Economy affecting work load
Posted By: Low In Work MT on 2008-11-12
In Reply to:
Is anyone else out there who may be struggling for lines thinking like me; that it may be people are just not going to doctors or electing for treatment they can possibly put off because they cannot afford it? My accounts have been pretty slow over the past 6 weeks or so, and when I hear that some people, especially the elderly who lost or suffered a huge reduction in their retirement when the stockmarket went down the tubes, are forgoing medical care in order to buy food or heat their homes, it makes me wonder how huge an impact this could eventually have on our jobs as MTs.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Offshoring to India may not be affecting you now...
but I can almost guarantee that you will be affected at some point in the near future. I thought like you too. I didn't understand what the big deal was about offshoring to India. Then the hospital I worked decided to outsource the entire transcription department. I went from an nice, secure hourly wage to being faced with finding a job with production pay. I went from $16 an hour for my 10 years experience to 8 cpl! I finally landed a job making 9 cpl, but had to do the dregs of dictation, the ESL dictators that barely spoke English. I was barely making 1000 lines a day -- that's around $11 an hour!
Then I parlayed my years of experience into finding a QA job. At 12 years of experience, I was making $15 an hour QA'ing. Still making less than I was as an MT when I worked directly for the hospital, but getting closer. Who cared that I was QA'ing work done by Indian MTs. It was a steady, reliable paycheck. Then the owner decided hey I could make more money if I paid my QA people per line and we don't have to pay them the same as MTs because they're not actually typing. So now I'm expected to accept 5 cpl.
So I sell out AGAIN. Take a job with another company I am absolutely certain offshores almost all of the work to India! But again they are willing to pay me hourly and they make promises about bringing a lot of the work back to the U.S., building up a U.S. team and so I pretend I'm not selling out, I'm just taking care of my family and I gotta do what I gotta do. Within six months of being hired, I am laid off.
Now, here I am, an American CMT with 20 years experience with no job, drawing unemployment, and the sad thing is I'm earning more on unemployment than I've earned on production in the last five years and it is a reliable check.
I'm real happy for you, but let me tell you your contentment is short-lived. The offshoring epidemic is going to affect us all one way or the other. If you haven't been, you will be financially hit and hit hard. The medical transcription industry already have been hit financially, some are just too ignorant to know any better. You think 7 cpl is a decent wage. Consider the education and knowledge base a medical Transcriptionist has to have to do her job well and tell me again how I should be happy with pennies per line and feel sorry for those poor Indians.
So you'll excuse me, if my heart doesn't bleed for all those poor Indians trying to earn a meager wage. Cause that's all I'm trying to do, but the deck is being stacked against me. There are companies out there crying that there is a shortage of experienced American MTs and so they are willing to train Indians to do OUR job for a third of what they are willing to pay an American MT and those same damn companies are telling me my 20 years worth of experience, knowledge, and education are only worth 8 cpl!
There's no shortage. Companies simply do not want to pay for the experienced MT.
Don't know about radiology work load, but we have been scratching in the dirt for work for a numb
of months now. They hire, lose account, hire again before new accounts comes onboard, then have overhired, having to put new MT's on the current low workload.
Can anyone tell me how the work load is at MDI-MD? nm
nm
QA/work load
I too was with them for about 1-1/2 months. Their QA people were great, easy for me to work with, very helpful. The owner is easy to work for. I left for personal reasons, getting out of this field for awhile. I would go back if I did this work again.
Work load at TT
Crystal...how long have you been an MT? Why I'm asking is that if you've been an MT for any length of time you KNOW that there are certain periods during the year that things will slow down JUST briefly. Labor Day and school starting times of the year is one of them. Another is Christmas and Thanksgiving. Transtech usually has an over abundance of work and all you have to do is take advantage of the times when the work is really booming with the bonuses they offer, etc. and these times when it's a little bit slow you can sit back and relax a minute...and I mean a minute, because it's going to pick back up with a quickness.
How's the work load been at MDI -MD lately? Enough or
s
TT work load
Maybe they're expecting. I work 2nd and have only run out of work twice in a year for a few minutes at most.
Work load
I personally almost always have work, although this morning was very slow, it picked up in the afternoon. I know work flow has been an issue for some though.
