own contracts versus what is happening with transcription field
Posted By: out of here on 2007-06-29
In Reply to:
can any of you out there who do transcription for local clients give me some insight here. Is it still worth it today to try to go out and get local clients versus working for a national or even in house? I am so tired of working my you know what off and struggling just to make $12 an hour. When I first started my per hour was not so bad and then other changes came a few years later and I just cannot go on like this and waiting for the good to happen because I am just not feeling it with my company even though they say "those who stick it out will be glad" I am sooo tired and worn out. Any info regarding on this would be helpful or any advice at all for that matter. Thanks all. I need a break now.
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There are negative things happening in the MT field that's why
if you've been watching the field evolve over the past 20 years like I have you would know that. If wages were going up, and work was coming FROM other countries, there would be no what-you-call-negativity and what other people call reality. It's the elephant in the living room syndrome. Some people are in denial that there is anything "negative" going on in the MT field, other people prefer to face it head on and discuss it openly. Feel free to skip posts you don't like. Ya know "take what you need and leave the rest."
Get into *what* field? Transcription?
Your comments read as if your experience is in coding and billing. If you don't have real experience in transcription, you really need some training in the field - it's not just typing.
The terminology you may have picked up will help you (again if you are not experience as a scribe) but it won't translate to experience listening to doctors strangle the English/Latin, etc., languages on tape (LOL)...and translating it to a final report.
If you have the basic skills for transcribing (excellent hearing, spelling, and memory) then you may want to proceed even without direct experience, though it will be difficult to get hired.
Good luck.
PS - check out the VR versus transcription
...a physician's study, on the right under in the news...
Still think we have a future?
speech versus transcription
Hoping to find some input/wisdom here---I have been offered a positon where may of the accounts are partially voice rec--I have never edited this speech stuff--but I am wondering if you can make the same amount of $$ doing that as you can transcribing it--all the speech rates seem very low, around 4 cents a line--is it actually that much faster than transcribing? I would think it would be a lot quicker to actually do the transcription--has anyone any experience to share in this regard? thanks for any insight.....
Transcription versus Billing
Before doing MT at home, I worked in an office for over 10 years, many doing fulll-time billing.
The office job I had certainly paid more (and it was guaranteed despite productivity).
I am now employed at home dut to family situations.
I guess my answer would be that you have to determine what is most improtant to you. If it is flexibility you desire, go for MT. There are very few billing/coding jobs based at home.
Should you choose to pursue billing, immediately get certified. Many places are now laying off employees who are not certified, depsite years of experienc.
I have done both. If you have any questions, feel free to email. I will let you know what books etc required and the CPC sites.
Many have helped and encouraged me on this site. I would be happy to return the favor.
Does anyone work a part time job that is NOT transcribing or related to the transcription field?
If so, what??
Transcription-Versus-Editing, Particularly RE: Tendinitis
A couple of questions for you editors out there. Is it really worth the "promotion" from Transcriptionist to Editor if you are a very efficient typist who can make $20/hr typing? Also, as someone who is considering this change due to tendinitis, is editing really any easier on your body than high-production transcription? Any input much appreciated.
transcription buddy versus express scribe
Which one is better?
Pros and cons on SOAP transcription versus MediVoxx? nm
s
IC versus employee, accounts, transcription type, platform,
nm
Ctrl + F9 adds the field brackets - F11 jumps to the field.
xx
65 character line versus gross lines versus pay by word
I am checking into other options for transcription. Can anyone tell me how to compare all of these types of lines & also payment per word? I know companies use different scales, so I wondered how they compare. I have been paid on a 65 character line with spaces, but I may be making a change in the future - don't want to get burned.
Thank you in advance!
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.
I'm sorry that' s happening to you. My doc
was sports medicine/rehab, and they are set up in their own office to do EMGs. Yes, I had them done, and it took 5 minutes, so in the same visit I got my injections. Maybe it depends on your area in the country and how up they are on sports meds and the like. Good luck to you. It nearly ruined my life. I couldn't even sleep at night due to the aching and pain and numbness. Sorry you have this.
It is happening right now
In the transcription field. We use to be a very well paid profession. Now it is getting hard to make ends meet. Everything else is going up and we are expected to work for less
OMG, I can so see that happening!
the doc mentioning it in his dictation. You poor thing!
If that is actually happening, then
I would suggest that is a company to run from.
