Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

I do not give a lower rate for any templates--I still--sm

Posted By: Debra on 2005-09-05
In Reply to: HELP! How much to charge for copies? sm - Ga Peach

have to pull them up and there are usually changes that I have to do. I charge my rate x 3 for envelopes and they supply the envelope. I also charge for cc's--if the name and address are provided. If not, I do not print an envelope for them, the office does.

Your other option would be to have his office print the envelope. My ink cartridge runs about 25-30$ depending on where I get them, and can get very expensive depending on the amount you will be printing each week.

I also do not take anything off my rate. I have figured how much I have to charge in order to make a profit and do not vary from that. If he gets you to drop your rate below your profit margin, guess how long it will take for him to spread the word to his friends that you will come down on your rates??


Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

I would not lower the rate. They know how
much they are paying you and have accepted it.
Never lower your rate

I would never, ever lower my rates.  Is the one doctor in the group that is complaining a constant whiner?  He may just be a tightwad that still has the first .01 he ever earned.  Think about it - we complain about the cost of gas increasing and the cost of groceries increasing, but those businesses sure aren't going to drop the price of their product due to our complaining just to keep our business.  You run a business and the point of that is to earn money.  If you or a family member had to see this particular doctor, would he drop his office visit rate because you complained about his bill?  Never!


Not only that, these are cardiologists - one of the elite money makers in the medical profession. 


Write a note stating that you understand his concerns about the cost, but state that in spite of your expenses increasing along with everything else recently, you will agree not to go up on your rate for a year instead.  Tell him while there is less expensive out there, it comes back to the old saying of, "you get what you pay for." 


Why in the world did you give them the templates?
That was pretty ballsy of them to even ask you to do this.
Well....he asked me to lower my line rate for him (sm)
which I did....then he asked that I make copies of everything he cc's and copies of the letters he dictates....then asked me to subtract off the templates he uses, even though I am using my ink to print these templates and making changes where he wants....it seems that I am spending more time doing these things than I am making any money. Just don't know what to do. I am not complaining, just need some helpful advice. Thanks
Client interested but wants to lower rate. sm
He said he wants to hire me to do his work, but at 8 cpl and give a week's turnaround time. I worked as an SC at that rate, but not as IC.

Is there anything I can say or show him to convince him this rate is incorrect?
Have you forgotten we have not gotten the new pay plan yet which will lower the base rate I am sure
and be incentive tiered according to production which is next to impossible on so many accounts anymore. This is only the beginning of the pay decrease.
Call the credit card companies and ask them to lower your rate. sm
Tell them you are having trouble and you need a lower rate. I would try that first on your own. I have done it and went from 14.9% to 4.9% on my credit cards. I can now pay them more monthly than they ask for and I am on my way out of credit card debt.

Consolidation companies, some, charge a fee and it goes on your credit report as "write off or bad creditor". If you have no success with the cc companies yourself, than try a consumer company to help you.

Good luck to you!
You're likely to make more money on the lower rate because easier to understand and can probably
faster and need less time to look things up, etc. Just my 2 cents.
Wait until we get a lower base rate and incentive and no work for incentive.Should prove interesting
because everyone will probably have a lower base rate than now. As I say, should prove interesting.
I won't give my line rate,
because I was taught never to discuss my pay with others... but I made almost $22 an hour last pay period, and that was done by (a) averaging close to 200 lines per hour, and (b) throwing down enough lines to meet and surpass the company's incentive threshold.

Yesterday I made about $18.50 per hour; today, not so much, only about $16. (Had an overdose of some of the real stinker dictators today.)
Does your program change lower case to upper? If so, type all in lower and
it will change the ones it is supposed to.
I wouldn't lower my rates. Should I request a lower CPL from my employer
because I use a ton of normals, templates and such to increase my line count?
Charge him an hourly rate. The current rate is
between $15-21/hr. according to your location. If he had to use an independent secretarial service, he would be charged much more. You can look in the Yellow Pages in your area under Secretarial Service and ask them what they charge, then charge accordingly knowing you can back it up.
Upper case is lower, lower case is upper. Using InstaText. Anyone know how to fix this?

Aargh.  It happened all day yesterday.  When I brought in text that was all caps


IMPRESSION:


and had lower case on keyboard (as always do), it reverses keyboard commands.  This is driving me c-r-a-z-y.


