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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

The federal gov't is urging paperless MR to save costs.

Posted By: Thank the president on 2005-09-14
In Reply to: that is what is being worked out, and has been worked on for the last few years already...only - soon-exMT

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Federal holiday, banks and federal offices closed, but
schools and everything else open here. 
Beware of ink replacement costs. The more inexpensive the printer, the more the ink costs.
s
I have a paperless solution that works very well for me.
I have an Excel workbook file (any spreadsheet program will do) on which I have a separate worksheet for each client. I use the first column for topics and the second column to put the latest instructions on that topic. I don't try to keep history here, just the most current direction. I have this file on a laptop that I keep next to my work computer for easy viewing, but you could put it on the same computer if you don't have a second one. Good luck.
I did try to save the file first but it wouldn't even let me save it.
.
Federal ID #

If there is a "mother company" that is overall all the smaller companies sometimes the ID could be the same -- I think.  My husband drove a truck for Dalles Mavis that was owned by Active Transportation that all has other comanies.  All of hs W2 forms, etc. came from Active with their ID number on it though he worked directly for Dallas-Mavis.    Even when he moved to Texas and worked there instead of Oregon, his W2's all came from Active. 


They won't be saving anything since if you made $5000 from Company B and they deduct it from Company A, they will be paying taxes more taxes from Company B and less from Company A but again, if there is a corporation over all of the companies, it will all be merged in together to pay taxes on the "profit" from the corporation.   Just like being married, your husband can over withold and pay for your taxes because you merge your income together.   Just hopefully be requesting that they issue you another 1099 that they don't send both into the IRS and so the IRS thinks you made $10,000 and not $5,000.  


 


There is no such federal law! :)
Every employer has the right to answer questions about former employees. Most prefer to not go into too many details. Asking whether or not an employee is eligible for rehire is a very common question.


We did this. We went through HUD or some federal program
that loaned us the closing costs and down payment on a second mortgage.  It was paid off within five years.
They were federal charges
go to a halfway house first, but I thought surely that the prison could tell me something, if that was the case?!  They just said he was out of custody and that's all they could tell me.  Thanks for the encouragement...it's appreciated!
You pay taxes to the Federal gov't, among others.
The question should not be about what taxes you pay and who gets the money. How governmental entities distribute the money is for them to worry about, not you. As an IC, you will have deductions available to you that are not available as an employee.

Only YOU can determine if the responsibility of being an IC is for you. There is so much more to IC status than taxes. My suggestion is to read up on what is involved in self-employment by checking out a book on entreprenurship from the library or do some reading on the Web. My guess is that you're not ready for this yet but you can be if you do your homework.
Is there federal money available

It occurred to me that it may be something we mention when writing/calling our government. 


I know that when Levi Strauss closed their factory in Roswell, NM, and sent it down to Mexico (thanks, NAFTA), they gave their workers money to retrain in a new profession.


Surely this is something that can be fought for.  We know darned well the MTSO's won't take money out of their own pocket to do this, but there was/is a government program called TAA which is supposed to help people who have lost work as a result of imports.  I think a case can be made for medical records transcribed overseas as qualifying as "imports". 


I found an old document on line at http://www.edd.ca.gov/pdf_pub_ctr/de8714x.pdf which describes that 3 or more workers who have been affected by imports can petition for federal money for assistance and retraining.  There's also JTPA/WIA which established one-stop career centers and I believe being laid off because of work being sent offshore (or just laid off, period) would qualify people for this program.


There's also this article, which I included a part of, that is talking about IT workers for Computer Sciences Corp (my brother happens to work for them and has survived the layoffs) filing suit....


*The department has long held that programmers who've lost jobs to cheaper, foreign workers aren't eligible for the TAA program because their employers, or employer's customers, are not importing a physical good in the same way as, say, steel manufacturers. A number of federal and state lawmakers have introduced bills that would automatically grant eligibility under the act to IT workers and other white collar professionals, but none has become law.


