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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

wonder how many lines we've all been cheated out of??

Posted By: sm on 2005-08-01
In Reply to: lawsuit - MQ

One of two things could happen, more MTs stepping forward, MQ going under, we all go to the wolves (Spheris) OR  there is a settlement, we're offered 20K each.


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Really? I've been punched in the mouth, cheated on, and shot at
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.
Most expect 1200 lines a day, but I think I've seen 1100.
How hard that is depends mostly on work availability and how good the platform is.
When all else fails, and you've gotta make those lines,
Let's face it. We ALL do it.
I've been on Escription for four years and I have rarely hit 2500 lines a day..
Yes, when I have good reports I can do 500 lines an hour, but unfortunately, that does not happen consistently in my day. I can cruise along for a few hours and then hit some ESLs, which just mentally slows me down and then I struggle the rest of the day. If, I was able to sit there 8 hours straight NO interruptions or breaks and easy reports, then I could hit 2500 lines but that is not my reality. Some of the reports are good but I'm telling you.. A LOT of them have to retyped, thus slowing your line count down an hour..and you've just basically done straight typing for a mere 4 cpl.  I truly think that editing needs to pay more. I am like you.. I am requiring at least $100 a day.. sometimes I can do it in 6 hours (no breaks and good reports) and sometimes for various reason I have to sit there 12-15 hours (interupptions, ESL, and just bad reports)..So add that up..$100 in 12-15, that's like $8 an hour.. Wal-mart here I come LOL
Are you IC or employee? Any IC work I've done, they encourage surpassing lines...
If you're an IC, I honestly don't think it matters to the MTSO which MT is putting out the lines, as long as TAT is met and the quality is there to back it up. I've cranked out 2500 lines per day with a commitment of 1400 per day and the extra effort was commended.

If you're an employee, however, and other employees who perhaps aren't as fast are complaining that you're 'hogging' all the work because of your speed, that could be another story. I've been in that situation but had a supervisor who staunchly defended me and said it wasn't exactly 'hogging' the work just because I was twice as fast as the other MTs, so the complaints ceased.

I've seen sooo many posts about this....Listen, the 5000 lines isn't a typo.
It's some type of project. If you search the board, you will see the posts and then maybe we won't have to keep top-posting it all over the place?
U cheated!

LOL! I'm afraid this poll is exclusively for male celebrities who are ALIVE! LOL


PS:  But he did have a sexy way about him, I agree!


She cheated me out of over $150...sm
lame excuse was that QA had to retype the reports due to blanks. Bull.......i left a few blanks in each of those reports because the sound quality was so horrendous, but the reports were typed. I even saved the reports I typed as proof, she still did NOT pay me.
wow - someone is getting cheated on hourly - sm
Let's face it, a facility will do their darndest to start out an employee at a low rate and then slowly bring them up. But for the Lafayette area, the pay should be (AND IS EXPECTED TO BE) around $12-13/hour.

Opelousas - a while back there was a hospital in that area that had an opening for a transcriptionist.
I don't feel cheated. I don't think you owe an
I think you should be careful about slinging such words around.

I've never been paid more for my MT work in my life and I've done this more than 20 years. I've never been happier.

:) I hope you will be, too, when you've had this many years in the profession.
I can be a royal ***** when cheated :)
Keep in mind this happened a while ago - have no idea if same people, etc. But I found out the owner's name or at least a top dog and asked for them repeatedly until they spoke with me. Explained that THEY had not been paid... Don't know what the real deal was but I was lucky. Pay was only delayed (don't remember how long) verus not paid at all.

I'll tell you what I'd do if they had NOT paid pretty quickly - and I've posted this many times. Some think it's mean, others suggest I'd be sued, but before I spent MY money to sue to get MY MONEY, I'd do this:

I would let them know very politely that you will be contacting their client(s). NOT FOR PAYMENT. But just to advise that *they* (the client) and THEIR RECORDS will be involved in a lawsuit if you are not paid within 48 hours, or an negotiated time period.

I rather doubt they want their client to be contacted, much less subpoena'd to court.

That's what *I* would do, but I strongly suggest you run this by an attorney before you take my advice - don't want to make it worse for you.

Good luck!

what is the name of the company that cheated you?
nm
I signed yesterday! :) They say Jen cheated! LOL NMd
d
I'm divorced because my ex-husband cheated. Simple as that.

