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Great info

Posted By: Romey on 2006-03-09
In Reply to: fellow animal lovers/MTs - tracy

Although I did not know about their cruelty practices, I did know their food was substandard as are most pet foods sold in the grocery store or large pet shop chains. If you ever want to know what is really in your companion's food, Google commercial pet food incrediants. Shocked me and now I only feed Innova. For more information read "Foods Pets Die for" by Ann Martin! All for the animals.


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Thank you for this great info. nm
nm
great info
What great info! I can't find my BOS, so will probably have to purchase another, but am going to get a hold of Word 2003 and get that loaded right away.

I have been working for a clinic for 13 years and they are now going EMHR. I know I have my own style, but best move to the BOS. I guess this old dog needs to learn new tricks.


Thanks so much for the great detailed info!
Well, the 911 thing was that its not hooked up to my local 911 anymore, and has to go thru their emergency center, who will forward my info to my 911. Only danger is that if I can't speak, I might be sunk. I have anaphylactic reactions at times, so got a little nervous about that end.  But I've never been able to be kept quiet for long to date! ;-) Near death or not, I can still talk! Well, I guess I'll go along with it and give them a try. I love their ads, and the cost is great. I, too, always have the unlimited plans with other companies, which ALWAYS cost me more each month for no reason!! Thanks again! Happy Vonage!
Some GREAT info for MTSOs and ICs........
Getting Paid on Time

By Brian O'Connell


Follow these tips on invoicing and collection procedures so you can get what you deserve--your payment.
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Admit it: What entrepreneur hasn't felt like screaming obscenities at a late-paying client?



Who can blame you? In the otherwise nirvana-like world of the homebased business owner, getting paid is probably the biggest hassle of going solo. In the corporate world, whether you complete a project or not, you know you're going to get a check next payday, just like clockwork.


But when you run your own business, completing a project and getting paid for it are two completely different entities. Thirty days, 60 days, even 90 days go by after you submitted your invoice, and still no check. Demonic possession sets in as the weeks roll by.


"It's more of a problem today than it was 10 or 15 years ago," says Bennie Thayer, president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Self-Employed. "We're becoming a nation of late payers as heavy debts force businesses to pay some bills one month while others are held over to the next."


So how can you speed up the payment process? Here are some strategies that successful entrepreneurs have been using for years to get paid on time:




  • Sign a contract. This may seem obvious, but it's critical if you want to set payment terms upfront. Too many small-business owners rely on verbal agreements when taking on work, and that's especially true for nascent homebased business owners, who are so happy to get the work that they don't want to jeopardize things by being too "demanding" of their new clients. That's a big mistake. Get a contract, and make sure it outlines the project and includes a provision of when you'll be paid. If the agreed-upon date passes, call your client and diplomatically point out that the due date for payment has come and gone. Then ask for an overnight delivery of the check if possible.

  • Shorten your billing cycles. While most vendors take 30- to 60-plus days to pay up, there's no reason why you can't add a line into your invoice that reads "Payment due within 14 or 21 days," including the specific date. That way, you have reason to call your contact at the client's office sooner rather than later to check on a payment. Once a client hears you say the check is late, that's usually enough to warrant a call to accounting and the likely processing of your check.

  • Rethink your invoices. Are your invoices too generic, too safe? While all invoices should include the client contact's name, the order number and the date the bill is due, don't stop there. Add a 5- or 10-percent penalty for late payments. Check and see if the client has a "favored vendors" list and then see if you can get on it. When you do, add your vendor number to the bill. And always list the project that you worked on—some clients simply need their memory jogged.

  • Get money upfront. As a writer, I've had good luck getting up to half the project fee paid upfront. Asking for an advance may seem "uncorporate" at first to some clients, but you're operating in a different world than your client. Positioning the request as a good faith gesture is a strong strategy. Chances are, you'll get it if you ask.

