Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

this is a flame plain and simple. NM

Posted By: see what i mean? on 2009-09-25
In Reply to: I thought you painted - Stewed Tomato

NM


Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

OSI plain and simple
Speech recognition, outsourcing, massive turnover, only the beginning. The only way to offset this was to offer more benefits but they also upped requirements to receive them. You can't make more lines if more and more companies are outsourced, and two new ones have been added to that, Mayo and Sarasota--Ochsner already was. They aren't being that generous with benefits in the long haul and as someone said the other day nobody will stick around long enough to actually receive the benefits.
Well, plain and simple - they just don't care about the MT -

they want to make $$ - meet their turnaround times (for which they get paid more), take on clients, hire more MTs, perhaps lose clients, leave us all hanging with no work and as long as they can make a profit off of us, they could give a darn about all us lowly MTs.  Run out of work, too bad, and they don't need to give an explanation or they can just say they have new accounts coming and please be patient  and string us all along.  Plain and simple, they are in it for more profit, don't care about the MTs, kinda know we are all at their mercy cuz we have to have a job, but plain and simple just giving us all the runaround. 


Somebody prove me wrong - please. But unless you work for a company, can honestly say you never run out of work and never get bounced around on different accounts - spending YOUR  time logging in and out to scramble for work, please don't respond with how good your company is to you.  Yup, you guessed it, I am having a bad day, bad week, and bad past months working for MTSOs.  Unless you are making a decent wage, every hour of every shift - as management and owners are - you are being used and abused.  Feel more like I am on-call lately than an FT employee. 


No pay. No work. Plain and simple. I have never heard of not paying before during training. You can
bet they are getting paid by their client on the job that YOU did. How cheap can you get. RED FLAG..RED FLAG.. run.. run fast.
Plain and simple, you have to be able to handle the difficult dictators in this profession if..
you want steady, appreciated work by a national company. There are so many hoppers out there who bounce from company to company, and then come here to complain about it. Trust me, we have all had our share of tough dictation over the years. When I started MT over 20 years ago, I cried daily trying to get through those many mumblers, ESLs, etc. to make mere pennies an hour. The experience and skills that I gained by hanging in there made me a successful Transcriptionist over the years. I started out in-house, and then obtained a few local accounts, and built from there. I ran a small MT service with several subcontractors helping me. I am now with a small national, the name of which I don't want to mention. I make a good line count of .11/65 characters with spaces and have absolutley no overhead. If you are an experienced and skilled transcriptionist, there are companies out there who will pay you what you are worth. Don't settle for less. However, if you are new and inexperienced in this profession, do not expect to make a good living until you have built the skills necessary to succeed. If all that was involved in MT was getting the easy dictators or accounts, it would not take much to be good in this profession. A company needs to see that you can tackle whatever comes your way. No one ever said it was going to be easy!
Not to flame but telling me I don't

Thank you for mentioning things in your latest post that you left out of your first.  See how easily one can jump to conclusions?


For what it is worth, I ran my own daycare for 10 years.  I know EXACTLY what it is like to be the one responsible for every aspect of running a business day in and day out, when people don't show up or go to lunch and don't come back, having to meet laws from varies state agencies that are contrary to one another and smile the whole time.  I've started work at 5 in the morning and finished at 9 at night (while trying to raise my own two young children).  I know what it is like to cook for 95 kids EVERY day for a year because I couldn't keep good help.  I know that until I converted all my private investment into a nonprofit organization, I could not achieve the success with my business that I was able to do.  Imagine working for 10 years and having NOTHING left of it but a good reputation, no retirement plan, no assests, nada, because the effects you left on people and the benefits you offered were worth all of it.  Would you be willing to do that?  Not many would, I bet.


When you want to yell at me some more and show your true colors, you will turn away the good MTs whom you were trying to entice in your original post.  See how easy it was to fly off the handle.


I do wish your business well, but I stand by what I said.  I save you money by working from home and doing what I do.  Every year I get devalued by the onslaught of forces I cannot control.  If you want to toot your own horn, I would suggest a marketing consultation next time.


Peace.


