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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Should probably mention . . .

Posted By: Concerned on 2009-03-12
In Reply to: Sorry to be such a bother. - Concerned

I have only ever had 2 jobs as an MT. First job was with a local hospital for almost 5 years, and now I have only been working for an MTSO for 9+ months, so haven't quite gotten comfortable yet.


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not to mention
Wages are going down and difficult dictators on the rise, bad quality on the rise.  Does anyone know of any other profession where the starting pay is as exactly as it was 10 years ago, maybe less?  I started out at 7 cpl and they are STILL offering that as starting pay today!!  Doing this 10+ years and every report that comes up is worse than the last.  Fight hand fatigue and pain as well.  Its very depressing, this business.
Not to mention
Destruction of the barrier islands that could have reduced the damage, the poorly maintained levies and all the national gaurd troops die for lies in Iraq instead of providing services to the States.
I should also mention...
that I didn't think women called OTHER WOMEN that! WOW
Please, please, mention this..
when you set up your appointment next week. I feel your fear and I cried a bit for you as I was praying. Take care. Let us know what happens.
not to mention--sm
being wery wewiabow, too. jeez.
why not mention it?
nm
not to mention...
that what a person prefers to speak at home or with family/friends is completely different than what language someone should be speaking PROFESSIONALLY! I'll speak Korean all day long at home but once I start working or leave the house, it's English only. I hate it when people come to this country them demand that signs be put up in THIER language (HEAR ME MIAMI???) or that we accomodate them because they're just to darn lazy to learn the national language and use it properly. In my mind, it's a lack of respect for the USA. Believe me...you can't go to Germany and then expect them to accomodate you because you can't speak German. They expect outsiders to learn their langauge and if they have any in English, it's a gesture of courtesy and not because they feel like they should.
What you did not mention, however, is that
she is NOT following the client's specific instructions.
Should also mention - sm
My musical preferences tend to change depending on my mood.

Today my mood is rockin. I am listening to Beck, Emigrate, Alice Cooper, The Fashion, Bangkok Five, Ride The Boogie, AM Radio, Bryan Adams, Poststardom Depression, Brad Sucks, Fischerspooner, Northern Mississippi Allstars, Cowboy Mouth, the list goes on ... quite a mix.

Whatever keeps me groovin right?
You don't mention where he's from

but maybe it's a place where bargaining and haggling for everything is expected.  He may figure that your 'final offer' may be a whole lot lower than what he's been paying. You already proved that by reducing your price to 9 cents, and now he doesn't believe you're worth even that.  You gave him a 10% discount, now he wants 50%.  Soon you'd be paying HIM for the privilege of working for him.


I also would have charged him some kind of accounting fee for the time it took me to recaluclate the line count for billing.  What?  You should work for free to do this? If he did not understand that 65 characters equal a line, no matter on which line they appear, then he is definitely not bright enough to be a doctor.  I think he was just yanking your chain on this so see how much he could get away with. 


I'd let him leave and go with the new company.  When the honeymoon is over, their ESL MTs can't understand his ESL dictation and they don't meet TAT and their quality is crummy maybe he'll be willing to pay the 10 cents.  At that point, if he contacted me to take over again, I'd ask for 12 and settle for 11....  maybe.


Forgot to mention...
Also how many lines you average per day and hours per day.  I'm at about 9 hours and 1400 lines.  I used to do 1200 in five hours, go figure
I think the only reason it does not mention
SE is because it is for employee status only. Call your supervisor, they might know.
Forgot to mention
my hat is off to you for that. I know that you do a lot of extra work with the pick-up/deliveries, printing, and just "account maintenance". That IS the toughest part of our environment.
funny you should mention that...
one of my friends recommended the same, so i remebered that i bought one for my mom for something..and called her,...she sold it on ebay...thanks mom....lol
Just leave it off, and don't mention it
in an interview. You weren't there long enough for it to matter. In addition, if you're looking for a Transcriptionist job, you weren't doing that there, so it doesn't apply. Sometimes you just have to move on. Good luck to you.
Forgot to mention ......(sm)
That the insurance plan I chose is not even the cheapest one they have to choose from.  Really, check them out.  I think you'll like them.
Forgot to mention...sm
I was allergic to the wax.  Broke out in hives, so that didn't work for me.  I still think the Vaniqa is better anyway because it is constant and don't have to let the hair grow back between waxings.
oh, and I forgot to mention--sm
that one of the persons who took their own life was the father of my three children, who are still trying desperately to deal with his death, much less the way he did it, or the reason why. Perhaps some empathy on your part would be more in order before you make those kinds of remarks about a computer problem.
So funny you should mention that...
Cause my kids were off the wall last night and I asked my husband if it was a full moon...I can definitely tell a difference when there is a full moon; it's like people can't drive when the moon is full! That's funny!!!
Forgot to mention

