Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Focus mess

Posted By: MTer on 2008-10-08
In Reply to: TRUST me when I say...It is not worth your time, even part-time.. - BTDT

Amen brother Ben!! My situation exactly, never could get started, the trainer worked in India, well his time and my time of course never coincided. Told them times to call to get started and he would call 4 or 5 hours later, and it was night my time, so never could get started, and glad I found JLG!!!


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

MDI is a mess
Work kept running out, system went down when there was work, have to make lines when you can (which is whenever you can), and they tell you nothing. Bottom line - no way to make a living. No, nothing good to say. Look elsewhere.
mess

I began working for Cymed in October last year and was loving it until SPI took over. Now there are staffing changes all the time. I can't get anyone in HR to call me back and when I do actually get someone on teh phone, I am told they no longer work here. Phone numbers are disconnected, e-mail are retruned as undeliverable, etc. The icing on the cake was when the contact for the account I have been working on was not renewed and now I am out of a job. NO WARNING WHATSOEVER!!!!!!! I signed on to work this morning and checked my e-mail and low and behold, the account will no longer be with SPI. SPI is saying they will try to place me on another account and I can apply to the company who has taken over my old account, but other than that, it's a good luck sort of thing. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Do they not realize people need to know these things in advance? I have a 7 month old baby and no help. I cannot afford this crap. A fellow employee has told me this is not the only account they have done this on. My advice is stay away from SPI at least until they have stabilized a bit.


She seems a mess to me
nm
Just a mess - sm

See this page, below, on further info regarding SeaScript.  I am staying far away.


VR a hot mess
I can type faster than editing the hot mess that VR puts out. And it does not learn at least not the way they portray it. Yes, there are those out there who claim they love VR but those are people who had worked for the same facility before it went VR and they were accustomed to the docs, demographics, etc before they even started. And don't get me started on that! Bottom line, most of us can type faster than edit because of the mess it makes and the time it takes to clean it up and don't tell me differently and expect me to buy it.
I have been here for the whole hot mess...
you specifically said you would hate to see how she and her house look in response to a comment saying you need to represent yourself at your best at all times. You even somehow equated that to decency. As I read it, this all stemmed from the fact that, in your words, she used MT's incorrectly 10 times.

Meanwhile, in your perfect posts, you have misplaced a comma, confused a hyphen and an apostrophe, misspelled catastrophe, and you have been superior, mean-spirited, and rude. If a decent person is decent even when no one else is watching, where does that leave you?


you are a complete mess!!
ewwwwwww!
No, I am NOT an MTSO. in the mess just like you are
In 2006 I grossed 55,000.

In 2007 I grossed 42,000.

In 2008 I grossed 35,000.

And each year I worked MORE hours to make less money.. go figure..

It is just that you cannot get paid more than the clients are willing to pay the MTSO.... SIMPLE ARITHMETIC
I had a mess with them, wouldn't do there if they
before I was supposed to start, they hit me with all this crap about needing a 3rd phone line, a fax machine, all kinds of crazy junk they didn't bother to tell me in advance.  I had dialup at the time and that day, after 2 months of reassuring me that dialup would work, they said dialup was being phased out within 6 months, which meant I'd be without a job?  Don't think so!
Their 9 cpl accounts are a mess, and should pay
*
Front end VR is a mess
A radiology group went that way and they had to hire more IT people and one more MT to fix it. Not as successful as one would think. EMR point and click takes 20 minutes versus a few seconds to dictate. Plus more IT people.
Focus, focus, focus on your work. It's amazing what you can do! nm
x
I do not agree -- they can struggle through the mess just like everyone else. sm

Someone will never learn to do the difficult dictators if they don't tackle it and send it in to QA with a gazillion blanks, if necessary.  Only way to get experience.  At TransTech, you can look up sample dictations of any dictator and obtain other reports on the same patient and sometimes get a better clue as to what the doc is saying.  Unfortunately, many people nowadays seem not to want to take the time to learn and grow.  It's easier to just slough it off on someone else.  S


Sorry for the bit of a rant.  I guess it is just one of my pet peeves.  I started as an MT over 30 years ago, learning on the job at a teaching hospital with hundreds of ESLs/residents/etc, and I would go at home at night and CRY because I thought I was going to get fired because I couldn't understand what they said, but my supervisor worked with me and gradually I was able to make my quota.  There are still horrible dictators that make me cringe when I hear their voices come on the line, but it is unthinkable to skip over it and just take the easy stuff so my coworkers can do the dirty work.  That's not teamwork. 


And now, she steps down from her podium ........ (smile). 



