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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

weekend woes

Posted By: want a weekend off...just dreamin on 2005-09-30
In Reply to:

Do all these nationals expect weekend work every stinking weekend? As a reward for working all our hours during the week? Is anyone else sick of working constantly and never feeling they can take off a weekend without guilt??? Do these supervisors, managers work every stinking weekend too? I doubt it. The thing that stinks about working from home is that you are always working.....can't get a day off...anyone else sick of this???


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New job woes
I have subcontracted for a small orthopedic clinic and needed additional work.  I just started working for a large New York company.  When starting new doctors, it takes a bit to get used to their phrases and dictation but there are so many doctors with this company, I may never get used to them all.  I am spending too much time on each report and not making much money at all.  I would not be as discouraged if I only had a few doctors to get accustomed to.  Am I being just a whiny baby?  Any words of wisdom out there.  I am getting very frustrated. 
new job woes
Sent you an E-mail
Heartland Woes

Alright, I think I've decided to leave.


My issues: Software is horrendous, client’s specifics are 60+ pages (which you need to know about 4+ inside and out) and not even to mention the so-called "supervisor" who reminds me of a mall rent-a-cop - obviously not a transcription background. I don't know if I should stick around until they are sold in case it would get better or do I just walk away from this?


Any other MTs out there that felt this way about Heartland and what/where did you go?  Does it get any better or are all national companies like this?


HELP!!!


RE:Heartland Woes
No. Transcription companies in general are not at all as you describe in your post. I cannot even dream to commisurate with you on your job issues.
RE: HEARTLAND WOES
RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AS FAR AS YOU CAN!! I POSTED ON HERE A COUPLE MONTHS AGO HOW DREADFUL THAT COMPANY WAS!! I WORKED FOR THEM FOR 3 MONTHS AND NOTHING EVER CHANGED, IN FACT IT JUST KEPT GETTING WORSE. I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN, I HAD 8 DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS ALL IN THE SAME DAY EACH HAVING 60+ PAGES TO REVIEW... IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE! THAT COMPANY SHOULD BE BANNED!! Grrrrrrr
Transcription woes
I left one company that I thought was bad and went to work for
Spheris. I am so depressed. I am only making hourly. I jumped from the frying pan right into the fire and am burning.
A 3-day weekend every weekend? Wouldn't that be nice. Good luck with that!..nm
x
MT Salary woes article in Advance for Health Information Prof. 8/2008







Vol. 18 •Issue 17 • Page 20
Reactions to the MT Study

A group of professors is taking a hard look at the medical transcription industry.


His knowledge of the industry a few years ago? Admittedly, zero. Coming from, as he described it, a position of ignorance about the medical transcription industry, Gary David, PhD, associate professor of sociology at Bentley College, Waltham, MA, hit the road and headed to Reno, NV, last year, where he took in the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) Conference. After realizing no formal academic research had ever been done on the medical transcription industry, Dr. David and two Bentley colleagues, Donald Chand, PhD, professor of information and process management, and Angela Garcia, PhD, associate professor of sociology, set out to do an in-depth study of the industry.

The first part of the study was an online survey taken by 3,800 MTs, and the results of the survey were compiled, analyzed and presented as the study's preliminary findings. The full study is still in its infancy; the preliminary results from the survey represent only one part of the teams multifaceted approach. Dr. David has become embedded in the industry, serving on task forces and committees with AHDI and the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA), and he's now a staple at the annual conferences.

ADVANCE spoke to Dr. David, as well as to experts in the industry. We aimed to look at specific aspects of the study's preliminary results and gauge its reception. The opinions are mixed when it comes to three major issues in the medical transcription industry: quality, the work force shortage and the ever-present salary issue.


Questions on Quality

The survey posed several questions related to the quality of documentation done by MTs. Nearly half of MTs reported that they see how flagged errors are resolved only rarely or never. Also, the survey showed that 59 percent of MTs transcribe for multiple physicians at multiple hospitals and/or clinics. Dr. David's view is that if an MT isn't told how a flagging issue was resolved, he or she may not know how to resolve a similar issue in the future, which can affect quality. Likewise, Dr. David noted, if an MT is transcribing for many accounts, he or she might not be able to develop an ear for physicians.

