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That is true of ANY job. Cuts happen everywhere.

Posted By: Companies change, customers change, etc. on 2008-03-13
In Reply to: Job security??? There is NO job security in - MT. nm

Companies do the same thing consumers do: Look for ways to get the most for less. It's actually a rather natural process.

Any job can change in its direction, its stability, etc., as our economic, technologic and global relationship status change constantly.

The only security anyone has is to be prepared with continuing education in more than 1 field, low debt load, high savings -- really living within your means, and keep good insurance.

JMO


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We got cuts when we went to VR.
nm
And we got cuts when we went on DQS.
  Actually, I guess you can't say they gave us an actual pay cut, HOWEVER, you sure don't make the money you made on the old platform.  That also isn't true because you can make the same money - it just takes LOTS longer.  In my eyes, that is a pay cut.
MQ pay cuts
I'm rather new to this board, so forgive me if this has already been discussed. I work for MQ as a SE and received the "letter" but I know nothing about pay cuts. Have I missed something?
Yes, they do so many more cuts because...
they have to do them so fast to keep up the quota.  I reluctantly took my 2 kids there a couple weeks ago and yet again (it happened a couple years ago too), they could not even trim a child's hair.  I actually had to send my daughter back to the chair because there were long pieces of hair hanging down past the level of her hair.  My other daughter looked like she went 3 rounds with a weed whacker...  I had to pay more money to have it fixed at another place.  This was 2 different stylists, more than one event.  They are know in the stylist world as "chop shops"  I have gone cheap and I have paid more and I can definitely tell the difference. 
There need to be cuts

What's wrong with someone receiving medicaid paying a copayment?  I hear grumbling over this all the time, but you sure see some of them in the grocery store buying an expensive 24 pack of beer, yet they want to complain over paying a 10.00 copay?  Medicaid was designed to be temporary assistance, not a way of life.  I have no problem with helping lower income, but not handouts. I have neighbors in their 20s, healthy as horses, who don't even try to work.  They have 4 children with them, the husband has 2 by other women, and they collect 700 a month in stamps plus 300 in cash because she claims he doesn't live there.  They do NOTHING, nada


As for Medicare, I believe if retirees make over a certain income they should not be eligible at all.  I read that even retired movie stars worth millions of dollars get full medicare benefits.


Cuts

I used to work for Kodak and as most everybody knows they went through years of layoffs and always around this time of year.  The reasoning for it was that the department heads had to have their budgets in for the following year and so you had to cut everyone before the new year started.  It sucks but that is they way corporate America works.


 


Dee


MQ pay cuts, My Two Cents
When MQ first bought up the smaller co. I was with, all of the accounts were still intact. I was pleased when my office (Baltimore now, but at that time, still in the Herndon area) offered up increased pay differential for an extremely difficult account.. hallelujah, I thought... and thought that all the worries I had about the Big Bad MT Company eating up the small company I was with were maybe unwarranted. I jumped on this opportunity to actually get paid for doing more difficult work - but was told by my supervisor, well, you already make too much money per line (actually, per 1,000 characters at the time). She of course welcomed me to the account at regular pay - I passed!

Add in that I have not had a pay raise since this same time frame (7 years) ... not exactly a direct pay cut, I guess, and add in the seemingly unprovable decreased pay over the last 7 years... well, that's my 2 Cents. None of it makes sense.
Possible pay cuts, my experience so far
I have been with MQ since 1998 and have 20 years experience as an MT, editor, and MT instructor. I currently make 10 cents per line and in past yrs have been told I am at the top of various tiers also, so not eligible for raise (for life??) bonuses (some, not all), etc. I too received the letter mentioned above, the one about rewarding "YOU for your skill and performance."

I am still on INET, though attempted without success to move to DQS (only have dial-up available where I live, and the ADT searches and other processes were a nightmare without some sort of high-speed internet). In the process of almost going to DQS, my pay conversion remained the same, 10 cents per line. Though this may sound higher than others are making, I have been making the same thing for 8 years now - but yes, compared to what I see on this board that other MQ-ers are making who have same experience or more, I am grateful and surprised. The company I was with that MQ bought out gave us decent raises, and I had just received one before MQ acquired us, and it carried over, thankfully. Little did I know it would be my last raise for that many years.

Anyway, I eventually will have to go to DQS even on dial-up, pay an arm and a leg for satellite, or quit and go to a new company - all options, woohoo, involve pay cuts. I can't even imagine an additional pay cut for ASR, as this makes no sense to me. ASR is an AID, no different than Expander programs (do we get paid less for other things that make us more productive??!) We should get paid for whatever characters/lines we modify on an ASR report and get paid the same as we would for doing straight MT work. Maybe this has already been said here, sorry if repeat!