  • Join a union. Remember, there's always strength in numbers. So even a solo graphic artist or food caterer needn't go into the payment battles alone. Hundreds of unions exist that can help you track down deadbeat clients and get paid. Clients may snicker at a lone business owner, but they don't like facing down unions. Check your local chamber of commerce or log onto the SBA's website for more details.

  • Hire a bill collector. This is a real last resort. Once you hire a bill collector, the chances are remote that you'll ever work with the client in question again. Then again, if you're payment is seriously late (90 days or more), why would you want to? Collection agencies will garner anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of the payment fee, but at least you won't go home empty-handed. Bonus: The Better Business Bureau tracks late payments through collection agencies and documents them. So your diligence may keep others away from a deadbeat client.

  • Small claims court. Okay-a last, LAST resort. For $25, you can take your deadbeat client to small claims court. Payments in question are usually less than $15,000 (check out this site for the limit of what you can sue for in your state), but you don't need a lawyer, the hearings aren't that complicated, and you'll have justice on your side. Check your Yellow Pages under "local government" for help.


Remember, getting paid is how you pay the rent. It's your money, not the clients, and you've got a right to it. Don't be afraid to fight aggressively for what's yours.

Thanks for that great info. This is what I was hoping
from my current MTSO. I was looking at another company that requires their ICs to have this insurance. I guess the grass isn't always greener.........
great site - thanks for the info!
nm
Has anyone worked for Rapid Text? Any info would be great
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great info on Efraym Elliott Yamin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliot_Yamin
Vitamin catalogs are great for this info, too. Love Swanson's! nm
s
Saw him on CMT show with John Fogarty. Great, great singer with a neat personality and drop dead
gorgeous without seeming to know it. 
Great post. I swear by both Advantage and Frontline Plus-- both work great! - sm
I don't know about "natural" approaches for the house. I have always used flea bombs in the past before the miracle of Advantage and Frontline changed my life. Have not had a flea problem at all since I began using those products about 10 years ago, dose all the dogs religiously once a month with the Frontline Plus except in Dec.-Feb. to save a few bucks and because the ground is generally frozen by then and no fleas are scurring about. -- Hope you get flea free soon.
demographic info is not the only info ...sm
protected by HIPAA, as we all know. I saw that ad too and was surprised to see it. Any identifying info is considered Protected Health Information, including diagnoses, tests, etc. This MTSO should have known better than to ask for that.
Thanks to all. Got some great feedback and ecouragement. This board is great.
My rant passed, ate a late lunch, now back to the trenches.
GREAT GREAT SHOW! I still think Ellen Pompeo
should have gotten the Emmy/Golden Globe whatever it was for the show. I like Sandra Ho, her character just needs more depth... Next week looks AWESOME!! Maybe there is still a chance for McDreamy!! First season DVD coming out with deleted scenes! Can't wait to get it & watch it!!
It is a GREAT company and great deal! I've had
Vonage about 6 months now and I love it. The only mistake I made was trying to keep my original phone # - I wouldn't recommend that. You have a temp # for a while, and the other provider can fight for the old #, etc. Go to vonage. com. They have new features all the time! There is even a new soft phone that is a phone on your screen. You don't need a real phone when working - just headset. It has 800 #s you can have very inexpensively - great voice mail. You get emails when you have new messages, etc. I only wish I had used them a year ago! Nothing but good things to say, and I complain about everything!
Sounds like he will do great then. Again, best wishes for great success!
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That's great Patti. Thanks. Have a great time at the beach.
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You should feel great as a transcriptionist if they think your work is that great!!!
It is not your fault they approached you. I think it would be a different storey if you were the one searching for the job to take away from a company. They obviously want to get rid of the company and if you didn't take the job they would probably ask someone else. You should enjoy the better position and not feel guilty!!
Great post -great job of wording your answer! (sm)
Original poster - I completely agree with this answer, especially the part about finding yourself and using all that you have learned intellectually and connecting that to something that you will also enjoy with your heart!! You have so many wonderful options for your future - much more than many of us.
IT - great program, great support system. nm
dd
Thanks for all the great advice! You guys are great!
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thanks for the info
Wanted to make sure it was okay to maybe start early or late some days, can't stand such a rigid schedule when i work at home. Understand about making sure to produce enough first though.
Thanks for all the info....
It saddens me to know that this is a problem with internet companies, I knew it happened at hospitals.
A little info
My sister graduated from nursing school in 1988 and had been working in nursing, until I became an at-home MT and she decided to take a coding course because she wanted to work at home, too. She took the course and took an in-house position. Some months later, she took and passed her certification. Now, she is having a really hard time finding an at-home position. I don't know if it's a typical story, but I do know she's been pursuing it pretty heavily and is having a hard time.
Thanks for that info (sm)
I was contemplating getting a second HSI provider. As it turns out, I am back on now. But, yes, started my day off all wrong. The stress from this is exhausting in itself. I will call BellSouth Fast and get the info. Hope it is available in Calif. If not, will find some sort of remedy with a backup connection using high speed internet, that is for sure. This cost me money.

