Global economy's grip on the short hairs
Posted By: AnnuderMT on 2009-06-09
In Reply to: ahh com'on, people (women) don't stitck together - .
This is what happens in a global economy. I don't know for sure, but I would hazard a guess that the companies with the ads paying the miniscule amounts are not behemoth MTSOs. Sadly, they feel the need to try to undercut the MTSOs that do have the advantage of sending their work across the Pacific where 5 cents a line would be considered golden. Much like the Union Label we're told to look for on clothes, maybe the real American little companies would be better served to charge a little extra for the service, and pay the Transcriptionist a living wage, because I'll bet there are still some individuals/clinics/etc. that would pay for the security and skill that an American MT provides.
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MT companies competing in global economy. Best
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Apparently they're 'equilibrating for a global economy'. n/m
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WE COULD SPLIT (LEGAL) HAIRS ALL DAY ..
on this board. Are you up to it? But who do you REALLY think is going to come out ahead?  
I think you're splitting hairs - you gotta be a bigot
I hate bigotry/racism and am totally intolerant of the intolerant! I'm sure many of us are.
get a grip
STOP WITH THE NAME-CALLING...... In these times, people just are curious and want to make their lives better... knock it off.
Global Transcription IS a nice small service, has a good rep. Superior Global has Indian conn-
s
LADIES - Get a grip!
Why is everyone ripping each other apart as well as the original poster? No one was **acting like a prima donna.** She did not state it was a hospital to begin with. She simply said she did not want to take the schedule. The same as someone else saying they do not wish to work at night. Good grief!! Yes, it is true that many positions being offered require 1 weekend day. I, myself kept looking until I found a M-F. To some of us, **raising a bunch of kids** is important. What gives anyone else the right to knock it? Some people stiff have a wonderful sense of family being important. Sad for those who do not. So you work days, nights, and weekends, good for you. Please live and let live!!
get a grip!! they did not ALL get fired - some left
and they left around the same time a bunch of transcriptionists left.
Get a grip - The previous ISR rate was 30% cut sm
of your base rate. This is 7% more, hardly HUGE. And way better than the flat line rates that most places are paying.
Your posts are always so nasty. Get a grip already. nm
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OMG, get a grip. Just talked to ofc. It is NOT a large acct first of all
and secondly it's not even a hospital. For those of you who must know, initials are TO and it's in Texas. It is apparently going to an offshore service to save a buck or two. Do you really want to deal with a practice that would do that? Further, they have already replaced it with not one but two new accts that I can choose from, so there is no need to get bent out of shape like this. Please.
Global Transcription Services is not Superior Global.
nm
That is gripe board. Freudian slip as in get a grip. LOL.
x
MTSOs are going into la-la land, losing the grip on reality!...nm
nm
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?
Economy affecting work load
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.
economy trickle-down effect hit me hard
company i was working for filed BK and no one new. Two unpaid invoices later, out $5K for October. I new there would be an October surprise.....I just thought it would be in the presidential race.
I've decided that MTSOs are sticking it to all of us and blaming the economy -
Here's my thinking -- they all have boats, or houses, or a lifestyle they love so they think HEY... LET'S SCREW THE LITTLE GUY... cut benefits, cut pay, cut jobs, just cut cut cut cut... so that MY life is sweet. In the process people lose healthcare, income, homes, cars, MARRIAGES....
so thank you, MTSO owner, for shoving it right up our southpole... we love you for always looking out for us... NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and MTSO -- the only reason we don't move on is because there's nowhere to move TO. Everyone has followed your lead and decided shafting the worker bee is a great idea. Well .. it's not. And someday you'll get it back 10 fold.
I'm thinking economy and people just aren't having elective surgeries or (sm)
going to docs and really think twice before heading to the ER. I put off my son's braces for a while and just made the appt this week after going for his consult a year and a half ago!! I know how you feel though; it's hard not to be paranoid these days!
how short were you?
1000 lines or something? That would just be wrong. Call your supervisor and find out for sure.
TT pay short
Anybody check on direct deposit yet? Mine is nearly $100 less than expected, as if my bonus lines didn't get counted. We have a new in-house payroll team. Gee, I hate breaking in new pay people! Maybe I overlooked something, though. Will talk with them Monday.
short and sweet is the way to go (sm)
I would not offer a lot of details. People leave jobs all the time, they are used to it. Be professional and polite. Keep it simple is my advice.
there is a short cut program in DQS which
I think is perfectly adequate. I guess others supplement it, but I don't see the need personally.
no short timer here
I've been with the company going on two years. The problems that were mentioned do come up. I see those nice American names but sure don't ever get their dictations. I've heard that if QA likes you, you will get the cream of the crop and never hear a word. But if you're not in the clique that QA approves of you spend your days knee deep in ESL!
QA is nice when you first start, they give you feed back and are helpful. But they have recently said that we need to do our own jobs and not depend on them ... I always thought figuring out the tough blanks was what they get paid for?
As far as the the managers they don't seem all that knowledgeable or accessible. They put up a great front of we're a team and pat you on the your back while they assign you more crap. I'm not sure most of them aren't anything more than clerks.
They do over-hire regularly and they don't hide that their work is overflow. I think that these are reasons they have big turnaround in their MTs. If you want their good benefits .... put up with the low line counts and learn a second language and join our team
Have been with them a short time
I have been with them for about 3 weeks. QA is very nice. My account is very decent. I can work whenever I feel like it as long as I put in my lines. Bayscribe is a very easy and simple software to get used to. Pay is excellent. Overall, I'm pretty happy so far.
No, and if it goes down, it is for very short time.
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I worked for them for a short while.