So, I am wondering what they will knock my pay down to when I finally get over to DQS and get put on the ASR reports... I'm not sure I will accept this pay cut either.

On another note, I am glad for those of you who are getting paid so well by MQ, have great supervisors, have lots of work, and just love DQS - that is great, it truly is. But, it's simply not that way for a lot of the rest of us. I appreciate being able to speak of my true experience here on this board. So, thanks for listening.


MQ pay cuts, more info
I just got a call from Corporate and I asked them specifically if they were going to cut the charges to the client the same amount of the pay cuts to the employees and she said Yes, they are...............  I found that interesting  as long as it is indeed true.
She only cuts 3. By hand. That's all.
x
Short cuts

Ctrl U - underline


Ctrl A - blocks all


Ctrl S - saves


Ctrl X - deletes


Ctrl C- copies


Ctrl V - pastes


. . . and my favorite Ctrl Z - brings back something you accidental delete.


I hardly ever use my mouse as it breaks my rhythm and slows me down.  If I think of anymore I will send them your way.  Did you know that if you hold down your Ctrl key and use the arrows you can move around a document that way?


 


 


 


short-cuts
I've lost my short-cuts...could I have hit a key on my keyboard?  Thanks!! 
ME versus MT, the pay cuts only apply to
those who do ASR (automated speech recognition), now being referred to by MQ at ME (Medical Editors). If you do not do ASR it would not apply, if you do you should receive a letter stating a 20% pay cut for same, or option to quit doing it at all and just do MT.
Inside gives a summary of cuts about to come
E-mail this page to a friend!

House Passes Budget Bill with Biggest Cuts in Medicaid, Medicare

Cuts $99.3 billion over 10 years - 27% from Medicaid, 23% from Medicare.

Feb. 1, 2006 – It's done. The House has passed and sent to President Bush the budget reconciliation bill that was strongly opposed by most senior citizen advocacy groups and newspaper editorials due to the deep cuts it makes in Medicaid and Medicare. It was a very close vote – 216 to 214. The bill cuts the budget by $38.8 billion over five years – 50 percent of the cuts are in Medicaid and Medicare.

Related Stories

Final House Vote on Budget Bill Could Cut Billions from Senior Programs

Passage expected Wednesday to cut Medicare, Medicaid

Jan. 30, 2006 – The Budget Reconciliation Bill, which many see as making drastic cuts in government programs for senior citizens – Medicaid and Medicare, is expected to hit the House floor on Wednesday for a final vote, the day after the President's State of the Union address. As reported today by the Capitol Hill Watch at KaiserNet.org, the bill will reduce federal spending by $99.3 billion over 10 years, with half of that coming from these senior programs. The Congressional Budget Office analysis says premiums for Medicaid beneficiaries in the bill could cause 110,000 to lose coverage by 2015. Read more...

Senate Budget Chair Calls for More Cuts in Medicare

Republicans to recycle old failed issues in 2006

Jan. 26, 2006 – The Republican chairman of the Senate Budget Committee is calling for more cuts in health care programs in fiscal 2007, which includes Medicare, according to The Daily Health Policy Report by KaiserNetwork.org, which cites CQ Today. The daily news summary says Republicans will also be targeting health care proposals this year, but most are proposals that have failed in the past. Read more...

• Homecare Industry Rallying Support to Kill Reconciliation Act

• Television Campaign to Stop Health Care Cuts for Seniors Launched by AFSCME

• Vote on Budget Set for Feb. 1; Senior Groups Seek to Sway GOP Moderates

The House first passed the bill on Dec. 19, 2005, by a vote of 212-206. It went to the Senate, where it passed by only one vote – 51-50. Due to procedural changes in the Senate, it had to go back to the House for this final vote. There was intensive lobbying by the senior citizen advocates and others since the Senate vote on Dec. 21, 2005, but they came only four votes closer.

The final vote was mostly along party lines, with Republicans supporting the bill and Democrats in opposition.

AARP CEO, Bill Novelli, quickly issued the following statement:

"Last night, in his State of the Union Address, the President said, "Keeping America competitive requires affordable health care. Our government has a responsibility to help provide health care for the poor and the elderly, and we are meeting that responsibility."

"Today the U.S. House of Representatives has turned a cold shoulder to that responsibility by further limiting eligibility for Medicaid, a program that serves the neediest -- the disabled, children, the poor and the elderly. It also approved a provision in its budget that will deny long-term care coverage to those who give money to charities, churches and family members in need.

"Working with our members, AARP will continue the fight to have this ill-conceived policy reversed."

The bill would save $99.3 billion over 10 years, with half of that coming from Medicaid and Medicare - 27% from Medicaid and 23% from Medicare.

