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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

transcription unions

Posted By: happy typer on 2005-11-17
In Reply to:

Has anyone ever heard of a medical transcription union and how do you get it started?


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unions protect unions, not employees...sm
those days are gone. The unions got too big and too greedy. The concern of the union is the union, not the employee.
Unions
And just WHY do you think they are now outsourcing everything out of the country, manufacturing, etc. Because the unions demanded so much and the companies basically said **** you-- we'll just take it somewhere else. So what did they gain? Now there AREN'T any jobs period unless you want to move to Mexico or India, etc., that it.
Unions
Yes!
Unions
If it would improve anything, I say yes.  The status quo has never worked and never will except for the MTSOs. 
Unions
I guess a lot of this all depends on where in the country you live.  In my area, most of the grocery stores are union and that is why they make the better wages.  I like to support those stores, though, as I said above, but I think that perhaps in some regions of the country, this is not the case, so thanks for opening my eyes! 
Unions
Never belonged to one myself but know hospitals don't like them.

To generalize a bit, it seems that everyone in American work force (those of us who still have jobs)feel unappreciated, under paid and with a vulnerability that we could easily be easily replaced no matter how good we are or even how bad we are at what we do or even how well-educated. It's just the nature of the beast these days and the outcome of and competition. It's very corrupt and defies the constitution of the United States. Until we have CHANGE in Washington, we will have more of the same.
against unions

I'm against unions because unions are greedy.  Why do you think jobs have gone overseas...it started with manufacturing because unions wanted more and more for their members to the point it has become ridiculous-$72 an hour to put together a car that is mostly done with robotics.  Yes, I saw that on a news report on the auto industry and a union member trying to justify making that much money per hour.


Unions
I totally agree with the fact that we should have a union. AAMT or AHDI as it is now called has been lobbying in Washington for us for years.
No to unions.

Why I am against unions
Unions had their time and place in this county, and IMHO, it is long gone. There are many reasons that I am against unions, a big one being that they protect mediocre and inept employees. Unions bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator. Also, it seems a common misconception that unions exist to protect the worker. This is NOT true - they exist to protect themselves and their own fat cat salaries. I recently heard a quote from an official of the teacher's union who said, when asked when they were going to take into consideration the needs of students when it came to terminating incompetent teachers (which they are against, of course), his reply was "When the students start paying union dues." That puts it in a nutshell. I want nothing to do with a union. I don't need anyone to negotiate for me, and I'm not going to spend my time whining about the state of the MT industry. It is what it is, and you either need to adapt with it or move on. By the way, I've done quite well as an MT and have continued to do so by moving and finding a better spot if I don't like the situation where I am. Things are never going to return to the "good old days." Change is here to stay.
Unions
I'm new to this forum, having just graduated from Career Step. However, I worked as management for 8 years at the Port of Los Angeles with one of the most powerful unions in the United States- the ILWU and I would like to submit some of my thoughts.
Firstly, I am a liberal Democrat who believes there is a place for unions. They DO provide protections for workers that MOST companies would never do on their own. They DO insure that their employees make a living wage and can be protected from most company driven forms of exploitation.
As an ex-manager, I can tell you that MOST companies are driven by THEIR bottom lines only, with little regard for the workers.
Secondly, I supervised up to 40 ILWU workers per day and my experience was that about 50% of the union employees were great workers who did not take advantage of their union status. The other 50%, however, worked as little as possible, were rigid and inflexible and made life h*ll for me and my fellow managers. The ILWU OCU (office/clerical unit) base pay was $43.50/hr in 2006- the year I finally quit as I couldn't take the US vs THEM mentality any longer. Those 50% were only out for themselves, without any regard for anyone else- including the company. I have to say that during their last contract negotiation, they attempted to have the company pay for PET INSURANCE.
Yet- the United Autoworkers have taken several wage/benefit cuts over the last decade in order to help their companies survive.

I believe that if a reasonable balance can be achieved between union workers and the companies they work for- then life can be good for all concerned. However, human nature being what it is, both sides need to be aware and on guard against the "SC**W the other side" mentality, because once it takes hold- no one wins and a war zone is not a nice place to work.

