3 cents is an insult. nm
Posted By: Agree Wholeheartedly on 2006-05-19
In Reply to: Alphamed advertising again for VR. The turn-off may be the whole whopping 3 cpl offered for VR - Things that make you go hmmmm..
nm
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What is average? 7 cents, 8 cents, 9 cents? 65-character?
x
I think it's an insult!
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I also work for 8 cents a line. I left a job typing OPs for 10-11 cents sm
to take a clinic job. I made an average of $17-18 an hour with OPs, now make $16-17 an hour, but the work is easier on me. I do not call that poor pay. I type 200+ lines an hour. True, it isn't the $26-27 an hour I was making 10 years ago at a hospital, but that's gone for good. I have excellent skills, make better than 99% on QA at any company I have worked for, and some of those have been very demanding.
I'm afraid the people that are expecting to make $20-30 an hour in MT are going to be disappointed. A few can still make that amount, but for the average good transcriptionist, the pay is much more likely to run $15-20. Benefits are pretty much gone. However, I feel that what I'm making is considerably above what I could make in another field, unless I decide to teach, which I will not do. Still, I make more than I would at Walmart or Burger King, or even a secretarial job. It's my choice. Good luck to you.
Why do you insult me with that comment?
 youre funny, if you only knew..................
huge insult!!
I agree! This is such a huge insult to our profession. I started out with Focus on Edit Script at .04 cpl also, and would recommend them to get a start. The are other companies who pay a little more, but .04 is usually the norm. Please, do not go any lower than this. Focus is always hiring, as many people do start there and move on, but I still work for them part time and have never had a problem with them, despite the negatives I have read.
Sue
You certainly took every opportunity to insult everyone you could. nm
x
The entire ad is an insult - nm
x
Not that the amount isn't an insult or anything, but
the fact that you got anything more at ALL is pretty unusual, with the current state of affairs in MT. Wages have been steadily declining over the past 10-15 years, and many of us have been getting even further pay cuts recently.
I hear ya on the amount, though. .09 cpl might have been good in 1980, but this is 2009. Although lately, it feels more like 1930.
The biggest insult is...
when the MTSOs hire new, or just not very good, MTs for your account that have absolutely no clue what they are doing and produce horrible quality reports. I wake up in the morning and go to work to see that almost all of the reports for my usual dictators have already been done, with all of them having been sent to QA with no less than 10 blanks in each report! I do not see how this is productive for anyone--not QA, not the dictators, and certainly not for me, the loyal MT who has taken the time to learn these docs and stay with this idiotic company for years. I could have done all of those reports (reports that used to be mine) with no blanks..GRRR...
Having multiple PT jobs may be an option for some, but there are those of out there that need benefits for our families. I would love to just stick it to the MTSOs and leave them high and dry with their new overhires that can't even do the job, but I don't have that option until I can find a new full-time gig with bennies...something that I have been looking for now for quite a while but haven't been able to find.
Wow, you're just looking to insult somebody, aren't you?
Just because I didn't like Medware compared to my present company means I'm easily distracted and have problems? Nice attitude you've got there. If people don't like what you like, they've got problems or are unhappy. OK, whatever.... Different strokes for different folks. Did you ever think that maybe we worked on different accounts so I really was inundated with useless emails from them? Did you ever stop to think that people don't all experience the same things from the same company? How would you know? But thank you for being so judgmental and superior to everyone who doesn't like Medware. Honestly, did you start this thread deliberately to pick an argument with anyone who dares to disagree with you? Sure sounds like it. By the way, my company doesn't offshore. They rock better!!!
the thing is, SOMEONE will work for that much, which is an insult to us all!
nm
Is that a gross line? Anything else is an insult!
Do the math. Could you not make more transcribing? I was paid $20 an hour and 4 cents a gross line at one point. Even that was lower than what I could make doing MT!
Adding insult to injury
My coffee cup came apart in the dishwater today.
8-9 cpl is an insult wage, even for employees.
because once you factor in your overhead, time spent dealing on the phone with clients, keeping books, etc., if you charge 8-9 cpl as an IC, you're working for just a couple of Rupees.
The mentoring program does not pay 8-1/2 cents per line. Believe it is like 6 cents.
n/m
For IC status, that's an insult. Can you give us a company name?
x
7 cpl is an insult - no matter what hours you work.
