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

Proofreading and high production

Posted By: hs on 2005-10-22
In Reply to:

Does anybody now exactly what 98% accuracy means.  I have been working for a local company for many years and have always been taught to always proofread my work and if you get a report back with a mistake every 6 months that is a lot. I am seeing on some of the national ads for work 98% accuracy.  How is that calculated? I have also seen in some posts people saying "voice recognition is no good because then I have to proofread", implying that maybe they do not proofread after they type.  I am just wondering after years of typing are some people so accurate that they do not have to proofread their work to achieve 98% accuracy?  How does QA work in these national companies?  Do they proofread everything or just there for questions?  I was under the assumption that the transcriptionst proofreads their own work that is what I have been doing for years at a small local company. If anybody could give me their insight that would be great.  I am also wondering how some transcriptions produce so much?  Do they kind of proof as they go along or do they read over all of their work at the end?  I am trying to get my production up without sacrificing accuracy and I feel that I am pretty accurate. I really do not find too many mistakes when I do proofread but still I proofread everything.  I just do not want to be wasting my time. I just want to now what everybody else out there is doing. Thanks for any insight you might have




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

For production-based pay, starting pay may be as high as SM
minimum wage if you produce enough. Since pay's usually on a production basis these days, and the industry is trying to find ways to cut support costs and get more money to patient care, there will be no "raises"; as you learn the job, you'll produce more lines per hour and thus make more.

And as already said very succinctly, it can't be recommended at this point. Fast, skilled, hard-working MTs do make good money in their pajamas, $40-60K, and more, for full-timers, but no one can promise the work will still be there by the time you finally become fast and skilled. Even if the job survived, it's possible that relatively fewer, higher skilled people would be needed, meaning that many current MTs who could't make the grade would have to find other work. Anyone training for this job now needs to plan on being good enough soon enough to survive in case that happens.

Plus, it should be said, many people are attracted to this job because they're really trying to avoid working. And that's a terrible mistake. Not working at this job, like any other, means not getting paid and too frequently years of dragging along just surviving. At least it has in the past; whether people will still be able to pretend to be full-fledged members of the work force without ever getting that invigorating kick in the pants being fired can deliver is uncertain.

Last, people will get mad at me and disagree, but this is a job, not a career. If you want a career, go into information technology or something else that offers opportunities to work toward greater responsibilities and authority, higher level and broader scope of work, and of course concomitant increases in income.

Best wishes in whatever you choose.
We paid hourly with incentive for high production. So she's making money when she's just
sitting there.  I don't know if it is a habit or not because this is the first time I've really had to work with her for any length of time.  I usually only work a couple of hours a day with her when our shifts overlap.  I think I'm definitely going to ask the girl I'm filling in for what she thinks about her.
proofreading
I have always proof read by work but am gunna stop now!! My line count sux!!
Proofreading
I proofread (past tense) for a small publisher in central Maine in 2003 and was making less than $150 a week. Of course, I had another job and could only do a limited amount of pages, but the fact remains that proofreading is not very lucrative.
proofreading
I quickly read the report, but also proof as I go. I quickly read the report to myself (out loud) after transcribing before sending it on. Yes, this takes a little time, but not a bunch (I am quick), and I've never heard complaints from employer/s. 100% accuracy. I've been doing this for a long time. I catch my own mistakes, but still it's a comfort and takes worry out of the quality of the job I just did.
Is that with or without proofreading ; )
x
Proofreading
It is most certainly not the QA staff's responsibility to proofread your work. I have never heard of that.
Proofreading and had to laugh. sm

In one of my word programs I noticed I apparently typed does not too fast and it came up as "doe snot."  The spellchecker didn't pick it up.


After I got done laughing about the poor female deer with post nasal drip, I entered a quick correct in my expansions.


