Could be any number of factors
Posted By: Have you thought to ask? on 2008-09-05
In Reply to: QA gone mad, literally!!! - MickeyButton
It could be any number of factors. For someone to be on actual QA hold for 15 months sounds a little odd. How do you know the account requirements do not specifically call for 100% review from the service. I think you answered your own question. If someone needs actual QA hold for that long they'd be released. I think there is more to this behind the scenes that you are unaware of. If you're making your lines and an income, who cares how anyway? I can assure you the QA person is not making any extra money and enjoying the power by having to review each and every document. I suspect it's more of a client requirement for it to be going on this long.
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other factors . . .
I think besides the server being busy, my slower processor contributes to the slow word appearance on my screen from time to time. My computer is on my long list of things to replace around here!
too many factors here
are people giving net, take home? How much are they contributing towards taxes, 401K, health ins., equipment rental, on and on....how many hours are you working, what are you paid per line, employee or IC (big one), etc. You can't just ask someone how much they make.  And it's just causing a big feather-raising ruckus.
There are a lot of factors...
But I think also if you can get up to $15/hr, that would be okay because it will be dependable. You also need to consider how much driving is involved each day, will you have to pay for extra daycare, how much the benefits cost, etc. If you can get $15 and all of the other factors are good, I would probably take it. You can always get an IC MT job on the side to make extra money.
Pay plan factors
Those factors include monthly QA score, production (lines/hour), and how much you send to proofing for help. Also if you have the CMT there is a differential. It really does put us in control of what we can make and the potential for increases is there as you get more familiar with what you are doing. It's been a great plan for me to work on! Insurance is with Blue Cross, rates would depend on whether it's just you or a family plan.
It depends on a lot of factors for both.
How big is the page? In other words, how many lines define a page, and how many characters in the line? Or, if paid by line, how many characters in the line? Are spaces included? For both, are headers and things included. I assume you're referring to Silent Type. I have always heard they paid archaic wages per page. There are posts on Company Board about them - I would search back a few pages. I know they make you travel to their offices for 2 or 3 days, and even though I live in NJ, I would never stoop to that in this day and age - not very high tech.
Lots of factors..
Overtime laws are federal/state. Federal law is 40 hr/week. States can supercede that to an 8 hr/day, etc. Company policy doesn't matter. Classification of employees is key. Some employee classifications do not quality for OT pay and can be required to work 60 hours a week with no additional pay. Company policies/collective bargaining agreements can grant benefits not required by the law (sometimes including, but not always the ability to grant comp time in lieu of OT), but cannot offer less than the minimum required by law. Example: If you are in a state that requires OT after 8 hr/day, then you cannot be offered comp time in lieu of OT. If you are in a state that required OT after 40 hr/week, you can be offered comp time SO LONG AS it is taken in the same week. Some employee classifications have different requirements, which may allow the comp time in the same pay period (2-week, month, etc), but for the classification that MT (not supervisory, just plain MT/QA classified as employee - not IC, SE is gray area) fall into, pay period doesn't matter. For those, comp time must be taken in the legal period, whether it be day or week in order to be in compiance with the law, which we all know not all companies are.
Here are the factors in my opinion...$1.10 is okay if...sm
... they pay for links meaning if the CT chest, abdomen and pelvis are dictated together which most radiologists do it gets counted as three reports.
Some companied including Medquist counts this as one report now.
Also if the account is not a teaching institution - no residents only attendings dictating then that means better usage of macros/word expanders.
If the account is a teaching institution with lots of residents and ESL attendings and does not pay for links then it is definitely way too low.
Hope this helps.
JMO
All of these factors depend on the
x
Some other factors to ponder Maggie...sm
I've been in the MT field for 16+ years now, produce quality work that I have always taken pride in, and my work ethic, well let's just say I do not think that there has been one weekend, Christmas day, etc. that I have not worked in 16 year iin this profession, and those times being mainly at night.