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You try to insult, I pseudocuss. Tomayto/tomahto n/m
4
I've always thought verbatim is not only an insult to the doctor, but also to our profession. sm
We are supposed to medical language specialists with an excellent grasp of proper grammar and command of the English language. What do I know? I've only been doing MT for 25+ years. It completely befuddles me to be asked to type verbatim because I have probably typed for 2 doctors out of 100s who can form a proper sentence! Just my take on the verbatim thing.
4 CENTS , SCHMORE CENTS. THAT'S WRONG!
Whether an MT is new or an editor, 4 cents a line is deeply insulting, and 9 cents per line isn't really too much better. You know, I understand that most of these MT companies want to save money, but most of them don't seem to want to pay what an MT's time and skills are really worth. Why not pay an MT who has been in the field for 7-10 years or more 15 or 20 cents per line? At least I might consider working for one of these companies at home if I were to be paid that much straight off the bat for having 12 years' experience, but I guess that would be too much like right...
Do they still pay you 5 cents a line and 2 cents if you send anything to QA?
xx
I have a problem with 7 cents and 8 cents a line because
...when I started 15 years ago, my very first MT job started me out at 8 cents a gross line, then went to 9 cents a gross line after only a year. I was SOOO happy and proud of myself for choosing a profession that paid so well - I imagined myself making a lot of $$ once I had 10 or 15 years experience behind me...
Well that never happened; in fact, it all went backwards, pay wise. The company I worked for back then sold out to a national, and of course the pay was cut, and 9 cents a gross line was never to be had again, at least not that I could find. I am considered living in poverty now. I started out great but have ended up very badly.
I think my own personal problem is that it's hard for me to let go the fact that I made good money just starting out and how everything I had ever learned about jobs, careers and pay was that the more experience and education you have in a particular field, the more your pay goes up as each year passes. Well my pay has been consistently taking a nosedive for at least a decade now. I actually have to work MORE to make at least as much as I did years ago, and it's killing me health-wise as far as my wrists, my legs, my neck, my back....
It also kills me that I'm going to have to accept 7 or 8 cents a 65-character line when I made so much more than that 15 years ago.
I suppose to someone who's just starting out, 7 or 8 cents would seem pretty good, though. Maybe that's why I haven't been able to land any jobs with my resume. They may not want me with my years of experience, probably want a newbie who will be more grateful about such low pay. I dunno.
I could just kick myself for wasting money on MT school those years ago when I could've spent it on a career that would actually LAST and where I'd be making great money after being in the same field for 15 years. There's just no reward to this business. None at all, IMO.
I would NOT recommend this field to anyone just getting started. To me, it's a dead field.
I'd have more freedom working at McDonalds (for a number of reasons), and, believe me, I've been considering taking a local job around my home for minimum wage. At least I'd have a consistent paycheck and would know exactly what I'm getting every 2 weeks, then build from there as far as another job or two.
Well anyway that's all. I really need a job. I'm going down, going under, and it's a shame because I do very good work and have all this experience but no one seems to want me, even the low-paying companies. Oh well.
Few cents here, few cents there stolen from you by
x
I'll add my 5 cents to your 2 for 7 cents sm
I AGREE WITH YOU!
I know an MT who sits on her laurels and whines about no work and only getting 9 cpl after 5 whole years of experience. She can type 3 specialties, won't touch an ESL, goofs off when there is work and whines when there is not. I have tried to help, but it is quite plain to me she doesn't want that help.
I have about 3 times the experience of the above MT. The only specialty I have not done is pathology. I have literally done everything else. I know the BOS 2 like the back of my hand and I have outstanding accuracy scores (even if I can't type straight here). I work as an employee and make a base rate of 8.5 cpl, which I never get because I always have some of the different incentives offered. I regularly turn that 8.5 cpl into $25 an hour and at my PT job where I get 10 cpl and faster software, I can turn that into $32.50 an hour.
I have heard, more times than I can count from other MTs that they wish they could have my income. I can tell they why they don't. It is called hang out to complain on a message board like MTStars. It is doing everything, BUT your work on your shift. It is your lack of a willingness to learn new things, even if they slow you down some. This very year, recently in fact, I was put on straight cardiology procedure notes and I didn't worry for a second that I would suffer financially. I AM FLEXIBLE and that, in a nutshell, is why most MTs will not succeed.
A long time ago I realized that if I want more money, I was going to have to work SMART, not hard. In my 15 years, I now make 5 times what I did my first year and at the same exact line rate I had then! I spend less time working to achieve that these days. So no, I can't agree with your sky is falling routine.
