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Whine alert! 8 cents/line is killing me! :(

Posted By: SM on 2009-05-18
In Reply to:

I have 17 years experience.  I'm an IC, was getting paid 10 and 11 cents a line for the last decade or so.  After that work basically dried up, I started looking for more work.  No work to be had at at 10 cents a line anymore, rarely find anything even at 9 cents. 


Decided to take an 8 cents/line job.  Hey, I was gettin' hungry.  I swear....I type, type, type, type, seems like all day and all night and still not making the money I need to pay my bills and eat! 


I know, I know, people justify 8 cents a line by saying hey if you can do 200 lph, that's $16 an hour.  Yeah, that's great for those who aren't used to making up to $30+ an hour for the past 8 to 10 years!  Man, I'm soooooooo tired of typing, so burned out, just very unhappy. 


I can see now how some people are happy with MT and some people aren't, just depends on what you've been used to compared to what you get now.  Sad. 


I really don't have any other skills to do anything else, and I'm dying here as far as finances, killing my hands and other body parts trying to make money at this 8 cents a line...maybe could've done it 15 years ago when I was younger but just not able to type like a demon day and night anymore.


Let it be known that this is the end of my vent. I have no idea what I'm going to do




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$.06 gross line / .70 = approximately $.0857 cents per 65 character line.

A gross line is anything on a line versus 65 gross characters per net line the other way.  You make more money working for the gross line than for the 65 gross character line, as long as the line rate's OK.


New England, 16.50/hr, 8 cents a line after minimum line count..
full benefits available with general contribution by the hospital before you start paying for them, retirement, 403b, all benefits, and working at home as an employee, BUT, you have to live local to the hospital.
8 cents a line. Should be 10 cents for over 10 yrs exp but
b
I would go with the line rate. At less than 9.5 cents per line sm
I make $30 an hour.  I would never transcribe for $15 an hour, for anyone.
And it's not just 0.06 cents a line.
By the way, OT when it's offered and working on holidays when you can amounts to really big money.
They pay 7 cents a line...
The people are excellent to work for. The accounts are huge and abundant. I love working for them.

The pay is every two weeks and on time. There have been pay issues in the past, but that is now in the past. The 4 cents per line mentioned in another post is not accurate on any count. The apprentice program paid 2 cents per line for work below 98% and 3 cents per line for work above 98%. I was on this program for about a month part time. I was then given an increase to 7 cents per line. The company has said they will make their pay very competitive in the future. They keep all employees informed of what's going on with the company, and they haven't lied to us yet.

Now you have the truth.
6 or 8 cents a line
Are you making 6 or 8 cents a line. If it's 8 cents a line, that's not bad wages at ALL, trust me. I am also the one that sent you an email about the name of the company you work for. Why aren't you happy with the service? Maybe I can help you on that issue.
6 cents per line
What about transcribing/editing where a lot of the typing is already done...is 6 cents still too low?
You only pay 8 cents a line?
nm
8 cents a line for Rad-Please!!!
I cannot believe that Jester's Touch is paying 8 cents/line for Radiology.  Check the Job Seeker's board.  I would like to see a clinic Transcriptionist type radiology reports.  What a blow to Radiology transcriptionists!!! The wordage for typing Radiology is a lot different than clinic dictation and even clinic notes at 8 cents does not make if for me.  Where in the heck do they come up with that kind of a figure.  Blows me away.
Well what are you going to eat on 0 cents per line

I still say some cents per line is better than no cents per line. You know yourself how hard it is to break into this field. If, after posting on all the sites and getting no response because you do not have the magic two years experience, I would work on getting the two years experience, even if it was at 3 cpl. Better than staying at home every day and keep on posting resumes...


**insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results **


12 cents/line
for the clinic that I do in Colorado. I think that is the going rate now for office type of work. You should feel blessed you are getting 12 cents as there are lot of MTs out there with lots of experience working for 8.5 to 9 cents/line for companies. I think it is a fair rate. JMHO
12 cents a line
12 cents a line!! Oh my god - I have worked in this field for 25 years and have NEVER been paid that much.  You're lucky, but then again, I can empathize with how you must feel about not getting a raise in 5 years.  Everything you spend your money on has gone up, hasn't it?  I was refused a raise from Medquist several times. Never got it over 6 years, and  finally quit.
12 cents/line
Is what I get for my office work!!!! If you're getting up to 20 cents/line, I'd like to know where you are so I can get a piece of that pie! I haven't been paid 20 cents/line since the 80s!
16 cents a line
I agree, it sounds more than fair to me I used to do what you do only I delivered every other day and got paid 10.5 cents. Of course I dropped the account after three years of torture.
I would think 12 cents per line

That is the median rate.  This would probably also make it worth your while.