There's also $1 billion in new spending to extend an income subsidy program for dairy farmers and a reprieve for physicians who had faced a 4 percent cut in Medicare fees, according to the Associated Press.

A major boost to opponents was an estimate issued by the Congressional Budget Office estimating that 45,000 Medicaid beneficiaries would lose their coverage in FY 2010 because of higher premiums in the bill. The CBO report also estimated 65,000 beneficiaries would lose coverage in FY 2015.

Children would account for 60% of the Medicaid beneficiaries who would lose coverage, according to the report.

The report also estimates that 13 million Medicaid beneficiaries would have new or higher copayments for services such as physician visits and hospital care. In addition, 13 million Medicaid beneficiaries would pay more for prescription drugs by 2010, and 20 million would pay more by 2015, the report states.

According to the report, "About 80% of the savings from higher cost-sharing would be due to decreased use of services." The report estimates that 1.3 million Medicaid beneficiaries would have to pay premiums and that 1.6 million would lose benefits, most likely for dental, vision and mental health services.

In addition, the report estimates that 15% of Medicaid long-term care beneficiaries would have their coverage delayed because of additional restrictions on asset transfers.

The asset transfer provisions in the bill would impose punitive new restrictions on the ability of the elderly to transfer assets before qualifying for Medicaid coverage of nursing home care. (Click here to read these provisions.)

We do use dx for diagnosis, and all the short cuts expanders
dd
Radiology MTs - Major cuts in outpatient

imaging by Congress - called the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.  Signed by Bush in December.  Over five years will amount to 20 Billion dollars cut from outpatient imaging payments for Medicare and medicaid patients.  This will have a ripple effect.  Private insurers soon will follow suit.  Posted the DRA but it was removed by Administrator.... This will have a detrimental effect on us all, as cuts will begin occurring in every aspect of radiology. 


Here is a comprehensive article.  Please do not remove this post for one day, Administrator.  This will impact MTs in radiology significantly.


imagingBiz.com - The Information Service of the Imaging Center Institute


This way works, too, but using the ;yo or ;py cuts down on hitting the spacebar
nn
Cuts in medicare and medicaid are about to take place
I have mentioned this but it was always deleted as I think the monitor thought I was talking politics.

There will be a marked decline in coverage for services to medicare and medicaid patients and I believe to offset this, medical facilities are finding ways to cut costs.

The cuts will be significant. You could do a Google search for Deficit Reduction Act. Radiology will be most severely hit, especially stand alone facilities.
DQS short-cuts to Word 2003? HELP!

Does anyone know how to do this.  I have been searching and searching for info and cannot find anything.  Please help!   Thanks.


Acusis is giving workers 30% pay cuts?
XX
Love the serrated bread knife! Cuts everything!! nm
s
Please back you info up. Pay cuts have not been announced. Have you received a letter? nm.

nm.


Ummm--read her post again, please--it don't say *keyboard* short cuts..it says *word* shortcuts
duh!
Thank you ghost! So true! So true! More than one person!
xx
Yer crackin' me up! True, true, true! nm
x
Depends on the file format of the Short Cuts file.
ShortHand comes with a utility file that can import various formats. You can get that file with the trial download of SH.
Depends on the file format of the Short Cuts file.
ShortHand comes with a utility file that can import various formats. You can get that file with the trial download of SH.
ROFL!! true, so true! nm
nm
true, true but out of about 90 flicks....1 or 2...nm

true, true - but what you see as arrogance...sm

I think a lot of people go the extreme -


so, if I had to be one way or the other (being a humble extremist myself...*LOL*), I'd rather have too much self-esteem than not enough (been there, done that the first 30 years!!! *L*).  And I am a truly humble person, been recognized for just that.....but because of *been there, done that* - and all sorts of therapies (not drug therapies), some end up the other way.  Oh well, this was a fun couple of posts - so I thought.


Gave me much to chew on :)  Have fun!  


True but to say there are no good MTs not true.
asdf
ROFLMAO!!!! so true! so true!
Everybody sees it but her, though! I love it! Thanks for the giggle! ":^)
how could it not happen?
and how could we have stopped accepting ESL's?  I dont know about you but I have worked as an MT for many years and there is no way we could have stopped it.  First of all, doctors come from all over the world, medicine is a universal language with many different accents..that is just the way it is.  Most doctors I have worked with have accents.  That is part of the job, learning ESL doctors.  I personally dont want any work sent overseas, even the mumblers, ESL's, etc.
This used to happen to me
This used to happen to me back in the 1970s..When I told my doctor, he said it was just that I woke up before my body was able to start producing my chemistries and such fast enough..So I was suspended, if you will, for a few seconds, which felt to me like minutes..I can remember waking up in my mind but my body would not move and I would panic thinking I have to get up..move arm, move leg, get up!!  I believe totally in the paranormal and spiritual word.  I have had experiences in the spiritual world both with family who have passed, animals who have passed and just researching it myself..but..hmmmm..I will have to research what you post about the not waking experience..I tell you, it is quite a frightening experience.  P.S.:  I love Sylvia Browne..I have gone to three of her seminars in Los Angeles..
Does this every happen to anyone besides me? (please SM)
After transcribing for lengthy periods of time, do you feel irritable? Kinda like you want to run to the nearest window and jump out cause you feel all this inner energy but have to sit in a chair and type and it is driving you nuts?

