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Honestly, that sounds too low. I was getting $5 per page 10 years ago

Posted By: NM on 2008-03-12
In Reply to: psych eval pricing HELP... sm - Melanie

nm


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Honestly? The original post sounds to me as if
some uneducated and inexperienced wanna-be is cheating on an employment exam.  If you don't know those basic terms, you need to go back to school.
Honestly, this was all done 5 years ago.
Nothing happened then, nothing will happen now. 
2-3 per page sounds fair.
I have charged 3 per page and made out good with short notes and even short letters.  You'd do fine with 3 per page since there's probably a large margin at the top for letterhead, but then even charge that 3 dollars for half page as well.  Don't let them get into half page 1.50 stuff.  Know what I mean jelly bean?  LOL - just trying to keep it light, but seriously....  Start at 3, and then if they balk, then say well let's try 2.50.  Meet them halfway; they feel like they are in charge and then you get your own account which could lead to more work in the future.
I was getting $3 a page 12 years ago. But $2 might not be bad for VERY short clinic notes.

sounds like me in 20 years :)
I don't feel like I do anything well EXCEPT transcription. And I KNOW I'm good at it and that feels good, but to not have anyone else (like the employers) know that is just sooooo upsetting! I don't like to cook, im AWFUL at math, and i despise school! well i guess i have to suck it up at some point because I won't have a choice much longer. I actually took a real estate class last semester because i LOVE LOVE LOVE houses... HOWEVER i only lasted about 8 weeks in that class and i was bored to tears. I guess I just have to get over it. Good luck to you im sure we will all find something :)
Sounds line 11 years of no transcription that you might start with
some refresher tapes that you buy to help you get readjusted. It's like riding a bike, right? Then I wouldn't buy anything else until you get a job. You could spend tons of money on things that you might not need. I bought Microsoft Word, spellchecker, expander, etc, just to find out that company supplied and I didn't need.
sounds like a great career move...30 years ago!
I'm glad they screened you well and did not notice you had already paid your dues, so to speak (and I'm not talking about AAMT dues). :)
Personal page/web page resource
Paula,

Thanks a lot for sharing these great websites!
Yep, $2.00 a page and the page has about 30-40 lines on it nm
>
NJ $3 page, though I have heard as low as $1 page.

When I worked for a national, up thru 2 years ago, I was getting $1.75 page and heard they got $4.


I honestly don't know - but I will try
You have raised a lot of good points and I appreciate your post.

Of all the comments today, you have the very best post. I don't want to agree with you, but you are right.

Jason is gone from MDI. I did read some of the responses on the questionnaire that he sent out and wondered the same thing myself. Nothing ever came of it.

I spoke to Sue about your post and we agreed about several of your comments.

I do not agree with you that our Team Leaders are not available, etc. They also work at night, weekends and holidays when necessary.

Why don't you express some of this to your TL?

I will take your very good advice and continue emailing our employees about positions that are available from within our comapny.

You will be getting more mass e-amils from me, telling you what is going on with MDI. I promise.

Thanks,
Liz



Honestly
A brand new MT shouldn't be working at home. That's just my opinion.

Congrats about the baby. Good luck!

Honestly, I just don't see it.
Private doctor offices are cheap. Why would they send coding/billing out when it all needs to be done through local clearinghouses and there is no access to the patient's charts.  Hospitals have too much for the doctors to do with charts/coding/records etc to send them out, but you know what, I guess anything is possible these days. I didn't think I'd see the day when Indians would be doing our work either.
Honestly, I think you can use either (sm)
I personally use okay.  I think OK looks tacky in a medical report, as if it were slang, but that's just my opinion.  If your employer prefers okay, then you should spell it that way.
No but honestly...
Profanity or not, judgemental or not, 4 abortions by the age of 23 is extremely sad, and let's not judge the doctor who was probably sick at heart with it. But still, profanity doesn't belong in records and I would leave a blank for the doc to sort out.
Honestly

There is certainly no need to take that tone.  Developmentally delayed is the preferred term among physicians.  The American Association on Mental Retardation changed its name as a consequence.  The DSM-IV is slow to change because the people in charge don't want to go through all the time and expense to publish a fifth version.  Again, the doctor said "he is retarded."  Not a medical term, not appropriate.  As far as autism, case in point on DSM-IV.  Depending on where you look up the DSM-IV some publishing sites still have it on the wrong axis.


As far as getting over it, if people had that attitude we'd still be calling black people the N-word and neither they nor women would be allowed to vote.  The term retarded is as offensive as the N-word or any other racial slur.  So beg your pardon but as long as people, especially doctors who are supposed to be well-educated, continue to be ignorant enough to use that word to describe someone with a disability, I will continue to have something to say about it. 