The girl was 13, the rapist a distant relative they took in. Give money, give food and your time, b
you don't put your family at risk by taking in strangers. That's just plain foolish. There were over 3300 registered sex offenders in NO. Where are they now. In your community? Perhaps in your house? Good luck.
oh our lovely government does give illegals medicaid, foodstamps, and housing so in term we give tha
i have been through some rough times lately and had to apply for some help. there are signs, big signs, all over our offices saying "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LEGAL TO GET HELP". so we and our government do give them our benefits whether they are legal here or not. now that is messed up. i am helping to support them so they can take away my jobs and i can't even support my kids and yes i get benefits, wow $75 a month in food stamps which lasts not even a week in a household of 6. don't get me wrong, i am thankful for any help at the moment, but i get penalized for trying to work my tail off and still can't survive.

there was recently an article in our local newspaper where one of our local school districts tried to charge $1000 a year for each illegal student enrolled. it was bulked and the illegals got a lawyer to sue for discrimination. the school district merely stated that they had to HIRE extra teachers that could speak the foreign language just to teach these children and were trying to offset some of the expenses. ridicilous!! so again our taxpayers money is paying to educate illegals as well.
Templates
I am currently looking for a new MT job but with my previous job I have always found that making my own templates worked best for me. I had the same doctors all the time so I knew what needed to be in the reports and what did not need to be there. :-) I have always found my own shortcuts to be the most productive ones.
Templates?
Yes, I know what EMR means. I understand that they can also do the point and click method and also create templates?
templates?
Could she be using templates and she just has to change a few things here and there?  If that's the case, I still don't know about 800 unless there is an awful lot on that template that remains the same and it's a long template so fewer starts and stops. 
Using MS templates with EMR
Anybody create Microsoft templates for EMR documents?

I have a new account that uses EMR. I want to include Microsoft fields into the document so I can easily tab through them but I just don't want the code Word uses to generate a field to conflict with the XML code used for the EMR system.

Does anybody use fields in EMR documents without any problem?
EMR has templates

EMR has many templates: ROS, HOPI, lab orders, Plan, health histories, immunizations, specific diseases, etc.  Each template has many fields with corresponding questions that can be checked off indicating a yes/no response or severity level.  Similar to filling out a survey by checking the boxes that apply. After completing these templates, the physician can click a button that automatically pulls the information that was entered in each of the templates, and generates a "document" in a determined format.  Thus, no reason for the physician to dictate a tape for someone to transcribe.


We implemented an EMR where I work and it did result in less transcription. 


Templates......
Template or no template, any time YOU have to take away or add to a template, delete, redo, whatever, I count everything....after all, it's my time to add and take away. I use Sylvan also... any will count the template.

Don't screw yourself over.... count everything!

Re: Templates

Yeah really... we get screwed over enough, let us keep SOME things that work to our advantage.


Aw come one give her a break. She said she was sorry and is willing to refund. Give her a chance to

do what is right.  If she fails to do what is right, then go about this in an adult way and not act like such a child.  "you suck"  That is so immature.


She is responding to you and you are eating her alive.  Why would she put herself out there to be treated like this if she didnt mean it. 


I am really astonished at how people can act on here.  Would you treat people like this in person?  If you do, I cant imagine you having very many friends. 


Remember we are all "HUMAN." 


 


We have templates where I work but - sm
we get paid for all that (no spaces though). They do the templates because is it what the doctors want at the hospital I type for; they all have specific needs. They put in jump markers {} that we jump to using Alt-F (WP 5.1), so it is very easy to get through. On a account of my own I did the same thing on the template I made up for myself for 1 of my docs in MS Word, jump from spot to spot, very easy. If you can save the template and make your own "markers" to jump to, yes, you still have to delete unused ones but boy is it a lot easier.
question about templates.

I have a question about during a physical exam portion, I know what it means to "flush left, sub headings all caps," but what is the other instance of "stacked form". thanks. 


Templates in Meditech
When I worked on Meditech for 15 years, there was something called canned text.  Ask your new employer if there is a way to submit canned text entries and how this works. 
Thank you all!!! i do use templates, but its easier for me to just add the cc on the ones i need as
i put the cc: in autotext and it is working like a charm!! i have never used autotext, just autocorrect and it wasn't working in autocorrect. never knew what autotext was about. thank you so much!!!!!
I have templates for one account that are
n
Templates from doctors

Really need your thoughts. One of my doctors has about 50 templates/shells. When doing combined procedures he will tell me to just combine the 2 or 3  or 4 shells he has for the individual procedures without taking out whatever is redundant or conflicting. I have to do that. Several of these individual op reports are 3 pages long, so can end up with a 6-page final report.