Most of you...your attitudes suck. If I had to have you on site as my employees, you would not last 15 minutes. The first time I heard you at the water cooler whining about your pay, I'd fire your fanny so fast it would make your head SWIM. I have eyes in the back of my head too, so when you started making that stink face you are making right now, I'd have sacked you for that, on the spot, no warning and no day's pay. The ONLY reason you all get away with this is that you THINK no one who knows you is watching and that your respective contract holders can't figure out who you are.
By and large, I can't tolerate other MTs as friends. I find them lazy, self-absorbed whiners and complainers with some the worst negative attitudes I have EVER seen! If you hate MT so very much GO GET A JOB DOING SOMETHING ELSE. I can tell you, your bad attitude, your tendency to complain, whine, witch (with a capital B), moan and ALWAYS see the most negative side of everything...THAT crap will follow you to that new career and it won't be any better than this one. You have issues and I really think they are issues for a good therapist. They are called personality disorders and many of you have them in multiples and in spades!
I think you should be completely and utterly ashamed of yourselves. Too many people are out of work, homeless, and starving this Christmas to be so opinionated and selfish.
Their ad says 9 cents, not 10. nm
xx
Just my 2 cents but here goes.
1. Schedule window. You know, like do 1000 lines on Monday between 7am and 7 pm. Something like that.
2. 8.5-9 cpl is fine with me, but a raise every 1 or 2 years as long as I have a good quality rating,95-100%.
3. Pay at least 1/2 (ideally 3/4) of the benefits. An HMO or PPO. 401 K and PTO are necessary for full time and nice for SE too.
4. I prefer employee status.
5. Direct deposit is nice but not a requirement.
6. Pay every other Friday would be good.
7. I would say what makes me stay (and who says I am right now) is QA and their attitude helping me with my work, training so I can learn different specialities to raise my rate, pay while training so I don't get penalized for learning something new and being more valuable to my company and answers to my equipment/work flow problems in a timely manner so I don't waste my time sitting on my hands waiting for work and/or equipment to be fixed. And the feeling that I am not so easy to replace, that I am appreciated. That's what I want for Christmas.
Want my 2 cents? -sm
I'd continue to look for another job and when you find a good one that pays what you'd like, give your notice and see if they offer you more then. They may or may not, but if I were you, I'd be ready to leave about now.
I've also found that if you don't want to take what they're offering, if you do manage to negotiate more money out of them, expect to get less work.
My 2 cents
Okay, some slamming going on here. I do not find that there is dishonesty in line counting---have not had a problem in 4 years, paycheck is always accurate.
Yes, they do QA you 100% at first. If you are good at what you do, this will not be a problem either.
As for running out of work, it happens with all nationals and especially this time of year; HOWEVER, it also makes a difference what shift and accounts you work on. I find that splitting my shift (for family and carpal tunnel reasons), that I never have an issue with no work. I will say that your manager will make a difference, some are good, some not so good. It is obvious that they like you to be someone who can work independently, not needing constant contact with someone. That is my style and it works for me, maybe not for you. Good luck and welcome aboard!
8.5 cents
My opinion is, without spaces it's not all that great. I have been checking around and have found 8 cents with spaces is about average.
4 cents
Chase told me they pay by the word.
My 2 cents
I worked there a few years in QA and the MT quality was horrendous. The U.S. editors were usually blamed for it in the end (even though we were only given a certain percentage to edit). We were often told that such-and-such client wasn't happy with the quality and they could lose the account so they put the pressure on the U.S. editors. Needless to say, I saw many clients come and go and personally know doctors who have used companies that offshore and it usually takes about six months until they realize their transcription (or coding) is completely beyond repair and they decide to go back to in-house or U.S. companies.
It still amazes me that so many clients are willing to send such confidential records overseas to save a few bucks. What they don't realize is - how much more EXTRA money they will need to spend in the end to fix the mess.
2 cents
Oh I know exactly how you feel, Medquist is the exact same way!!!
I'd do it for 15 cents or more.
x
I get 9 cents
I get 9 cents per line with MDI-FL.
8 cents
Depending on what the company offers, it is good. I have been hired by Phoenix MedCom as an IC and will be making 8 cents with spaces, however, they do offer volume bonuses.
