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How long do you think it will be until MQ throws everything on ASR even the junk to get the reduced

Posted By: MQMT on 2005-09-14
In Reply to: ASR set up - continued - mc5

line rate. Should be interesting to see. I do think they are looking for a big exit also. There is no work in a lot of the offices especially Amherst and my understanding is the work will be delegated from a national office and not regional and they will put people on accounts that need work. Not sure what that means but maybe the days of having a main are coming to an end. Should be great for quality.


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Try checking the grocery store for reduced buggies, reduced
counters in the meat and produce departments. Quite often, you can find perfectly good foods marked down (be careful about pork). My husband is a meat cutter and we quite often have meat that has been reduced and it is just as good as what was cut that day. Buy double roll toilet tissue. For whatever reason, it seems to last longer at my house. Buy cheaper brands of shampoo and hand soap. The stuff from Wal-Mart works just as well. The same can be said for scented lotions. Make your own potpourri. Mix cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg in water and keep it simmering in a small crock pot. Smells really good and is less expensive than candles. Believe me, I can pinch a penny, but it's really not so bad.
it's not all junk on tv. you just have to weed out the junk. some is very informative.
don't watch "fake tv" as in mysteries or situation comedy so ruling that out, there is plenty of good stuff left. always wanting to learn new stuff.
yeah me too...junk, junk, more junk. But...(sm)

tech guy setup SpamBayes on my computer so that they go into a junk mail file automatically.  Hope this helps...it sure helped me...don't have to see them and no danger in opening in them. 


Junk faxes?? Do you know how much money you can collect from junk faxes??? It's sm
illegal and every offense is worth 100.00. I don't eveistory think you have to go to court. I'd look into it! I heard of a guy who made thousands off receiving junk faxes. I don't have a fax machine anymore..
Brandi throws the best parties....

We did used to have a wild time.  I absolutely love TQ now that it is no more.  I used to have so much fun and got paid to do it.  Man--I was making $ hand over fist--bought my house--paid cash for all my furnishings, etc.--worked my @*#% off but it was great!!


Good tip on the fleece throws, thanks.
x
I swear a troll or someone just throws these Q's out to see
how close were paying attention to posts
Yes my pay has been reduced by 2/3. So.. sm
I figure I will have to do triple my amount of lines to get back to where I was. I don't think that is possible is it? I hear where you can maybe double your lines but triple?? Any opinions?
ME rates reduced
yep, the letter's in the mail. if you're doing ME work your rate will be decreased off of your base rate because they think the average production increases by 25%. well, you have the choice as staying as a MT at your regular rate, which I'm going to do as their ASR program can't seem to distinguish between the smaller words in a document even with the person saying them very, very clearly that you're continuously having to peck along to correct. The system even leaves out words that clear dictators are saying. Until they fix those kinds of things I'm not messing with it. You cannot get a rhythm doing the ME work -- at least that's what I've found. I've timed it and I can type a document faster from scratch than I can do it with ASR. That's just my opinion. They are paying us pennies to do a job that requires more than flipping burgers at Jack.
THIS is what we're reduced to as MTs - sm

what do we sell next?  We're certainly not able to sell our skill, our professionalism, our decades of experience -- these are up for grabs to the LOWEST bidder!


These are credited to you at a reduced rate ---
Indications:
Examination Protocol:
Aorta Meaturements:
Interpretation:
Recommendations:
Staff will be reduced and equipment not replaced
Care provider will attempt to maintain their income and will attempt this by reducing staff/overhead (that includes transcription by the way).

The medicare/medicaid patient should have copays that are reasonable.

Reasonable is the key word here. But there is a sense of urgency that is taking place due to the state of Social Security and the aging baby boomers who are beginning to retire, who will due to good medical care for a lifetime, perhaps live for 20 plus years on Medicare benefits.




Weren't the Indians given a reduced rate to get CMT?
p
The incidence of errors could be greatly reduced - sm
if MTs were paid in such a way that they didn't have to positively RACE through everything they type, just to make a decent line count and an honest day's wage.
Take proofreading for example: Sometimes I think we come out ahead by NOT proofreading and taking our chances with missing an error, since if we really kick butt on our line counts, it can make up for being docked. But that goes against my nature. So I slow down enough to actually SEE what I'm typing, and then go back and proofread. It produces the best-possible quality of reports, but then eliminates any chance of a bonus because I can't reach that *carrot-on-a-stick* that is dangled a bit too high (in terms of a qualifying line count) for me to reach.
No way, I am having no problems with productivity, only that my pay has been reduced to compete
with the global market, that is a fact.