5 cents a line
The problem is as a newbie making 5 cents a line is not even going to be minimum wage.  When you take that job, you may think that it is better than nothing but this is lowering industry wages as a whole.  I started transcribing 7-1/2 years ago.  At that time, I made a little over 7 cents a line.  Now I am IC making a bit more but when taxes are taken out, it is probably close to the same.  Yes, I produce more in less time now so my paycheck is bigger, but I hate the thought of looking for a job when I see that people with 10 and 15 years experience being offered 5 cents a line, and those employers are finding people to take those jobs. 
6 cents a line?!
I have been looking for a part-time job.  I have 10 years of experience.  after submitting my resume and testing, the lady offered me 6 cents a line! She also informed me that she tries to pay her MTs close to the beginning of the month, but she has to wait until she gets paid by the client...............
6 cents a line?!
I didn't accept the position.  I was just amazed that she only offered me 6 cents a line for my experience!
9 cents per line - NOT
The 65 characters include the spaces... it is what it is... 65 keystrokes. She is lying to you.
It is 3 cents a line, whether you do
fix errors on a particular line or if the line is there already and needs nothing fixed. At least, that is how ours works and if yours did not would not make much sense to even work there. Having said that, I am paid 4 cent a line and with my straight thrown in some I get around $20.00 an hour for my work.
Is that 0.65 cpl really 65 cents per line? ..nm
nm
12 cents per line here...
I am fortunate then because I get 12 cents per line! I worked for 8 cents a line 9 years ago.
How much is 6 cents per gross line? nm
nm
This is all of MQ and that amounts to about 2 cents less per line for ASR.
:
they offered me 1.5 cents per line
thanks but no thanks.
13 cents per line / TASP --nm
x
Webmedx 10 cents a line for IC.
.
Anyone making 9 cents a line or more at MDI-FL?

Anybody who works there - have any inside info?  Thanks!


sorry...$28 per hour at 8 cents per line
nm
I've seen anywhere from 2 cents/line up to
x
I was paid from 4 to 6 cents/line

I definitely wouldn't take less than 6 cents a line, and even that is pushing it to really make any money. Most of the reports I got for one company had to be pretty much re-typed, so it was kind of like getting paid only 6 cents to trascribe, which is horrible! However, a few of the docs reports were pretty good and one was even at 90% recognition, where I pretty much just had to fix the formatting. It may be better for radiology, as I didn't do any of those.


To make a long story short, I hated VR editing and didn't make any money at it, even at 6 cents/line.


OMG 12 cents gross line.. do they need help?
that would absolutely smoke a 65-character line count by probably 30% depending on what you were typing ... oooh numbering meds, PMH and PSH.

Sweet. Where do I sign up?
14 cents gross line, no less! nm
ss
I make 8.5 cents per line sm
The incentive is 2 cents per line for anything over 300 lines per hour.  That equates to 10.5 cents per line, because I consistently do over 300 lph.  That equals minimum of  $31.50 per hour.  I would never work by the hour.
Wait! 45 cents per line?
I thought maybe I was misreading. Is that right, someone is getting 45 cents per line?
offered 6 cents a line
I was offered 6 cents a line just recently and I have 15 years of experience. That's what I started out at way back then - i think most would agree that the money is just not there in MTing anymore - at least all of the grvy jobs are long gone - gone to india.
I actually DID accept a 6 cents per line
job. It's not much but I can do the work in my sleep (and probably have on a couple of occasions). But, you're right. I'm not going to accept 6, 7, or 8 cents a line for the "large teaching hospital" accounts with 95% ESL physicians, hundreds of dictators including residents so you never get the same dictator twice, graveyard shift, weekends, and holidays, with someone watching over your shoulder 24/7 to make sure you are working.  No thanks. I'd make more money working at McDonald's. Employers think that, because you have experience, you should be able to do the work that no one else wants to do. Gee thanks. Great to see we are being rewarded for our years of experience. Give me the mindless stuff that I can do in my sleep.   I don't want a "challenge" anymore.  My marriage is challenging enough! :)   My job is for paying the bills.  
Don't most make more than 5 cents a line??
I do not agree with you at all!

