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one minute of dictation = 10 lines?

Posted By: is that right? no message on 2007-08-11
In Reply to: We are fortunate to have benefits. - Gracie

nm


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Lines per minute of dictation

Worked for a university medical center years ago when we were paid by the minute, and the average number of 65-character lines per minute was 10 lines.  There were over 2000 dictating physicians, though, who made up the pool, so there were the slow dictators along with the speeders.  I agree with other poster:  Nothing less than $1.00 per minute.  I charge for 800-number service and I would charge $2.00 per minute. 


It varies but for me it works about 10 lines per minute of dictation.
nm
Pay by minute of dictation

I've been offered a position where the line count is calculated by multiplying the minutes of dictation transcribed by 12.5 (the assumed average number of lines in a minute of dictation). Has anyone had experience being paid in this manner, and how do you feel it compares to the 65-character line?


How long does a 60-minute dictation take you
nm
Oh man, I'm working on an 18-minute brief dictation.

JLG charges $3.00 per minute of dictation.
I was shocked to see that my hospital was paying $3.00 per dictated minute to JLG. As contractors, we only got $1.50 per minute.
paid by minute dictation
It is not a rip off. I work in-house in a hospital and that is what we use to count time, lines, and jobs. It is also used to tie in our production bonus. We have what we call "weighted" dictators - ESLs if you will. The docs are weighted as 1.1, 1.3, 1.5 with 1.5 being the bad dictators. You know the ones, they yawn, chew, and talk at the same time, they have a really thick accent, and talk and chew at the same time. They have more minutes than clear-speaking docs. Multiply your your hours worked (8) X 12.5 that equals 100. You then divide your minutes typed into that number. That gives you your production. Where I work you have to have 85% to be eligble for production bonus. It is not a rip off, it works quite well.
The norm is 1 minute = 10 lines; 10 min = 100 lines - sm
granted this varies per dictator. More lines if a fast talker, less if a slow talker.
I had a 30 minute dictation a few weeks ago - American doc - sm
who does that, talks super fast and mumbles to boot, we are told to do the best we can and turn in as is-- I counted 125 blanks in that report, nuts. Luckily it is not held against me as they know how awful this doc is. He has also been repeatedly told to slow down and speak clearly, but he does not care obviously and keeps doing it, so he cannot complain about poor work product.
I was paid by the dictation minute for almost 3 years. sm
Most general transcription is paid that way, but only a few MT. Some dictators are fast, others waste a lot of time hemming and hawing and shuffling papers. I though it evens out in the end.

I definitely wouldn't do it for less than $1.00/minute, a bit more if you have lots of experience.
Folks that I know usually charge by the dictation minute. sm
Depending on difficulty and turn around time, most charge about 90 cents to $1.20 per dictation minute.
Question on what the average time is to transcribe 1 minute of dictation?

I know this is going to vary widely but any sort of general idea would be helpful.  I know this is a tough question!


Thanks for your help!


So it doesn't matter if you got a 30 minute file and only 3 minutes of it is actually dictation,
nm
Lines per minute????

What is the average lines per minute?  I know it is going to vary, but I just want what the average is.


TIA!


Lines per minute of dication

Any general rule of thumb for figuring how many lines per minute of dictation? I know it can depend on a number of factors, but just wondered if any of you had an approximate ballpark idea what you would expect for lines at the end of the day on say 125 minutes of dictation. 


lines per minute/hour?
I'm typing approximately 250 lines an hour of transcription.  I'm not sure about dictation though.  I am curious how much the going rate for a Transcriptionist by the line is these days.  If anybody could help with this info, please do so!
Lines an hour to words a minute

Hello!


Does anyone know how to calculate words per minute from lines per hour? I'm curious to know how many words per minute I'm actually typing (even though it is with a word expander). Currently, I'm only averaging 140 lines per hour--is that good?


Would appreciate your help!


I do not know about words per minute, but lines per hour. And everything depends on the dictator.
x
How many lines, roughly, in 1 min of dictation?
Im curious as to what the average line count per minute of dictation is? Does anyone have this information? Again, Im just looking for an average, not a set in stone amount. Also, if you type hospital transcription, roughly how many jobs do you need to type in 8 hours to meet the average line count required by most companies of 1200 lines in 8 hours? 25? 50? 75? 100? Yes, I know this will vary to, but again, just looking for an average #.
Paid by the minute... new to me... does $1.14/minute sound reasonable?
x
Aaahhhh, now I get it. Gross lines vs. Character lines. I guess I've just been conditioned to
think in terms of character lines.  One of the perils of working as an IC for somebody who defines what a line is versus owning your own company and defining it yourself.  After working for someone else for 15 years, maybe it's time to bust out on my own.
That is a lot of work/lines for 2 people. I do 3000 lines per day sm
if you times that by 30 days that only comes to 90K lines a month, that is working 7 days a week including weekends. I don't think 2 people can handle that.
900 lines is below 1100 lines, where the bonus starts.
x
Gross lines include all lines containing
printable characters, so a full line and a line with one word on it are charged equally. Straight lines are basically the same as gross lines, but with this method of counting the blank lines are counted as well (again, equally). I have only had one company pay this way, and they are a middle man. I would think the charge would be about the same as for gross lines, and that not too many offices will want their lines counted this way (the one I worked on was probably inherited from someone who had counted the lines that way, so just continued).
I went from 2400 lines to 1800 lines