Work Load
Oh for goodness sakes, don't you know that work flow varies from day to day. As a rule TT usually has plenty of work if one is willing to work on more than one account. So many seem to complain but if they would get out of that little comfort zone and learn other accounts they would have more than enough to keep them busy for 8 hours. TT has a really good track record. The ones that complain probably don't want to work. They'd rather get their lines on message boards.
Work load
Well, have you ever considered moving to the shift that DOES have work then? Geeeeee, what a concept.
They only want FT MTs but the work load sm
for me was a PT load and of course at the lower end of their tier system. I had to jump ship.
Feast or famine. Always a different work load every day, and you often run out if the work gets
s
Anyone work at Diskriter, who can tell me how it's like, pay, work load, supes, etc. Thanks
 nm
When the work load is low how to you still manage to
You're here just like the rest of us. Are you one of those that manages to work in addition to your 8 hour shift to get it when the work is low?
Spheris low work load
Thought I would respond to the post about Spheris at the top as soon we would be booted off the page. Yes Healthscribe did outsource to India all along. As a matter of fact they were very proud of that fact. They did not send all of the work over there and seemed to keep plenty for their US MTs, however, that is exactly why Spheris took over Healthscribe is because of the India link. That is the main reason they bought Healthscribe, which is exactly why they are letting all the good MTs go and not paying them, etc. They want them to quit. Cheaper than paying unemployment when they eventually let them all go as all they ever wanted out of that deal was the link they had to India and India employees. That is no secret and is exactly why they are all being nudged out of work. The work is there. Your work is there, it is just being sent elsewhere and where as it should be illegal, well it is not. It is just morally wrong and not very American but I think those types of things such as morals and being proud to be an American get thrown out the window when these companies see $ in their pockets. Good old fashioned American pride is not important to these people anymore and thus the results we are seeing. It will be lost for our children and even worse for our children's children. That is why it is so important for us to stop going to hospitals or write to our hospitals that outsource and to get everyone you know to do it as well and make a big stink. That is why it is important for every American MT to rebel and not work for these companies, for their slave wage, etc. They will always need some American MT for that one account who does not want their work overseas and I know Spheris has a few of them, and if they cannot get an American MT to work for them, well, ....I guess they loose that account eventually, and as they get more that want their work brought back to the U.S. and they have no MTs from the U.S. to provide that to them, they lose another account and so on. Eventually the work will get sent to the companies who do promote strictly U.S. work, where it belongs, and the goal of being the largest company, which is what Spheris is striving to be will slowly start to shrink and then American people, we have one. Give that some thought!!
Amphion Work Load/QA
I have never been on these chats before but in checking all of them out I am in quite disbelief. I see people complaining about having to do OT and QA issues if you have a bad QA. Are you seriously kidding? You have a job at home, a computer given to you, and you are there if your kids need you, are sick, etc. You don't pay for gas, don't have to worry about the weather, or OT at an actual office. Most people out there are looking for a good company and now people are complaining about having too much work. This is a first for me because in my situation I always have bills, things cropping up for school and X-mas coming up as do most people I know. Remember what do you have and how good you do have it.
Work load is back up.
Most are too busy to post, I guess.
How's the work load at TransTech? Have there been
nm
What is work load and pay like for Diskriter?
nm
Extremely low work load right now
Supposedly new accounts are coming on board soon.....I sure hope so!
How is the work load at Transhealth? I'm thinking of
nm
Focus Infomatics...low work load
I have been working for Focus Infomatics since January....just trying to build up my experience. Hard to make money at this at 8 cpl and often no work load whatsoever. Anyone know anything about them?
I know the MTs that work this acct. load them from a pool. However, sm
I think that is a very good idea - batching docs and/or specialties together. I wonder why they don't do that, and I am going to ask! Thanks! If you saw my post above, there are a total of 37 specialties on my list, made up of approx. 4-5 docs in each specialty, so I'm looking at learning well over 100 doctors in only 40 hrs. of training? That's a joke.