I trusted him and he took advantage.  I don't appreciate you insinuating that my mistrust issues are the reason I'm divorced.  My ex's dishonesty is the reason I'm divorced.


poll: Would you forgive your husband if he cheated?
Assuming you have children and assumming he seems remorseful, would you save the marriage?  
I get less done when my husband is laying in the bed - I feel cheated if I am working while he is re
x
don't type double spaces. Type single. Then no one will be cheated.
x
I use EXText with my current job and I've used at a couple of other jobs I've had. I've ne

used DocQscribe, but I have used Meditech, Cerner, Vianeta, the Precyse platform (I can't remember the name), Dolbey, and  Lanier platform I think was called Cequence (?). 


Out of all the different platforms I have typed on, I have liked EXText the best.  In my opinion, it's very user friendly, easy to learn, and I really like ESP which is the built in abbreviation expander.  Plus it is very easy to create your own normals which I love.  My fingers literally never leave the keyboard because there are macro keys for everything.  You can use your mouse if you prefer or learn the function macros.  I love it.  I think I'm more productive on EXText than with any other platform.


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).
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 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. 
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.


Spell as best you can or blank them and keep going. I've passed many tests when I've left blan
s
As you can already see, you've come to the wrong board! By using the word professional, you've
excluded about 99% of the population of "whatever" it is that hangs on these boards. Certainly not professional for sure! But you sure are doing a good thing for someone! Its the thought that counts. Sorry you met the dregs right at the start.
HELP! I've turned my screen sideways, I can't straighten it up. I know I've seen sm
this before, but I can't remember what it is.  Do you realize how hard it is to read sideways?  TIA.
I've lost track of how many people who've asked about it to NOT
.
I've always verified every line I've typed (I have my ways) -sm
If you're supposed to be paid a certain $/line, that's what you should be getting no matter how they do billing unless of course it's specified in YOUR contract with THEM.

BTW, I've never caught a company cheating me ever.
Word count: 824 lines. DocuCount count: 897 lines.
I just counted the same file in Word and then in DocuCount, and DocuCount was higher than Word.

Just as an aside.
I've used it. It's the worst piece of crap I've ever seen.
seriously. I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy, or their Vianeta program. Awful, just awful.
Wait until you've been there six months and if you've improved
quality and quantity, I'd say go ahead and ask.  Otherwise I'd say annually...  good luck
I've seen the same every place I've done acute care, and
pointing out dangerous or repeated errors (often in normals for goodness sakes!) never got the result I expected. When I would press the issue, supervisors said if the dictators didn't complain, then the mistakes must not matter!

It didn't matter if the MT changed what had been a cardiac med in the beginning of the report to an antifungal by the end - I kid you NOT! One poor girl used facial for fascial and fascial for facial!


I've used a few expanders, and of those I've used, all must be "coded" to get things lik
One thing I do to get around this, is to create a macro and then link the ShortHand command to the macro. It works for me, but I do the same five clients every day and only have about 20 or 30 macros/Shorthand commands that work like this. This may not work well for you if you have lots of formats and hundreds of docs.
I've been doing this doc for many years, so I've learned how to function with him. sm
I can tell what's a stutter, what's another word, what's just an "uh." Years of experience will get you through a lot.
Wouldn't want to do his charts all day, of course, but a few per day aren't bad. I haven't had to send his to review in a long time, but they do take a little longer to shuffle through.
I've worn contacts for 30 years. I've had both
hard and soft.  My vision is much better with the soft ones than they were with the hard ones.   When I first started trying contacts soft ones were still new and they couldn't get me to 20/20, so I went to hard.  Hard were okay until my eyes started changing shape and then I could no longer wear hard ones.  The soft should give you better vision as they conform more to the shape of your eye. 
I've been a bully; I've been bullied.
I used to sell a lot on eBay. There are some people who buy high-priced items and play games with you. I've had to call them repeatedly, report them to different agencies. It's not fun. You put time and money into the business of selling, and there are people out there who live to manipulate the system and cause trouble.

And, I've been bullied by buyers who made unreasonable demands, insist that they pay by check when you clearly state you don't accept them. It's not fun, and is one of the reasons I don't sell anymore. People!

I've also bought from some sellers who I would not deal with again because of their unprofessional attitude.

