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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

more experience, less maintenance, better production

Posted By: Jessica on 2008-11-14
In Reply to: At wits end...sm - blondie_1147

Since you have less than 2 years experience, it is possible the owner just does not have accounts that fit your qualifications to send you.  Just bevause they have work, does not mean you are qualified to receive it. They most likely are sending it to someone that is less maintenance than you on specific specialities.  




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Was on doing maintenance (SM)

stuff, i.e. system scan, etc.  I don't plan to get on.  It is just irritating to me.  I would rather have time with my family than 1.5 pay. 


Now which one of you is high maintenance?
LOL
Are you on maintenance or just starting?
Actually my husband and I went on it a couple of years ago, lost weight and felt great...... for a few months.  The problem was maintenance.  
If all the downtime was due to maintenance, (sm)
could you please arrange that it's done during non-peak hours, for as you can see, many MTs have posted how much they rely on this site while working. It only makes sense to do upgrades, etc. during off-peaks. Most of the IT people I deal with have no problem working graveyard shift -- it goes hand-in-hand with the business.
Maintenance chores...sm

Computer users can do the main maintenance chores without taking a class because Windows provides simple point-and-click interfaces to things like disk cleanup, disk defragmenting and backup.  The other important things are running antivirus and antispyware software and keeping them up to date, but most of these configure themselves to update automatically.


One thing that can be tricky is installing and configuring a firewall, depending on your particular situation and version of Windows.  However, firewalls have also become much more user-friendly in recent years.. 


Eliminating a virus once you have one is another matter, some being so nasty that they resist removal.  For these,  "a class" in computers won't give you the expertise to exterminate them anyway.


If you Google "regular Windows maintenance" (including the quotes so it's treated as a single search phrase), you'll find lots of reasonably nontechnical advice online that will tell you everything you need to know to keep your Windows system in good running order and as reasonably well-protected as possible.


 


 


I do my computer maintenance religiously......
Once you have a virus, your hard drive crashes, or any of the 100's of thing that can go wrong and do, you become a fanatic about upkeep and maintenance.

I update my AVG weekly, I do a complete system scan every night (my tech guy set that up for me), and it checks for all the bad guys including root kits. I make sure that every MS update and patch is in place. I defrag once a week and do a disc clean up weekly. I am rabid about my husband doing the same thing.

If you have any questions about computer stuff, the websites of MS, AVG, Norton, etc. have helpful hints. And if you ever question anything "free" from the internet or want to download something free, go to Kim Komando's web site. She is the BEST.

Nothing beats vigilence in keeping your source of income running smoothly.

I do all my standard maintenance religiously at least monthly. sm
Thinks like Diskclean and Defrag.  Keeping all those temporary Intervet files off your computer makes a huge difference in performance.  I have McAfee because it comes with my Comcast service.  Used to have Norton -- hated it because it made my computer do all sorts of weird things, and then had a he!! of a time trying to uninstall it.  I have an MQ computer that I have had for over 3 years and a couple of months ago it started running really slow, no matter what I did to it.  So I called tech,support thinking maybe I needed a new one, and they suggested a free antispyware called Superantispyware, so I downloaded it and run it regularly and it has made a marked improvement.
Still Life With Woodpecker, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, A Moveable Feast
The list goes on....I am a big reader.  I also like some true crime stuff by Ann Rule.
Experience on top, current experience first. Education second. Leave out ALL fluff.
Recruiters don't need your life story. They need to know if you can do the job. If you want, put your current employer, then state "I have 20 years in the profession doing....." Keep it simple; keep it clean. If you want to go into more detail, do it during the interview. A HUGE red flag is to see that you've worked for 10 different companies, for months at a time. I know that someone who has worked for the same company for 2 years or more is going to have some degree of loyalty and will work through issues rather than cut and run.
even ISPs have to do maintenance from time to time--sm
and most do this during the wee hours of the morning when MOST people are sleeping and not using the internet. They need to upgrade their services and virus protection just like the home users. This is probably what occurred.
How is one going to get experience, when no one will hire without experience????
I constantly see all these job openings asking for experience.  How can I get experience, when no one will hire me without experience???
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.


Do you need to have 2 years full time experience or just 2 years' experience? nm
..
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!!
production and time

I am so frustrated with how long it is taking me to get my quota every day.  Today is going to be rough because all the kids are home from school, but on most days, it is just myself and my 4-year-old son.  I do about 1000 lines per day and it takes at least 7 hours.  Is this normal or should I producing way more in this time frame?  I have been in this field for 16+ years now.   I work for a great company and most of the accounts I have are terrific with excellent dictators.  I am up and down a lot, but it just seems like forever! 


Oh - and I do not spend a lot of time on this board during my working day.  In fact, I haven't posted here in a long time!!


I'm just curious how long it takes other experienced MTs with normal work-day interruptions to complete about 1000 lines of transcription each day?


I went from production MT to QA and back to
I, personally, found that the QA cons outweighed the pros, and I was making about $20 per hour as QA.  Went back to production MT and have not regretted it at all.  I have had offers to QA, for $18 to $20 per hour but politely refused.  If there were a specific reason I could not transcribe (carpal tunnel, arthritis, etc.) then I would go back to QA or possibly VR.
MT production incentives
I'm doing an MT class project and need to know this:  when a Transcriptionist is paid and hourly wage plus production incentive, HOW MUCH is the incentive (generally)?  I've had trouble getting this info so far.  BTW, the project concerns an in-house transcription department.  I appreciate any help - even educated guesses! :)
Production incentive

The last hospital I worked at paid an hourly wage, no incentive, and had a minimum line requirement per day of 1200. 


The problem with this scenario is that there is no incentive to produce more - thus the term * incentive *.  If work became backed up, we were offered overtime.


When I worked in-house for a service, we had a line per day requirement of 1200 and anything over 1200 lines per day was paid at 6 cents per line.


I have not worked on production before, only

converting my typing speed into an idea on how many lines per hour I could expect of myself.  I've done acute care MT for over 15 years and am considering going to work at home on production pay.


I type a very solid 127-130 words per minute.  So, how does that relate to lines per hour that everyone talks about? 


Thanks.


Doing some figuring on your production

If you do 3000 lines per day as you say you do and for example it's all VR at 0.03 cents  per line that's $90 for a day's work.  So you would make a little over $11.00 an hour.  It would be $15.00 an hour paid at 0.04 cents a line.


Not so hot.  I predict VR will cause MT wages to decline at current pay.  I've been doing VR for over 2 years and it is not over twice as fast as typing in general.