Many variables affect work load
Sometimes I have run out of work. Sometimes my accounts are swamped with OT, while other accounts are caught up. Some platforms have more work/accounts than others. Some specialties are overstaffed, some are understaffed. Its pretty much the same at other companies. Its just that people speak in absolutes on this board about their experience. You have to take it all with a grain of salt. I have come to understand that everyone's situation is so different that maybe we all should put a disclaimer that my situation is this and not make blanket statements using words like always and never, nor argue with one another about who's reality is valid - they all are.
No, you won't make more money unless you do triple the work load. sm
Instead of transcribing 1200 to 2000 lines a day, you will need to edit 4000 to 5000 lines a day.
That is very difficult most days, the most I did, and this is with 5 years experience, was 3800 a day, and that is not consistent.
So, 3800 lines x what are you being paid 5 cpl = $190. I have to tell you 3800 lines of editing a day is tough to do most days. I had days where I could barely get 2000 done. It all depends on how recognized the dictator is and how many small errors are in the report.
So is the work load at MDI-FL picking up? I've talked to them before....sm
about coming to work for them when it does. They said they'd get in touch with me and so I really don't want to contact them back first. However, I'm probably going to move on if I don't hook up with them soon. I've seen here that their work load is down and perhaps they've overhired (?), but they'd be my first choice of where to go from here. So is their work picking up, especially the VR?
Anxiously waiting for work load to pick up -- LOW, low n/m
n
Every time the work load goes up substantially, they SUBCONTRACT..
The past 2 days are a perfect case in point. ***** work yesterday, scrambling today--with 5 accounts...While we all know MT companies could not care less about their typists, that 2-faced CEO of ours, who was the head of whatever morphed from AAMT, MUST BE TRYING TO ELIMINATE US...BUT KEEP HIRING, BABY. Fortunately, many people in India speak English.
Used to work there? How would you know what their work load is like now? I transcribe
150 radiology reports a day in 8 hours and there is still work in the system when I sign off.
Any MTs here work for Proscript, and how is your work load? NM
xxx
Old posts show they want 1200 lpd and that the work load was very uneven. nm
s
Downside is that there's rarely a steady/even load of work everyday unless there's always a ba
s
Is Lee Perfect hiring, and how much do they pay? How is the work load. I'm tired of running out o
work with the present company. It's getting old and I cant survive on low work.
Ah, a random work load can really kill production. Can they be routed
s
Any current information on Medware such as work load, pay, benefits, etc.
Thanks for anything you have.. the good, bad, and ugly.
Why is work load at Webmedx suddenly low during peak flu/RSV season? sm
Accounts that were on OT for a couple of weeks now have single-digit jobs pending, not all, obviously, but most.
Friend has been there for years, only makes 7 cpl, work load very uneven. Looking to leave,
s
Need current info on ETransPlus i.e. work load, line rate (ballpark), cost of benefits, SM
and overall treatment of their MTs. I found archived opinions but all old. Is anyone there now that can comment? Thanks!!
I got a pay cut for the economy
Now I make less than 3 cpl. Really! Don't think I'm not looking for something else. I might even give the company the same retro-notice they gave me when I leave, which was an email saying effective two-weeks ago, your pay is now lower than snake dung in a wagon trail. And they sent me such a nice Christmas card too!
Sure, I would work for two companies. Clearly, it doesn't pay to be dedicated. Whose to say they even need to know about each other anyway?
I believe it is the economy ..
Many MTs got fed up and left the field but now as the outside jobs dry up, they seem to be coming up. It is definitely a good market for the MT companies and a horrible market for the MT. Competition is horrendous!
I have had the same experience but now work for a great person. Would like more work but it's not essential. Working for a super ethical, honest and fun person is wonderful and, sadly for me, a rarity.
economy
It's not just the MT industry. People around the country are getting laid off right and left and many others are being forced to take a decrease in pay and/or benefits. Even nurses are being laid off in my state (with a nurse hiring freeze). Over a year ago, one of my sons was laid off and the other had to take a 35% pay cut several months ago. A good MT friend of mine also had to take a pay cut and is averaging $4 less per hour than before. My friend's husband also lost his job to to downsizing and the economy. I'm make a little less myself than I used to, but I still have my benefits and have a job with a company I really like. I thank God for that because I'm on my own, 1 paycheck, and have no one else to rely on.