a day when I switched from clinic (through an MTSO)  to hospital work. Not only was the clinic work easier with more macros (and less providers to learn, 12 vs 300+), but I was typing in straight Word (as opposed to Softmed/Chart Script).  So you see, it really varies depending upon the type of work as well as the platform used. That said, I am so much happier typing the 1800 lines per day (I make over $15 per hour plus an incentive for any lines in excess of 1200 per day) plus a great health package/benefits, AND approximately 5 weeks of paid time off per year.  In my opinion, hospitals really are the best employers WHEN they appreciate the work we do.


My advice for you is not to judge a job by any one criterion but rather the entire picture. The 'extra's can really add up.

Good luck in your job!


Which is the one where they are sc*&ing us the standard lines or the qualified lines? SM
Mine show up as STD when I pull up my transcription log.  But I see now there is STD/QT....  So which is the one where they are ripping us off, standard or qualified?  Need to know.  I am about to switch companies and I will not do if they are actually taking lines from me.  Thanks guys. 
per minute
I do approximately 15-20 minutes of dictation per hour and/or 150-200 lines per hour.  So figure from there.
one minute, maybe? sm
I was fast already, so faster, not so sure that I could be much faster without compromising my own comfort level with quality, and I don't want to listen to my docs at a distorted speed rate.

I also have an Advant Prime clicky-kinda keyboard and am just as fast on it but prefer this Atech4 as it is quiet and has programmable keys.

hth!
Well, you had me for one minute there.

"Finally, if you love what you're doing, happy with your income and don't want anything to change - fine, get on with it and leave the sniping.  It is only serving to make us suspicous of what the real bottom line is with you.  Are you management?  Are you American administrators of overseas transcription companies?"


Don't assume that just become someone expresses an opinion other than the original poster, they're management or American administrator of overseas transcription companies. Sometimes American workers need to think for themselves and other American workers will ask questions designed to make them think.


Otherwise, the rest of your post was well-thought out, although I would say that my impression from reading most of the nonsense about a strike, etc., was the intent was not to make the public or politicians aware of the situation with HIPAA violations but rather to make life difficult for employers, even to the point of risking patient care--neither of which should ever be consider humorous if you're trying to make a point in a responsible and professional manner.


GBP per minute

I missed this somewhere along the line.  I saw an add on another site for a job that paid xxx per GBP.  What does GBP mean?


By the minute
I'll bet the speediest speed demon dictators are those who are charged by the minute and pay their own bill!  If only they were charged by the line and charged extra for fast talking, I'll bet they would slow down rather quickly!
cpl pay vs per minute
What is the opinion here on pay by line versus pay by the minute?  Pros vs cons and why?  I can figure out for myself that, for example if you are paid 10 cents a line for a 65 cpl and they say nothing but one sentence for 10 minutes and you listen to shuffling of papers you would be much better off by the minute.  I am just curious here what the opinion is and why which one is better. After all these years of being an MT I know companies are always trying to figure out how to make money for them without passing on the rewards to the MT.
Question versus gross lines versus 65-character lines....

I have always charged or been paid by 65 or 60 character lines or per letter or space typed, but have never been paid or charged per gross line.


What is the advantage of this?  If I were to charge 11 cents per 65-character line including spaces, what does this figure out to for an average line rate and how do you do this calculation? 


I'm wondering if it is financially beneficial for me to bill by gross line or to keep it the way I have it.  I do know some accounts will only pay per 65-character line, as this was the deal my first own account I recently acquired.  They were adamant on a 65-character line, but didn't specify with or without spaces and I personally would never not charge for spaces.


Thanks for explaining this.  I appreciate it and hope everyone has a speedy day.


Paid by minute
I get paid by the minute but I do Basic four and radiology.  Fast/Slow dictators usually balance each other.  Now, if I did just radiology, I would get paid more by the line or report because of the very fast dictation.
They pay per minute dictated. Sux.
Especially when they assign the work. It's not fun when all your work is less than 1 minute, two line reports, ESL docs, etc.
It commonly known that 1.00 a minute is very low...sm
and that is only 60.00 for the hour voice audio... so 20.00 is horrible!!  These guys think we are stupid!!
Yes, I expect any minute now to

get an email from my supe saying the virus is the reason for the lack of work! 


I mean, I have been given every other excuse so I am sure this one will be next...


Now wait just a minute!
"The poor" ?
Hey....just a minute....that's my sister's name and
NM
Could be one 250-minute report or
ten 25-minute reports, or 250 1-minute reports, or 125 2-minute reports, etc., etc., etc. (as the king would say).
Just need to vent a minute...