that I have been an MT for a year now.  I did not start off with that type of line count.  In the beginning I was struggling just to keep my goal of 1200 lines per day but that would take me about 10 hours to do.  Now that I know my account, the same account and same doctors, that I have been working on for this year it helps me to be faster as well.  Just hang in there and set a goal for yourself everyday.  THere are so many things you can do depending on your software program that you use.  My company uses Editscript and there are a lot of shortcut keys to doing things and this helps my line count as well. 


Try doing split shifts.  This will probably help your production as well if you work during your highest production hours.  For me afternoons are impossible for me because I am so tired by that time.  I am lucky if I get 300 lines during the afternoon.


I know the teachers mention the
standardized tests they will be taking in the spring, but I don't think it is emphasized as strongly as in your area. A month before they come on strong...
and...once the tests are over the school might as well be because it seems the teachers don't want to do anything after that.
Funny you should mention
We are also thinking of relocating there. Some friends moved there from Rockingham, NC (I would not recommended anyone move here and that is where I am). We just visited them and it was beautiful and will be even more so in the coming weeks with leaves changing. Have contacted a realtor though it will probably be a year before we move. Like being close to the mountains and close to a few big lakes as hubby loves to fish and the biggest thing is it is more like home to us as we are originally from the Midwest and we do not want to go back there for various reasons, #1 being the cold, snowy winters. We are looking for somewhere to retire to as we age that is more like home and it seems to be the right fit with many small towns one right after the other in this area, people all friendly and looking for an area with less crime. Good luck.
You forgot to mention in your
an independent contractor you cannot make more than 50% of your income from one company, but I guess you were not properly informed of that little piece of information.  I personally do not use an accountant.  I use a tax professional, not turbo tax or anything else that I do myself.  Therefore, all of these years if I were to be audited, I have back-up with a knowledgable person that knows what needs to be provided to the IRS.  There are also claims being made that the 1099 does not match the income given, so how would you answer that?  The bottom line is an employee is one thing and an independent contractor is another, and there are markers that the IRS uses to delineate the two.  If the company you are working for is crossing those lines defined by the IRS, then they should be employing you and not defining you as an independent contractor. 
mention it to the doctor
then you don't have the burden alone.
forgot to mention

that each day I thank God for the two services I subcontract for. 


If you read the boards, you realize I am in the small minority.  It is a blessing that I found myself in this position.


Forgot to mention...

...I live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area, where costs are higher than average.  I've been doing this type of transcription for just over two years now and have had to turn down requests for this service (lack of time).  I am also an MT and, IMHO, meeting transcription is more challenging, overall.  But I have found it is easier to obtain my own meeting trans. accounts than MT accounts.  Check out RFPs (requests for proposals) for city, state and federal government.