Right-on. Normally, in an economy such as ours, you'd
a saving grace. Something that people who were rural, or in small towns where the mine or the mill or the GM plant closed down, could do that was good American work, that not only benefitted American citizens who were patients of American doctors and hospitals, but also that paid money into the tax system. And if the hard-working American workers earned a living wage, they might be able to buy houses, or GM cars, or support all the other businesses that have died. But when the work goes offshore, and little to no American taxes get paid, and the system further hemorrhages money to pay for buying to support those of us who are now displaced, whether it be out of a job, or out of a home, things just spiral out of control. Look at GM. They just plain got too big, as did many of the banks, stock brokerages, and other big business. Bigger is not always better, and what better example of that than the MT business.
The economy
Evidently the economy is starting to show its ugly head for us now. We really were the lucky ones in the beginning, but as more people got laid off and lost their health insurance, I feel that we are now seeing the effects. Hospital censuses are down, MTSOs are losing volumes, etc.
I totally understand the frustration and desperation that is on this board, but I think that the issues are a lot broader than a bunch of suits sitting around with cigars laughing at MTs or MTSOs coming together to fix prices or to push all of the work offshore.
I honestly feel that this is a result of the recession and everyone is feeling it... not just MTs.
That's my 2 cents worth.
ENOUGH WITH THIS ECONOMY CRAP --- sm
True, the economy has taken a whipping for the last 3 quarters or so -- recession as of last fall, less than a year, so how do you blame the continuing DECREASE in MT salary since the last 10-20 years? Or maybe figure we dumb MTs can't add or put 1+1 together. You middlemen/suits/MTSOs have been making a FORTUNE off of the back and sweat of hard-working, underpaid MTs or years and years (otherwise, you'd be in a different line of work, wouldn't you?) and you darned well know it. So stop blaming the current economy! What was your excuse 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 years ago?
They have not helped the economy of the masses
in India who need help. They have helped to deepen the rift between the classes, - the rich get rich, etc. The poor in India cannot even consider moving to get work now because the cost of housing in cities has escalated since we have created jobs for those who really did not need jobs. And those who need health care are really suffering and why? Because the trained doctors and nurses are the ones who have become the transcriptionists, since the transcriptionists make more than a doctor does in India. Check your facts on India. This one-sided trade agreement with India is not helping anyone but the big companies in America who can get work done cheaply. The companies HAVE increased their rates for the hospitals, have decreased our salaries by this farce they call voice recognition and reduced their costs even further by offshoring the work.
A call from the CEO? I do not even know his/her name, nor the names of any of the corporate officers. That is how much they care about me. Yeah, I got a mouse pad, a 1x12 inch glue down calendar, and a pen. I got more than that from the Golden Arches when they gave me a chicken sandwich when they opened up a new line 2 months ago. At least everyone in my family got a free sandwich.
Blame the economy not libbers. sm
Actually I could have written your post, except for the women libbers part and the SAHM. I've been doing this for 32 years. My ID says it all. The economy makes it almost a necessity to have a 2-paycheck income if you have kids. I'm single with no kids and trying to make a living with MT with no second income. Its tough.
Women wouldn't have the opportunities they do now if it wasn't for the libbers and the suffragettes. Its great now we have more choices than ever. Do you realize it hasn't even been 100 years since women had the right to vote? And we came close to having a woman president! I think about all the sacrifices the women before us went through to get us where we are today. One reason I make sure I vote is to honor their sacrifices.
Yeah. Why is it everyone forgets economy was
nm
In this economy, lots of places (not just MT)
The ground-level people usually are not cut during a sale, but if mid and/or upper management start making an mass exodus, that could be a sign.
For the most part, you won't know until it is a done deal.
I thas nothing to do with the economy...it started before that (sm)
It has to do with the fact that they are over-staffed and in order to get your lines met, you have to rush through every friggin report in order to get to the next one in hopes that you can make your line count.
JMO.
Frontline Episode on the Economy
I watched this on PBS last night and found it very interesting. There was a lot of commentary on behind-the-scenes kinds of things that gave far more insight to the situation and how it was handled than came across in the news at the time.
The difference is - when economy improves
And what has been the excuse for the steady decline prior to the economy being the new, improved wage cutting excuse?
Chiquita, I see you like to play devil's advocate and defend the indefensible. I think the sky is blue...ready to argue that also?
|