I probably need to takes walks or do something physical but am working 8-10 hours a day.

Just wondering if I am going nuts or what. It is rather unnerving, this feeling. Maybe it is menopausal as I am nearing that age, also. Can anyone identify with this strange feeling?
Where did this happen?
/
Don't ever think it cannot happen to you. You are in
zz
this always does not happen
That is not true. There are too many people working and not enough work. They will always tell you the same thing; it is slow during the holidays, it is slow during the summer, it is slow in the fall, the holidays are coming, etc. there is a storm outside, anything to just shut us up. They just think we are stupid.
changes happen everywhere (sm)
I used to work for another company that has since changed its name and merged with another company. We had so many changes in the 2 short years I was there, enough to make your head spin. Most of the time they were changes not to the advantage of many, or they made it more difficult to keep up with the changes.
Having had this happen to me I am

going to tell you that you have to get a restraining order on him both personally and for a distance that includes your home and such.  Then go to the phone and satellite people as well.  If you give the phone people access they can monitor but you have to be willing to prosecute when they hit the nail on the head.  I suspect it may well be the same with your satellite folks. 


My husband had passed away and I got involved with someone who smelled money .. being an idiot I fell for all the honey/dearie stuff and it cost me money and it cost me my home and damned near my life .. never mind my self esteem.  You had better come clean with your family and get their help because it is misery alone and that is where I was save for a few friends who almost did not believe me.


I never thought I would see the end of it .. but I am here alive and kicking and believe me it is a good lesson to learn.  I am recovering slowly and have days I could probably commit murder yet, but first start with your computer and have it reformatted, get it cleaned up and then scan it every damned day if necessary.


Never had this happen (sm)
but common sense says she was scammed. Why would you have to pay to get a grant? Sounds fishy to me.
I have had this happen before...
and was told that it can just sometimes "happen". Sometimes the test can be done wrong, etc. Hopefully in your case, that will be it. In my case they did a repeat PAP smear, and everything was A-OK. Try not to worry and stress too much.
Anybody ever have this happen?
It seems that the owners to the company I've done work for over the past week have simply disappeared. I cannot contact them via phone or e-mail. Has this ever happened to anyone here? They could be on vacation, I guess? There's no work posted since Friday on the FTP site either. Weird, huh?
I had that happen too
I use the Olympus pedal and had never had any problems, until one day . . .

Anyway, I unplugged it and plugged it back in and that worked, but now it happens all the time (VERY irritating). For me, I think that it may have to do with playing .wav files (vs. the .dss Olympus-recorded files) because it seems to happen with the .dss files only when I have been transcribing .wav files and then switch, but with the .wav files it may happen even if I walk away for a while and my computer "goes to sleep".
I have had this happen too
and it mostly happens when using my doc's templates. These templates were originally done in Word Perfect and altered to be compatible with MS Word. I think it has something to do with that, but I don't know how to correct it, other than to get new templates.
How did that happen??? Should have been
x
I have had that happen, but
like you said it always goes away pretty quick. This hot tea is really helping, I am feeling it less and less. Whew!!!
I Had Something Like That Happen

I was supposed to be on review for 5 days and I was still on review after 2 weeks.  My accuracy was 99.6%, so I wrote the guy above my supervisor and told him I'd been on the 5-day review for 2 weeks.  He apologized and the next day, I received an e-mail telling me I was off review, had 100% accuracy now, and was doing great.


I would say that he just forgot.  The guy was not upset I contacted him, and I've had DSP (direct submission privileges) since.


Amanda, RMT


Where in MO did this happen??...nm
nm
Had that happen to me once as well
The company took a 15% pay cut on all employees - including the CEO and board officers, although they did get to keep their hefty yearly bonuses that the employees did not get. I stayed a year on the promise of it being given back, then left. That was 12 years ago. I have a friend who still works there and she is still waiting....
OMG, I cannot believe this would happen.....
If you watch all of the news, a lot of parents leave their children in their vehicles all the time "just to run into the store long enough to get" blah, blah, blah and the vehicle is left with the keys, child sleeping in the back and all stolen. So what, pray tell, are you talking about??? Stupidness can happen everywhere and it does. Sounds like, duh, I didn’t know it would happen in my community.....