I would just mention in your letter that your
you are willing to work together to come to a better way for you to provide services as you are and to enhance an already great relationship if ya' know what I mean.  Be sure to mention that you have respect for him and would like to come to an agreement of sorts....  blazzay, blazzay....  JMO.  I once had to do this, but it is funny because the doc compromised.  He stated that I did a great job, but he gave me 50 cents less per page than what I had asked, which was a terrific compromise, and I did get a raise in essence.  I gained respect for him, and he gained respect for me.  Good luck.   
You did not mention if this account was yours--sm
or through an MTSO. If it is your account, you should be able to determine how much you are requesting for payment, salary or per line. If you are doing the account through an MTSO, well, good luck, because they are not too forthcoming in the raise department..at least by my experience. I have been working for the same MTSO for over three years now and I have had one raise, which was one year after my start. That entailed a whole 0.025 cpl, which is one-quarter of one cent. I was also told that it was not negotiable. I have not seen another raise since and honestly feel that I deserve it, considering I can do over 3000 gross lines a day and do 15 different doctors on different accounts every single day. Apparently they don't think I deserve it, however, as anytime it is mentioned, the subject is avoided all together and in fact, the MTSO has changed the templates we use to expand the margins, changed to font to TNR 10 from CN 12, making it much harder to get any decent line counts, and *hidden* the headers and footers so that my line counter does not pick them up any longer, not to mention taking away the paragraph header of such things like PAST MEDICAL HISTORY, etc. saying they are no longer needed, etc. I feel as they are doing everything in their power to reduce our line counts in every way possible, but still keeping the profits to themselves.

I wish you luck in your desire for a raise. Life does not seem fair, at times, but I surely know you most likely deserve a raise.
Should also mention a few other things.
As an IC, you can deduct so many things that you can't deduct if you're an employee. I would say best advice is to check with a tax professional because I think you'll come out on the short end if you become an employee. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that if they're paying some taxes for you, you're an employee, but the IRS is the one who makes that final determination.
I forgot to mention, once I put it in there I use it sm
Especially at first so I get it in my brain that it's there.  I will even go back and "undo" what I'm typing if I realize I have a shortcut and didn't use it and then use the shortcut...I figure I'm reinforcing it more or something.  Whatever...it works most of the time. 
Forgot to mention (sm)
I work 60-80 hours a week, PT at a hospital and FT+ at home, so need more help around the house (than usual).  Anyway, you get the point :)
Forgot to mention
Keep yourself hydrated, stop pounding on the keyboard (if you do), get a GOOD chair (not a cheapie), set yourself up with proper ergonomics (arms at 45 degree angle to keyboard (google ergonomics).  Those mouse mitts that another poster mentioned are very helpful too (keeps the muscles/ligaments warmed up kind of like leg warminings for dancer's legs).  Good luck!
Forgot to also mention, SM
It's extremely important that your dictionary belong to you and that, if you work for a company on their equipment and especially in their offices, you be in a position to walk out with a copy. It should be backed up frequently and a copy kept at home.

Word's AutoCorrect/AutoText functions are a poor substitute for a good word Expander program, but they can be used if you can back them up on a disk and take it home. I've always used those functions just to store templates and report text specific to accounts I would have no reason to take with me anyway. They're extremely good for that.

Ideally, although more employers are supplying expander programs, your program should be your own property, and in any case it should be clearly understood that the dictionaries you develop are your own property. Mine are worth tens of thousands of dollars to me each year and would cost thousands to replace, if I didn't just give up in horror start selling herbs instead. :)

I've put more emphasis on this owning your expanions than I intended to, but I see a lot of posts from people who have worked for one institution for years, are very unhappy and worried with the changes that have occurred, but are staying and suffering them not only because of loyalty and resistance to change but because they lack the independence that would make moving to a new job easy and likely immediately financially beneficial.

Although the way to make good money is to stay with one employer, hopefully for years, and be very good at your accounts, sometimes you have to go looking for that good employer. A skilled home Transcriptionist with a good resume can change employers in a day and start out running. That sort of independence is something to be worked for.
forgot to mention
I also have Windows XP, just posted above, but forgot to mention that, so I would think that free ES should work for you, even the newest version.
You could mention where the industry is going
at all because it may offend someone.  The funny thing is that some of the course outlines on line may give you some great material to go by as it explains it pretty well on some of those sites. I think it is a great career, so I may be biased.  
I failed to mention

I want to purchase a laptop both for my own use and the fact the company I want to work for does not lease out computers.  So, do I still not use a wireless router as the other poster stated also.  Forgive me for being in the dark ages,but what is the ethernet cord that I should have?  Is that some sort of card for the laptop.  I think I remember something about this when inquiring on laptops awhile back, and that most newer ones already have this.  Thanks for the help.