I gave up proofreading...
when it became clear that  I had to move fast to produce reports in bulk  in order to make my production requirement as well as a decent hourly wage ($20 to $25 which I feel is fair for this type of work).  My feeling is that if that MTSOs wanted error free reports they would pay by the hour and not by production.  Most places which say they want 98% accuracy get this figure from a  random sample of reports sent to QA.  If you were falling below this consistently, and I am talking gross  mistakes in the reports, hopefully the service would hear it from the dictator, who has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring his/her  work is accurate.   
Proofreading problem too
I mostly work in EditScript doing VR.  The majority of my account is VR.  I find proofreading to be the most difficult thing, especially when the report is a long rambling one.  I would love any ideas to help me catch those elusive typos and words.  I read everything over, and over, but still miss things sometimes.
Your method of proofreading? -- SM
I feel like I'm pretty slow on my lph because I might spend too much time proofing. Sometimes I proof each section before starting the next. Sometimes I just do the whole report and then go back and proofread in one shot.

Is there a best way? I don't dare skip proofing because about once per report I do find that I left out a word or did something similar, and I wouldn't want it to go through like that...so I know I need to invest the time.

What are your tips to speed up???
but it isn't helpful with proofreading as QA
was still finding errors in my reports.  I also found proofing like a boring book and found I kept nodding off. 
And get THIS! I looked into proofreading - sm
on a tip from a friend. Checked with the companies she mentioned (there is a whole proofreading industry, just like there is for MT, coding, etc.) This was for universities, medical papers, etc., and they actually want their proofreaders to be working towards their DOCTORATE degrees in the same field they they are proofreading! ????

If I was that far along in my education that I was working in a doctorate program, don't you think I could probably find more lucrative employment than PROOFREADING, for goodness sake?
Expanders and proofreading sm
This is a response to Expanders and is a little late but as a proofreader in a hospital once, I saw some horrible errors come past my desk, i.e., "The patient is restricted from driving her carcinoma for a week." Expanders are wonderful but proofread, proofread, don't be greedy! I'm sure most of you do proofread but some newbies may think they don't have to take the time.
To be quite honest, I absolutely do not do any proofreading
at all!! Never have, don't have the time, and nobody has E-V-E-R given me a report back or told me that I have transcribed something wrong. If I cannot get a word, I leave it blank. I've been doing this for quite a looooonnnggg time and realize that most doctors do not read their reports.
Isn't editing basically proofreading!?!
Or do you just hit upload and that's how you get 650 an hour? Oh boy!
The swiftness and accuracy of proofreading is mainly reflected by (sm)
length of experience, as well as your fund of medical terminology knowledge.  I am fortunate in that years ago I took an Evelyn Wood Speed Reading course.  I would suggest trying different methods, such as those you stated, until you feel what is most comfortable for you, in addition to producing error-free reports.
We met in high school. My high school sweetheart
introduced us in a discussion over Ford versus Chevy versus Dodge. I used to race my Dodge Coronet with oldstyle 318 V-8 engine against the guys on the back roads and old highways. High school boyfriend had a Chevy truck. DH had a Ford Fairlane and later an AMC Javelin that just made me swoon. We didn't actually start dating until three years later, and my old high school boyfriend was a bit surprised at that since he introduced us.
Just enough to cut into my production. nm
:+
production
Don't "P" off your coordinator! lol
production
 I have been transcribing for over a year now and I STILL cannot produce 1200 lines a day.  Sometimes I have to work 8 hours to do 900.  What is my problem?  My account manager says most transcriptionists can do 1200 lines in 6 hours.  Please tell me how you do it!!!  I have developed a good Expander vocabulary...
production
There are a lot of variables in this issue.  I know when I have op notes or certain ESL dictators and lots of discharge summaries, my line count drops tremendously.  If I have ER notes which I love, I can do a lot more.  What are your report types?
production
I have two accts that i can type at least 500 lines per hour!
Production QA
I was looking into a QA/editor position being paid per line.  (5 cpl)  Does anyone have any suggestions on whether to look into this more?  I've been a Transcriptionist for 10 years and I am interested in a different position than typing now.  Any advice would be very helpful.  From what I understand (??) it is US-based MTs with 100% read throughs on average ESL accounts.
production pay

I'm sure with your 15+ years of experience and your speed you will do very well pay-wise.  Be sure your internet research skills are honed and this will make you even more successful.  You may want to try and find an account that is all cardiology or all operative notes if you really want to hit the ground running.  Good luck to you! 