The labor department initially said that although CSC moved production of its Vantage-One insurance software from East Hartford to CSC India, the software was not an imported "article" as defined by the act. In a lawsuit, the workers asked the U.S. Court of International Trade to overturn the department's ruling. In January, trade court judge Nicholas Tsoucalas ordered the department to revisit the case, noting that, "Labor's interpretation of the law, that software code must be embodied on a physical medium to be an article under the Trade Act, is arbitrary and capricious."

In a Federal Register note published April 11, the Labor Department conceded the point and ruled that the four CSC workers would be eligible to apply for TAA assistance. In ruling, the department said it would henceforth look upon software, whether shipped into the U.S. on a disc or transmitted into the country via telecommunications networks, as a physical product.

Software and similar intangible goods that would have been considered articles for the purposes of the Trade Act if embodied in a physical medium will now be considered articles regardless of their method of transfer," the department wrote.*

Something to think about.

Also, I'm pretty sure we've been far OVERestimating how much money offshore people are paid for transcription.  Their companies might get 1 cent a line after it goes through 3 or 4 edits, but I'm pretty sure the person typing the report and mangling the English is paid more like 1/5 cent per line, which is still pretty good money for them.  My math is based on there being 40 rupees to a dollar, and 1/40 of 8 cents per line is 1/5 cent.  There was that article quoted on the company board from Manilla where they were gloating that their workers got $1 to $2 an hour and, if they're required to transcribe 1200 lines a day, that comes to 1/10 cent per line.  But that was back in 2005.

Back to the 1/5 cent.  So if the report goes through 3 or 4 edits, each getting paid their 1/5, then the Indian company keeps the 2 cents per line which is left over and our dear old MTSO here in the States charges the hospital what...11 cents?..pays our US MT 3 or 4 cents to edit.  So, 3 cents/line to the offshore company, 4 cents/line to our US editor, and the MTSO still pockets the 4 cents/line left over?  Why do you think we're seeing 7 cents/line more and more often as the going rate of pay?

Well, just some things to think about - I get my best ideas late, late at night!


Thanks for sharing this. If federal guidelines were followed,
the minimum wage earner could not even shop at Walmart---that's really sad!  This is just another point that shows that the government has obviously gotten too big for its people, $5.15 is a JOKE.  I'm glad some states actually have some sort of caring politicians.
Federal Govt program (sm)
I am going to ask my tax person about this. I am currently working for a company as an IC, but now I'm thinking it should actually be called SE status, since they withhold, what looks like, about 7% of my income for OASDI and medicare. I also worked for MQ as an SE and they took out FICA, so I think I'm okay for now. However, if I switch jobs, I will need to make sure this is taken care.
I don't think FEDERAL varies whereas state...sm

I think states set their own regulations but I do believe that Federal is all one set of rules/regulations.  The police might be able to tell you but I think you'd find out so much more via the internet if you know what state he is in.  I found someone in jail recently.  I put in her name and she is locked up and probably going to get the books slammed at her.  Very young nonthinking girl too. 


All states and even federales have websites.  You can type in INMATE information and then the state and all kinds of links will come up.  You can probably this way find his name at some institution and if paroled, call the institution he was paroled from and find out more details if possible.


BEST of luck on this!!!  The internet is great for finding even old friends (I found several 30+ years after being in contact).


Question for ICs about SS and federal tax. I am new at this and I am wondering if you can pay
your federal tax and SS more often than quarterly so it doesnt turn out to be so much money.  I would pay the State and Local quarterly but would like to pay the fed more often.  Anybody do this or just file quarterly.
Can anyone that is an IC tell me when you send in your quarterly Federal and SS is there anywhere
you can check to make sure your money had been credit properly to your account to avoid problems at the end of the year.
HIPAA is a federal law, not State.
I could be wrong but I don't think you need to get the office to sign anything.  You just need to be HIPAA compliant on your end.  Double check on this though.
Marie, what type of federal job, is this still medical? nm
x
Section 8 housing. It's a federal program through HUD.
Google it "Section 8" housing to verify.
Probably 2 weeks and if i recall it will be on a Friday for Federal.
xx
I agree with "Snow Bunny" Federal govt. sm
Everyone new that New Orleans was pooooooooooooooooooooor
With state and Federal, you 40% of your earnings GO, bottom line.
I don't know what's up for debate, it's fact.