According to David Plummer, founder and CEO, Probity Medical Transcription, Harrisburg, PA, quality review is useless unless that information is shared quickly with the MTs. He also agreed that transcriptionists should have primary accounts to work on, and then when that runs out, have pre-determined secondary and tertiary accounts. Today, many MTs are transcribing the dictations of multiple physicians from multiple hospitals and/or clinics, Plummer said, and that's just the way the business model works for most medical transcription service organizations (MTSOs), he explained. Quality, turnaround times (TATs) and productivity suffer in this design; however, when you have a transcription system where the pools do not contain sophisticated logic and has transcriptionists flit from one account to another, these are expected outcomes, in Plummer's opinion. What has happened is that the architecture of some of the newer platforms has not been built with [MT familiarity] in mind, and it creates these massive pools with multiple hospitals and tens of thousands of physicians, and that's just not good for quality or the MT, Plummer explained.

Chris Hopkins, chief operating officer, Landmark Transcription, St. Davids, PA, looked at the survey results from another angle. He noted that approximately 50 percent of his work force consists of independent contractors, which may indicate that those MTs are working for multiple companies, which would explain why they are transcribing for many different accounts. Hopkins also said that just because an MT is transcribing for multiple accounts doesn't mean that quality work isn't being produced. Landmark maintains a system where MTs are assigned certain accounts, and MTs do transcribe for multiple physicians. By working on certain accounts, however, MTs can keep track of the different client specifications, something that Hopkins said may be difficult in a pooling system as mentioned above. [MTs] can't build up any kind of speed or fluency on an account when they're doing 10 different accounts, Hopkins said.

Bonnie Crow, director of U.S. operations at MxSecure, Scottsdale, AZ, agreed that in an MTSO setting, MTs are most likely transcribing for multiple accounts. These MTs are often experienced and highly skilled, Crow said, and therefore they produce high quality documents. With the flagging issue, Crow said that software used at MxSecure provides feedback to MTs, and she believes most platforms will allow this (Probity and Landmark have software that lets MTs see how a flagging was resolved, as well). Crow also noted that MTs should go through a quality auditing process on a consistent basis. I strongly feel the Quality Assurance monitoring process today is the best it has ever been, Crow said.

That's due in part to the technology that can allow MTs to follow documents through the quality assurance (QA) process. Kathy Eberle, who works in QA and is the operations supervisor for Landmark Transcription, explained that as soon as a document leaves QA's hands, MTs can immediately see the changes that were made. Some platforms make this difficult, however, and MTs and QA personnel may have to work harder to ensure that errors are explained. It is extra work to give them the feedback that they need, but in the end, it always pays off for QA because the MTs always become better for it, Eberle said.


Shortage or No Shortage?

Besides quality issues, another point brought to light by the MT study's preliminary results is the aging work force and, potentially, a looming work force shortage. There's no denying that the work force is on the older side—77 percent of respondents are older than 40. There is, however, room to debate whether or not there's an immediate crisis when it comes to a work force shortage. Dr. David commented that because there are no solid numbers on the actual number of MTs working, there's no way to determine if there is definitely a shortage.

Plummer disagreed with the conclusion that there's a work force shortage right now. He pointed out that Probity uses all domestic labor, and noted that all of the accounts he'd like to secure are either being transcribed in-house or by other MTSOs. When an account is landed, the MTs on that account typically join Probity, and the need for more workers is quickly met. Plummer called the work force shortage overplayed.

Eberle referred to the shortage as simply a shortage of qualified MTs, rather than of all MTs. She's noticing that many good MTs are leaving not just their positions, but the industry, and they're going back to school to start different careers. With quality MTs, we're truly lacking at the moment, Eberle added.

Hopkins echoed that, to a certain degree. He admitted it was hard to say whether or not the industry was facing a work force shortage, and said he doesn't see that happening at his MTSO, where his needs differ from some of the bigger transcription companies. At my level, where we are, we don't see a tremendous shortage of transcriptionists, Hopkins said.

He added that if he has an opening, he advertises it and that day, he'll wind up with 40 résumés in his inbox. I can usually fill a very specific position within a day, Hopkins said.

Crow, however, is worried about finding qualified MTs to support the growth of the industry. There aren't enough younger MTs to replace the retiring MTs within the next 10 years, she pointed out, and she strongly believes that there is a work force shortage. She added that new education programs are being put in place to produce good MTs, and many MTSOs are offering mentoring programs. Her company started a mentoring program 2 months ago for new MTs to help them garner experience in the field. This seems to be easing the labor shortage, according to Crow. We are very excited with the decrease in attrition numbers we are seeing already!


Salary Woes

While there may be debate over whether there's a work force shortage right now, one certainty in the MT industry is that wages aren't heading upward. In the survey, MTs reported varied personal incomes, with the majority, 72 percent, bringing home $10,000 to $50,000 annually. Another survey question asked about the number of wage earners in MTs' households, and 33 percent said that there is only one wage earner in the household--the MT.