On his follow-up notes, he will use a shell and then say "add this to the physical exam" but he does not say what to take out of the standard note.


Many of his op notes have numerous variables. He oftentimes does not tell me which to use and/or which to delete.


For "risks" he will dictate some and then say "and add whatever Dr. X uses."


I am requesting a meeting with him and with the office administrator, but would like to know what you think and what you would do.


Thank you


 


 


Creating Templates
I am looking for a way to create a sample report and put ?? in the places where changes would be made, using a control key to jump from ?? to ??    i.e.  This ?? year-old ?? patient.....Blood pressure ??, pulse ??, temperature ??,  ETC. 

Question on templates

Okay, I have a new question.  I'm trying to create a form or template that I can insert information on. How do I create the form with lines so that I am able to insert information on these lines?  Is this possible?


Almost no templates and close to 40 hrs sm
it is all OP notes. Actual my-butt-is-in-the-chair-typing time is 35 hours or so. Shift time is different. I had one day this week when I could not sit for more than 5 hours of my shift total. I had an 8-hour shift and quit after 7 because I could not sit any longer. Lines were 1350 for that day. I remember it as a distracted day, not one where I worked for it.

I often wonder if I were more motivated, if my body didn't hurt when I sit for longer than 1-1/2 at a time, if I could churn out more lines. There is no reason I can't do 30,000 every 2 weeks, except that I can't sit still.
So what if it's with huge templates....
600 lines an hour is 600 lines an hour whether it's straight typing or using templates. I WISH I had huge templates.
Questions about templates, pay, etc.
I work for a company that uses templates.  The work is extremely easy, but for each report we have to subtract the line count that equals the templates...anywhere from 8 to 13 lines depending on the template used.  Over a course of typing this adds up.  The pay is average.  I am wondering if anyone else types on account that do this and what your thoughts are about it.  Do you feel you make up in typing what you have to end up taking away in the end? 
Questions about templates, pay, etc.
I work for a company that uses templates.  The work is extremely easy, but for each report we have to subtract the line count that equals the templates...anywhere from 8 to 13 lines depending on the template used.  Over a course of typing this adds up.  The pay is average.  I am wondering if anyone else types on account that do this and what your thoughts are about it.  Do you feel you make up in typing what you have to end up taking away in the end? 
MPLite templates

Hi,


MPLite templates are Word documents in the TransMP Formats folder whose filename is used to differentiate which templates belong to which clients. All the templates you have for a particular client will show in the Document Information screen.


1. Start with a blank MS Word screen, and create the template you need there. Use the codewords (eg Last? First? MR? DOB? etc) to tell MPLite where you need this information put. Make sure each contains the ? at the end of the codword, and you'll find a complete list of available codewords in the help file in the chapter Formatting Templates. You can use headers / footers and any other formatting features in your templates.


2. Give this template a name in the pattern FacilityInitials_DescriptivePhrase.RTF. You have to save them as RICH TEXT FORMAT in the Save box, and save them INTO the TransMP  Formats folder. The Facility Initials must match what you entered for that when you registered the facility. Keep the descriptive phrase relatively short, eg, CON, FU, XRAY, HP, DC. If this is a template for a hospital or clinic, you can has as many templates for a facility as you like and can differentiate Dr. John Smith's Consultation by use the descriptive phrase CONjs, and Robert Youngs as CONry or CONyoung. (Note it is an underscore _ and not a dash used in the template filename.)


The list of available templates is refreshed when you start a session. So if you create a new template while in a session, cancel the session, and then reset it so the template list is refreshed.


If you have other questions about the templates, please ask.


Best wishes,


Vann Joe Turner


yes if you are doing Radiology with all templates. sm
I've been working on this platform for almost 6 years now, doing all acute care, all worktypes, and my highest monthly lines per hour average is 685. One time I averaged 938 lines per hour, but that was one day with all the same dictator and all the same worktype.

And, my account has been on VR for 5 years now.