And oh btw, if the doctor wasn't so ignorant, he would know that saying oh well I want to do a bone marrow biopsy but it would be too hard to explain to this patient, is just wrong.  He should know about conservatorships and health care proxies.  Because if this patient is truly disabled, then he was declared incompetent by the courts on his 18th birthday and he is not the one who makes the medical decisions.


Honestly, you are about...
a decade too late.  US citizens' private information is already overseas, be it medical records or bank records.  The whole country knows about it.  What has been done?  Now that MTs are in fear of losing their jobs, then we begin to see concern about privacy.  Sorry, but it's too late.  The damage has already been done.  If we really cared, we should have acted a long time ago.
Honestly, 300 lph is not much for VR.
I don't know anyone though doing 500-600 lph doing straight transcription. You may just have a crappy account, but there are those that are getting great line rates with VR. As you said though, the pay rate does suck, so it is definitely not the MT benefiting from VR.
In all honestly, I will not...
spend time on it.  This issue should have been addressed 10 or more years ago.  It saddens me, but I have come to the conclussion that MTs are basically clueless when it comes to the industry as a whole.  Sure, we know how to transcribe, but we do not understand the HIM industry and how it operates.  If we did understand it, we would realize that we are way late in the game.  In other words, we have been left behind.
Honestly...
I have no problem taking criticism.  I am also not trying to gather people to send letters to the government, yet I do not know anything about the issue at hand.  It's embarassing for the entire industry.  I am sorry you are offended by it, but it's embarrassing.
no, it won't. honestly.
the daughter isn't the one earning the grade. an AA is NOT a big deal at all. it's NOT something you put after your name like a credential.
honestly this could be me! I also sm
have an odd last name and can't do anything without somebody knowing about it at that da*@* hospital! I would, at the very least, put a note on the chart. The state I live in has a law that if there are errors in your record, you have a right to sit down with a MR person and get it straightened out.

Hubby has been there 18 years. If they ever scr** him over, I swear I will first sue them and then I will go in and demand every chart, all 64 of them be gone through and all the mistakes retyped. If he didn't work there, I would have already done it!
Honestly, they need to be trained.
Mine had the same mentality when we first got together.  I refused to do it.  If he scattered dirty laundry, I left it there.  If he didn't put his dishes in the sink, they sat out.  I'm not anyone's slave.  Also, if they expect the woment to work, they need to share in the housework, child care, and finances.
You honestly believe that? Wow, naive.
i
Honestly, the MQ speculation is

getting so bad about the what if's with the new packages coming out in October and all the speculation, I had this comic flash of all the suits sitting in NJ with headphones on, plugged in,to the big PC's in corporate land just listening to all the "chatter" on the boards...sorta like the CIA supposedly was...can you imagine all the chatter traffic going on until October?


We just need to take a deep breath, try to relax a bit, really nothing we can do until October, then who knows what part of the month we'll all get our packages? 


Believe me, it has worried me to no end, single mom, can't afford much more change, but also can't do a darn thing about it till then.


Oh, am sorry to hear that. I honestly don't
know what to tell you on that...DSG was a good company until these recent weeks, pretty much, but they are making all these changes, and I don't think they're being honest about why. I could be wrong, but if things don't change soon, I will be looking for another job. When they don't answer your emails, etc., you kind of get suspicious.
Thank you. He could tutor :) I honestly think

he could do it on his own with the materials. I have never, ever had to help him with his homework and he still gets honors. Oh. . . to be THAT lucky!  I struggled through high school and college to make honors.  He's what I refer to as an "open and shut student."


He opens the book, reads the assignment, shuts the book and brings home an "A" or "B" on his test.


I'm no slouch in the brain department, but I've never had to help him so I was thinking with some materials, guidance, and putting him on a schedule, it might work. If that ends up being what he would like to do for now until he regroups.


I honestly could have written that....sm

back when I was in high school in the late 70s!  The first high school I went to was just like that.... there was a large snob/bully society  (the snobs were basically verbal bullies because they'd put down people that weren't in the  "clique", and I had some idiot teachers.  My algebra 2 teacher was so stupid that she would write a problem out on the board, stop, look at it and say  "oh that's not right" and then erase it, doing this 2-3 times per problem,... then wondered why no one had a clue what to do on tests.  


I was grateful when we moved to another town and the high school in the next town was much smaller.  The teachers cared about the students and teaching, and the students generally cared about each other.  There weren't snobs there because the area was economically depressed and no one had a lot of anything.  I was able to participate in a program with a local college where during my senior year I went to high school 1/2 day and college 1/2 day, so the 10 of us that did this (out of a graduating class of  99) graduated from high school with 30 hours of college credits completed.  We were also able to do this because the local college gave us discounts to participate in this program. 


