starting an mt business from home
Posted By: Dee on 2005-11-09
In Reply to:
Help - I'm currently looking to do medical transcribing from home but don't know where to begin. I'd really like to talk to someone that can help. I worked at a hospital for 2 years in the orthopedic department as an mt. However that was 27 years ago. I have been with a major airline for the past 21 years which is now bankrupt, so I thought I'd go back to MT. At least that way I'll be home once in awhile. Where do I begin. Thanks so much for any information you can give me. I'm in Northern Kentucky if that matters.
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help with starting mt from home business
I don't know what online schools are legit! Any suggestions. I'd like a quick refresher course online if possible. I want to get started now. I'm still going to keep my other job and transcribe part time.
MT business from home.
Thanks so much for your help. It's people like you that I hope will answer my emails. I'm going to keep making phone calls to schools locally and online. Thanks again Dee
That's the problem with newbies starting at home...used to be-
you went in-house and you had someone sitting next to you that you would pass your headphones to real quick. Nowadays, the newbies are begging, begging, begging for a chance to work on accounts but what they don't realize is for the small MTSO, that means SHE gets to be the person who listens to every little word they don't get- only far less convenient because you have to go back into the report, re-load the dictation or find the spot where the word is, then listen, then correct it, then send the corrected version somehow marked back to the newbie - I won't hire newbies anymore unless they are willing to work cheap - otherwise I can't recoup the money I lose because I'm chasing words instead of hitting the keyboard myself.
I enjoy MT, but I see the writing on the wall. I have started another at-home business....(sm)
I love the tax benefits of working from home, so I have gone into another business. I am probably about six months away from having this business surpass my current income. Once that happens... I am out of MT. Sad, but true.
I don't want to be the last rat off of the sinking ship! (Not that I consider myself a rat, mind you. More like a cute, fuzzy mouse, perhaps...)
Ha ha!
I need help starting out.
 I have been struggling for the past year to get my paycheck. I am so fed up with having to constantly hound the "company" that I work for that I might as well get my own accounts if I have to do so much footwork. I would love any advice on how to start up my own accounts. I'd love to receive all my files off the internet. Any advice...... Please.
is that what starting cpl is now?
Although I am not there anymore, I started with Spheris at 0.065 as a newbie just a little over 1-1/2 years ago. This was for clinic work, not acute care, either. It just seems the rates continue to drop. I agree with the person who said that is VERY low.
Starting pay
Does anyone know what the MT starting pay is for Webmedx, Accustat Carolinas, Accusribe and Transolutions? Also, could you give me your feelings about these companies? I'm looking for the good, bad and ugly. I need to make a change, but am looking to avoid going from the frying pan directly into the fire. So, I am asking here in an effort to get some honest information from those of you who would know from your experience.
Thanks a lot for any info you can provide. Feel free to send me an email if you would prefer. Thanks again.
Starting out as an IC?
I graduated from my MT course in August and have been trying ever since to find work. I currently have an offer from LTS to work as an IC, but I find the idea kind of intimidating. Having to get insurance, quarterly taxes and me being new to the field. Could anybody give their opinion on whether I should wait or give it a shot as an independent contractor?
Thanks
Starting out
Starting out as an IC is probably a good thing. Most companies want their employees to type 100 to 150 lines per hour average. I know that does not sound like a lot, but when I was new I had to stop a lot to look things up. I still have a hard time getting in 150 lines per hour and I have been at this for over 3 years. (I probably should have learned how to touch type before I started!) I started out with a company called MedQuist. They hired me right out of school. It is a good company to work for, but they require 100 to 150 lines per hour for benefits. I know that most companies won't even consider hiring anyone with less than 2 years at least, some require 5 or more years expierence.
I am an IC now and I am a bit concerned about taxes also. I was told by my accountant that you can deduct a percentage (based on the size of your home office) of your bills, possibly taxes, and even mortgage. Save all receipts!!!! To be sure, please talk to an accountant. Tax laws are different in every state.