Housing prices have gone up 40% in the past year alone in California.
you're right, it's federal but diff for each state...see link...sm

http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm


ALL STATES PAY MINIMUM WAGE DIFFERENTLY - i.e., Arizona says *No state minimum wage law.*


Here's how foster-to-adopt works on the federal level...sm
All non-Caucasian over age 1 automatically get adoption assistance. All Caucasian kids over age 8 get adoption assistance. If you adopt a sibling group that is more than 2 kids you get adoption assistance. All special needs children qualify for adoption assistance. Adoption assistance usually means Medicaid until they're 18 and in a lot of cases the monthly per diem rate is paid to the adoptive family. For the special needs kids, sibling groups and non-white children that meet the adoption assistance criteria generally the fees for adoption are reimbursed up to $2000 - which is pretty much what all of the attorneys charge for these adoptions since Child Protective Services/DFCS does the majority of the paperwork.

We're currently in the process of adopting our 6-year-old foster child who has lived with me since she was almost 5. The adoption should be finalized in January after my husband meets the 6 months residency requirement (we got married in June and he moved here from another state at that time).
Social security is part of Federal taxes

Your SS is figured in on your schedule C -- after your deductions you pay on your net income and that is added to your federal taxes and you send in one check and pay it all.  You can do quarterly if you do not have a husband to over withold from or if you are not an employee on another job.  Social Security and Federal taxes are not two entities -- but one.


Patti


Is there any danger putting bank acct# and routing# on federal tax (sm)
tax form so as to get your refund by direct deposit? Can someone use this info to their advantage?
I figure income minus expenses, send 23% for federal and 7.5% to state--sm
quarterly. The state probably differs state to state, but that is the percentile my accountant came up with. Have never had to pay and additional.
costs
I also agree that the cost of vet care has gone way up in the last 10 years, having animal companions is expensive. I think as more and more people are coming to realize their companions are senient beings they are willing to do whatever is necessary for optimum care just as you would do for a human. That being said, it is extremely expensive and where I used to have 5 cats and 2 dogs, I now have 3 cats and 1 dog due to losing some to old age and illness. Although I would love to have more, I know I cannot afford it if one of them gets sick.
Can you tell us how much this costs?
Have the Martel catalogue but oddly it does not give price. Am hoping it is under $50.
Rx costs
I get 2 of my meds from Canada.  Can you get yours that way and save $?  Just do a search for cheap drugs or Canadian drugs.
MT Costs
I have been a working MT for 2+ years and I am still buying things.  I have a full library of books but there are only a few I use all the time.  Still there are days when I find I need the others.  I believe I have around 16 total.  The Book Of Style is an important one.  I would recommend that for sure along with any other specialty books for the type of account you plan on typing.  I had my computer prior to training but with books, the MT course, pedals, software (spell checker, expander) I spent over $2,500.  This doesn't include a desk, chair or the other things you'll need. I would suggest you buy some 3-ring binders to keep samples in for each account you type.  I have a binder for every doctor/client.  Every doctor you come to learn to type will have his/her own rules.  The binders are my Bibles.  At first I went through a ton of legal pads.  I always keep one at my desk to jot things down.  Now I only need one on occasion.  It will be a learning experience and slow going at first, but hang in there.  Like some other MTs mentioned, it is not as easy as it sounds, but I do enjoy it.  Welcome to the club!
It costs more than $10 believe me.
They take a percentage of what is sent to you - it's not a flat rate fee. The more you make the more they take.
My costs have actually gone down
This year my property taxes will go from over $2,300 to $800 a year, that is because I have turned that magical number of 65. That is good and yet if I were to die, then the taxes would go right back up for hubby as he is 10 years younger and has not gotten there yet. He better treat me right!
File complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, your state attorney general, and the SM

state attorney general for the state The VLC is located in.  I happened to check it out and they have offices in Niagara Falls, NY and in Ontario.  Be sure to forward copies of every thing your file to them.  You can fill online complaint forms at the FTC website and the NY Attorney General's website.  Print out copies of these forms and mail copies of them after you fill them out to the school with a letter basically stating that you have reported them to these agencies and they will be intervening for you on this matter.