I found a website which has instructions on how to start a union. I also have some contacts within the ILWU who would be more than happy to help start an MT union if anyone is interested.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2050880_start-union-work.html
Unions are a way of the past

My ex was and is still in a union as a truck driver but they are slowly being phased out and it will be that way everywhere.   That industry was hit prior to us with more or less outsourcing when the Fair Trade act or whatever it is called  opened up with Mexico and Central America.  You do not see many English speaking truckers anymore and their income went from 70 to 75K per year down to $35 to $40 and so we are not the only ones that hit by more or less outsourcing.  And now the place where he works, has a union and  non union company and at each terminal when the union contract comes up for renewal, the non union side bids lower and it goes that way.   He is in the last terminal that is union and I doubt it will be that way when their contract expires in two years.   So unions are on way out. 


 


we need legislation, not unions.
IMO we need laws to keep our work from being off-shored, or at least make that option very unattractive (with penalty taxes?). On a parallel track, we need well-trained MTs that will not work for peanuts, who are willing to work some weekends, holidays, night hours, etc.
Yes, and Unions are killing GM and the like.
nm
To the people who are against unions...

My question is why are you against them?  My husband is a union member and we have good family benefits plus he gets a very decent wage.  Granted, he hasn't been a member very long, about 1 year plus, but so far everything seems good.  Yes, unions are political, but so is everything else today.  There are lobbyists for everything in Washington and as the saying goes "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours".  But at least unions are there to protect their workers, or so it goes in theory.  US MTs have no protection whatsoever and our profession as we know it is on its way to becoming obsolete.


On this MT site alone, post after post is negative and it's mostly about MTSO's and the way they treat their workers who make them $ - US.  I've been an at-home MT for about 3-1/2 years now and previous to that worked in-house.  I work for a well known national and when I first started it was good - I was making really good $, more than I did in-house, had a great supervisor, good accounts, and they always gave us opportunities for bonuses that you could actually make some $ on.  My sup even sent me a B-day card and a Xmas card by snail-mail  and in her own handwriting no less!  The good times lasted for about 1-1/2 years and it has all been downhill ever since.  With the combination of ILP and ASR, the transcription industry is going down the tubes and FAST.  The big fear in the past was hospitals outsourcing and in-house MTs losing their jobs.  That fear became a reality as more and more hospitals realized they could save $ by outsourcing a portion, if not all, their work.  Now today the fear is outsource companies outsourcing overseas (kind of funny when you think about it - outsourcing company outsourcing) and machines taking the place of humans, again MTs losing their jobs.  When will it end?  We can come on here and post our frustration and moan and groan, but what is that really going to accomplish.  Some may think (and hope) that MTSOs read this board and our e-mails and suddenly one day the light will come shining down from the heavens and the angels will sing because the MTSOs will finally come to their senses as to how rotten they have been to us, their loyal worker bees, and will shower us with praise and gifts of gold and $.  Well, to those MTs who think this way, WAKE UP.  MTSOs do not care about us.  They may say they do, but they know that right at this moment in time they still need us.  ASR and ILP are not as efficient as they need to be to get the job done correctly at dirt cheap rates, but it is only a matter of time before they become dominant and transcription as we know it is in the archive books.  MTSOs main objective is to make the most $ and pay out as little as they can get away with.  They chip away little by little - sending more accounts overseas, cutting rates, reorganizing to fit their needs but not taking into consideration how it affects the MT.  They are business people doing what business people do by trade and they are accomplishing what they are setting out to do - make the most $ and pay out the least.  So what are MTs supposed to do to protect our professional trade?  Voicing our opinions, whether it be here on this board or by e-mail or phone, isn't going to change a thing.  Maybe it's time to get proactive and actually DO something rather than complain or just up and quit and then the MTSOs can say they HAVE to have ILPs and ASR because there aren't enough qualified US MTs.  I for one would be interested in seeing a union or other organization be formed to protect the US MT industry from it's downfall, but I wouldn't know where to start.  If nothing is done now, I'm afraid that in 10 years or less my job as I know it will be a part of history.  If anyone has any other proactive ideas, please post them.  I'm sure there are plenty of MTs who would be willing to join a group venture to protect our profession.