Dr. David called the industry one of the only places where the laws of supply and demand don't work. There may be fewer transcriptionists and there's a greater demand for transcription services. [That] should mean that [MTs] get paid more, but their pay doesn't increase—if anything it goes down or stagnates—and so part of it is linked to how there's just no perceived value in what it is they do, he explained.

The industry as a whole needs to recognize that MTs spend a lot of time and money learning their craft, and if wages continue to drop or stagnate, potential MTs are going to look elsewhere—to other industries—for jobs, Hopkins pointed out. We want to see a viable pool of labor here in the United States, he said. If people can get better benefits and better wages at McDonald's, why wouldn't they go there? It's too hard to learn this business. It takes years of work to be fluent and professional.

Dr. David observed that there was a sense of unrest in the industry about salary issues. There's a number of things impacting [MTs], causing their wages to go down or be less robust in terms of going up, so it's definitely an issue that we've heard about, Dr. David said.


What's Next?

Overall, despite differing opinions on the results of the survey, everyone agreed that it could be a valuable tool in the industry. Crow said she hopes the study can lead to medical transcription being recognized as a degreed profession with mandated certification. I think once this is in place, the profession will be viewed by the younger people as a desirable health care position, Crow said.

Hopkins hopes the study highlights the fact that offshoring labor is doing what he called a disservice to the industry. I think if people focus on providing a livable wage to the transcriptionists with a reasonable package of benefits and a decent schedule, the labor pool will become deeper and broader because more people will start to come into the industry, he explained.

Plummer hopes to see more transcription programs set up at colleges to help school more domestic MTs. He also hopes the study helps companies adhere to better quality, because that could help the entire industry. Overall, he found the preliminary results to be valuable, and he noted that the industry is ever-changing. It's a dynamic study, too, because it's like painting the Golden Gate Bridge—by the time you get done, it's time to do it again, Plummer said.

Lynn Jusinski is an associate Editor with ADVANCE.



THE WEEKEND IS HERE

Is everybody working this weekend. We need everyone to be working because THERE IS NO WORK.


1 weekend day is okay, but
requiring both is a little much. No matter what schedule I work, usually with 1 weekend day, I get pestered to work all 7, or to do 2 or 3 hours over the 8 to 10 I did already. Some of these companies would have no problem having you sit at your keyboard with an an IV bag attached to you. :)~
I weekend
I am not surprised at all.
I can and I will this weekend....
You can send me one too....let me know how it's going so far.
Is it usually weekend OT -- sm
or weekday OT or a combination?
Weekend
If there is a shift differential, that is news to me.  I do not receive anything for nights or weekends other than regular pay.  Maybe it is something for new hires only??
Weekend usually seems better.
It always seems like Friday and Saturday are busy. Maybe everyone can make up some lines. I've had an okay week. Ran out of work here and there. I am just getting nervous as we approach holiday season and the hiring of the new employees. I am looking for a 2nd job right now.
no weekend work - sm
Sounds like Transcend!
I understand weekend help is necessary, both I just
nm
There are MTs out there who are looking for weekend work...sm

I guess I don't understand your complaint with the company posting that ad.  They have a need they need to fill, and it might be the right fit for somebody. 


There would be no weekend TV, movies,
bars, etc., for entertainment. Might be a good way for families to learn to communicate again, though.
Weekend work...

Contact docQmed.  I am one of his clients and am always looking for weekend warriors.


 


THANKS!!!!!! Have a great weekend!

Weekend requirement
Is any two weekend days per month. Friday PM shift also counts as a weekend.
weekend work.....
What position are you interested in?  If you do read the previous posts, just ignore them...of course they are all ex-employees who left on a bad note with the company.  If you would like you can contact me concerning a position with Shapin.
Regarding their ER/Weekend Ad on Job Board.
Wonder if they still provide the computer and all those benefits for the 24 hour week?  Anyone do this currently or know?  Thanks!
Do you still have to work every 4th weekend or is
s
second shift/weekend
I work second/third shift and one weekend day but I do not get a shift diff so the pay is the same either way. I am on SR and only make 0.06 a line. The shift diff would have helped out.
weekend work

Are there any companies who will allow you to work both weekend days as part of a regular schedule.  I am looking for a reliable company, at leat 8.5 cpl, employee status and one where work flow is regular.  I realize there are always slow downs in this industry but searching for a company where you are not consistently running out of work. I prefer to work both Sat and Sun to allow me 2 days off during the week. I know this is unusual. I have an IC job.  Love the flexiblity but I need benefits.