I agree with some of what you state, however with that said, you may want to ponder a few other things. I have met many, many hard working, highly experienced MT's who likewise produce quality documents, take great pride in their work, and even have a stronger work ethic than I. I hear the same story, over and over from MT's such as they, the lack of respect in general for this profession declining over the years, along with declining wages, outsourcing, etc.
Another thought that you may want to ponder is regarding outsourcing. There are subskilled and substandard MT's in the US, however they are in a minority. By far most are intelligent, hard working and dedicated individuals. The reason that this industry is being outsourced has little to do with the quality of the US MT. The industry is being outsourced strictly due to the ability to procure cheaper labor elsewhere. Period. Yes, the Indian MT, etc., works hard and does not whine as you state. They are paid 3 or 4 cents per line for their work. I don't know if you are aware of the cost of living in India, however it is far below that in the US; for example monthly cable television is $5.00 per month, etc., so the rate that is being paid there furnishes that MT with a nice lifestyle, thus nothing to whine about, as this industry used to provide to the equally hard working US MT.
It is often convenient to point one's finger at a small handful of people in a given profession and state that to be the cause of an industry that is declining in the US. Even if that were the case in the MT profession one also then needs to take a look at other professions such as engineering, the IT industry, support centers, etc. that are being outsourced, and likewise in those fields the jobs are not being outsourced due to the incompetance or lack of work ethic of the American worker.
MTSOs have no control over the factors that would make this
:+
You're omitting some very important factors.
1. The cost of living has increased drastically since 1992. That $15 an hour was worth far more than it is today.
2. TIME, which to many is the most important factor. You really can't put a value on what you're losing with your family when you have to work *that couple more hours* to make what you made 15 years ago. In fact, if we had worked that *couple more hours* 15 years ago, we would have been paid time and a half as overtime. Also, 15 years ago when I worked in house I was paid hourly. If it took me a little extra time to find the address for a copy the doctor wanted sent, I was still paid the same. Have you figured the percentage of lost work now working production and trying to find the addresses, first names, correct spelling of referring physicians, etc., for the hundreds of different doctors from multiple accounts for multiple national MTSOs over the 15 years? Our job requires the same, if not more, amount of unpaid time...yet we're not paid hourly anymore.
3. I really liked your phrase *the benefit of working from home.* LOL Sure, we don't have to buy business clothes or pay for gas, but what is the employer saving by having us work at home? We buy the computer, buy the printers to print out the hundreds of pages of account specs, the ink, the electric, the internet access, our research materials, and in some cases even the software. In fact, this brings me to the next point you never considered.
4. IC status. More and more MTSOs are asking for IC status. When I started working at home about 14 years ago, I was an employee making 12 cpl WITH the best health insurance I ever had, weekends off, all holidays except 2 off with pay, AND 2 weeks paid vacation. Here it is 15 years later and the MTSOs not only want us to work for less than we did then, but they don't even want to pay benefits, taxes, disability insurance, or unemployment insurance. They want us to pay all that for less than what they paid us 15 years ago...AND THEN, they want to tell us what hours to work, what days to work, and how much work we have to do in a day. In other words, they want to treat us as employees, but put the price of all the employee *extras* on our backs.
And you're content with all this?? Maybe I shouldn't use the word content. You're used to all this and accept it? Now I see why posters have made the correlation between battered spouse syndrome and our profession. The more you become used to the abuse, the more you accept it.
I would go back. The factors that made it difficult to work there before are no longer there
Clear expectations, documented style guide, friendly and helpful staff from the top down, consistent QA. They put in writing what they expect and if you do your thing within those expectations, you will thrive!
(I'm only a lowly MT, not anyone in a position to profit from these statements!)
I agree. Big factors- ease of dictators, length of reports, platform. NM
.
US MTs are just a number to HIS
HIS just needed US-based MTs so that their clients would stay and they could finally break even!