But, overall, ebay can be a great place to be.
I've become the man I've always wanted to marry.
I live alone, am 46, never married, no kids, just dogs horses and chickens and just got done building a new house out in the boonies away from the rat race. (Used to live in Manhattan) Couldn't be happier. Selfish maybe, but never out of time, never stressed, and I don't take anything out on others. There's something to be said for being alone but not lonely. I'm not looking for a man to "make me complete." They only sap me of my time, energy and money (how little of it there is with MQ). I consider myself lucky getting to choose my time with friends, and not just stuck with a deadbeat partner. Ladies especially: Be strong and allow yourself to be independent. Any old man will not make you stronger!
You know I've done the grilling...I've tried it all...
And I find the best way to cook steak is in a good quality thick-bottom nonstick pan on top of the stove. I found this trick on the internet. I heat the pan on high and when nice and hot, throw on the steak, no butter and no oil. It browns almost immediately, cooks fairly quickly, and seals in the juices - tender, moist and delicious!!!! It doesn't even need seasoning but salt and pepper before cooking. ;)
I've not only typed, them, I've had a few, myself! LOL
.
lines
I always say a good average is around 250-300 lines an hour.
Lines

I have been flamed many times about my production, rate and how much I make.  I think it is great for you.   But there are those 10 hour days sometimes but I like the fact that I have my own business, and get paid for the hard work.  One account that I have is surgeons and with their consults have hit close to 600 lines per hour but with my IM's, and their chart notes can only get up to 350 to 400 or so.   It is hard when I switch to my clinic account where I sometimes go in and get paid hourly as I feel like I am not working fast enough on their electronic charts.  Again, I have said it many times, it may take a while but if you want to work hard the money is there to be made in this field.


 


 


How many lines??
Everyone just wondering how many lines did you do a day when you first started MT? And, how many hours a day?
SS lines, pay,
They are a total rip off. E-mails are plain rude. Cherrypickers like one could not believe. Management does not exist. QA a total joke. Roaming payday. Anyone else who states other is not an MT with the company.
lines...whatever it was.

Well you see, you stated right in your post that you can't possibly cherry pick...so what do you know about what is going on with the rest of us out here who DO have to deal with cherry pickers. 


Ma'am, I have 25 years in this business, 15 of it in a nest of the worst cherrypickers you have ever seen, at the largest hospital in my state. I was the supervisor for 5 years and I would have fired somebody on the spot if they'd done that, but they all knew it. Had no problems.


Don't know what you make per line but getting about 666 lines per hour is quite astounding.  I'm sure you must be quite happy where you are and with no cherry pickers! 


I work for 3 hospitals, doing operative notes. They are assigned to me by someone 6 states away. I go down the list. There's no way to get anything other than what I get. And yes, I am completely happy where I am.


Good for you.  I've been an acute care MT for over 30 years and am rated as one of the best as far as QA and quantity and have NEVER, EVER in my life been able to come close to your line count.  Maybe you are from another planet and have powers beyond us or maybe you have some special secret you could share.  Or maybe, we should just ignore your statement of getting that kind of line count, especially when you are not dealing with cherry pickers.  


I don't deal with cherrypickers because I won't work where there are any. I get that kind of line count every single day, because that is what is assigned to me and I have to do it and turn it in on a deadline.


It is all in where you work and what you are able to put up with. I happen to have the freedom to work where I please and working there pleases me.


It's unfortunate that you have 30 years' experience and you are stuck where you are.


lines
Well it took me a little longer 5 typing and 1.0 delivering but I did 2295 at 0.12 cents a line. So guess I will quit until later this evening. Two surgeons and two IM' and 1 plastic surgeon. Lots of consults, auto corrects but pays off. 13 consults at 3 to 4 pages each.
LINES

I have gotten 500 lines but I should not count as I do clinical notes for two surgeons that do the same consults for most breast CA, hernias, cysts, etc.  I just whipped out between the two almost 700 lines in about 75 minutes but I have been doing them for so long  and have so much saved that I type perhaps on a general inguinal hernia consult and letter, 30% of the actual consult.  Sometimes more.  On regular chart notes, I average around 300 to 350 but again have had the same docs for 5 and 7 years.    And when you read closely, you will see that is how we do it. But if you are with a national and new docs all the time, I would be luck to get 200 lines an hour. So it is sometimes like comparing oranges to apples as they say.


 


 


lines
Working 2-1/2 hours, all ops, mainly ESL, 308 lines which comes out to about $10 an hour. Am I crazy or what?
lines/pay
I've been transcribing 25 years, only 4 months being production paid with a large national, no incentives, no bonuses, no extras for working holidays. I find it terribly depressing when the check comes and you see your gross lines, divide the number of hours you worked--it has been improving each pay, but still not near what I was making previously.  I now have been offered a position (not transcription) at a local hospital (where I lost my transcribing job to outsourcing) at $16/hr. An easy job that I'm seriously considering.  No holidays, no logging on all hours to find work, great benefits.  But I've been working at home 5 years now..... I never realized how the big companies are underpaying good transcriptionists.  Thank heavens I have extra accounts that I've been doing on the side for years or I couldn't survive on what I'm bringing in now.   Thanks for listening!