Yellow flame
Can somebody please tell me what the yellow flame means?
Yes, a flame happens after a post has been
viewed a certain number of times...I think it's 200 on most of the boards.
Not a flame, just a question
How much do the pay you to spout the company line?
Flame you? I applaud you!
That was a remarkable post. You have guts to be able to lay it on the line like that. Yes, you have to work SMART in this field. I am fairly new at this, a little less than 4 years as an MT, but I am doing very well and do better every year. I make a fair bit more than what some of the MT's on this board say they make who also say they've been at it for 20 or 30 years. The response I will probably get for this is how unfair it is that they don't make more money than I do because they have so much more experience. My question back is why AREN'T they??? It's not the big bad MTSO's fault. This is a field that rewards talent and ingenuity, not tenure. Don't get me wrong, knowlege is invaluable, but it should enable you to produce more and therefore make more money. Now I'm going to put on my flame-proof suit, just to be ready!
Keystrokes warning not a flame -sm
No flames, but my version...be VERY VERY sure you have a job with them BEFORE you quit your other job. I was hired, got the programs loaded, waited for training, and never heard another word from them......all after I quit my other job. No flames, just telling what happened to me, as a word of warning about this company. Even getting it in writing is questionable. I got no answer to multiple telephone calls and e-mails. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!
This is not a flame, but how recently did you work for them? nm
xxxxx
Re: The flame by my original post
Folks I'm sorry someone considers my post a flame.  That was not my intention, but then again I have never been treated worse by an employer in my whole professional life.  That's why I'm looking forward to working for a company without local roots and the small town, small-minded mindset it brings.
They flame out so fast and so ugly.
nm
post on this at the bottom of this board with flame
x
Flames? Putting on my flame retardant suit. sm
So what if some are happy and express their feelings about a company.  If given the companies and the reasons, each of us can use this info as we need to.  The remarks that just say Stay away don't help anyone.  In fact, makes me wonder what the poster did that contributed to the bad remark.  If someone disagrees with your reaction to a company and flames you or if you get flamed for giving reasons, seems to me you are getting flamed one way of the other.  Might as well give reasons and help educate the rest of us.  And no one knows who you are, what do you care about the flames?  Actually, when I get flamed, I have to smile a little to think about how I got everyone excited for a few minutes. 
Where is the flame. It was only stated that you had incorrect info. Calm down a little
We can see you dont like the company but there are those that do like it.

We can state our opinions as well.

No one was flaming you.
Too much info often makes fuel for fire for those looking to flame (sm)
If an individual is actually looking exactly what is wrong with E-mailing that individual? A person can post hateful comments anonymously on this board, but when you are E-mailing back and forth people tend to be more friendly and less critical. JMO
That is just plain sad
nm
A lot of them just plain don't know!
.
It is just plain courtesy...
I'm well aware (as I'm sure most ICs are) that you don't need permission to take a few hours off or a day off but it is just common courtesy to request it off. I requested this Sunday off because I will be out of town for the day, I know my company cannot say no but I did commit to working Sun-Thurs and I can't change my Sunday plans so I have agreed to work extra this week and a few hours tomorrow morning. Again it is just common courtesy to pull your share and to try to be accomodating should you need time off.
Well that's just plain dishonest then.
I wonder if the MTstars quote was actually written by the the recruiter him/herself then.  I think I'll pass on this company then.
just plain dumb!
I have a couple of docs on my primary acct. who start every report with the patient's name and SS#. I can't believe an MD would be that clueless! There definitely should be some laws about those things!
And they do just plain nice things (sm)
like send restaurant gift cards when you've worked hard.  Nice to be given information, too.  The platform could be better, but the lines are really excellent.
If it's mainly plain films, go by page.
If the reports run the gamut of radiology, go by line. You could really jammed up doing long rad reports for a buck and change, especially with a lot of MRIs, CTs, PETs, nuke med, interventional rad, etc.

Good luck!
You're just plain nuts. nm
xx
MTSO or just plain stupid

The IRS has EVERYTHING to do with this.  IRS defines criteria for employee vs IC status, MTSOs laugh all the way to the bank at IRS and MT ICs because MTSOs have been on the non-legal side, pushing the limits, with little to no work force resistance.  Factor in the lack of employee benefits and although ICs may work as hard and put in as much hours as employees, ICs  make significantly less per unit than MT employeese.  Company owners have taken the risk that we are all just so grateful to have any income, that we won't fight IC vs employee status.  In fact, these company owners make millions of dollars annually filling employee jobs with IC employees without benefits, confident that no one will blow the whistle.


IRS laws clearly distinguish between independent contractor and employee status:
 
ICs:  Enter into a signed contractual agreement with Contracting Party, providing service of completing projects (work). 


-  Contracting Party CAN define begin/end deadlines, length of time IC service is required, basic guidelines, definitions of project and expected outcome.
-  If Contracting Party demands IC adhere to step-by-step instructions, supplies training, or insists IC work during specific hours of the day, specific days of the week, 30 or more hours per week, IC is an EMPLOYEE, entitled to all benefits afforded by definition, INCLUDING UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.