Tax ID number
I am just trying to estimate my taxes and my tax program won't do anything without a tax ID number....I tried the Medquist board twice with no response. could some former or current MQ'er take pity and email me the tax ID number?? smedmiston@bellsouth.net.
Wonder how they got your number?
I guess that is what would bug me the most :-)
I have the number
I got offered a full-time position and got phone numbers and e-mails with no problem. I have the transcription manager's cell. E-mail for details.
They did offer me an check if i wanted it. I chose the direct deposit, but i think they will pay by check too.
Number 1, 2, and 3
1. I come to this site for a break and to see what other MTs are doing or not doing. Sometimes I post and sometimes do not.
2. No one said anything about delirium but if being happy because your are not being taken advantage of by a company, then yes, we are; however, apparently some just want to express relief.
3. Hanging out on a site where people are looking for a job for transcription, to me at this point in my life, is to break and hang out with my peers.
4. Large groups of people are not deliriously trying to get people to Keystrokes, I think just sighing, I know I am after all I have been though.
Hope this helps. Can we express opinions if we are not looking for job? I like the main board too.
Wish it was just one number.......
By the way, I'm not working today. Are you?
Which FOF number were you in?
I was in FOF 12 with Rachel. I'm still having to use Netcare for my account, which is good i guess, because was already familiar with it from training.
About my name, I love it. My great-grandmother suggested it, so I got it, then got her first name as my middle name. So it worked out perfectly.
There are a number of different
versions of Meditech. I type in Meditech Magic using Shorthand expander. I know lots of people copy and paste from Word, but I'm afraid I will screw something up. I really like Meditech because I get paid by the gross line. I make more money on this account than anywhere else. I also like Meditech because the patient's entire chart is available so rarely do I have to leave any blanks. Lab values can be verified, x-rays reports are accessible, etc.. It's not made for the MT, true, but there are a lot of benefits to using it.
number
Call 800-788-0629 and ask for the payroll rep - they may want your last name as different employees handle different letters (some do payroll for last names A-F, etc.)
SS number
Why would an IC need to give out a SS number? They don't match your contributions, so I would think they would have to accept a tax ID number. I really don't know. Probably curious as well.
here's their site and number sm
http://www.amphionmedical.com/
You must know the office number
Hello there,
I will be at the office all day tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. Would love to talk to you again.
1-800-205-7047
Thanks,
Liz
IC MT, do you have a certain number of lines (sm)
or hours you *require* for yourself? How many hours in a given day do you work? Thanks!!!! That helps.
Thanks for the contact number.. I will do that! ... nm
xx
Not tons, but there are a number of them who SM
are totally unintelligible.
I think there are a huge number
who lie about their qualifications and experience. The company I contract with has hired MTs who claim to have 10 years experience. Their final product looks like they are recent graduates of IHA who failed high school English.
I wondered that, too. There was a number in
I wonder?
Have phone number for MDI-MD,
301-236-6770, have not been able to find web site. You can Google U.S. Medical Transcriptionists Directory. It lists transcription companies by state. You'll find MDI-MD there, but gives no web site. Hope this helps.
I don't know the percentage number, but I'd say
there were no more difficult dictators on the accounts I'm working on than on any other big city hospital that I've worked for over 20 years. And I say difficult dictators versus ESL, as ESL seems to be a negative; people think that foreign-born dictators are difficult to transcribe. There are a good deal of dictators on my accounts who are foreign-born, and if you look at the list of names in the physician's list, you'd think you'll be slogging away all day for very low line counts. That's not so. Most of the dictators are very good. As anywhere, there are a few really horrible dictators, both foreign-born and good old red-white-and blue Americans.
I have absolutely no complaints about TT.
No, you just see an MT ID number...no names...nm
*
Do they have a new phone number?
The one in California is no longer valid, the one in Virginia just has a generic we are not available answering machine. What's up? Do you know what's going on?
TT'ers, how can I put -yo right after a number
nm
Did the KS people who got the new number (sm)
to call in (the two hospitals with lag time) completely 100% solve your problem? Using the different number, I still had five more times it dropped. I was wondering if it was only me.....Appreciate your input....