With those choices, go with 9 cents/line

I worked for a company that paid by the report - $1.15 for everything except interventionals, which were $2.25.  Per report is fine until you start getting into the 2-page MRI reports, which I had a lot of. When I found this website and saw what the per-line rate was for some people, I started checking the line counts and comparing. The only reports I was actually coming out ahead on were things like chest x-rays that were only 2 or 3 lines. You can see that at 9 cents a line, once you get more than about 12 lines, you make more being paid by the line. 


I have two part-time jobs now, one paid by the line and the other by the report, but the pay per report is VERY good, much higher than the going rate, because these are radiologists I have worked with before and a) they are very generous and b) they appreciate my expertise. 


I guess what I'm saying here is if you are paid enough per report, go for it. $1.10 - fugedaboutit!! 


Wow! 18 cents a line? You must be IC, correct? n/m
xx
2.5 cents a line? You have to be kidding! nm
.
perfection for 8 cents per line
Think we need a union?
So 5 to 8.5 cents a line is the going rate
Is that what companies are offering?  I think it is horrible but I still make more than the gas station/convenience jobs I guess.  Yes, the CMT thing is really a joke. There was never any extra $$ involved for me either when I had it so I let it expire.
Editing at cents per line

 


Hello,


I have been coming across QA/Editor positions paying 1 to 3 cents per line. How much can an experienced medical transcriptionist expect to earn at this pay rate in a given month.


Thanks.


Blue


 


 


8 cents per line 65 character

At 8 cents a line, to me, that should be just straight typing.  No looking up - leaving a blank, and no struggling more than 1 time to make out what some doctor is mumbling.  I am sorry, please don't tell me I have a bad attitude, but each and everyone of us is worth more than 8 cents a line.  When we were paid (in the past) at a higher rate, it made up for the researching or trying to figure out what the doctor is saying.  I had been out of this work for quite some time.  Worked in a hospital for 22.00 an hour for years, worked part time for a service for about 9 cents a line - maybe 3 days a week for 4 hours a day.  I did not pay attention that closely then as I had the hospital job.  But now, working 8 hours (or more.)  This is complete and total B.S.  This p_____s me off so bad.  But I have to do it in this economy, I am not in a position to do anything else.  Everytime I try to really pick up my speed - as there was a time I could about 200 lines or more an hour.  (I cannot do it anymore straight through 8 hours.)  The QA people find something (a comma or whatever) and then I get nervious and slow way down.  I know they have a job to do, but come on.  There are some, but very few,  doctors who care where a comma goes.  Give me a break.  It just infuriating for everyone that does this.  I had a few doctors on my own accounts years back, but they would not pay on time, regularly, etc.  Anyway I just had to vent. 


8 cents per line 65 character

At 8 cents a line, to me, that should be just straight typing.  No looking up - leaving a blank, and no struggling more than 1 time to make out what some doctor is mumbling.  I am sorry, please don't tell me I have a bad attitude, but each and everyone of us is worth more than 8 cents a line.  When we were paid (in the past) at a higher rate, it made up for the researching or trying to figure out what the doctor is saying.  I had been out of this work for quite some time.  Worked in a hospital for 22.00 an hour for years, worked part time for a service for about 9 cents a line - maybe 3 days a week for 4 hours a day.  I did not pay attention that closely then as I had the hospital job.  But now, working 8 hours (or more.)  This is complete and total B.S.  This p_____s me off so bad.  But I have to do it in this economy, I am not in a position to do anything else.  Everytime I try to really pick up my speed - as there was a time I could about 200 lines or more an hour.  (I cannot do it anymore straight through 8 hours.)  The QA people find something (a comma or whatever) and then I get nervious and slow way down.  I know they have a job to do, but come on.  There are some, but very few,  doctors who care where a comma goes.  Give me a break.  It just infuriating for everyone that does this.  I had a few doctors on my own accounts years back, but they would not pay on time, regularly, etc.  Anyway I just had to vent. 


9 cents/line, plus a 20% bonus for working

Any companies pay 9 cents a line or more for transcription?
Been doing this for 10 years for a company - now am an editor, but the pay is worse than an MT typically makes.  Thinking of going back to typing if I can make more money - which would mean making at least 9 cents a line (like I used to).  Anybody know any good companies? 
Your right...my fault. I QA for 4 cents per line and I hate it.
If you type fast you can lose money doing QA. At 4 cents per line I can QA 700 lines per hour (roughly) which is still $28 per hour. Honestly I think the industry standard is 3 cents, but the company I work for will have me QA when they are bombarded and I will not QA for less than 4 cents per line.
If they want to pay me 20 cents a line to work weekends.. I'm
and no I'm not making it up or exaggerating.. with 26 years experience you really CAN make excellent money in this business.