Now please with all respect please do not offer your opinions on my situation, I am sensing a little attitude here and I am not interested in your opinions on that. Thanks.
Reduced my desk clutter, bought a KVM sm

I got a slick new KVM.  I work on 2 computers every day, so this was a necessity.  All USB, a Belkin.  Not only can I used ONE mouse, ONE keyboard, ONE monitor, but I can use ONE set of speakers and ONE set of headphones in said speakers.  This one came with a remote button.  Push it and you are on the other computer.


I have wanted one for a very long time and I have it!!!!  They have come a long way. 


Now...I just have to keep my backgrounds different so I know where I am...


careful with the reduced rates... devalues the industry sm
and forces even experienced MTs to lower rates just to keep clients.

My honest two cents, meaning no disrespect to anyone.

Clients see the bottom line before they see the years of experience an MT has. (yes, they do.)

A new person coming in with a lower rate will only cause problems.
Junk shows.
Sad commentary, but they try to please the majority of viewers. Glad to hear I'm not the only one offended.
Junk e-mail

I get tons of junk e-mails, you know, the pass around type.  I never read them.  I don't have time and I have no reason to read them.  I am trying to make a living!  My sisters are the worst culprits!  How can I get them to quit forwarding all their junk e-mails to me!  One sister is always asking me "did you read the one about....."  to which I respond, "No, I don't have time to read those things."  She just never catches on.  I don't want to be rude, but it's getting on my nerves!  I know the simple answer would be to just aske them to quit but things are touchy between us and I don't want to antagonize and already less-than-perfect relationship with my sisters.



Thanks!


Don't get a Shark---it's junk. sm
I had one for about 3 months then it quit sucking altogether. I was livid. I paid $100 for it. I'm hard on vacs, too, with 2 dogs and 4 men in and out of the house and living by a cement mill. The one I have now is a Eureka EZ Kleen. My next one will be an Oreck I think.
I've tried junk in the trunk before!
Now that is one delicous cake!!!!  My husband just loves it. He refers to it as the "honey bun" cake! 
I had one too!! a 1979 piece of junk.

And if that wasn't bad enough it was chocolate brown.


My blinker knob fell off and I had to shove a pair of tweezers in there to work the blinkers.  I couldn't wear heels or they'd get wedged in the holes in the floor board and one tire had a big bubble in it.


I can't believe I even dared drive that thing.


Was a piece of junk..but my favorite.

It was a 1980 Chevette (or as we called it..the Shove It) lol.  When I got it, it was already falling apart, but I didn't care, I was 17 and had wheels.  It had NO power steering, NO power brakes, NO air, NO power at all.  The seat was falling through the bottom, so when you drove, your body was tilted to the left.  The horn didn't BEEP, it MOOed (not kidding).  The speakers were blown so my brother wired a speaker through the front and sat it in the console...lol.  Like I said it was piece of junk but was a lot of fun to drive around and I could fill it up with about $8.00.  A few years later when I was working I bought a Geo Storm and I loved that car.  It was actually a very nice car..but nothing tops the "Shove It."


 


The only thing left IS junk ESL-sm

Seems to me that newbies are getting trained on VR with many companies.  VR gets the better dictators.  Offshore is getting the simple stuff and other half of the better dictators because that's all they can handle.  Experienced MTs are left with a trunk of JUNK on their systems and getting paid no more than the new grads and offshore MTs, and very few are offering us more for our skills, accuracy and ability to transcribe the more difficult accounts. 


I've seen things change pretty drastically just in the few years I've been doing this work.  I cannot land a decent cpl for IC anymore.  I was landing better offers as a new grad than I am today with experience, and forget about landing a gravy account if you have experience.  Just isn't happening!  Bottom of the barrel crap is all I get with a bottom of the barrel paycheck to go along with it.   You have to work till your eyes bleed, your head's about to explode and fingers ache to make a fairly decent living, then people wonder why we are sometimes short on patience and PO'd all the time.  That's exactly why!  May as well be gum on a filthy shoe!


Ugh - 42 minutes of that boring junk.
Do they really think anybody is going to read all of that? Didn't any English teacher ever tell him the secret to good writing is LESS IS MORE??

