Doctors' offices, not hospitals
Posted By: anon on 2007-06-21
In Reply to: While I would like to see that happen, too, - I don't see it as an option. sm
Sounds like the OP is referring to doctors' offices and not hospitals. If we took the initiative and talked to local doctors in our area, perhaps they might be interested in having their work done in a more "personalized" fashion. We don't know unless we try.
I think the hospitals might be a "lost cause" in this regard because they are run by financial people and not the physicians themselves, but I think I will start making some appointments (which I need to do, anyway!) and query my physicians about who does their work. I think the office managers might brush me off, but I do not believe the physicians would.
I do agree with the OP that we all need to try to take back the medical transcription field ourselves and get it out of the hands of big business.
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Whether hospitals or independent offices,
I'm speaking from experience.
I get .135/.13/.16/.195 direct from hospitals or doctor offices.
.
Small doctors' offices do!
My second job is for a small (3-physician) specialty office. I am paid by the hour at a nice hourly rate. I was also paid hourly when I worked in-house last year at a specialty practice. I got this job initially by asking the doctor personally who did their transcription when my daughter had a check-up appointment there.
Really, your best bet is to do some networking and research on local offices in your own community. A lot of small doctors' offices do not want to mess with big nationals and prefer a local dependable transcriptionist. As a poster below had suggested, offer to do a SMALL portion of their work for free on a trial basis.
I know what you mean about being burned out, though! I hope you find what you are looking for.
Most doctors offices are like that because they are not open on the weekend...
and work doesn't start trickling in until late monday afternoon/evening so why bother waiting around, just take the day off!!!
Contracts do no good. Doctors' offices break them
I had contracts with my physicians. I put thousands and thousands of dollars into new equipment because they asked for it, trained several transcriptionists at $5,000 a piece, and then they went EMR within a few months despite the contract. They had been setting the EMR up the whole time. Even when I found out about it through a third person, it was still denied. Do not count on contracts. Just because they sign something does not mean they will abide by it.
Do you know any IC transcriptionists or friends who work in doctors' offices?
That is how I got started. A good friend worked for herself and had no coverage for vacations. I covered a vacation, then a day or two a week, which eventually worked into full time. I also did prn work for local offices.
hospitals are the doctors..
x
Yeah, but hospitals are already largely using VR in hospitals. (nm)
(nm)
Offices are different.
Your supervisor should be able to email you a rundown. My office has many different incentives, in fact, I have a hard time keeping track of them!
Why are all offices not ran the same?
x
One of the Ohio offices
I'd rather not say which. Been there years.... it's gotten worse, not better!
How do you change offices?
?
it seems to be all offices, have you signed
up for IPAY? I have not gotten a check yet either, but there is a statement there for 09/02 which obviously is not a regular paycheck
incompetent offices
Geez Mandy, you must work for the same place I did before I left LOL.
Offices need not comply .. but
we find that most do for the continuity in care issues that any practitioner faces.
Can anyone tell me how they like working for the NE Region of MQ as all offices in the NE are
going there one by one as the local offices close down. What are the people like to work for there and the QA people as far as feedback on things. Thanks
So they are consolidating offices, big deal.. it's a
c
I don't know about now, but they used to have local field offices. sm
A friend of mine had a problem, and she went in and talked face to face with a really nice person, who helped her through it. If you're close to an office, and if they still have them, that might be your best bet. Good luck.
I think the MDs that care in their offices or clinics sm
keep their trans in-house. My personal MD does and overseas every last little detail and she is tough! The ones who dont want to mess with it go to a service and let the service take responsibility. So neither will care....IMHO
My experiences with home offices...
I used to have my office in the living room. It was really difficult for me and my family.
I moved it into the dining room ... again, was just a bad fit and crowded/cramped everything.
Finally I moved it to my bedroom. Now at first, I had my desk sitting out in the open and it became depressing. While I enjoyed the privacy and quiet (I could actually shut my door), it was all I saw when I was in my bedroom. That blank monitor staring at me, either making me feel guilty by not working more or making me dread going to work.
Soooo, then I got creative and I've been thrilled every since.
I pulled all of my clothes out of my closet and bought a beautiful armoire with drawers and a rod in the top to hang clothes. Beautiful asset to my bedroom.
I purchased a smaller but very nice desk and fit it right inside my closet. I have a lovely little lamp on my desk, streamlined all my paperwork to a minimum and put as much as I could live without (in tangible form) on the computer. Have a small vase I keep fresh but cheap flowers in. All I have is in the closet and I can close it up out of sight when I am done. I can store my books up on the shelf above plus I have a small CD player up there to play soft music while I work.
I did not want an ugly office chair anymore. I really liked my upholstered chair in my bedroom. So I had my son put rollers on it and now it is my chair. When I'm not working, I just turn it and angle it into the corner like it has always been...when I need to work, I just sit and slide right under my desk.
I could not be happier with this set up and it has been this way just over a year now.