I also like the idea of putting cc's on your correspondence to a local news reporter.  And call them every single day until they are tired of hearing from you!


Good Luck!


Yes, and that same jug of water costs how much after it's
been paid for with tax dollars, hauled in on trucks, and handed out by National Guardsmen and FEMA workers who are being paid and are away from their own families? That little jug of water costs more to the taxpayers than Perrier.
My son did too. It costs a lot and unless you're
a real people person who can SELL, you won't make any money and you'll spend a bundle. TURN AND RUN, don't walk away unless you're ready to LIVE IT! IT has to be all you think, talk, eat, use, buy, etc....and you won't make a bunch if you don't get people to sign up.
I cut my costs a year ago...
I have noticed very little difference. I get the same speed and the only things that inhibit that are the usual things such as when the ISP is doing an update etc. Everyone I know with different DSL companies have said the same. You can always go back up to the higher speed if it doesn't work well in your case. To me it was worth saving the extra $20/month
AT&T business costs
I pay 230 a month for three lines, unlimited long distance, and DSL on a business plan. The biggest difference is the DSL cost is higher, and they charge per jack on installation. As opposed to 20 per line, i pay a flat rate of 50 for the LD for all three lines.
hidden costs by being an IC

The taxes are more as an independent contractor.  period.


you pay the matching that the employer would pay.


Normally your benefits pkg from the hospital or employer of sick days, holidays, insurance, etc is worth about $10,000.  Somehow you have to absorb that with what you charge.  In addition to losing the matching the employer is paying.  Otherwise the company you are contracting with is making out like a bandit -- and you truly are coming out on the short end of the stick -- they know this -- and they are laughing up their sleeve until we wake up out here and start charging so they won't be coming out the winner in this all the time.  The very reason they OUTSOURCE is to get rid of those hidden costs and we now have taken on.


And then of course the hidden days down for work on computer, waiting for storms to pass, and the various and asundry responsibilities you take on and absorb that the company you are contracting with gets to turn loose of. 


 


p.s. and oh please don't pop up with ITS WORTH A LOT TO TYPE IN MY JAMMIES.  No, we are expected to be professional whether in Gucci or WalMart specials.  And we should be paid accordingly.  That argument doesn't fly.  and being home with the kids doesn't either.  Only one thing can be done at one time, and you can watch the kids or you can transcribe but you can't do both simultaneously.  The guilt factor may be less when one needs to do errands in the day -- but guess what -- while people are sleeping guess who is up into the night beating the keys.  No, this should not be a trade off.  It's a business like any other business who does a contract with another company. 


phone costs
Hi,

Cell phone runs 89 per month,, that is the whole package, unlimited internet access, free text, nights and weekends, etc,,,,and I was able to do away with home internet altogether. No longer have a land line or DSL at home so the savings there made up the difference
Actually, VR actually costs the client....sm
less money,which is why some are changing to it...to pay less for transcription, which is why WE get paid less. That is how it is with my company. So in essence, the company is taking a cut in pay as well....why else would anyone use it, including the MTSOs??? I'm just sayin'.
Well, it costs sometimes. I have had to change employers before because
they were not going to negotiate with me. HOwever, there are plenty of places to work and I have luckily landed in 2 good ones.

I feel very fortunate today with my employment. I know full well it may change tomorrow but I am prepared - emotionally and financially - and will not let that disrupt my life. Too many options out there, folks.
I noticed this too! Costs me approximately
$50.00 more for the usual items such as health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, paper products. Cost of living is going up and our salaries are not.

India's MTs are living very well, according to a friendly gal working for AOL out of Bombay.

I don't know what I am going to do. I got cable t.v. for the winter and feel like I am living extravagantly. There is so much I need. Even keeping my car warrantly valid requires a $500.00 tune up which is hard to budget for.