When I've asked on classmates.com about some of the snob/ bullies from the 1st high school not a single one of them has had a great life.  One of the ones that was in the "it" girl group has been divorced 4 times now and is a heavy partier, and I've been told that she looks like crap from the years of partying.    One of the guys who was the most "it" for the males died from AIDS which he ended up getting after he moved to New York to get into acting, turned to a life of male prostitution and picked it up there.    The successful people are those who hung around with people like I did.  Out of the group I hung around with 1 is a pediatrician, another a dentist, another is an architect, another is a software engineer and every one of us has stayed in contact throughout the years and get together occasionally. 


I honestly wish you would explain (sm)

as the logic defeats me. Seems to me the reverse is true.


Personally, I couldn't live with myself if I drove to the store, knowing that someone's son or daughter had to die for the gas I was using, but if you can . . . enjoy yourself, I guess.


 


 


Honestly, I really never found out.
Who knows, but I will not even go to the door anymore. That was so weird and so rude!


Honestly, don't you have something else to do today? nm
xx
not trying to disrupt anything, honestly

My flaming face reference was to the one inside the original post  like this



 


Not to the flame that flickers outside on the main page next to the original post that shows it has had a large number of viewings.


I'm sorry to have ruffled feathers by making a casual observation simply about emoticons.  My apologies to anyone haven taken offense regarding this.


Honestly, it will backfire on you if you try to
be conscientious and point out errors. Its hard enough being ALLOWED to do it as QA - MTs hate our guts for the most part. But for another MT to point out an error, NO WAY! It will not be accepted as you expect, either by your boss or the other MTs! I guarantee that 100%!
honestly, just let it slide. You don't have to say anything. I have a sm
tendency to talk a lot sometimes and write a lot sometimes and I would hate to think that something I said in passing could jeapordize my career. I'm sure she was just trying to be very friendly. I know many recruiters and they are very friendly. I wouldn't say anything.
Do you honestly think that you can get MTs to refuse to go to
People have enough problems getting to the physician of their choice due to insurance hurdles!

Your idea is very admirable but in today's economy (especially with all the moaning and groaning about NOT making enough money to live), you are more than unrealistic. Perhaps a handful, literally a handful, of those MTs who have husbands who provide very well might opt to do that but who/what is that going to serve? The well-supported MT club?! lol

You've waited too late. Besides, what are you going to use for your platform to reach the masses? These message boards where only God knows who visits (ID and numbers) -- eventually the owners will tire of your use of their services and probably charge you. Of course, you have television - a very, very expensive medium. Perhaps some trade magazines, again advertising costs. And what will the members who live far away get in return for their hard-earned dollars?

What product/service are you going to offer?

Everyone's just full of these ideas but no one is putting a reality in there anywhere.

Honestly ... no one here is an authority on
You would be best served by contacting the Superintendent of your school system to discuss this. Escalate it further to one of the government offices that handle HIPAA issues.
I honestly have no idea.

I won't ask either, just because I think my boss(es) are in a rock and a hard place themselves.  They're doing what they have to do and I'm doing what I have to do.  I'm not a complainer either.  I just take 'it" for so long and then...well, then I don't.  If I'm having a problem I mention it once.  If I feel cornered and have to mention it twice, like I did overnight, I don't play along anymore and that's the point I'm at right now. 


Honestly it is not your job to worry about
'helping' the doctors. lol You just type what is dictated and your butt is always covered. They are the ones making hundreds of thousands a year and carry the malpractice insurance, not you. Just do 'your' job and let them do theirs, okay?

:)
Honestly, probably the best way to study for it
is to work, work, work.

Good luck!
I can honestly say that this does not bode well for MTs everywhere...sm
I have been an acute-care MT for 6+ years and I agree with everything that has been posted here. What we do is very HARD WORK. I believe what we do is far and beyond "skilled clerical," as I have answered phones, filed charts, ran invoices, data entry, and none of that compares to what I now do. I believe that since this became "big business," and hospitals started turning to the nationals (and even India) for their transcription, it will not be worth it to take the time and hard work to learn to transcribe, because the pay just will not be there.
I lost my job at our local hospital two weeks ago because they could not find qualified transcriptionists to fill two positions we had open, therefore they had to turn to a national. I just don't see people putting in the time/effort to learn a skill that is no longer as important as "the bottom line." I am praying about where to go from here, and considering getting out of an industry that has the sole purpose of getting that extra 0.005 cpl out of ya! JMHO.
Honestly, this is worrisome......sm
I have a personal friend who had the same thing, drenching night sweats, at the age of 28. This went on for several months. It turned out to be diabetes and lymphoma.