Good Luck 
Starting a new job
Did anyone find it a little frustrating starting a job. I have 2 jobs. One I trained today, but there is no work as of yet. The other I am waiting for the account to start. Did anyone else have these problems?
just starting out
I have finished an online course w/a good grade & am TRYING 2 find a job but seems anyone/everyone hiring is looking for @ least 2 years of experience... does anyone have any advice or ideas on how 2 get started? thanx in advance.
when just starting out
First let me wish you best of luck in your chosen field. I would not expect to be able to do this at home right out of school though. It takes most people a while to "get their feet wet" so to speak, at the very least a year, maybe even two. I don't mean to discourage you, just don't want you to be discouraged later. I think the best thing to do is find a job with a local hospital or clinic and take it from there. Good luck.
Okay, I'm starting to think that it is me.
I have taken the test for RI Unlimited, and yesterday morning, I got an e-mail that said I failed. Today, I started the test for Princeton, and completed all of the written test. I obviously passed, but when it came time for the transcription test, all that happened was that I got a pop-up saying that my experience wasn't what they were looking for. No transcription test as simple as that. Now as far as the 2 test I have failed, I just don't understand how I failed them, and neither does my cousin (who looked them over before I turned them in), and she's been in the business for a really long time now. I'm going to try Sten-Tel, but is there any pointers anyone can give me that may help. I'm getting really frustrated, and I'm about ready to give up and take a convenient store job. I really need the work, and I'm actually willing to take less pay.
should I get into this business
Hello, I have been researching the medical Transcriptionist field for months. I have applied and been accepted into a training program but am finding myself hesitant to move forward for several reasons. Maybe someone could give me some advice? 1) I am seeing more and more comments about MT work being outsources overseas and I am concerned I am moving into a business that will be dying in a matter of a few years 2) I am concerned I am moving into a business that will take me several years to make a solid living wage above poverty(in building a business) as I read so often of those individuals starving to get started the first 2-3 years 3) In searching several boards it seems that many long hours are being put in by individuals just waiting for work, which actually makes the work day significantly longer. I am just expressing what I continue to read over and over again on several sites and hearing from MT's I have been fortunate enough to correspond with. Truthfully, I am a mother trying to ensure I secure a future for myself and my family. I am not trying to be negative, just realistic. I look forward to your advice
Should i get into this business
Medical transcription is a great business to get into. You set yyour own hours, you can work from home. Yes it is true that a lot of companies are outsourcing overseas, but if you look closely, a lot come back to America because they are not happy with the work. If you start working with a company, you can get the experience of doing your own invoicing, and transcription, you will eventually find the time to go out and search for docs in your area that may need a Transcriptionist and that is howu you start your own company. It is a lto of typing but if you put in the hours you are highly rewarded. I took a second job with a company when a doctor that I got on my own, became a hospitalist. I am trying now to find the time to go and look again for doctors on my own but it is hard, when I have one child at home and one child in school part time. GOOD LUCK
Starting pay in hospital
Any ideas of the pay for in the hospitals?
RE: Starting pay in hospital
Depends on what part of the United States you are inquiring?
Starting Salary
Thats what i heard but about what will that come out to per hour if I am working from home?
Starting Salary
How much should starting salary for a new Medical Transcriptionist be?
Just starting.. and scared..
Hi.. I'm so new, that in fact, I just signed up for an MT course at Career step.
Now, after reading this, i'm quite concerned that I will never have work when i'm done with this.
We live in a small rural community but there are a lot of doctors and one hospital.
I would like to stay home and work.. is there really money.
I see people talking about the money is not very good that they are making.
I only need to make 25,000 a year- can that be done? With outsourcing?
Thanks for your help.
...with a VERY low starting rate, way low, but they do take
s
Congrats Ed!! I'm starting the CS
course at the end of March. I'm taking it through Everett Community College, so I'll have additional help from instructors! Maybe we can help eachother out! You'll be about a month ahead of me, but Everett says their timeline to complete the course requires about 40 hrs. a week. Maybe I'll catch up with you quickly if your not studying full-time.
Christy
I have been trying business with no response
I have taken one test and did not pass because they wanted a 98% accuracy and I believe that I had a 94%. All the other companies that I have applied at tell me that they want experience or I keep bugging them to take their test. I am now cold calling doctor offices to see if they need anything. I know 3 people in this field that work from home and they did not have trouble finding a job at all. They all started about three years ago though.