Prayer mention
Why is it that no one has any questions as to the mention of abortions or homosexuality or selling sex in any way, but we question a mention of prayer. Christians are supposed to be tolerant of freedom of speech but we no longer have it it seems. We are supposed to accept differences in cultures but we are not allowed to pray in school openly, but homosexuals for example can kiss and hold hands in schools. I am a very tolerant person I just wonder why things like prayer are not tolerated but rather some kind of violation or "no way" type of thought to others who may not believe. And before anyone blasts me I have friends that are very dear to my heart that are gay both female and male, and have atheist and pagan friends. I believe that we all have the right to believe the way we do and express ourselves freely. I am only sorry that we are looking for "rules" to avoid the mention of prayer.
I forgot to mention...
I'm in Iowa. We also early 10 hours of PTO (paid time off) during each pay period. That equals 5 weeks per year (to be used for holidays, vacation, illness, personal, etc.) You may also 'cash in' accrued PTO (up to 200 hours per year). That's a pretty good sum of money just for showing up. 
Not to mention gun control just to name one
xx
Forgot to mention,
This happens on this board also, in fact, I can only see a portion of what I'm typing right now, so I hope it makes sense.
forgot to mention
that I don't know if there are any that hook in such a way that you don't need screws. I would Google and see what comes up. If you do have to screw one on, just make sure the screws aren't so long that they come through your desktop.
You don't mention kids with that
Do you have kids?  If not, you live in a totally different world. 
Forgot to mention...
The last several summers have not been low on census and there were plenty of hours and overtime available at the hospital. This summer reminds me of the past summers when the patient count would always be low.  Summer of 2006 and 2007 were really bad for summer colds, flus, pneumonias and RSV of all things. 
You forgot to mention......s/m
the inefficiencies, moodiness, character flaws, unfair treatment, favouritism, jealousy of the MTSOs and all the negatives that come with it.
Sometimes one is even disatvantaged for being that good.
You are lucky, be happy until it lasts.
Also I forgot to mention she was just going to ...sm
bid on radiology dept because Spheris already does the acute care part. Radiology has always been inhouse and now they want to outsource it too. They were going to give it to Spheris as well. But don't know what will happen since the hospital found out Spheris is sending work to India.
They failed to mention
In the rosy outlook for MT positions the editors, who need to correct the work done in 3rd world countries, are only getting paid what the idiots in the 3rd world contries didn't have the knowledge to get right.
forgot to mention
On the FDA site, if you give it 3 consecutive letters that you can hear anywhere in the dictation, it will show you every med with that combination.  For instance, if all you can be sure you hear of prinivil is "INI" or "VIL" it will give you the whole list to pick from.   Does not tell you anything about what it's for or dosages, still, very handy.  Don't leave home without it! 
why wouldn't you mention what you do???
that's the point of the letter isn't it!! you should mention transcription for sure... you dont have to go into details about your company or anything... transcribing is very general, but it is happening to all of us.

I commend you for the letter, it is awesome and im glad you got a response from your local newspaper. I wish I had the time to sit and actually to this and not be such a procrastinator. Maybe it's cause im applying for another job outside of MTing altogether so im not kicking my own butt to do it.

but im proud of you for stepping up... let them know! hope everyone gets what they deserve some day in this business.
One other thing to mention

which you may already do, and which may be addressed in the lower posts, I just can't remember right now.  If you have common mistakes that you make such as teh instead of the, or taht instead of that, put those in your Expander too so you don't have to back up and correct them.  When I'm tired I tend to type thee instead of there . . . stuff like that.  I have found that saves me a lot of key strokes.


If you already do this, then just ignore me!


 


I should mention that I almost in reality
type in ShortHand because of all the Expanders I have, and rarely have to type a complete sentence. Build up your explander list like the poster below suggested and that will make a world of difference.
I want to mention something that happened to me:
some time ago.

A poster gave a very rude reply to one of my opinions, which I posted in a civil manner. I received a very rude reply which contained also foul language.

I got very upset and agitated and my response was equally rude.

Consequently I was banned, but I noticed that the poster that started with the rudeness, was still allowed to post.
I was very upset about it.
After a while the ban was lifted.

In criminal law it is the first who strikes the first blow ist the guilty one. What follows is self-defense.

I hope I do not get banned for pointing this out

??????????????