I am sorry this is happening to you. I can
relate 100%, though not the schooling part. Go with the good company, forget the bad and get rid of that stress. Its a negative drain for you. Give a 2-week notice if you can, or a 1-week at best, as you, yourself, feel it is honorable for you. I did same at MQ, after decades, but I had absolutely had it as well. The end of the line - breaking point. It was the longest 2 weeks of my life, and many times I felt like tossing it in early and using my PTO time, but I hung in there, and now I do feel good about that. As unprofessional as they were, I was professional. But, if my new job had needed me to start earlier, or I was having anginal pain, I would have told them to stick it ASAP. Don't jeopardize your health at all. Maybe you'll feel a million times better once you hand in your notice and know you will be leaving. But if you still feel angina, etc., don't put your life at jeopardy. No company or bridge is worth that, please. Blessings to you!
This is happening to me
Does anyone know why this happens?
Sometimes I can't bear the thought of having to go out ... even if I had been somewhere the day before and had a good time, suddenly this dread comes over me, and I can barely even answer my phone!
Since it is happening
to more than just me and we have two or three different ISPs between us (employees, I mean), it must be on their end.
I don't think I would get a very good reception from IT. That's why I asked on here.
Unfortunately, I feel it's better not to make waves at work. It seems things (that should not be a problem) are a problem for them.
happening???
 Anything can happen if all MTs stick together on a united front. You DON'T have to strike or walk out. You do have to STOP allowing the companies to pay you less and less to do offshore corrections and VR. I do not know all legal aspects here, but I do know that they can only get away with what MTs allow them to. Again, if they fire you or you lose your jobs, possibly unemployment.... I do not have all the answers. I am only trying to put some thought into possibly resolving a few issues, not make more. If they were to fire all the qualified MTs, where would they be. AND maybe, just maybe it would bring the rate of pay up a bit and benefits back into your arena.
Yes, that me.....have way to much crap happening....
x
Well...heartening that I'm not the only one with this, but WHY is it happening to me?? I'm no
with MQ, with another mid-sized national and just starting using this via SpeechMachines. We've tried everything! The 9-pin pedal, the USB pedal, a new USB pedal, deleted some of the virus checkers, keep others closed, deleted programs I don't use anymore, switched the ports, switched the keyboards, redownloaded DQS...I'm the only one in the company having the voice and pedal freeze up and having the mouse and my typing freeze up. Speed and memory are great using XP; have plenty. Tested the CPU and that's fine. Things only freeze up while IN the DQS screen. I can still use my mouse on the periphery. Defragged, spychecked, kicked out the cookies, etc. I have the same software and spyware that the big kahunas have, too, nothing odd or unusual on my machine. If this last reboot doesn't help, they gave me DQS's own tech support to call. I'll keep ya posted! This really bites.... .Passing Thru
Just read about what's happening in...
placed like The Netherlands where some drugs are legal. I don't think it will EVER be legalized, and I certainly hope not. Before you call me an old fuddy duddy at the rip old age of 45, please know that as a teen in the 70s, I smoked more than my fair share of it. Know why I stopped? Because I realized at about age 18 that I was lazy, paranoid, and forgetful. In other words, it made me stupid. Should responsible parents be sitting around smoking dope with young children in their care? Or driving a car? I don't think so. We have enough trouble with people addicted to alcohol who have turned their lives into a train wreck. Don't ask me why one is legal and the other is not. I have no idea, but the last thing we need is another legal mind scrambler to deal with.
that's been happening for over 4 years now.
Yo-Man, Dude, What's happening?
I agree, Simon is more realistic. Chris did do great last night even though I am not into rock. It was tolerable though! He at least got into it and...was good. Paula LOVES those rockers. She loved Bo Bice also. I think a few girls are the best. Can't wait til tonight and then next Tuesday. It is my favorite show.
SAME THING HAPPENING TO ME
Hi Paulette, I am so sorry this is happening to you. I am going through the exact same thing, except none of my sibling has won any money. I am the youngest girl, I have 3 older sisters and one younger brother. He is the only one who is well off. He makes several hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. And he says that it is my mother's fault she didn't plan for her future. Never mind the fact that she paid for his college tuition and he has a master's degree, nevermind the fact that he, his wife and kid lived with my mom years ago rent and bill free. And she paid for his wedding, the birth of his kids, and other things. Then now that he has capitalized on his education, he will not help her. I send my mother $500 every month. She too has COPD and is 75 years old. The bad thing is I live in a different state than she does but I do more for her than my siblings who live in her neighborhood. I pay for someone to do her grocery shopping, clean her house, etc. My sisters could go over there and do those things but they don't. One of my sisters has finally kicked and started to help her but then she took over her checkbook and misuses the 500 a month I send her.