Thanks for your response!
thank you for the info...sm


I'm considering asking for a trial at it, wish me luck!


appreciate the info
I think animals need a voice and things like PETA, no kill shelters, animal wildlife preserve are very important in our day and age of technology.  We need them as much as they need us. 
I think they all have the same info....sm

Because MT is a tiny community and we share the misery well.


I understand what you're saying (and it sucks to be in the situations you were in) but I do believe that if we are adequately vigilant we'll know what we need to.  OTOH, then there's me, and I don't care what they do as long as there's work.  So I get where you're coming from.


I just would like to see an end to the destructionist thinking about MTSOs and MT in general.  :)


Good discussion!


Have you tried looking for the info
on QNET? Might be available there.
I have info on them...
I didn't work for them because a family emergency came up when i was just finished with their training. The lady is really nice, but their training modules are a bit silly. You have to learn their platform to use it to train and then why bother doing the training because you just figured it out on your own..silly.
thanks for the info
nm
info
Hello.  My name is Chris.  I am getting ready to take my final exam for medical transcriptioning.  Does anyone have any advice for me?  How is it to actually get paid for doing this?  I have been studying for this for so long I don't know what I'll do if I ever get a job where I do get paid for it.  Thanks for any ideas.
Where do you get your info?
Are you in the banking business?  Where do you get your info?  Last year I was approved for a $30,000 home equity loan with no prob.  (Btw, got the loan for "just in case" what with daughter going to college, etc.  I used about $5,000 of that last year and paid it back within a couple of months).  3 years ago, when DH lost his business, we refinanced the house to assume what debt was left from the business with no prob, and btw, his FICO score is excellent too. It is hard for me to think i should "fix what isn't broken."
Thanks for this info...sm
Well, as much as I have enjoyed using Carnival, they have lost my business. I hope the person who thought up that response gets fired.

I'd love to see the link, so I'll Goggle it.

I wonder if Carnival is the only U.S. owned cruise line. Shame on them.

On CNN, I heard that other countries have been donating money. Why doesn't the person taking the calls from other countries ask if they could send nearby cruise ships instead of money (in a diplomatic way, of course)?

Thanks for letting me know that cruise ships was at least thought of.

You know, I want to help so bad, and I just know there's an answer to all this suffering that someone hasn't thought of. It's too much pain for anyone to bear.
Need some info! Help!!!
Hello!  I am going to test for a new job next week.  This will involve op notes, H&P, consults and discharge summaries.  I have about 6 years exp in Radiology and about 8 months doing H&P, office notes, consults and very minimal in-office op notes.  Where can I get practice tapes or anything else that will give me a chance of passing this test?  Please help! 
Thanks for info ... sm
on what they'll do when they catch me using it for transcription. I had posted earlier that I signed up for unlimited LD with Bell South as part of a package for $20/month. I told the call-center lady from India why I needed it, and she said that was no problem. A few days later, Bell South sent me a brochure advertising all the good things about the service and, in smaller print, I read "voice to voice only". It's good to know that I won't be hauled off to jail, so thanks for sharing what they said to you. If they called me on this, I was going to blame it on the call-center lady (she really should know the rules and regs on what she is selling; after all, she called me).