ICs: ICs purchase, procure and use their own tools, equipment, software, lbooks and other learning materials and training programs to carry out contracted project. 


- If Contracting Party loans, sells, leases, provides or pays for arrangements for loan, sale, or lease of tools, equipment, software, reference materials or books necessary to the project IC is an EMPLOYEE entitled to all benefits afforded by definition, INCLUDING UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.


ICs invoices Contracting Party for payment of services, arranging for CP financing, up front partial payment with final payment at completion of project, or payment submitted @10, @30, @60, day terms. 


- If a Contracting Party pays ICs on a regular biweekly or bimonthly  basis, through scheduled direct deposits, ICs most probably are employees robbed of the benefit of matching employer funds contributed their Social Security funds, as the law provides for Employees.  ICs (business owners and other self-employed) are solely responsible for payment of their individual quarterly state and fed tax installments, their own Social Security with no SS contribution by employer.


The IRS has EVERYTHING to do with this and by collective silence, MTs continue to allow MTSO's continue rob them.  After the lack of appreciation MTs have suffered, loss of jobs to VR, overseas, I think it's time to stand up and demand what is rightfully ours. As they've already dropped our wages to 0.06 - 0.08 cpl, and turned us against each other as we have to fight for our share of the work, we can only benefit from saying, Enough is enough.


(To poster:  You've been ill-advised.)


And being rude is just plain rudenss. No need
for it, either. 
Wow, either your comment put her on a pedestal or you're just plain mean
I'm guessing that you're mean or bitter. I read her ad, and it makes sense. MTSOs don't have firm accounts, or maybe very few of them do, but they lose accounts all the time and get new ones all the time. Nothing is stable baby!
IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, IT'S KNOWN AS "LOSING FACE" fm
Don't see how an MTSO can inspire faith and loyalty in his/her employees by blowing sugar up their collective behinds 1 day & all the while sticking it to them.  Call me sweetie pie, sugar cakes all you want, but don't do it in the same breath as telling us we'd all have to joint a 50% salary cut club, telling us that the low work for MTs is because of the Huge responses we got for our VR takeover and that because these brand-new VR'rs are so very productive all of a sudden -- (Why not chuck the euphimisms and say straight out, There's no work because it's gone to VR - in addition, we had to overhire a bunch of newbies as prophylaxis to a lot of expected resignations - added benefit, we don't have to pay any more bonuses to keep work in TAT - but you guys (you really do rock!) did pester us about low/no work, but will just have to FLEX until November when the new accounts (Ugggh) show up...hope your landlord, grocer, hungry kids are as understanding as you are, sweetie, sugarplumb - You're all the best! 
You can have 2 sets of headings in ShortHand, ones that are bolded and others that are plain. I had
accounts like that also, one using bold headings and the other not. For the bold headings, I would put maybe an x or a number behind the shortcut, such as HPIx for bold and HPIxx for without bold, whatever suits your fancy.
And this is why every company overhires - MTs don't stick it out - the plain truth
nm
AMEN! All this stuff about being nice is just plain silly.
nm
Why personally attack this poster? That is just plain wrong.
Every post I read by her is good-natured. The only people taking things wrong are the ones listening to the green-eyed monster. IMHO.
Any companies offering just plain Word and upload to FTP?
nm
People do make mistakes sometimes. Maybe it was an oversight or plain ole mistake
on someone's part, an unintentional mistake. It is possible.
It is simple...

This is a privately owned Web site.  We reserve the right to delete or modify any posts that are not within our Terms of Service.  We also reserve the right to ban IP addresses of individuals who do not abide by those terms. 


Moderator


It isn't quite that simple...

Thank you for your input; however, it is a deeper issue than that.  It is a major opportunity to teach the offending MTSO a lesson.  Speaking for the collective MT group, we are human beings and we deserve the same respect as any other human being.  It seems that MTs have, for too long, allowed themselves to be doormats.  Obviously, there is an exception to every rule, but I am not referring here to those few exceptions.


It is that simple...

There is no deeper lesson to be taught.  If you feel that you are being treated as a doormat and do not want to be, then do not accept the position and move on.


Moderator


Simple
If you type 100 minutes of dictation for this company and their operative notes are 1-2 minutes maximum (I worked for a company that paid like this) and they add up to 30-40 lines per report, you would be typing anywhere from 3000-4000 lines for 100 minutes, which equals $100.00 for this amount of lines, which in turn equals about 3-4 cents a line. Believe me, they pack the dictation in this amount of time. The company in turn charges the hospital or clinic per line and they pay you the minimum.
It isn't that simple
It isn't just whining! These people are taking MONEY out of the other MTs' pockets! While an MT with integrity does all the jobs that are assigned to her and gets hung up on an extremely difficult dictator, while the other MTs are taking all the easy dictators and making money hand over fist. That is NOT fair to the MT with integrity who makes chump change because she refuses to stoop to that level.