 


I was incorrect. ETC did not mess my friend over.
Her money was wired into her account since the deposit was done nicorrectly.  They are very reliable.  I'm glad to say that only TRX has messed with my money or that of a good friend.  M
I apologize for the mess, I actually was stupid

Yes. It is the most unorganized and chaotic mess I have ever seen. nm
nm
Don't waste your time - they're a mess
.
It is a sticky mess with no resolution to the pay problem.
If anyone at this point thinks things have gotten better or different, just let it be known that you were warned!
The point of the entire mess is that a person, any
then spend about 30 years in that occupation, which, according to the person, was responsible for nothing but misery and failure and losses and misery and failure and losses.  Yet, and this is the key point, this person stayed in this occupation of which she obviously was NOT successful, i.e. a failure at this career.  If she were not a failure, she would have been successful. She herself blamed MTing on every item she listed - she blamed being an MT for losing her marriage, her health, her son, everything.  And then after she became so physically disabled and crippled from MTing and the lack of time to take care of herself, she RETURNS to MTing, only to come here and rehash the horror of her life, blaming it all on MTing. Oh, for Pete's sake, where is the sanity behind this?? And now you're here blaming me for pointing out the obvious, that this woman is not a success as an MT. As Dr. Phil would say, It ain't working for her.  Move ON!! She was able to fully reflect every incident in her life and that it was the fault of MTing- she should have gotten another JOB 30 years ago.  Where are you not seeing the common sense in this? After 30 years of her own personal failure in an industry where most of us ARE successful, she's blaming the industry and you are backing her.  Talk  about enabling someone. Bet somewhere along the line her husband wanted her to quit. Anybody care to take bets on that? I'll bet somewhere along the line her son asked her to quit MTing if she never got to spend time with him, or missed 8 out of 10 Christmases. She herself states she was holed up in a closet typing her fingers off. Well, she should have QUIT and done something else and maybe she'd still be married with a close son/mom relationship. Something is wrong with HER career choice, and that does not reflect the average human being - no matter if you're a lawyer, doctor, MT, McDonald's clerk or a garbage man. If it doesn't work for you, and its killing your life in every single area, do SOMETHING ELSE.  I ask again, what's wrong with you all who are sticking to this and making poverty wages?? Do something else!! I just don't get it and thankfully never will. I'm the nicest person in the world in real life. I'm a wimp. I'd give the shirt off my back to help someone. I've spent many a night crying over coworkers who got a bad deal with one big MTSO, but I would never sit and listen to a coworker who had ruined her life because she was not making it as an MT. I would help him/her find a career that was right for them.  Never just give praise to such a catastrophe. Obviously this person needs prayers, and direction, and guidance in life, but I think its way past pity after reading her post. Its way past that. 
that my dear is what you call an unorganized MESS.sm
she did the same thing with a friend of mine....
Yet, second company thinks it should work and not mess up other platform (sm)
I will feel better when the actual technician sees about loading it. Not that the recruiters don't know their job, just nervous.

I had others report they are using 1 computer for 2 different companies and maybe having to use a second pedal. Let's hope we are lucky.


do you understand? It's the well versed US MT editor who cleans their mess up. SM
It's called business sense. They hire many Indian MTs and a few good U.S. MT editors to clean up their mess. Hence, a good profit for the company. I've been there and lived through it. There are many top notch U.S. MTs out there. Trust me, they are not working for these large nationals who are out for the ultimate buck. We've been around the corner. Not bragging, but I lost a long time local client (15 years) and sent resumes to some large nationals, and smaller MTSO's. I was contacted for testing and offered 4 jobs in one day. If you have the experience and skills that it takes in this profession, you would not even have to mess with the companies who are outsourcing and settle for this bologna. MTs with years of experience and knowlege, stay the heck away from any company who outsources work out of the country. You are selling yourself short if you do so.
I'm sure because the work is coming back a real mess..sm
These companies think they can breeze by with their overseas MTs, and sure they can if they have enough back up by seasoned US MTs and editors. Once the proportion becomes unbalanced, and they have more overseas MTs and less US MTs, the mess will start to pile up. It really does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out. In time, it will come back to kick these companies in the rear. That's why I always say an experienced MT makes a much better transcription service owner because they would never put themselves in this situation; clearly able to decipher fantasy from reality and not just the big $ signs. I am not referring to this company, but any MT company in general.
Just curious -- did getting paid from Canada mess up your taxes in any way? sm

I have a friend in Toronto, and we were talking about me trying to do some work for them (they pay 18 cents per line!) but wasn't sure how complicated it would be taxwise.


Thanks. 


Paid 50% of already deflated MT wage to clean up somebody else's mess...nm
nm
Yes, PS HAD a good rep in the past, but they're a mess now. Stay away. nm
nm
I agree. Transcriptionists have turned into a big whiny mess who have inflated egos. sm
Look at the economy. There are very few jobs out there that have not seen wages go down. Costs are up, wages are down, jobs are not as plentiful as in the early 80's. IT people have seen their salaries cut to less than half of what they were 15 years ago and they need more knowledge than back then. Nurses, physician assistants and CNA's fight to have jobs because everyone thinks they can do away with them. Teachers are at the poverty level in many states.

Get over yourselves. I personally chose to send work offshore because it is less expense and guess what? The people WANT to work. I don't have to pay for insurance or take out taxes. I don't worry that deadlines will be missed because they know that I will replace them and they need their jobs.

When all U.S. jobs are gone, you will all wonder why and the reason is that YOU let it happen.