Please try doing more ops. Your production SM
will increase because the doctors dictate faster and some will say the same thing over and over. You can make samples of their standard reports.

Speaking of samples, can your supervisor send you some? Ask to be sent specific op reports such as ob and ortho. Those are the ones the doctors say the same stuff all the time. Try mastering one specialty at a time.

You will be doing yourself a favor by learning to do more report types.

I know this isn't answering your original question, but I would really like to encourage you to try them. I know you can do it! :)
I am on production too s/m

does anyone ever think of that?  Everyone keeps saying we are paid to fill in their work, but does anyone ever consider that I get paid by how many jobs I do in a day?  Filling in 20 blanks on 1 report versus filling in 1 blank on 20 reports makes a difference to me.  Nobody ever thinks a lot of us get paid just like you do, by how much work we produce.


Production
How long does it take to get up to 1200 lines?  I've been reading the posts on cafemt.com and I can't believe some of those people get 2000 lines.  How do they do that?  Any suggestions would be great.  thanks.
production...
i average 12-1400 L/day but that is on a 6-7 hr workday. I do acute care, lots of chunk-type expanders, very few 'normals', mostly decent dictators. On days with more diffi dictators, too many short reports, etc, its good if i average 170/lph. i'm not that fast but i get up to 260 lph at times, yet average 200/lph. i've been at this several decades, but take more time than many (probably) to research something or verify accuracy too. i take lots of breaks too, so it stretches my day out. On the other hand, i have, in my years, seen some extremely fast typists, and people who can stay put in the chair a long time. if you have the knowledge, stay put and build momentum and are naturally fast, i can see being able to do 2000-2500 a day with quality. but maybe you burn out or stress your arm nerves too much in a shorter time.
Production/Pay
Okay, you might have some good points but how come the majority of us, who loved our jobs and made great $$ on any and all of our accts are having the exact same problems, the exact same worries at the same time? 
Production
500 lines an hour are 12.5 pages! A page has usually 40 lines.
There are people who cannot even read so fast.
I bet all is Expanders and mormals.

LOT more to MT than just production. sm

Maybe you worked at one of those very rare places where they compensated a MT for her knowledge and expertise and not just her production.   


Also regarding production
None of us can compare ourselves anyway because there are so many factors involved in determining how many lines get done. Within my own accounts, mine vary up to 70 lph, and I swear I am working harder on the slow days!!
VR Production
Does anyone consistently edit 450 lines per hour on EXT VR? That is what I need to do to keep my salary the same and so far I am not even up to 300 lines per hour. Any suggestions to improve my line count would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Much better for me on production

I worked in house for about four months last year and went back home.  Hated the office politics crap, but I made significantly more per hour at home than I did in the office.  I was considered a newbie and so wasn't paid as much  hourly as the women who had been doing it for years.  Because I'm MUCH faster than they are, though, I make more than they do working from my home.


It all depends on your line rate and your speed, and what you think good money is.


Oh, is that so? We get production bonuses, but none for
xx
ASR production increase?!?!
Anyone want to know how MQ came up with the figures to say we have a PRODUCTION increase because of ASR?  It will surprise you!
p.s. ASR production up.............. I forgot
to mention that even though my production is up a bit with ASR, it only makes up for being down on production with DQS in general, finally back to getting my lines in an eight hour day instead of 10 hours.
DNS and line production

>>>I have wondered if Dragon Naturally Speaking for Medical Transcription is a way to increase overall line count.


