as we get older these cliches seem to make more sense to us!
I was just thinking that... a lot of it has to do with me
because as I have aged, I have had a lot on my mind, and also having a family with more responsibility took some part of my brain power. When I was single and up to about middle age the sky and energy and time I had to work was the limit. So was spending money on me, me, me. But now that I have gotten older, I have slowed not only because of age, but because of other things taking up my brain waves. On the plus side, my quality is much better so I provide better service to the patient. It is hard to come to the conclusion that sometimes we make less if we are slowing, but at least I still earn a decent living and know that I am providing good quality care to the patient. That must account for something, but does not necessarily pay the bills.
Thats exactly what I was thinking
what is in store for us now....I hate the unknown.
Thinking

It's really difficult to move from one platform to another at this company.  It's almost impossible, actually.  There must be a lot more to it than we know.  Maybe their profit is somehow connected to all MTs on one platform staying on that platform regardless of whether or not they have work?  I know it sounds really stupid, though.


Since everyone is an employee, and US Labor laws should still apply, I wonder if any of the MTs who lost work on EditScript, who they won't move to Dictaphone, have bothered to file with unemployment for reduction of work.  I think the unemployment office calls this partial unemployment or something like that.


Anyone thinking of going to QA, this is for you SM

Just don't.  If you think you are bored out of your gourd, treated like a factory worker and unappreciated now while you're doing MT, becoming a QA person is worse.


The QA jobs are production-based in some form also, even the hourly jobs.  You are expected to do XX amount of jobs per hour or per day and be on the system at XX:XX and off at XX:XX.  Believe me.  You'll see the same people sending their work to you to fix or do EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  It's really a thankless job and at least with MT, you are the master of your own ship, you are responsible for your own work, lines and jobs.  It's just something to think about.


I have also been thinking about them --

Do they hire only employees or are there IC/SE possibilities as well?


What platform do they use?  Did you get to set your own hours/days?


You said they started you at a decent line rate, was it more than 9 cpl and are you an employee or IC/SE?  I know that the line rate is affected by this.


Thanks.


That's what I'm thinking.
Too much Fox news coming from that posting.
That's exactly what I was thinking...
It seems that they want someone with a certain level of quality, someone who can jump right in and get started. Is it fair to want someone to adapt so quickly? Maybe not. But they have the right to assess an employee's skills and decide whether it is a good fit or not. What might be difficult for some, may be easy for another.