But like you said, I would work 5 jobs if I had to. In answer to your question, I think they might get it, but as long as I keep helping why should they? Then again, maybe they don't. I have tried to stop trying to figure them out. You know that you are doing the best you can to help your mom. In the end, that's what's important.
Believe me, I understand fully your frustration. I want my mother to finish out her life with some sort of dignity, and the same pride she has lived her life with. I love her deeply and we are very close also. My husband doesn't understand their self centeredness and selfishness. I can only do what I feel is right!
Good luck to you and all of God's blessings to you.
Dee
Dee
The same thing is happening to me
I thought I was the only one.
That is already happening in my office no doubt about that. You are 100% right.
:
First, NY office said no such deal happening; secondly,
the fact that I work for both companies is not why I'm not worried. In fact, that could be the end of my employment stent with either.
I'm not worried because I'll easily get another job or 2 and I can afford to not work for a while if I couldn't find another job immediately.
MT isn't the only thing I can do so I'm not worried.
Yep, very very quiet town. Not much happening there
x
Yes, happening right where I live. I am in South
Jersey, and a local hospital here, along with ortho surgeons, has been using these nasty parts - supposedly unaware of their origin. Lots of local folk have been called in and given the news...Met a lady in a doctor's office the other day who has been sick for a long time - high fevers, shaking chills - goes to ID specialist, but still don't know what she has, but now they know the source - rotten cadaveric spine implants. In NJ, the source of all this mess is a funeral home up in North Jersey. I believe we are not to post identifying info - especially in NJ - I watch too much Sopranos, but the hospital is in South Jersey - the recipient - and the source was a funeral home in North Jersey. A Google search should give all details! Ya just never know...
OMIGOSH! This has been happening to us for MONTHS.
and IS keeps saying, must be your ISP, must be this, must be that. Problem is keystroke lag doesn't hurt anyone but transcriptionists...everyone else can wait for the Keystrokes to catch up but not when you are trying to type at the speed of light. Anyway, we have screamed about it for months, but now our account told us they are trialing a voice recognition system. So see? It could be worse.
This was happening to me yesterday. PleaseSM
I work with the DocQScribe platform. I was using my DocQScribe Expander as my license ran out with my SH. So, when I renewed my SH license and started using it again, the same exact thing was happening to me. I fixed it by hitting F4 to toggle my DocQScribe expander off. It was messing up because it was trying to use 2 Expanders at the same time. I have no idea if you are on DocQScribe, but I thought I'd share my experience just in case! Good luck!
Oh! Also, in SH I went into preferences and on the keystroke options I have (put) Pause 0 msec after every 999 keystrokes. That helped my expansions expand more quickly in the past.
Chickadee
OMH - This is unbelievable!!! What is happening to our country! nm
nm
Yes......same thing happening to me, after 25 years. sm
I am tired all the time.....I think I need a change or 2nd job doing something else, other than MT.
My butt hurts from sitting too long, day in and day out, even after exercising and walking daily.
I am burned out also.....I feel your pain.
It appears to be happening to all of us. How do you spell -
well, that sums it up as to what's happening in this profession! NM lol
.
We had a weird happening after my father died...
He died in August and when we went to visit his grave just before Christmas, the grass was still growing back over the plot. The grass had grown in the shape of a Christmas tree inside the rectangular plot of dirt over the grave. We got some bulbs and decorations and laid them in the grass and took pictures. Guess what, the pictures didn't turn out. "dodo do do" (twilight zone tune)
Check out my post above about schooling and what I think is happening. sm
Like I said, newbies cannot do VR effectively. They just don't have the experience. They need to do about 5,000 clinic and/or acute care MTs with extensive notes, books, the ability to do their own research via google, etc., in order to do VR.
I understand your frustration but this is happening in all fields.
It affects every work situation as technology advances, etc.
The fact is one cannot expect to have a lifelong career in any one line of work without experiencing some times of either changing with the flow or stepping into another line of work.
Doesn't matter, right or wrong, it's been happening.
Evenutally, the only need for US MTs will be for editing and ASR. If I remember AAMT even changed their name. Everyone but the MTs are profiting from this. My salary has decreased so much over the last 5 years it's a joke. This has been going on for years already and the reality is, it's just getting worse. As long as there is money to be made the big guys are going to go where they can get it and laugh all the way to the bank.