2 cents
Currently w/Diskriter and worked for MQ (been years) ...Personally, I'm much happier w/Diskriter.
With MQ, I happened to have a terrible set up C-phone/lanier station...ugh. Then, tech support/organization all that was terrible. I had problems all the time....but plenty of work, if I could get to it....I wasn't even internet-based then ...that lets hope has changed.
Diskriter technology, system, software, etc, is great!!! I'm extremely impressed! Communication is great!! Everyone on our team is free to e-mail word/drug questions, which makes it really nice...
I don't know what MQ offers as benefits...Diskriter is good. They are very nice, reliable, on-time paychecks, nice PTO, etc.
The 1 and only complaint on Diskriter is that I have been moved from account to account to account and to account...It does get frustrating at times...but I think i've learned more w/them than my entire career!!! I think they need to organize the work flow a bit better and amount of MTs on accounts...I believe some accounts are over flow which leads to unpredictable work volumes and thus running out of work...but never fail to have a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and probably 5th if I really desired to make less money and learn more!! LOL ...okay now I'm starting to vent a bit about it....I have to keep reminding myself I'm lucky just to have plenty of work and ...paid Down Time too, if you run out on all those....
I guess every company is going to have pros and cons....For me, I'm trying to adjust to all the accounts and be happy w/Diskriter because they are excellent in every other aspect...Good Luck to Ya! 
my 2 cents
Well I for one do not expect one or think it it owed to me but I do think it is a nice gesture. In every other job I have worked in other fields and in this one working at centers and hospitals I have always gotten something: a nice dinner, a bonus, some candy on my bday, a calendar, etc. I think it is reasonably to think it is nice to get something. It shows the christmas spirit and it shows me that just because I sit in my home I am still a part of the company because most of them probably have parties at the offices or for the office. For those of us working elsewhere it lets us know they did not forget us which is nice. I have a new company this year and I got a gift card for Thanksgiving and big giant box of candy for xmas. Biggest box of candy I have ever seen and to tell you the truth I had a bad stressful day off of shopping and such and that big ole box came and made me laugh and I needed that. That alone makes me thankful besides the fact that the candy was pretty good too. It is the thought and nice gesture that counts and matters.
My 2 cents
Part of the problem as I see it (and I owned my own business for 10 years a while back) is that the corporate management of medical transcription service often appears to be that there is little to negotiation between the hospital/doctors and the service. It's one of the reasons I cannot wait to get out of the business - or at least greatly reduce my time. There are so many gatekeepers between the scribe and the dictator now - and what is lost in this process is quality. Not to mention frustration: I have had to learn how to NOT think. Forget what I've taken 20 years to learn, just type it wrong because the service is unwilling or unable to explain what a scribe actually is trained to do...
I think that was more than 2 cents worth ... :)
My 2 cents on TTS
Great platform (escription), great account, great team leader, pay unpredictable (Friday's direct deposit received yesterday on Monday), pay many times short, nearly impossible to converse with owner who talks but does not listen.
My 2 cents
I have googled drugs and found them spelled the way the doctor spelled them but ultimately misspelled. Rxlist.com and prescribingreference.com are good resources for correct spelling and for finding drugs.
Second, their interoffice e-mail has been down. If you have that much of a gripe and are really concerned about it, call them on the phone. Ask to speak to the supervisor.
Ultimately, I think you are just plain unhappy with this company and will find any reason to find fault rather than resolution. I have had my rounds with QA with them and they have been accepting when I can show proof. Otherwise, I use QA as a learning tool. I have been with this particular company of which you speak since July of 2000 both as an employee and as an IC. Yes, I know which one it is as I have been following your postings - even the deleted one.
I wish you the best in your ventures with a new company. Every company is not a perfect fit for every one, so I hope you find your perfect fit.
My 2 cents
I know what she means by must make x or more, and I would strongly suggest you take very unhappy's advice - especially this part: Get a part-time job transcribing for any service who will hire you at home. Because you need the remote skills as well.
I personally believe you will have difficulty making 25K your first year with your limited experience, however, you can quickly gain knowledge of other specialities by studying, and then get hands-on experience in part time positions that will *not only* increase your experience, but also you'll make extra $ that you could save to pad any discrepancies when you finally do transition.