Their method of transferring files was very frustrating, slow, archaic and clumsy. Their record keeping is also pretty sloppy. They are nice and absolutely pay on time. There was never enough work in the account I was hired for and she kept putting me on other accounts on training wages. I was up front about the lines I needed weekly and in which fields and she was in total agreement but it was rarely available and almost never in the field I was hired for. I do not like sitting all day wondering if any work would be coming in so I had to move on....good luck!
I worked for them for a short while also
and never got docked for quality but I found the system very combursum (sp) and struggled to get lines in.
Short answers for you
Precyse - ok!
MD-IT - don't know!
OSI - no way!
DDT Arizona - no way!
TTS - no way!
Zylomed - don't know!
Very short list here & don't have any
Some companies that USED to pay by gross line: Lee Perfect - need Emdat experience; Lextel? - Calif. company, don't know if still around; Mediscript Transcription - work LD over a C-phone, don't know what state; QT - but they seem to be in trouble now; and West Tran Group - don't know the state, were using Word 2003 and IntraScript software. ...the end...
I sent you an email; but the short of it is - sm
They pay on time (checks, no DD); twice a month a week after invoice is submitted. Invoice dates are the 1st and 16th. Yes they are a good company/people; no spaces is true but they do not charge their clients either so it is not the case of the MTSO getting richer while you get poorer.
Training is very short
It really only takes a few minutes to learn the platforms. Once you are set up, your account lead will walk you through how to use the software. It is really very easy. You will be paid your regular rate the minute you start typing.
short but sweek
I did for short period of time a few months ago and it takes forever to get your first check and then the way you bill and they pay takes an extra couple of weeks for you to receive your check. 
I worked for them for only 1 week a couple of months back and it took me over 2 months to finally get my lousy check from them. I had to keep asking for it and kept getting the run around for days and days. Totally ridiculous, IMO. I would keep looking.
Here is my short list...
My first job was with HealthScribe as a newbie. They flew us to Virginia for training which meant you actually knew some of the people you worked with. It was a great experience for a new MT. The platform was very nice as you could view other reports, and any edits made to your reports were in a different color so there was no confusion as to who typed what. Benefits were good but pay was pretty low, which is probably standard for a newbie job. I left when my account went to India and my team was left with really bad accounts. Sold to Spheris now.
I then went to MedScribe. I had some concerns about reports in MT Stars archives of checks going missing, so I asked about it up front. I was told it never happens, but my first paycheck went missing. The checks do come eventually but you learn patience in that regard. I loved my ER account but always being pushed to do acute care with heavy ESL or overflow with horrible sound. My supervisor was very nice but had to contact the upper management for most decisions/issues, and hence nothing really ever got addressed. I did stay over 4 years because my next 2 job attempts didn't work out.
I applied and was hired by Transcend but left the job before training for sudden personal reasons. The recruiter was exceptionally understanding of my circumstances. The benefits and pay seemed pretty good for my experience, but I never did transcribe any accounts.
When I decided to go job hunting again, I was hired by Medquist in early December for holiday push. The equipment finally came middle of January, and I went through the training and started working on the platform. Work at that point was low, and I bounced around in 3 different accounts. My supervisor had lost her assistant and was nearly impossible to reach. Two weeks after I was hired, my supervisor left for a week for a company event. With no other contact in the company and no clue, I left too. The pay and benefits were okay but it seemed like I would have had a very, very long learning curve.
I am now with TransTech. I actually like the VR work better than traditional typing. I struggled with the platform in the beginning because there were a lot of issues being disconnected from the server which locked the program up, but that is 100% better now. The pay is good with the incentive, insurance is BCBS which is perfect for my state - no indemnity plan, and benefits are good. Management & QA are very nice and don't talk down to you. The downside is that I am struggling now with low work even working second shift.
My short experience
I have only worked for national companies for 4 years.
Softscript: Extremely rigid schedule and not very willing to bend even for family issues. They only allowed 2 flexes per month.
Currently, I work for a company under Spheris with very low work load right now. I am seriously wondering about the future of the MT??
Short on support
Questions/concerns often answered with one word or not at all. Three different supervisors/leads in a very short time.
The pleasant and friendly recruiter turned snarky as soon as she was asked *any* questions after the initial contacts. That should have been my warning :)
My QA contact was good - the best part of the company.
Pay didn't match invoice sometimes, but discrepancy was not significant - and pay was on time.
Fortunately I had another opportunity - this was definitely not a match for me. Perhaps you'll have better luck!
Note to person above: Not all experiences are the same; yours was/is good, mine was not.
WORK FOR THEM FOR A SHORT WHILE
The dictators were terrible. The owner constantly called me. I quit after 2 week, I could not handle the constant phone calls and never got paid for what I did do...
here's the short version
I've been using it fairly steadily since November 2004. I've got DNS Medical version 9.5 with a really good microphone. Plus, I've put the time and effort into training the program. My typing speed has dropped over the years (maybe 70 wpm now) and I don't have the a particularly good memory as far as abbreviations go, so DNS is ideal for me. --- I lucked out 'cause I was able to upgrade to version 7 for about $99, and then the subsequent upgrades were not much more. The program works just fine for me, so I have no need to upgrade further.
If you want to want more in-depth information, email me and we'll chat. I just don't want to floor the board with things.
My short story
I have been applying for a new position (yes, work for the Q) and was offered IC at 7 cpl to start and 8 off QA.
I have over 13 years experience, but make quit a bit more than that now. How can that be possible for IC? I always thought IC paid more because they do not take care of taxes.
I was shocked at that offer and declined as well. At 7 cpl, 1200 lines per day, after taxes I would take home just a hair under 300 bucks.
My very first job as an MT I made 7 cpl. That is fresh out of school. I know I am doing my part! No way will I work for that rate. I will leave this field first. I can find a reception job that pays better than that! Plus my brain wont hurt so much at the end of an 8 hour shift!
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