I get copies of the schedule from the offices. sm
you are an IC, so you can call the shots. You can let them know that if you don't receive the work by a certain time, you will assume there is none, something of that sort. If you need a day off, give them advance notice and don't "ask" them for it, because you are an IC so you set your own schedule per IRS rules. You do not need their permission, per se. Obviously, we accommodate the docs as much as possible to keep the accounts, but only to a certain extent. We shouldn't be on call for them 24/7, either. They wouldn't wait all day for a patient that may or may not show (and sometimes even charge if the patient is a no-show!!) If you wait and wait for work, play their game and put it in writing that you will charge for your time -- and then DO it. A few extra charges on the old invoice will likely bring about a change. ;)
Even with the schedules provided, the docs can and do change them at the last minute, so there's no way you can ever know for sure, but at least you can have SOME idea what's going on if they provide them. The way I see it, if he tells you he will be out, then that's what you go by. Even if the staff can't verify it (strange, since most docs are highly reachable by staff), you've heard it straight from the horse's mouth so if you want to take that opportunity to have a day off, let the staff know you'll be off that day, period.
If the doc changes his mind and comes in that day, well, I'd still take the day off if I made plans. Keep that saying in mind that poor planning on their part does not constitute an emergency on your part. If they don't like it, then maybe they'll make better future efforts to keep you in the loop.
MQ offices- If there is an MQ office in your city/state, is it possible to
apply for an MQ job outside of your state? I think I have been blacklisted from the MQ here in Birmingham, AL. I worked part-time for them when they first setup an office here, and they were named Transcription Limited, I believe. They only paid 6-7 cpl at that time. Well I worked for them a couple years and then opportunity came where I could work for another transcription company, and I am assuming was a competitor to them in the Birmingham market. Mind you, I left in good standing (so I thought), two-weeks notice and all, and was an exceptional employee, but years later, every time I have tried to apply through them, I get turned down. So I am wondering if I could work for another MQ office outside of Alabama, or will they refer me to the Birmingham office?
How much do most people charge for doing IC work for doc offices, just
What program is good to use for line counting?
I was thinking 13/cents a line? Is that undercharging? I have to remember that I have to pay my overhead so even though 13 sounds high, I have to pay equipment, equipment, equipment.
help
go solicit medical buildings/offices...nm
So tired of dealing with incompetent offices...
they just emailed me for the upteenth time for a stat report that I already sent to them 40 minutes ago. Wouldn't you think they'd check to see if they had it first!?! Constantly emailing me questioning what they've sent me and when. Why can't she keep logs like I do!?! Doesn't take a rocket scientist! Can't remember from day to day to send me patient lists. Don't know what the heck she does with incomplete reports I've sent because doc doesn't give a name of messes up his dictation and cuts half of it off. I'll get a call a couple of weeks later saying doc insists he dictated on so and so, but they never got the report. I'm the one who has to go back and search for the nameless reports and match up the the patient they're missing with diagnoses, age etc., then tell her that's the one I sent you on that date that was incomplete. Why can't she figure that out!!! If I functioned like they do, I wouldn't last a week! Sorry, had to vent.....
I am an IC and my accounts are clinics and doctor's offices
So I have weekends off unless the docs dictate late on Friday, in which case I have the choice of working late on Friday or getting the work done over the weekend.
With clinic work, you don't have the constant flow that you have with a hospital. You can't work harder or longer hours to make more money. There is a specific amount of work, and when it's done, that's it. Your income will fluctuate. But if you're willing to put up with that - you can have your weekends off.
Start by calling your personal doc offices. Probably
s
There are so much better accounts out there. Start calling offices sm
to get new accounts, let this one go, and don't look back.
I have in this situation many years ago. Believe me, I learned along the way. There are dream clients out there and there are these type.
I have found in my 25 years experience in MT, 18 of those working as an IC, that as one door closes, another one opens.
They are and that is why we dont have work then. They bring in other offices and run your office out
of work because too many people are on the account then. Make sense. Nope.
I, too, work for MQ out of one of their CA offices - 7 years now. Steady workflow sm
I wouldn't say I don't run out of work, but maybe 3 times a year I do. Just depends. Around school time beginning I do. May pay is probably above average because the company I worked for that MQ bought paid really well.
I have had absolutely no problems with MQ, though the things I keep hearing and seeing do bother me that I belong to a co. like this. But personally, they've been too good to me.
I guess not all offices are the same, for sure!
DH and I used to clean lawyers' offices for supplemental income. sm
Made good money. They were very appreciative folks and even gave us a $100 tip at XMAS time. Mind you, we were working for a contractor. Would have made more if we were the contractor. No shame here.
Is this Holiday a major one? Clinics and offices closed?
I guess I am out of it. How big of a holiday is this? All the kids home from school today? Post offices and banks closed? Seems rather quiet work-wise. Wondering if I should start cleaning the house or keep staring at the no jobs to do in my queue.
Thanks!
Send letters to local offices marketing yourself. sm
Watch the want ads, and offer yourself as IC backup instead of FTs. It works!
As you pick up your accounts and back-up accounts, just do a good job and meet expectations or better.
The only drawback about your own accounts, it leaves little time to clock out and have your own life. If you can find someone else to work the accounts while you rake in the money, that is all the better.