I notice today, the same thing is happening
to me. I log on and EVERY SINGLE piece of dictation is ESL. The account I'm on, only has a handful of ESL dictators and so I don't usually mind when they're scattered amongst the rest, even though all but 1 of them completely sucks. Then I get on today and here every single one of them is in the system, all having dictated numerous reports and NONE of them are done. No American dictators whatsoever. Like that's not totally obvious? I was so livid when I got on I was seconds away from sending an email to my supervisor. I thought better and just did a handful, then logged off and took a nice LONG break and went bowling with the family. When I got back on tonight, a lot of them were gone, but still, there are more than 15 left (goes to show you how many there were to begin with). So much for getting any kind of decent line count today. Thanks for listening.
Contracts
Does anyone have copies of Independent Contractor contract, Non-compete contract and confidentiality agreement. My hard drive crashed awhile back and all my contracts were on there. I run a small business and can't seem to find these anywhere on the Web. Any contracts e-mailed to me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Robin
Contracts out
To Medquist and OSI. From what I remember, they do not transcribe all that well -- a lot of mistakes.
Contracts
It is true. The only thing is depending on the contract some guidelines are really strict. They usually ask for a 70-character line count, but it is definitely worth bidding for because if you do a good job it is a 5 year contract in most cases?
Contracts
I haven't used a written one for years but I basically just outlined what services I would be providing at what price, TAT, and what I expected from the account. There is usually a 30 day cancellation clause unless it is due to poor quality or not meeting TAT. My accounts now have been on a handshake and a verbal agreement and have lasted for over 15 years.
contracts
Well..that is a subject all right! I bill on the 1st and 15th. On my invoice, it states, "due and payable upon receipt." That way there is no denying they know I want to be paid now. I actually discuss with the Transcription Coordinator at the time of the contract that I expect to be paid promptly, that I am a small business and that I cannot float paying my MTs and that I must pay them or they will not work for me...MTs are sort of like that, if we don't get paid promptly, we don't work. I hope that helps you and good luck with your new contract.
I have no contracts
When I first started out I had contracts wtih some accouints -- I did the work as spcified, they paid as specified and either count cancel with 30 days notice. It worked. I now have 5 accounts, no signed contracts, verbal only. I do the work as promised, I follow HIPAA rules, they pay on time - no bounced checks, I raise my rates when I need to -- they have been with me for 16 to 6 years. No difference. Works for me. You can cancel the service at any time either side, if they don't pay with or without a contract you can go to court. I do the job as promised, they do their part as promised. Works for me.
I do not do contracts
I have worked both ways, as an IC and the MTSO and I do not do contracts but I do try to pay prior to the doctor paying me. But most of the time I do know the IC's quite well as it is a small circle here in Portland and we just work on trust I guess. I have never had anyone try to take my accounts but then I have always been up front and fair with my help. I would ask though when you might expect payment prior to the big project. But like I said, we are all pretty local and if the word ever got out that you either took someone's account or you did not pay, it would be all over and could easily ruin your business. But again, nothing hurt in asking, as a small MTSO I would not have a problem with someone asking me when they might expect payment. Good luck. Patti
need contracts
In hindsight, it would seem a good idea in such a situation would be to have a notarized agreement between yourself and the person you get to fill in for you. This agreement would stipulate that they are only to fill in for you in your absence when requested by YOU and they are not permitted to seek or accept employment with this client as long as you are their transcriptionist, even if it's your best friend. This is business, not a Saturday lunch together.
Then you could also get the facility to sign a notarized agreement with you stating they will not offer employment to your fill-in. They are to understand that this person is only a fill-in for you and is not permitted to solicit your clients because he/she has a legal agreement with you to not do so. Should they violate this, you will pursue legal means, etc. You must protect your job as well as you can.
You can also put in a contract that you have the first right of refusal to turn down work if the workload increases and the facility wishes to hire more staff. Then they can't go behind your back and hire others without offering you the work first. You have yourself covered at both ends this way. I've done such contracts and they befuddle the client so much that they willingly agree to sign because it sounds like I know a whole lot more than they do. Get a lawyer to draw something up so all your bases are covered.
Being nice, honest--that has to do with character and it's wonderful if the people for whom you work are that way. But in business, it's money that comes first. The two are not incompatible but it seems these days they aren't often found together anymore. Do a bullet-proof contract and give it to your clients in a very cordial but professional manner. They will respect you for it. Your business and income are every bit as valuable to you as theirs are to them and explain that to them as you hand over the contract for them to sign. If they can't see that, you don't need to deal with them and move on. Make the playing field level here and protect yourself. You are a professional too!
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