You don't have to know if they checked on your business.
Good grief.
I don't think it is. I would not recommend this business
to anyone. With all the work going offshore or going to VR and the line rates dropping, or not increasing with inflation, plus all the horrible platforms, etc. it just isn't the business I woulud want to retrain for.
Future of MT business
EMR/VR is described in previous post. If you do VR you are an MT and an Editor with a pay of 3 to 4 cpl. Not my cup of tea but some people may prefer it. You will see the large outsourcing companies send work out alot more often now to increase their profit margin - ALOT. Therefore you are going to be limited as to how much you can make with them. If you earned $2500 a month full time, there is someone sitting in India or the Philippines just waiting to do your job for an average of $239 a month. Bottom line is that saving $$ will almost always be the deciding factor. To avoid that situation, I have gone to a company that hires U.S. MTs only. That is proudly posted on their web sites and companies who post on MT Stars. You get paid more, there is steady work, and it will not be outsourced. That is not to say that the client will not end up outsourcing as a cost saving measure. Try to support U.S. companies and help them to grow. They are the ones trying their best to protect U.S. jobs, not the AHDI. If it is up to them, in the future the MT positions will probably be cut in half or more by 2015.
As far as satisfying work. If you have an account that you get good on, maximize your potential, and earn up to $20 or more than hour - that is satisfying!! And by the way, there is no way your husband could ever guess what it is like to be an MT. Stressful, yes. Boring, no. The knowledge and technology training you receive are invaluable, as long as you can make money doing it. Not so easy these days, but possible if you don't mind changing companies/clients until you find the right fit.
Honors or not, I pay 5 cpl starting out and if the MT proves
that they can do the job then I'll go up from there. I am the one who has to sit and edit every single word that is transcribed by the new MT and give feedback. That takes up all of my time. If an MT shows that they can get the job done accurately, I'll increase their line rate even if that's only a couple of weeks down the road.
This is starting to sound like a company
that is known for being difficult. You aren't working for TranScam, are you?
$9 an hour starting is really good for a new MT.
As the poster said below, most new MTs do not start that high. It took me months to get to $9 an hour.
Anyone even thinking of starting school SM
for this field, go to the Main Board and read the post from "I AM DONE" - I didn't type it, but it's a pretty good summary of what an MTs career ends up to be.
Okay, we believe you. We are also aware there is no guarantee any particular business is going to b
I suggest you research companies carefully before accepting employment. I could have taken a job with a brand new company a few years ago, but understanding the risk, I looked for something with a proven track record. That's still not a guarantee, and I am now leaving the company I'm working for because the current manager is so untalented that I am concerned about the expansion she is currently planning. I don't think she's up to the challenge, so I'm getting out before I get burned. Posting about her here won't convince anybody of what it's taken me years to be able to see by close observation.
Many MANY of those places listed are out of business now, though, so
s
Allied Business School
Has anyone out there actually graduated from Allied and found employment? I finised their medical transcription program on 10/25/07 and have yet to get any kind of job offer. I have sent tons of resumes with no luck. I am so frustrated I can't even begin to tell you. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I just want to find somewhere to start. Thank You. 
Millenium Business Solutions
Anyone out there heard of Millenium Business Solutions? Any information you might have would be great. Thank You
Allied Business Schools, Inc.
 Has anyone else out there taken MT courses from Allied Business Schools, Inc. - and if so - have you had any trouble finding a job?
Allied Business Schools
I also graduated from Allied and I have had a terrible time finding employment. I graduated in October and have yet to start working.
Allied Business Schools, Inc.
I graduated from their course in Aug. 2006. I found employment within two weeks, of course, with no help from Allied. I went to Google and found as many transcription companies as I could and applied to all of them that would let me. I did a lot of foot work.
Just keep testing, and eventually, you will find employment. I know it is rough to get started, but it will eventually pay off. I just got a job working at a hospital on an Air Force base (coincidentally the same base my husband is stationed at), and I didn't even apply for the job. The staffing company that has the contract found my resume on Monster.com and called me. I don't work at home anymore, but it is a steady paycheck.
If you are this new to the business, then you might want to consider working outside the home just to get your foot in the door.