He really should go see a physician as soon as possible.

He is in remission now, but the diabetes is a problem to control.

I really do not mean to scare you, but this is not normal for men, or at least most men, especially if it suddenly occurred and has not been an ongoing problem.

Let us know how you make out.
Honestly, I don't know why anyone, at this time, would want to
Sorry, I know it sounds negative, but I think your money would be better spent learning something that will actually get you some gainful employment. Have you read this board? Even experienced MTs of 20 and 30 years are having trouble making ends meet with two and/or three MT jobs, let alone just finding a job, and then the pay just keeps getting worse and worse, lower and lower. Why put yourself through that?
Honestly, and no bad feelings, but ....
Some MTSOs send dictations to India, where they are straight typed, then the reports are sent back to the US to the QA.

What happens next?
I assume that the QA corrects them and sends them to the client.

How does this affect the US MTs? In no way do US MTs correct the mistakes Indians make in their reports.
And in what way do MTs 'train' the Indian MTs?

The only ones who can rightly complain are the QAs.
Or do you think that the Indians type the reports straight, the reports are sent back to the US office, and the QA sends them as VR to an US MT for correction?

Wouldn't this be rather expensive?

4 cpl for Indian straight typing
4 cpl for US MTs correcting the Indian VR, plus possible QAing.

This would be 8 cpl, at least.
They might as well keep the whole thing in the US.

Correct me if I am wrong.

BTW no Indian can sneak into this forum, when the US MTs are so paranoid that they suspect even a US MT working on US soil to be an Indian working in India.


aer soparanoid tht they even suspect US MTs working an UDS soil to be Indian MTs workign uin India.



Should we honestly hope it will be better for us. I have my doubts. What do you think?
:
Honestly, all I want to do is eat leftovers and veg out tonight.
However, we had contractors here working on our house all weekend.  They're good friends and did us a favor, so we're feeding them all after they finish up tonight.
Honestly, it takes time.
It took me almost 6 months to completely adjust to 3rd shift.  I have been on 3rd shift now for 7 years and could not imagine ever working any other shift.  Just a few suggestions that took me a bit to figure out.  Call your family and friends and tell them not to call you during the daytime.  If you have a cell phone, use that as an emergency number for emergencies only, i.e. kids, family, etc.  Turn off the ringer on the home phone completely or turn on music and a fan or whatever to drown out the noise.  Room darkening blinds will also help filter out the light.  Good luck.
Honestly, it seems absolutely meaningless to me since
anyone can do MT without it. REALLY all you have to do is find someone willing to pay you to transcribe. Now, how good you are, how fast you are, how profitable you are -- well, that's commensurate obviously.

You can't be a nurse without passing your LPN or RN or APN, etc., licensure test.

You can't be a physician or a pharmacist or a physical therapist or a medical technologist without passing a licensure test.

You cannot practice any of those fields without a license.

That isn't true for this work. So, I don't see how it could EVER be prized, valued, respected enough (especially in this day and age of lust for higher profit and lower costs) for companies to make it of any value.
Honestly, I think the first thing you have to do is give up.
Once you give up, and leave the dishes in the sink, and the bathroom unmopped, and figure out what's really important for peace in your soul, that helps. My son won't give 2 hoots in 10 years about whether the bathroom was clean, or the sink clear. He wll remember my smile, my time, my kindness.
Oh my goodness, I honestly believe you need *help*. I feel sorry for you.
YOU mentioned ESLs (English second language) and that means you were putting down the dictators who are not American/white/Caucasian, whatever you want to call it. Maybe you didn't mention the word RACE but you said ESLs.

Your ranting is really ridiculous. I truly feel sorry for you if you are the kind of person who is always this angry and hostile. I have absolutely nothing against my race, nor did I say anything in any of my posts against my race, white/Caucasian. I only said that bad dictators can come from any race, English first language among them.

Please....get a grip.
I knew you'd be back. Honestly, such an
interesting study in passive/aggressive behavior you are. Just a shame as you always are such a bummer for these boards, as they have a different purpose than psych profiling. What are we here for? Oh, yes, to provide help and support to our FELLOW MTS. The other posters for over a hundred hits before you basically said the same thing yet nicely, but you just had to go in for the really lower personal blow, of course, opening with a nice helpful fake start. Bait and pounce.
Gosh, I honestly have no idea...
Never tried the Bose.  They certainly are cheaper!  I have been very happy with these though, especially since when something happened to the one pair and they sent a second to me at absolutely no cost....so hard to find customer service like that these days!