One thing I do not have is credit card debt.
MediSpell is decent and only costs around
It was about $10-$20 when I first got it, but I'm sure it's gone up since then. There's a free trial (or at least there was) and you can compare it to others. Not sure what Dorland's is like so I can't tell you comparison, but I've found MediSpell to be a decent medical spellchecker at a reasonable price for starting out. You can add to it, of course, too, but I don't think they ever issue updates like new drug names, tec. so you might want to invest in a more thorough one later on.
I too believe it is a trend, basically to cut costs. As far as MQ, SM
I don't work for them, but honestly, from reading posts, seems like they were just bought out by a mad scientist who thinks up ways to drive people crazy. Sort of a game of how far can we drive people before they crack.
Keeping up cert costs too
I was a CMT for 20 years before I finally let it go.  Only one company I worked for in all that time paid extra for the CMT; then they were bought by Medquist who didn't care.  If you ever change companies - voluntarily or otherwise - the CMT may no longer bring you extra cash.  Remember, too, that you'll have to pay to keep up the cert.  I went to the conventions every year.  They ran me at least $1000 then with registration, airfare, hotel, food, ground transportion, etc.  Worked in-house then, and my employers didn't reimburse.  I was *lucky* I could get my vacation then.  It would probably be more now; everything else is.  If you don't have PTO where you work, then it will cost you what you would have made for those days as well.  Perhaps you're lucky and have a strong local chapter that will provide you CEs for much less cost and aggravation.  If you use the articles in the Journal, it will still cost.  Plus, it's not just any credit-worthy activity, it's one from column A, two from column B, etc.  It makes it much harder to get what you need (which may or may not have anything to do with what you REALLY need to improve your skills).  I didn't regret it while I was doing it, but I wouldn't do it again unless forced.  I hoped for 20 years that it would mean more than *personal satisfaction*, but it never did.
Help with raising food costs sm

While not available in all areas, this is a wonderful program to help out families and communities.  I used it for years when I lived in Colorado and now that I have moved, I am in the process of finding this program in my state. 


The program consists of paying a certain amount for a given box of food (you can buy more than one) on a certain day or days.  Then, you put in volunteer hours in your community for each box you purchase.  You have a volunteer slip signed where you volunteer.  On D-Day, you go and pick up your boxes of food. 


The boxes consist of fresh fruits and vegetables and meat items.  Occasionally there is cheese too.  There might be pasta and/or rice.  There is often a prepared food item.  They offer seasonal boxes for holiday baking, meat lover's boxes in time for summer grilling and Thanksgiving boxes.  The retail value of what you get in a SHARE box is usually at least double the cost of the box, and that has been my experience.  The kids and I used to go and help on D-Day, passing out boxes, cleaning up for our volunteer activity.


http://www.sharecolorado.com/


is for Colorado and several other states, but should link you nationally too.


I wonder how much it costs? will it be cheaper in the long run?nm
.
I'm a member, it costs me $20 to take a webinar.
Over 3 years, 30 CEs at about $20 each.

Over 3 years, CMT differential at $6K a year.

You do the math.

LOL

high healthcare costs

two little words,  consider waste and fraud,   people who have zero hope of meaningful life being on total support which many of them do not want, many disposables could be changed back to reusables by proper sanitation.   up coding to get more $$, etc etc.  there is probably more but those two came to mind. 


 yes $40 an hour seems excessive to me too. 


It costs $275 bucks. Robbery sm

I don't see how it helps money-wise (job) You need to renew every 3 years $.


I think the association that offers this is not with the MTs but with business.  They are the ones who helped Medquist manipulate line counting..  Oh yes, it is documented in court papers and can also Google Medquist and AAMT, articles come up.   They sell their Style Guide for a whopping $90 bucks 2nd edition, now $70 still toooo much about 400 pages.  One can get a hugeee meedical dictionary for half that.  They are not for MTs.  Years ago when this test was developed, nobody could pass it, so what did they do, they reveloped the test so MTs could pass (thus they got income).  Hardly a validity of MT skills.  Been doing this 30+ years and I am not bothering.


I use a AirCard 875U but costs almost as much - sm
as satellite would. I pay $67 a month for it but is is faster than dial-up, but not as fast as DSL. I live in a rural area and rumor has it we are getting DSL in 2 or so more years, we will see, it is available 4 miles from me, but is not quite reaching out to the farther out areas right now, need to live within a mile of our major highway through the county. Dial up will probably still work for you, just take a lot longer. Hope you figure something out.