YES to unions! And the sooner the better!

practical unions
How exactly does anyone propose that a union come into this business? They would probably only find it worthwhile to unionize the large MTSOs. The little ones have too few employees for a union to look at. My guess is the big companies would then outsource more.
Why I'm FOR unions: They protect the WORKER.
.
Then the unions would be in bed with AHDI (AAMT) huh!! sm
Don't we already have that going on anyway?
Unions protected workers from exploitation
It seems me that had the unions had a watch dog group, abuse of that system would not have occurred. And there was abuse. A small percentage of people always seem to look for loop holes and then milk something good as long as they can until they ruin it for everybody.

But please, unions are good. If there were unions in Calif for the field workers, conditions would be improved and these unemployed workers across America who have lost their jobs to outsourcing could actually make a decent living at them without work that puts you into a chiropractors' office in ten years.

Of course, the price of food would have to go up or perhaps all of those filthy rich ranch owners would, instead, have to take a cut in income (now there is a possible answer).
Most unions have a training program with apprenticeships
MTSOs who participate would be allowed to have up to a certain percentage of their union workers be apprentices, who would make a percentage of the union scale (generally the percentage goes up annually until the person is considered fully trained and experienced...called a "journeyman" in some trades). This training/apprenticeship program is what makes union participation attractive to employers...they get properly trained workers at pay rates which correspond to the experience level.
Unions are increasingly a thing of a by-gone era. In this global economy,
x
Agree, verbatim transcription equals poor quality transcription.
x
Unions may be good for workers short-term, but look what has happened to American car union workers.
They priced themselves out of the market while making an inferior product. Ford and GM are now junk bonds. I'm driving a Toyota. So if that's un-American just like shopping at a non-union store like Walmart, well you can talk to whoever is in charge of wages and taxes who have created this monster where even middle-class has very little extra money to support a union store where the employees are paid well and you pay the price in the product they sell. I can't afford it.
Know AIM transcription system, never heard of Hull transcription. Are you sure
you are not thinking about DHull who is a recruiter for MDI-FL?  They use the AIM system. 
Transcription/QA pay
What is the average hourly pay for such a combo position? Southeast and Northern regions.  TIA
how do you know who does their transcription? nm

Has anyone ever used transcription

equipment or heard of company Infoware?  Hospital is looking at buying new equipment and just wanted to know any feedback on how easy to use.


Actually, transcription should go away
The electronic forms make a lot more sense. Who wades through those piles of records anyway? I'm not sure the whole narrative serves any purpose but perhaps in the courtroom. I'd like to think that dictating about the patient and his/her history helps clarify everything in the treating physician's mind, but I don't think anyone gives more than a cursory glance to the record later. And perhaps when looking for mechanism of injury, a brief narrative helps out... But I'm not sure we are really necessary. All that said, what are we going to do for a living now? Not all of us are 10 years or less from retirement.
OSI transcription?
Anybody have any experience with OSi transcription, good, bad or anything?  I am going to be testing with them.  What is their pay scale (I think most companies range from 7 cpl to 9 CPL).
PT transcription....
Has anyone typed for a PT Department, and how is the dictation. On a level of 1/10 what would you say. I'm currently doing neurosurgery, family medicine, orthopaedic, and pulmonary and thinking of possibly taking a position for a PT Company to do transcription in house. Any info would be greatly appreciated.javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','');
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C&C Transcription

Do anybody know anything about this company? I am really interested in applying, but I am a little confused about their test. Does anyone know how many tests to do to apply? Do you pick one category and do all the tests within or several tests within several categories? If someone has applied before I would really appreciate some info on how many I need to do. Thanks.