Same situation here. When worked in-house or for physicians offices,
never as much as a single episode of no work available. Much to my dismay, I have found out that MTing from home for a nation is so unpredictable, in so far as what your paycheck is going to be every week or 2. They all say "there is plenty of work," which is probably factual. However, the nationals are primarily interested in pleasing the client with their promised swift turn-around-times. What they forget is that if it weren't for the MTs, there would be no turn-around-time whatsoever. It's really very discouraging and quite unfair. Most people try to adhere to their monthly budget, which is impossible when one never knows how much they are going to make from one week to the next. We ARE the providers, not peeons, and resent being treated as such.
Contact the unemployment offices of the state in which you work.
See Wikipedia "unemployment benefits" for an excellent discussion. To determine your eligibility, try contacting the unemployment offices of the state in which you work--start with the state to which your employer pays state income taxes on your wages. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck to you.
My goodness, there are MQ offices crying for help. Gets transferred out of Amherst to Ohio or one of
the other offices. I will do that if they run me out of work at Amherst. I dont plan to stick around long if that happens.
Veteran's day. Kids are out of school. Many doctor's offices are closed.
dd
If you are that slow, why don't you stop in some local doctor's offices, pt, chiropractic, etc
do their backlog? That has always kept me extremely busy.
It is mostly trial and error! Lots of foot work, go to their offices, ask for the OM and see if the
x
I also have two offices w/mult physicians on tapes, but going digital this month (sm)
at my encouragement. I am training them with a consulting fee by the hour. They were resistant, very old fashioned, but after multiple problems with a few docs dictating over each other's tapes, and the cost of gas, paper, and everything else... I encouraged this. In fact one service just added another physician and I told them I could not handle their transcription anymore, but they said whatever I can do to continue, so we are going digital and longer turn-around time. It will be a time saver and more cost effective for me right away. I will still be going in to the offices probably twice a month because I feel the personal touch is really important. I also work PT for a national, by my choice, as I feel it keeps me on my toes with different types of transcription. Also the national is a guaranteed paycheck via direct deposit every 2 weeks, whereas my own customers, thought good money, well sometimes they are late. 
What a perfect analogy! Shoot, I switched offices in my own home and it took a good 2 wks
x
RMAs/CMAs usally work in physician offices as the office nurse.
x
Most hospitals have ......
contracted their work out to the national service, a practice I hope comes full circle eventually and hospitals reopen their own departments in the name of confidentiality and quality control. I only know of 2 hospitals out of about 8 in my area that have their own department (I work for one of them). It is by far the best MT job there is, or that I have ever had. I am at home, but a regular employee. The hospital is only 20 min from my house (we have to live local). I have worked for the big nationals and saw nothing but a decline in pay. Now I get regular raises, good hourly pay, production incentive pay, benefits, and vacation time. I wish more MTs could find my situation. I have hopes for the future once the industry figures out that they are cutting off their nose in spite of their face.
Do All Hospitals
In Tennessee pay that well? I have been considering moving to Tennessee to try to get away from the hurricanes.
VA Hospitals
I did the VA Hospital dictation here in Portland and it was all contracted out to companies, no employees. But you might contact your local VA Hospital but if it is as an employee 95% chance you will have to go into work and not do it at home, if it is at home it will be as an IC and no benefits. Just what I know about it. If you think your ESL's are bad at a regular hospital, this is worse as there is a lot of ESL's there on their rotation and they could care less how they dictate as they are only there for 6 to 8 weeks. Changes that often.
The hospitals are not going to get
dial into. They'd be better off hiring MTs and paying benefits than doing that. And if you dial directly into the hospital, instead of into the MTSO's dictation system, then the MTSO has no say in 800 lines. The truth is, hospitals usually do not want to just turn all of their dictation over to a service and they certainly aren't going to pay for long distance incoming calls in addition to what they pay the service.
just sometimes it is the hospitals...
they are actually told to hold back dictation at times, due to costs. sometimes the hospitals sneak around and try other services, or voice recognition.
in the future, there will not even be any voice dictation...just templates where information is added, like data entry...
Not that many hospitals.......
still have their own dept. That's how Medquist and Spheris and all those huge nationals exist... They have whole hospital accounts. Out of the 3 large hospitals in my vicinity, only 1 still has their own department. I trolled their website for months before I found an opening, but I eventually got in. Some hospitals don't have their MTs at home, mine does. It all depends. Most hospitals have a website, so fine the one you're interested in and check out their job opportunities, and then check it almost every day and if they do have a dept, they'll eventually have an opening.
Well - believe it. Hospitals pay that. I can tell you
at least hospitals in the Philadelphia area pay up to 24 cpl. MQ charges 23 cpl. I have one small department of a hospital at 17 cpl. It is out there - pull your head out of the sand and go looking.
I wonder if hospitals know
There are American transcription companies opening up here in the US that actually work for companies in India? I had a job offer from an American company and they let it slip that they were actually getting paid by Focus Infomatics. I thought about this and what an idea! You open up a company in the states, the facilities think they are getting American work, then you actually have the work done overseas.....hmmmmm
hospitals
do hospitals now go by minutes instead of lines in regards to productivity? if so, what is the usual they are asking for an 8 hour day?
thanx!
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