Number of docs
Are there any companies that assign a certain number of doctors? I have too many to EVER make a good line count.
There are a number of people who have had sm
bad experiences with DSG - call it sour grapes or whatever. I have worked for dozens of companies as an IC over the last 18 years. I did QA for them for about 6 months - I would definitely rank them near the bottom of my fave list. If you badly need the job and have a high tolerance level - I'd recommend you go for it. A bad job is better than no job sometimes.
We do not have an 800 number either. The reasoning is that sm
toll-free numbers are very, very expensive for companies and with cell phones and unlimited long distance, there is no reason to have them any longer.
You are the only one that has thrown that number out there, no one else
You my dear are lacking. I never said I did that much an hour. I said for a half hour it was 446 and then I got straight and stuck with that crap. I love VR, type fast but I don’t have to work now, unlike years past. This is just my chump change, as someone called it below.
Probably not you at all, number of openings sm
and number applying. On MT stars you can see how many views the ad had, some up to 2800, may be 1 opening, so look how many passed over. Just keep applying. I have seen this same concern frequently in other posts here and on MTDaily.com so don't think it is you particularly. Just hangggg in.
Your federal ID is just your SS number.
I am not an IC at Transcend, but I do some IC work in my local area. All I needed for this was to get a business license in my city of residence, for a home-based business. It costs me $26 a year, but I'm sure that will vary widely depending on where you live. (And that fee is tax-deductible.)
That's all it takes to become an 'established company,' to the best of my knowledge. Instead of a W2 at tax time you get a 1099.
Just call your city hall and ask them how to get a license to set up a home-based business.
If you have a home-based business you can write off all your computer equipment and repairs, and if your accountant is savvy enough, you can even take the home office tax deduction. Mine told me that is no longer an audit red flag because so many people are telecommuting now.
Number of accounts
I have more than 4 accounts w/ MDI, and I have work solidly for several years now. I am sorry you were not able to get enough work. When I leave MDI it will not be for lack of work but, rather, due to the offshoring issue related to Transcend. I realize my experience may likely be the exception rather than the rule, but this has always worked for me, to keep myself consistently in work in the leanest of times. I never stopped asking to be cross trained, even at 4 accounts.
Just figuring on the number of emails
With the last count of MLSs I had heard there at around 100 (not counting MDI), I was figuring that since I received 73 emails of support for either the content of my post or disagreement with it being removed, it was the majority. If the base number of 100 had changed, then I stand corrected.
Well it appears that that number has been disconnected.
:
Thanks for providing the phone number
I saw where you provided a phone number for OSi below. I just called them and ask them to check out your posts. I hope you've enjoyed working there. I also hope your mama knows someone at another MT company.
The largest number of complaints (sm)
about companies that I see on this board are for two reasons: 1) Companies that routinely overhire and make everyone fight for adequate work but still insist on line/hour quotas being met; and 2) Companies that don't communicate well -- recruiters that are more focused on selling their particular service than listening to make certain there will be a good fit between service and MTs and supervisors who are quick to send emails to criticize an MT but are frustratingly unavailable when the work volume is low or when MTs have problems that need addressed.
We are growing. You are a person not a number.
We have employees in 18 states and have full bennies. Other states ICs and SEs. Pay is decent with incentives. Good team work. Direct deposit every other Friday. Pay is correct and on time.
just look at the number of ads they post and ask what their retention
x
The number of times it has been viewed.
nm
That is correct, but it could any number of MTSOs. sm
You need to find out what MTSO it is and that is who you will be working for, not Dictaphone Corporation.
Here is how it works - Dictaphone will get the contract from the hospital for the use of their software, equipment, etc. Dictaphone will contract with a transcription company to do that hospital's transcription. Sometimes, one hospital account will be subcontracted to 2 or more transcription companies.
Hope this information helps you in some way.
Good luck.
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