anyone know much about C&C transcription TIA

/


Transcription
Anyone read the article in Advance Magazine stating that transcription will be virtually obsolete as we know it in 3-5 years with take over of the back and front ends of speech recognition. Was curious as to opinions.  Seems like this message has been repeated over and over.
Anyone know anything about T-C Transcription
in Florida?
Is transcription still a hot job?
I am wondering whether all this time and energy is worth it.  I am not trying to be a downer, don't get me wrong.  I am just reading over this board and wondering how we all can stand it anymore.  I've been a Transcriptionist since 1993.  Feeling like crap today.  Hard work, is it worth it to all of you??    or    or    not sure...
transcription course
Andrews School in Oklahoma City works closely with helping you get a job and they are excellent for transcription and coding.
US Transcription
I actually worked for this company for two years and w/out trying to bash, I would simply say to watch yourself.  They have a very high turnover, and make a lot of promises they do not keep.  They also play dirty with pay.  If you work for them for a while you will very likely find out they are hiring new people at more than you make!  Keep yourself informed and in close contact with their other transcriptionists if you decide to work for them!  They also have a very nasty QA person who can be short and rude.  She really wants things done "her way" whether it meets AAMT standards or not!
Why transcription?
Curious to know. What is the main appeal to you?
Why transcription?
I can work from home, set my own hours, be my own boss.  I don't have to worry about what I'm going to do if my son is sick and has to stay home from school.  I don't have to work in an office anymore and deal with the high school mentality and backstabbing that goes on.  I save money on gas, can work in my comfy clothes, and save money on food from not having to eat out every day.  I also enjoy getting to work in the healthcare field, and I love to type!
KMM Transcription

Is anyone familiar with KMM Transcription? I saw they had an ad for IC work, but I could not find anything in the archives on this company.  Just curious! 


Thanks


usa transcription?

I'm looking for a company called USA Transcription or something like that.  Can anyone help with some possibilities?  I have spent an hour on the archives and could spend hours more....lol


 


Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!


Took a job outside of transcription-bye all gl

Other Transcription

Does anyone know if there is any other transcription out there such as legal transcription that can be done from home.  I am trying to help a friend find some work that she can do at home.  She has no medical experience, but is looking for something she can do to earn a little extra money a month, such as data entry, legal transcription.  There are so many ads out there and she is looking for a reputable company.  Anyone out there had any experience or know of any legit companies for data entry/legal transcription, etc. that can be done at home? Thanks for any input. 


EMR and transcription
I worked one day a week in a large group practice and also did all of their transcription as an IC. They went to an EMR system. It took away approx 90% of my transcription, only a few office notes a day per doctor were being dictated, the rest was being entered into the EMR by the medical assistants, physicians and other office staff. It is a very tedious system, filling in blanks or picking items from a list, etc. It was really much more timeconsming for the physicians and staff, especially at the beginning, but they put so many $$$$ into purchasing it there was no way they were going to go back to dictating. I was offered a position scanning medical records and info into the system but the pay was less than half what I was making doing transcription as an IC. They have had to hire at least three people just to scan documents, etc and this will be a longterm comittment because they want to get their complete records into the system. Right now they do keep two part time ladies in the office that transcribe what litle they do dictate, they also are expected to do receptionist clerical work if there is no dictation to transcribe, etc. The system they have basically is point and click, using the mouse alot of the time, inserting standard phrases from a list into a template on the system, possibly typing five or six additional lines into the record, etc. Because of they way the system is set up, there was no way to make any kind of speed using the mouse, so the only thing would be to be paid hourly and unfortunately in a physicians office there is just no way to make the kind of $$$ that I could make transcribing, so I moved on to a national. There may be possibilities to do more transciption, it just depends what type of system they have and how much time the doctors want to spend entering in their own data. This has been my experience, maybe others have a different point of view. Good luck with it.
pay for new transcription
The lowest I have seen paid for transcription is 0.05 cents per 65 charcter line.  The highest is over 0.10 cents.  If I were you, I would charge somewhere in the middle around 0.07 or 0.08 cents which is the normal pay for many companies.
Transcription RPL
I am an IC working of my home for a physical therapy office. The office is quite demanding and because of the gas prices I am going to increase my rate from .12 to .14.  Is there an average? I have to drive 15 minutes each way from my house to pick/up drop off everyday. When I went to school for this 12 years ago, the average rate then per line was .12.  Any thoughts would be appreciated. I am typing on microcassettes. 
OSI Transcription

Your sure sound sour grapes about them. 


Where do you work now if you don't mind my asking.  Are you happy?


other transcription

I am curious as to if there is other transcription, also, as I have done it for a mental health center.  If you find out, would you please email me.  And also, I am new at this, how do you post what you wrote?  Thanks


JLG Transcription, FL

Looking for information/references from MTs in regards to working for this company.  Any information would be most grateful


SPi transcription
Anyone out there who works for SPi and uses their software, which I love, feel that they do okay?  Thanks in advance.