Why, oh why is it that when a doctor is dictating a list of dianoses, etc. can't they say #1 when they start the list.  Usually I don't let this bother me, but it has happened with almost every report I have transcribed today and it's bugging me!!


If you're gonna dictate a list, start out saying #1.  Don't say the first one and then say #2.  Drives me nuts!


On the reverse I have also had some today that will say "ADMIT DIAGNOSES:  #1:  XYZ".  And then move on without a #2.  If there is only one thing, it doesn't need a number!!


Sorry, this has just been a long day with multiple reports like this and it was getting on my nerves.  I just needed to vent a little.  I feel better now and it's quitting time!


Still here. Now just wait 1 minute!!!!!!
I never said you should say that Laura Bush is a great role model. She obviously is NOT in your opinion. You are entitled to that; however, the thread was asking who people felt were good female role models. The poster who started the thread did not say "Please, anyone who does not like one of these named role models PLEASE, PLEASE turn this into a nasty thread, PLEASE."
The people who named Laura Bush had every right to post her and also had every right for you to keep your opinion to yourself rather than spoil and ruin their post. You could start a separate thread asking who everyone felt were negative female influences. Then you could name Laura Bush. You just like to turn every single thread on this board into one of your nasty little rallies.
Geez. Get a life. You really have some issues sugar -- no make that -- sour foot. LOL.
You had me worried there for a minute! :)
I make a point to take my lunch "breakette" out on the deck. or I'll go stark raving mad!
paid by the minute
That's why I think it's better to pay by the word or characters, really--pay for what you actually type. I have clients that do the same thing clhmt said--I have one who can do 30 reports in 10 minutes. Other who can't do 1 report in 30 minutes!
just did a 58 minute report
shewee.  last one of the day, and i'm pooped, over 400 lines. glad those don't happen often.
Wow, just sit back and think a minute sm
You are getting some good advice on here. As for the company, please, don't worry about them, quitting will not hurt their feelings! Believe me, they wouldn't worry about you, not really. What if something horrible happened and you HAD to quit? They would understand. Hey, instead something wonderful happened. You are very nice to think about the company, and that says you are so nice, you really deserve what you want in your heart. This is your gift. No guilt please! You can be smart and put some away and use some to take some time off. Cover all ideas. Congratulations! javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','');
javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','');
No I don't-- going on the preface that 1 minute- sm
is 10 lines, it would take over 8 hours to do 5000 lines; just listening, that is not stopping to look something up, to retype, fix, etc. So unless you speed the tape up a lot (and can still understand it) I see no way of doing 5000 lines under 10-12 hours. I could see 3000 lines but not 5000.
If only you were getting paid by the minute instead of cpl! nm
x
I Used to get paid by the minute and
loved those type of reports then. Now I hate them.
at 9 cents per minute -- buy on E-bay
I have 4 docs that do an average of 2  to 2.5 hours per week each on tapes sometimes more, sometimes less but lets average 8 hours per week.  That is $43.20 per week I pay you.  My psychologist does 3 to 4 hours in addition to this.   So there is another $20+.   I just bought hand held Olympus recorder on E-Bay for $31.50 and even full price at Amazon was under $100.  So one month of paying you would pay for my 4 hand helds.  I have thought about this but just cannot afford the $150 to $200 it would cost me per month.   And yes, I have had very good luck with buying on E-bay for transcribers, recorders, etc.  So look on there or do a Google for digital recorders by brand, Olympus, etc. and it shows you which store has them for which amount.  The bells and whistles are nice but a basic recorder that holds 2 to 4 hours of dictation is well below $100 and that is all you need to provide them with.    Good luck.   Just setting up an FTP and so don't have much info on that yet but searching it out.    Patti
60 minute tapes

Are they 60 minutes from the same doctor, 20 minutes from 6 docs or what?  If you are doing these doctors on a daily basis, you should have a lot of Expanders or auto corrects so that you are typing about 2/3 of what they say.  Are they chart notes, long reports or what.   What I do is I set up a goal of doing an hour or typing and then take a 15 to 20 minute break.  If an hour is too long, then start out at 30 minutes and take a 10 minute break and slowly over the week increase it to 60 minutes.   Of typing not dictation.  Also check over your work and be sure you are using your expanders/auto corrects to do the work for you part of the time.   Between my 6 docs, I do approximately 120 to 150 minutes of dictation a day and it takes me between 4 to 5 hours typing, then an hour to print and deliver.  And it is 1800 to 2000 lines I have done.   But again,I break mine up in smaller incriments, and set the goals and it is much easier to sit down knowing you are only going to type for an hour with a break or reward and that hour goes by fast.  As an IC you can do this.  Again, I make my computer work for me -- if it can type it for me that is money in my pocket.  Again, you said that you had the same doctors each day so you should be able to do inserts, auto corrects, or use of an Expander if that is your way of doing things.    Good luck.    Patti