1.  It takes several months to reach a good production level.
2.  You need to listen to the dictator *AND* dictate at the exact same time. However, if the dictator is one what requires a lot of mental editing, you're better off using the keyboard.


>>>I seriously want to know how is it that some MTs can type up to 2000 lines a day!  That is phenomenal!  Is there a secret?  Please share!


I used to transcribe 250 lph (gross lines) back in the days of using a typewriter (no Expanders and time spent erasing carbons), plus I was only typing around 90 wpm, which isn't all that wonderful. So, my suggestions are:


1.  Stay focused.
2.  Make the best use of your Expander as you can.
3.  Don't treat the BOS like a bible.


Oh foeey on production
Well, you are hearing right then honey.

I do run a great company and I am overwhelmed with some of my girls' abilities. They never cease to amaze me. There are only a handful that really mean something to me and to be honest with you they are not big producers (of lines that is) but that is okay with me.

Our turn-around-time still beats any competitor. Go ahead Spheris, SoftScript, or anyone and try to beat a 3 minutes turn-around-time. Sorry, but it won't happen. My girls are trained to know what happens when they make me happy, and for that reason, and that reason only, I run the best business.


My production went in the toilet....
x
None - pay is on production - per line. nm
x
Has anyone increased their production with

traffic/production mgr
and an awesome hubby!
QA pointers in regards to production
I am trying so hard to stay above the 98.5 QA requirement but I find my production has lowered to practically 1000 lines in a 9-10 hour period.  My problem is not misspelling terms so much as missing words such as "an, a, the," etc, and then of course I am re-reading every report, which slows me considerably.  I am on a heavily accented teaching hospital account, and sometimes the sound quality is bad, but I am losing money big time.  Also if I fall below 98.5, my line rate goes down also.   Help!  Any and all appreciated!
Production e-mails
Sounds like we work for the same company!  I wonder if the whole company is doing that or just particular team managers? I really don't mind it that much, it kind of keeps me on my toes - but I can understand your frustration.
Hourly/Production
If an MT is paid hourly, then the law states that OT is mandatory.  But, "certain computer related occupations" per the Department of Labor, are considered exempt.  I tried to find the right web page for it, but I couldn't find it.  I know that even my husband, who works by production, does not get paid OT.  Most times they will offer an incentive when they want the work to get done faster, but no OT.  If anyone finds the link, let us know! 
production & baby
My suggestion is that you to hire a sitter. Breastfed babies, generally speaking, do not sleep as long as bottle fed ones; they have to feed more often and are used to being closer to mom. I would get a sitter, because your current method is not working. Right now, you can't give your full attention to your baby or to your work. Believe me, the baby knows this too.
per my accountant - and being on production

being on production, you don't know what you're going to make - so it doesn't apply to us.  In the beginning, I used to pay quarterly.  I now pay annually and the IRS just returned $3700 in overpayment to me for this year.  Yep, I just recently received a check back for overpaying my 2005 taxes!!!  As long as you pay and on time, the IRS lets us do this.  Been doing it this way for years now and I have no IRS problems *thank goodness*


Better get a better CPA/accountant if they don't tell you these things......or maybe different strokes for different states, but I don't think so.



work production
In my experience it's any work that has repetitive information, normals/macros etc that you can insert into the reports over and over again.  A lot of my docs have pretty much the same physical exam for example, so I'm not retyping it over and over again.
Production is my paycheck
I work in 1 of my bedrooms with a big window facing the driveway. I have done this work for 30+ years. The office also has my husband's computer in it. I have absolutely no problem in keeping my mind on my work, the pay alone is the answer, no work, no pay and the more lines the better I feel when I get that check. I never see things I should do around the house because I have a housekeeper that comes every other week and takes care of things like that for me. Housework is about the last thing I want to do!!