It is not fair and it is up to management to put a stop to the practice.

Don't judge others until this has happened to you. It isn't fair and this is the only place MTs can come to vent their frustrations over it. If you don't want to read the posts, just skip them, but don't tell people they are acting like children fighting for candy. This is FAR, far more serious an issue!
Simple solution
As long as Cymed can continue to find MTs who will put up with this crap and accept their positions that don't pay for spaces, they will continue to do what they're doing.

Why would a quality MT accept a job that doesn't pay for spaces. Why would a quality MT stay there?
SE versus IC. I know there is s simple

but I'm a math retard.  If an SE made 10 cpl and an IC also made 10 cpl, and everything else were equal, then the SE is actually making more because half of the 15% social security tax is paid by the employer.  So the SE makes 7.5% more than the IC, correct?


Now here's where I'm a math retard.  If you take that 7.5% into account, what is the SE's *real* line rate?  Sure, it's still cpl but when you figure the employer is paying 7.5% of the taxes then does that make the line rate actually more like 10.75 cpl?  Or am I off on my math?


Simple -- 5 steps
1) Do NOT answer the phone if it is not about your child or your husband, period. Get an ans machine and check it on your breaks. It is your responsibility to treat your job with respect and spending your time on personal calls is not respecting your job, your pay, your finances. You're an adult; you can do this.

2) Try to arrange your appts during nonworking hours.

3) Make an alternate schedule for yourself that you can commit to when appts or emergencies call you away.

4) MAKE everyone aware that you are working during ## hours and that you are not to be interrupted, then do not ALLOW them to interrupt you. If you answer - you are allowing it.

5) Define what really constitutes an emergency to TAKE YOU AWAY FROM WORK and stick by it.

It sounds as though the phone is your biggest problem. Simply stop answering. Let everyone handle their own problems...they are adults, too.

If you take control of your phone calls and have an alternate schedule for true emergencies (I mean - child/hubby sick, etc.), then you'll be able to handle unexpected/unplanned pressing needs such as your cousin (going to Iraq) dropping by!

Make YOUR time the most important time in the world. Because it is!!!
Some simple feedback for you..
Just wanted to say I think it was your tone with your suggestions that angered a few. It sounded bitter, angry, and downright nasty the way you spoke/typed it. We have all had our run ins with recruiters who make promises and do not follow through irregardless of the resume itself. I think you just hit a sore spot. :)
radical yet simple

Pay based on knowledge and difficulty NOT production.  This will raise the howls from those on the board who want all ops -- but you reward knowledge not limber tendons. Higher line rates for those willing to slog through ESL Discharge summaries and medium line rates for flying through ops and ERs.


 


Simple solution -
email me.
The rationalization is simple...(sm)
I'm laughing here because it's so simple you're gonna laugh at yourself for asking! Of course they're now trying to sub-contract to other companies, no one wants to work for them. So, if they hide behind another American MTSO, they can get American transcriptionists that way!
Anyway, thanks for the warning. I hope everyone who is contacted by or contacts another National company does what you did and ask where the work is coming from.
I use ChartScript and it is very simple. The only
demographics I fill in are ptient's name and doctor's ID # if there are any CC. 
A simple solution...

get a fake email address.  go to hotmail or yahoo and just make something up.  i will never know who you are.  :)  I do understand your hesitation.  I wouldn't email me either.  LOL  I'm safe, I don't work there anymore.


Line counts?!  Um, yeah.  Encouraged to be dishonest to the MTs regarding that also went against my grain.


And here are even more simple facts about
I have been with them for 2 years. I work PT (6 hours/day). My average for last pay period was 163 lph. Yes, I exceeded production for PT (6000 lines/pp), I always do and did even when I was FT. I don't understand the complaints or the inability to meet production. The DI honestly takes all of 2 seconds on MOST (I aint saying all cause I don't work on all) accounts. I have worked on 6 different accounts and all but 1 have ADT feed...I am sorry it didn't work out for you because Amphion is one of the best nationals out there...good luck!!
Simple answers
Okay, simply put, I work for SoftScript, the workload is steady, the supervisors, etc., are great communicators; they pay within a few days of the end of the pay period by DD.

Now I'm off to work. :o)

PS .. the reason you don't get a lot of response is because we're all happy with our job and not having to hang out in here with all the negativity.