So, to answer your question - In my most humble opinion, it is NOT really possible to do 1000 lines per hour every hour or every day and keep the high standard of quality at 99-100%.

Does this work on all templates....sm
I have been trying to figure that one out. How do I keep from having to take my mouse and skip to the next field? I suppose F11 is it. Thanks I will try it.
Question about templates
I am wondering how you make a template so that you can hit F12 to skip to each section.  Thanks!
Are you pulling in templates? If so,
you will have to check and make sure they are set on 100%.
I do ER and do double that. Lots of templates, etc.
xx
My client loaded my templates into their EMR and are now doing it themselves
I feel for you. My clients had me turn over all my templates/macros and loaded them into their system and are doing it themselves. This was after dishing out thousands and thousands of dollars in equipment and training additional staff. I was making $7,000 a month and now it is $65 a month if I am lucky.
see, there's the difference . . . some of my templates have 50 lines already in them(sm)
that we have to scroll through.  The patient demo info is a matter of six lines.  The rest is all headings.   I don't mind inputting the patient info, it's the scrolling up and down the page and adjusting the pre-filled headers that takes up so much time.
Help creating letterhead templates

I would like to take an existing letterhead, scan it and create a template for it that can be pulled up and typed right into.  Someone I used to know did this for one of my accounts at one time, but I have no clue on how she did it and no contact with her anymore.  It doesn't seem like this should be anything difficult to do, but I have played around with it and just can't figure it out. 


Would really appreciate any pointers, or even links/websites where I might be able to find simplified information on how to do this.  I am a little "behind the times" and not very experienced on much besides typing at this point.  I will be changing direction soon and need to update my ways of doing things.


Thank you in advance for any tips or direction. 


Am not real sharp with templates but here is what I do
I do op notes for my derm doctor and they wanted the letter head on each op note and there are all headings on the note.  I make a file for the op note with the letter head on it (centered) and then all the headings.   I do an "insert" file each time I do a new op note after finishing the old one.   Don't know if this is the same or not.  But I find inserting files easier.  I do this with H&P's, consults, etc.  Then I just go through the headings as he dictates and fills in.  This works well when I am doing a combination of chart notes and consults/H&P's or sometimes letters and then he goes onto op notes.   Do not do an "open" do an insert of the file each time you want to do a new letter or OP note in my case.  Of course I am not completely computer savy and so this might not even be what you are talking about. 
Be sure to back up your normal and other templates.

These contact your auto text entries.


Yes, definitely include your templates in your counts. nm
xx
Even with AC, you need to use templates with default fonts so you sm
aren't constantly switching back and forth. Instant Text will work the same way so you don't have to save half a dozen entries just to get the correct font.
Not paying for normal templates
I once did work for a radiologist who felt that we should get  paid less when using normal templates.  My question to him was --do you get paid less for reading a normal study---
Multiple accounts/templates
I now use InstantText. You can give each account and each doctor in that account their own glossary. You can use includes too for drugs and surgical, for instance. In a glossary you can either "call in" a template or you can put it in there and save the formatting, depends on how you want to do it. The template can include margins, tabs, letterhead, headers, footers, pagination, or whatever you want. Right now I only do about 7 different ones, so I just lumped them up in one (using includes) because I have done them so long that I now remember what is in there.

If you use WordPerfect (5.2 or a newer one, but I like 5.2) it is a snap. You just use PRD (which utilizes function keys) and you store your documents and templates as usual and then you can "open them up" on the fly. I love this. You just put in the path to that document or template once and it is there forever or until you delete it or change it. With PRD you can have multiple glossaries too if your computer can hold them. The key for me with both Expanders was to be consistent with the way I save things. For instance, all the addresses used for an account (which can be many) I store under ad. So, if I want Dr. Harold Smith I type in adsmith and down underneath all the smiths come up and I choose the one I want to use and their I have it - I do two for each -one in standard form and the other like this: SMITH, HAROLD MD, 1111 FIRST AVENUE, ANYPLACE, ANYSTATE 11111. The other in the form for letters and envelopes. I have a drugs glossary, a surgical equipment glossary, and one for each specialty, sometimes a separate one for a specific doctor. I then use the "include" feature and group them up or mostly I now just use them altogether and I think that glossary (my everyday glossary) has about 8,200 entries or something like that. InstantText is wonderful. Try it if you haven't or, if you have, try to learn more of its features.