I didn't think I would like the weekend day
but I can knock out my required lines in three hours and still have plenty of weekend left.
weekend work
I picked a Sun-Thur schedule so I plan to work Sun after dinner, and get my weekend in first...
Yes occasional OT on weekend, but then

little to none during the week.  The account that lost a work type is sending other work types, but lines/minutes no where close to what was lost.  The account that sends all the work, we also inherited their MTs, so no more work for current MTs. 


looking for weekend work
I would like to obtain weekend transcription. I do work a full time 40 hour weekday job and would like to pick up some weekend work. If anyone knows of any, please let me.
Transtech has M-F with one weekend
NM
How about the weekend differential?
Does it bother anyone else that the new way they pay that seems to pretty much exclude everyone from getting it? Or at least so far I can't get it. They took me from a M-F shift and made me take a weekend day, which I complied with, thinking that at least I'd get the differential. Then two weeks later, they changed it to needing to work, and make your line counts, for those days. I don't know about all the other accounts, but my account usually just trickles in on weekends, and when all the transcriptionists get on there trying to make up lines or try to get the shift differential, there is no way that I am going to get my ever-harder-to-achieve line count. I'm looking at that green grass on the other side of the fence, and I've got to admit it looks pretty tasty.
Had some over the weekend, but dried up now.
x
weekend nights are actually the

slowest on my accounts.  I try to get 1/2 my lines in before lunch and then check back in the early evening to finish up.  If I wait too late, the work's all gone.  Sometimes I can't get my lines in the morning, either, because the work isn't there.  It's really hit or miss. 


For the most part I work around it, but I don't live around it.  If I don't get my lines, I don't get them.  I have a second income that really helps out.  I think it's best not to put all your eggs in 1 basket.  You never know when that basket is going to break.


weekend work
I too hated the thought of working every single weekend, but I've been doing it for a year, and it has actually worked out okay. On the Sunday that I work, my husband gets to spend time with my kids, and I get an actual day to work interrupted. I don't have to work 8 hours on Sunday though, so I guess that helps. I just get up early and am done by noon. I am actually considering doing a Saturday too so that my husband can help that day also. It might not be as bad as you think. Good luck.
In this day and age, a weekend day is totally...sm
expected. I'm NOT a sour puss but I am an MT. I wanna make money so I accepted a Sun-Thurs schedule several YEARS ago - not just recently. I would suggest a better attitude about a work schedule, especially in this day and age. Go ahead and trash me - I don't care, but if you wanna work nowadays you must be accepting of a lot of requirements that were not the norm in days gone by. And then MTs wonder why the work goes offshore! Sheesh!
Weekend work
What do you find so difficult about working a weekend? I had 3 kids and worked 7 days a week.. (and still work 7 days a week!), you just adjust your schedule to what your kids are doing....most companies no longer require a set 8-4 or 9-5 type environment....Now I'm a grandmother and manage to do my job during the day and watch my granddaughter after 3 p.m....it really isn't that difficult. Look at it this way - if our normal work week was Tues to Sat, you'd be wondering how anyone could work Mon - Fri. Good luck with your juggling.
You HAVE to work a weekend day? No thanks!
I'll stick to companies who hire full-timers on M-F and part-timers for weekend work...
Do they require a weekend day?
x
Yes. You must work 1 weekend day every week. nm
x
What the heck is up this weekend with the system?

Cannot get into anything!


If they didn't want weekend work,
I would have taken the job. But who wants weekends? That stinks.

I have plenty of work and am doing OT this weekend. Maybe you could ask
for a transfer to a different supervisor.
Weekend work / 2nd line
It depends on which client they assign you to.  Our hospital is currently dial-up to both Lanier and Meditech.  However, Meditech will soon be IP connection but you will require a phone line for our Lanier as ours is not internet based/digital.
Plus shift and/or weekend differentials.
xxx
I tested for PMSI over the weekend, but SM

haven't heard anything yet.  The person who contacted me seemed really nice.  If the test is indicative of their work, I think I'd really enjoy it.


Has anyone else heard how well they did on the test?


Does anyone know if it is IC work or do they have employee status too?


I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll get back to me.


Just Me


The PT they will hire now is for both weekend days. Otherwise, they are FT only. sm
I have heard that they are going to be phasing out part-time employees, but might grandfather some people in depending on the shift they work.


Christmas weekend, and once again, pay is late.
I've had it with them.
why so hostile weekend warrior?
get a life
You should have taken advantage of bonus all weekend - most did.
nm