Hope this helps! If you have any questions, you can e-mail me, and I will help you out in any way that I can.
I didn't know Allstate went out of business...sm
Do you know why? I did the AIM program and worked for Allstate too.
I know when I was just starting, I was leaving whole phrases blank! sm
that is the only way to build your vocabulary. Also you need to learn techniques for re-listening to figure out words. First rewind and listen over and over and try to pick up the very beginning. Be careful that you don't let the end of the prior word run over into the beginning of the word you are trying to figure out, (as in "gonna lash it to the bow", if the end of "lash" runs over into the beginning of "it" LOL). If you can figure out the beginning then run through the dictionary or word book, looking for possible matches. Relisten through the matches. Be careful with similar sounds, B and P, V and F. If you think it starts with a P and you don't find it, look in the B's. If you can't find the beginning, then start listening for the end. Sometimes that can be helpful. Once you have more experience you will have an idea of what **should** be in the blank and you can look for something that might fit and go from there. p.s. this is why MTSO's don't want to hire newbies....too much extra training
starting a school and can't spell curriculum - PLEASE
can't help but be police- 
Just received a foot pedal that I need for a job I will be starting...sm
Everyone starting on this new account I was hired for need a Boomerang foot pedal so my recruiter sent them out. I told her that since I work on my laptop I needed a USB but she never responded. When I opened the package it has a 15-pin port. I did a search and it seems that is what is available. Is there an adapter so I may fix this problem. Otherwise, I'm not sure what can be done except letting them know I won't be able to take the position.
Thanks for the help in advance.
6 cpl is too much for someone just starting out. If they're good, you'll know it & can up the
rate from there. If they suck, you'll know it, too, and can either take the chance of training them or cut them loose. I know it's brutal, but it's honest and it's business.
If you take an MT program at an outside college or business school, you might just be able to take
s
thinking about selling my transcription business...
 and just wondering if any one has any opinion on interest in that. The person owning the company would make a minimum of $82,500 a year, running the business and doing some transcribing part time. It would be very easy to do some marketing and bring in some new accounts, which could easily push that 82500 to over 100000 a year. I have repetitive stress injury and my doctor has told me I need to find something else to do. I was thinking if there was an MT or a group of MT's (the company is incorporated so shares can be sold) that would like to get together, they can eliminate the middle man, earn retail price for their lines and establish job security, not to mention satisfaction. Price would be around $250,000 but like I said, a group of people could go together to cover that and with a little work in marketing, it could be paid off in three years. The business is about 10 years old and to the point where it is generating its own referrals. It could really go places if someone wanted to spend a little time marketing to a few new hospitals. Any one have any thoughts on this.
Sorry to hear about your lost business. We aren't seeing that.
I'm seeing more business than ever before. I hope yours will pick up. Don't get discouraged.
MBS (Millenium Business Solutions)/Medlytics
Can anyone please tell me, specifically,
what problem there is with MBS? I was just notified by e-mail to fill out their job application and did so. I have been trying in vain since 11/07 to find a job (new grad from LearnTranscription.com) and am getting desparate!! There is a posting that they are terrible, but not really any specifics about them. Anyone worked for them?
MT schools are in the BUSINESS of selling MT courses.
Of course they are going to paint a rosy picture of this career.
Allied is not a very good course, and the MT companies know it. That's why they say they require 2 years' experience. (But they will waive that for grads of the better schools.)
Career Step grads - what was your starting wage?
Career Step grads - what was your starting wage? What were you offered in cents per line? How many offers did you get? How long did it take you to find work?
Thanks : ) -MKJ
How extremely childish. You are in for a BIG surprise. This is a tough business. nm
"
If you are inadequately prepared, you will be toast. My business is growing.
Please don't put us all in the same box with you. Some of us have nothing to complain about. We're doing well.
You may not like that. It may not make you happy. That doesn't make it any less true. Go ahead and wish the worst for others if it makes you feel better about losing your accounts, but you may have lost them because you aren't very good at what you do.
All we have to go on is what you posted. You are losing work, going out of business, failiing
If you aren't doing well, the wisest thing is to change your situation. Get a better education perhaps. All we know about you is the fact that you have posted that this career is not working for you and some of your friends are also having problems.
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