It's interesting, though, that when Bell South sent the brochure, they also sent an "agreement" outlining the billing and legal stuff. You need a magnifying glass to read it, but I've gone over it a few times, and it doesn't mention anything about voice-to-voice. You'd think they mention that in the agreement instead of on the brochure. I think I remember Vonage being a little expensive, so I'll probably go back to Qwest, and get their small business plan for $25/mo.
thanks for the info
Thanks for the explanation. I took the training for ASR but afterwards never received any of the work (even though a couple of my accounts are using it for some of the dictators). Still doing the MT'ing.
Thanks for the info dd

=
A bit of info (sm)

I've never worked for Accuscribe, but I did meet the owner once and felt she was incredibly nice.  We had a long talk at a convention.  I liked the idea that she said she paid premiums to MTs who most helped out their coworkers. 


In the past 4 years or so, the only bad thing I've heard is that they don't pay for spaces and that they require noncompete agreements, etc., before they will test MTs.  If you are applying for IC work, then a noncompete agreement is dodgy legally; you might want to consult your attorney and accountant to look over the paperwork before deciding.  [If you don't have an attorney and an accountant,  you have no business being an IC, IMHO.]


As far as I know, they still use DocQScribe as they were the company that first field-tested it when it was developed.  (MQ bought it from the software company.)  As you've probably already found out, there are those who love and those who hate DQS.  It's a nice platform when the demographics import feature works well; otherwise you end up entering a lot of data that you're not paid for.  Even with demo importing, you'll still end up losing lots of lines for things like date of service/admission/discharge, referring/requesting physician names, and names/addresses for the courtesy copies, all stuff we used to get paid for as recently as 2-3 years ago. 


Perhaps you'll post your experience if you go further with this company? 


Thanks for the info! (nm)
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Wow, thanks very much for the info!...nm
nm
More info please sm
Can you give a little more information?  What else does he talk about?  Where is he inserting the scope?
More info
Nothing on ALMA.  What does the rest of the report indicate?
More Info
I don't have any medical background. There is a local Tech school offering a Certificate in Medical Transcriptionist. It costs $1560, but includes everything you need for the course. The info said you can do the work at your own pace. Some people finish in 5 months some in 9. How much do most people make to start off with?
Wow , thanks for the info....
that sounds like way too much work and not enough pay.
TMI (too much info)
YUK
Thank you for that info
I was planning to use a small electric heater in my home office and turn our furnace way down (that runs on propane) during the day as I spend all day in my office anyway (a third bedroom). There was some program on TV recently that said it would actually be more economical to do it this way if you were just heating one small room. Now, I don't know.... I am sure the electric prices per unit are going to rise as well so I may be no further ahead in any event. We are at least "locked in" on our propane price for this season and on a budget plan. Of course, it will depend on our winter how much we end up using obviously too.

I also bought me one of those "cuddle wraps" that zip & snap around you that I thought I could wear while working. I also bought me several pairs of thermal underwear and sweats. I should still be able to turn the thermostat down a couple extra degrees if I bundle up. :)

Oh, we also use a humidifier in the winter and it does help a lot as the moist heat makes you certainly feel warmer.
Any other info? NM
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Thanks 4 the info! nm

Info
I work for DSG out of Atlanta and am very happy! I have been there for nearly 2 years now and do not have 1 complaint about them! I only have compliments for the job and management, always there to answer questions, give positive feedback (which is uncommon for most companies). I also had a friend who works for Greenlight in Oregon and she is very happy with them. She says Suzanne is great!
Does anyone have info about
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