I am not making excuses, simply stating facts. Greedy MT's who want the world force MTSO's to look for alternative solutions.
Focus. sm
I worked for Focus doing editing and was not happy with the company. I applied for a transcription postion and was hired on the spot for an editing position.  Little did I know that I was editing work from India, which did not sit well with me.  I was using the Netcare platform and hated it.  I could not work for this company knowing that they were sending their work overseas and taking away our US jobs - but I had many good laughs while editing of what was actually dicated from the doctors and what was transcribed by the people in India. 
Focus

No, I did not until I was hired. I live in Mass and their offices are also in Mass. I applied through an ad in the local paper.  When I met with them at their offices, I was told I would be transcribing for a local hospital account and also doing some editing, which was not the case when all was said and done.  I never did do any transcribing and lasted only a short time doing editing.  I agree that the line counts differ from your own and is something to be careful with when working for this company. 


Focus
I have worked in transcription for 8 years at local offices and just have started working with Focus.  I have trouble not having jobs available during the hours that I agreed to work.  I was given the impression I was taking an editing position but so far have only done transcription. Please give me names of good companies to work for.
Focus
If you visit their website, it says they are based in Mass with offices all over the US. I could not find anything about India anywhere on their website. They may be Indian, but I was hard pressed to find that info. Also, if you Google them you will get negative posts about them being an Indian company (all from this site), but I have yet to see anyone actually back that up with concrete evidence. I guess you'll just have to decide for yourself. They wouldn't be the only company that is Indian anyway. There are companies that advertise on this site that outsource.
FOCUS, RUN AWAY
I worked for them and most of the office staff is Indian and they treat their employees horribly. They cut the all the editors pay. Most of the accounts are have horrible dictators. You can't make any money. They don't respect the MTs/editors.
RUN AWAY FROM FOCUS
They treat their employees terribly. The office staff is mostly Indian and they have no respect for their employees. I would not recommend working there. I know, I USED to work for them.
Focus
They currently pay .08 cpl for transcription and .04 cpl for VR editing.  You can either be IC or employee status.  I currently work for Focus Infomatics as an Independent Contractor and love it.  I do not do VR editing.  I have worked there for approximately three months.  Everyone has been very kind and helpful.  The account I work on keeps me very busy and I am making very good money.  They did mention VR editing to me when I was hired, but I have not been set up to do that yet.  It will be my decision to do that though.  They do offer benefits if you are employee status and they have direct deposit.  So far I have no complaints whatsoever!
FOCUS
Anybody out there who works for Focus doing editing on voice rec, can you tell  me what the average lines per hour are that you are able to achieve. Thanks a bunch for any info. 
Focus

I am so glad to hear somebody else out there has the same problem I have.


Focus
The same thing happened to me at Focus. I am at another company working on the same platform and make alot more money as well. There is something going on with the way they count lines.
Focus
I started with Focus a couple weeks ago and love editing. Only drawback right now is running out of work but supposedly more accounts are coming on board soon so hopefully it will pick up then. I have no complaints other than low workload.
Focus
I worked for them last year and loved editing, but I had the same problem with running out of work.
Focus
I currently work for Focus and I am very happy there. There have been some changes made within the company lately including a new QA manager, which was greatly needed. I have plenty of work and make a good line rate. No complaints.
Focus
Yeah, and I see they have an ad today about needing MT/editors immediately! What's up with that? I have no work to do but yet they need them immediately!
Focus
I currently work for Focus (about 2 weeks now) and have run out of work almost every day. I love editing, but when there's no work, it doesn't pay the bills. I see today they have an ad to hire again.
Focus
I have been hired by Focus and I am supposed to start Oct. 9th. After reading some of the posts, I have really thought twice. I work P/T now and make about 400 every two weeks. Will I get that working P/T for Focus? Also, do they offer direct deposit to P/T or just F/T? Thanks!
Anybody know anything about FOCUS

Focus
You will never ever get an increase out of this company. Also, really, really poor response to concerns and hard to understand tech support and supervisors.
NAH, bet it is Focus. nm
Most frustrating and underpaying company I ever had the misfortune to almost donate my time to.  Got out quick.  There are other Escription companies that may give the same cpl but man do you get more lines and make more - telling you just how dishonest Focus really is. 
Isn't that the new name for Focus? If so, run away! nm
s
Are they still Focus?
I saw all the stuff about Focus but nothing recent about Acetera.
The did NOT used to be Focus...sm
I just talked to them regarding a position and that is one of the questions I asked. They are an independent 2 year old company that is NOT a part of Focus Infomatic. They have done some work for them, but are not affiliated in any way. I was also offered a position, as they found my resume information on Monster.com, and being curious asked. FYI.
Focus

Thanks for the information.  I will be running as I am an IC and work privately for a group in town that has outsourched to India and I have lost 4 Drs because of this and I am now down to 1.  I cannot believe this outsourching to India for a cheaper rate and all jobs are being lost here in the US.  I am going back to school for my coding CPC as I have done billing for 12 years and I feel transcription is going to the birds.


Thanks Again.


Focus
They are in India, I have seen pictures of where they work. They have mostly men doing their transcription. Stay away.