How lazy not to be able to shorten it up to something brief yet complete. Shame on him. You poor thing.
Hoax junk mail
I finally stopped getting these disgusting e-mails. I e-mailed back with big red letters - "F.... you! This e-mail is forwarded to the FBI, Homeland Security, Interpol, and you are being traced as we speak." I never received another one again.
I have too much junk on my desk for a lamp LOL
i guess i need to make room!
check out the junk stores
like Salvation Army. I paid $40 for a few at Office Depot type store and then found a few for $1.99 at our alcoholism junk store. They are Dell and great, and when they wear out, don't feel bad about just trashing them.
Aria Platform - anyone use this piece of junk?

We're transitioning to an EMR platform called Aria with a god-awful transcription section that is a step backward from the typewriter.  It's largely mouse-dependent, slow (it's through their VPN so there's often a lag on the text) and it doesn't recognize a lot of the hot keys I've utilized in Word for years.  It takes me half again as long to get through a report.  I'm usually busy at least 8 hours a day as it is using Word with most of the people I type - it would take me 12 hours if everyone were on this system right now. 


They've also changed to a "per dictated minute" rate of pay from 65 cpl w/spaces.  It's a generous per-minute rate compared to most places I've worked, and they've stated they don't want anyone losing any money in the transition, but it would take a pretty steep increase in this rate to match what I was making previously.


I'm seriously considering changing jobs, although these guys have been wonderful to work with.  Does anyone out there have any experience with this platform or any tips, websites, etc., that have information on utilizing this POS to its fullest?  Hate to jump ship prematurely - I know what's out there and it ain't purty!  


Did you check your junk mail or spam folder? Sometimes they in there

Good advice...Iams is junk food anymore....
It used to be good, but it's gone by way of most of the rest of them...  Anything that can be purchased in a grocery store is garbage.  I recommend Wellness, Innova, or California Natural.  Only pet stores stock premium dog foods.  However, Labs and GAS seem to go hand in hand, having owned 2 of them.  Rice and some boiled chicken mixed with a good healthy kibble might help. 
Only by the mounds of junk mail every day...cc apps, advertising circulars, etc. nm
x
I carry my mail in, sort it immediately, and put the junk in the trash.
c
Right away it looked to me like the kind of junk that spreads in email. Good eye. nm
x
The junk faxers aren't leaving correct info so you can track them down.
.
Escription users: I have a question. I've about had it with Dell junk computers.
and their Indian call centers..nothing like getting help from someone whom you cant understand. Even if they hear you, they have NO comprehension skills. Anyway, I have like 3 Dell computers which goes from bad to worse. For Christmas, I got my husband an Mac IBook ...wow..what a difference, now that's a computer. Anyhoo, they now have Microsoft office programs for Macs..anyone know if this computer would be compatible at all with the Escription platform since it's so picky. If not, any laptop computers suggestions that are not a piece of junk.
I hate Instant Text. It is expensive, long long learning
curve, and too much distraction for me.
How long should I wait after applying for a position before I follow-up. It has been as long as two
without hearing from some.  Just wondering if I should send an e-mail to follow-up to see if they received my resume or not.  I don't want to offend anyone but feel two weeks should be long enough for someone to at least acknowledge my resume and that I have applied for a position.  Right now I would accept anything even a note saying no thanks.  Any advice would be appreciated.  I haven't had to apply for a job for the past 10 years so I am a bit rusty at this.  Thanks again for any advice. 
Yep, when I drink green tea instead of eating junk foods, or if I drink it while I'm exercising,
nm
Congrats! How long have you been a MLS and how long did you study for the test!

Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair.
I also have long hair down to my waist and my three girls have hair that long too. My daughter brought them home from school last year. I was devestated and grossed out!!!! I have never had to deal with lice. Anyway, we did the treatments and two of my girls broke out in a severe rash with the OTC stuff. Their little heads were so sore!! I thought I was being meticulous with eggs, only to find them hatching again down the road. A nurse at the pediatricians office suggested I try oil to suffocate them since my girls were allergic to the lice solution. I bought a huge bottle of veggie oil and dumped it on all three heads, plus my own. I then wrapped the heads in platic wrap and then a towel. I left this on for 30 minutes. It takes a while to wash out the oil, but we never, ever had the lice or eggs again!!! If you try this, make sure you put on an old shirt and put a towel around your shoulders. Obviously we were desperate, but we all have such long hair and very thick hair so I was willing to try anything. And I figured there was no chemicals involved so that was pretty safe. And it sure did help my littles ones since their scalps were pretty raw from the solution. Hope this helps and Good luck!
It's been a long, long time since I've used a C-phone, sm
but I do think jobs can be paused.
I had a problem with this for a long, long time sm
I have always worked days, like from 6-3. Over the last few years, it didn't matter how much sleep I got, I became real groggy between 7 and 11. Really shoots the day. Talked to my doctor and he said my blood pressure pills were the culprit but he refused to change me to another brand or dosage since I have multiple aneurysms (2 in the brain). My BP has been stable for a long time and he wants to "keep it on the low side". I tried taking them before I went to bed instead of early in the morning, but then I had headaches all day. So, I am changing to a night shift for a few months so I can sleep when those pills kick in and so far it is working pretty good. I stay mostly awake during my shift and die when I hit the bed from 6 am to 10 am, then I lay down again later in the afternoon for 2-3 hours. I still get 6-7 hours of sleep, it's just split up during the day, plus I am mostly awake now when I sit down to type. I don't have to deal with the heat in my office, either. It tends to warm up real fast in here with the south sun on the house and 2 pc's running all day, even with the air conditioner on.
Way back when, a long, long time
ago and in a galaxy far, far away, I had my own accounts also and some years cleared $75,000.  Yes it can be done, but you need to have your own accounts.  Also lots of delivery, and other duties involved.  I work for a large national now and make much less, but I got tired of accountants, having to deal with hardware problems, deadlines, driving deliveries, printing, printers, etc.  So I decided to simplify my taxes and stay home and just type.  Don't have to worry about computers either, because the company will just send me a new one. 
Long, long files. Seemed like they'd never end! I'd never go back to VA again. nm
s
I've been doing this a long, long time...

I used to make $70,000 and up a year and did so for most of the late 80s and 90s (one girl used to make six figures a year working 7 days a week!)  Because we were making more money than the supervisors and Medical Records Directors in hospitals, they began to switch to transcription services which were sprouting up all over the place.  Plus AAMT came into existence and even though in the beginning it claimed it was to fight for transcriptionists (although assured us it was NOT a union), they eventually morphed into an organization that was more management friendly.  They developed the "guidelines" and the 65-char line.  That was the beginning of the end for those high-end wages.  Then all those mickey mouse transcription schools popped up, and now outsourcing overseas.  YES, we're complaining. 


Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but....

I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure.

You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again.

Good luck to you!!
A long, long time ago, I was going thru
a really bad time emotionally and physically. I was suffering, and my transcribing suffered. I assure you - if you are to the point of not paying your rent, literally, and needing food stamps, there is something else going on in your life than current transcription rates. We are all in this industry and many are thriving, most getting along comfortably. If you are literally to the point of food stamps, you honestly would be a fool to continue. I blamed it on my job, on my line rate, on everything but the honest truth that I was ill and was NOT working as I should or could. It is a really sad thing that you keep spreading this propaganda that MTs in our culture are doomed and now destined for food stamps. Food stamps are not something to toss around lightly, as you would know if you ever had to use them. Please let's not be quite so dramatic. Again, if you are really in those dire straits, you really need to face that MTing is not the fit for you, personally, and do something about it rather than blame our industry. You dwell on the past, but we can't do that. While you may have made other wages 20 years ago, may I remind you that we were pounding away on IBM Selectrics using layers of paper and bottles of white out, going crazy trying to rewind tapes over and over to get that dang word, with no idea what an Expander was. Technology is fantastic. Things have changed, but things are still great in this industry, and in this world. Those who change and can adapt will be fine, but you need to recognize that most of us are not ready for food stamps.  
Sure did...you been around for a long, long year

A gross line IS a gross line regardless if it's 90 characters long or 1 character long... SM

I'm very sorry that your lines are 90 characters line and you get paid by gross lines.  You are cheating yourself - that's not my fault.  You cannot change the definition of a gross line.  So I gues I'm not understanding what you are trying to say.  Now if you are trying to say that your line equals 90 characters and that's how you figure your lines, than you are not using gross lines.  You have defined a line to be 90 characters, whereas most MTSOs define a line as 65 characters.  If that is the case, then I must say again, you are cheating yourself.


So which is it, do you get paid by gross lines or by a 90 character line?


how long ago was that
I started working at a hospital, right out of high school, in 1969 and they sent me to college at night and paid for it.  From the first day in 1969, I was dealing with ESL's.  There were always doctors with accents.  When I was a child I had a Jewish doctor who could hardly speak English.  That was back in the 1950's-1960's. Your argument does not sound like outsourcing, it sounds like bigotry to me..shame on you.