A word of caution: When you work at home, there is sometimes a different mindset with regard to pay (unless you are strickly an employee)... SOME MTSO's tie your payment to theirs (when they are paid by their clients) and that can mean a delay in paying you. Be careful about who you do work for - ask questions! *Strongly advise against* putting all eggs in one basket. Even great companies can lose accounts with no notice (for no apparent reason). If you are not diversified, you can lose your income overnight.
Good luck.
My two cents -
1. Currently flip back and forth between 4 different hospitals with 4 very different sets of specifics.
2. About 75%.
3. Not really.
4. What they offered me was VERY expensive for insurance. PTO is okay.
they pay 7.5 to 8 cents
its IC position.they hire mostly inexperience MT and very flexible and use EMDAT platform which I heard on this board is suppose to be good and very easy to use.
My 2 cents
If I were you in a similar situation, I think that I would feel as if I had been disrespected and manipulated. However, this seems to be the way of the industry. The MT's welfare is not the top priority. It is likely that all of the details with regard to the actual job duties, benefits, etc., are NOT being shared. The sad thing is that you may not find a better situation somewhere else. In your favor, you have the fact that you are familiar with the dictators. However, there is no guarantee that those dictators will be the only ones you will transcribe for at the new company. Will the new situation be using the same platform that you have been using at your in-house job? It is impossible to predict what the situation will be like, as it is amazing what little details some of these companies come up with. Again, you are several steps ahead if you are familiar with the dictators and the platform. Consider the difficult scenario of going to work for a totally new group (now or after unemployment) and having to learn awful dictators, a new platform, specifications, etc. Would unemployment even be available to you if you have turned down a job with the outsource company? There might be a loophole there, as well, which might prevent you from getting the unemployment. It sounds like, no matter how you look at it, you have been screwed over, but the degree of the screwing is what is in your control. Seems to me that you and your fellow employees have some bargaining power if the doctors have demanded that you continue to transcribe their reports.
Good luck.
My two cents
Very well said. I'm one of the people on the account that I suspect is being referred to in the previous post. Yes, the new pay scale impacted me negatively but the previous poster's point that I had been getting paid for lines I probably shouldn't have is valid. The biggest blow was to my ego since I thought I was perhaps a better Transcriptionist than I was! The net of it is that I took a hit on this particular account but am making it up without much effort and still making the same good money I was previously. My understanding is that most transcriptionists are coming out ahead with the new plan - it's just this particular account that was set up differently. I love this account and would hate to lose it, so the extra effort is worth it. The benefits are great and managment has bent over backwards to take my personal needs into consideration over the 4 years I've been there. I look forward to many more years there, with particular interest in the 3 weeks vacation I will begin to receive when I hit 5 years!
Two more cents
P.S. My QA scores are consistently 99% or 100%, falling to 98% occasionally. Not hard to do at all if you know your stuff 
11 cents for what?
which specialty?
My 2 cents.
They were very nice as long as I was at their beck and call. When they left a voicemail message, I was to return their call immediately!! This was all during the recruitment process, which was a red flag to me. They became pretty nasty when I complained about their methods. Also, the line pay was low and consisted of 95 characters. When I converted to what it would be like given a 65-character line, it came to 4 cents. So, I never worked for them.
My 2 cents
RADTRANS is a royal pain...
Page by Page - IF they were formally called LINE BY LINE I'd suggest you RUN.
Don't know the rest. Good luck!
My 2 cents
If you have called, I would wait 3 business days from that point and then call again. Your persistence is not going to hurt anything and will only show how interested you are in the job.
I had to be persistent. I waited the 7-10 business days (or whatever it said on the website). I then e-mailed, and they said they would track down my test. Still after 3 more days I e-mailed again stating I had not applied any other places (yet) and was really hoping to hear back from them. The next day they called.
From an MT who has been around the block, this company is worth it. Don't give up! From the little knowledge I have, they have taken on some huge accounts (I work on one of them) and are really experiencing growing pains right now. They are growing very fast and are just having a trouble keeping up, and the disorganization you are seeing in the hiring process is not indicative of what happens after you get hired. These people are genuine and reasonable human beings in every aspect. They are very good to their MTs. I have had less stress on this job from day one than any other job I have ever worked.
My 2 Cents
I was with MQ for 15+ years and now with Webmedx for 3. Much nicer people, much easier platform, but lack of work and new incentive not very helpful - will now be losing money. MQ had a lot less ESL docs to deal with, on my 5 accounts at Webmedx, they are all loaded. Do like the window but honestly if MQ was to change to that, I just might jump back. Good luck
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