Hospital concerns for benefits.
Posted By: IC for a hospital on 2005-10-01
In Reply to: "twisting The Knob" - if each of us told just 1 person in medicine about how this is done - how long will nationals be around?
Many MTSO's are hiring only ICs now with no no benefits given. Now given these are mostly smaller company's. But why don't the hospitals form their own and contract out. That's basically what some of the smaller MTSO's are. They use the hospitals equipment. I work for a small rural hospital as an independent contractor. I worked inhouse for 2 years doing their Basic 4 and radiology reports. For family reasons I was planning to leave but they offered to send me home to work. Since my husband had medical benefits, I did not miss the benefits at the hospital. But this situation worked out fine since I had a sick child that I was paying daycare for when he was not even there but home sick. Ten years later, I am still working at home for the same hospital. Hospital's work has grown and I am not willing to work so much now. The hospital thought about hiring a MTSO but decided not to after they found out what they charged. Which was about 3 times what I did. They hired part-time Transcriptionist themselves to cover what I could not do. So, to all those below who thinks it wound not benefit the hospitals, here's one story where everyone benefits.
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Boy, would I do it for the benefits only ! Hospital, where are you ? nm
b
Hospital Benefits
The hospital benefits differ depending on each individual hospital, but they are less expensive in general. For my hospital, medical insurance is about $200 per month for the most expensive PPO for family.
I do know that if you are looking into one of the hospital employee positions, you have to live in a state compatible with who the hospital accepts, i.e. usually that state and the states surrounding it. I believe it has something to do with the state tax withholding, so not everyone will be able to work for the hospital directly. Make sure you ask about it though with the recruiter. They did the same thing to me (tried to push the Diskriter position), even when I specifically applied for the hospital position. Good luck
Even hospital benefits are sky high
I work full-time at a hospital and basic family coverage without dental or vision is over $300.00 a month out of the employee's pocket, around $65 for single.
That is exactly why hospital outsource so they do not have to pay out benefits, but..
You would at least think we were worth some decent benefits, good insurance at the very least but I guess if you work at home, you dont get sick LOL.. Point well taken as I have worked in a hospital and that was exactly why they outsourced. The hospital budget did not allow for any more employees.
Any companies out there that offer the hospital benefits besides Diskriter
I currently work in-house a hospital but they do not have at-work positions and I would like ot work at home so I wondered if there were other companies and/hospitals that hire at-home MTs with full benefits....besides Diskriter as I have not heard a lot of good news about them and it makes me nervous to apply.
Agree somewhat. I have done transcripion at a hospital and we did have benefits for PT status.
You just acrue it at a different rate but I certainly never had them take back all of my PTO I had earned when my status fell to less than FT. I even earned PTO time but just less per pay period, but to each his own. They do it because they can.
I'd do it in a heartbeat. You'll never beat a hospital's benefits or job security.
I like the idea of going to my job every day, doing it well, and being done with it. You are not penalized pay-wise if you dont happen to meet your line count and the incentives are nice. I'd say jump from that sinking ship and jump aboard job security.
There's no comparison in being a hospital employee with benefits working rotating weekend and IC
Initially what made being an IC worth sacrificing benefits was having a flexible schedule. I have read the laws and have done research. An independent contractor is not obligated to a set schedule and this definitely includes holidays and weekends. So what if this is a 24/7 business? How many hospital workers do you know that work every weekend with no benefits?? Nada! I knew student nurses who chose 24 hours every weekend so they could go to school thru the week, but they were compensated quite well at 40 hours with full benefits.
A company may hire a lot of misinformed ICs for Sun-Th and Tues - Sat schedules, but by law they are pushing the envelope. ICs need to remind these companies what the legal definition of an IC is. I'm sure they remember that we don't receive benefits. They want it both ways. If I'm going to be an IC with the only benefit being flexibility, there's no way I'm giving that up!
A national I worked for, which I won't name (squid)tried that on us after taking over our company. They even used scare tactics. We still didn't get on every weekend. There was nothing they could do and they knew it.
My concerns
First with the job application. They already have all this information on me. I am not giving out references again, and I am not agreeing to a credit/background check. Everytime someone pulls your credit file, it lowers your score slightly. Not going there. Plus, will they somehow use this against us in the future as far as our years of service and make it appear as we did not start with the company until September 15, 2007?
Second, employment agreement. I have a problem with items 4 and 5. I don't plan on sticking around with this company forever. The only reason I stay is because I love my accounts. If they move on (very likely), then so will I. It is quite possibly that I might indirectly divert business from SPI if I go work for a company that has taken one of their accounts. Agreeing to $1000 sanction if that is the case? I don't think so.
The whole arbitration agreement is just a complete farce. From everything I have read, the employee really suffers when matters are taken in front of an arbitrator rather than an actual court of law. SPI knows they have issues. What about the fact that they don't pay time and half for OT? I bet the DOL would love to hear about that one. I could see down the road a whole bunch of MTs trying to file a class action suit, and I think the legal team at SPI is really worried about the same thing, hence this agreement.
Off my soapbox. And it's very early. Too early to worry about spelling or typos, so don't beat me up.
none as far as it concerns me
My point was only that MDI isn't taking on VR to pocket more for themselves. I'm well aware how this affects me personally.
Concerns
I understand your concerns. I am an employee and would not have it any other way. Every individual’s situation is different and the company is aware of that. I am sure they will work with you. Give them a chance, you might be surprised.
I understand your concerns
I have google'd myself to death, LOL. I did get an interesting email today, but I have a hunch it's not what you're talking about. I wish I could leave my email address, but I have the same problem as you do and my email would be too easy to track down. I guess I'll just have to wait .
I have my concerns too. This year not even a
Christmas card. There have been a couple other things that when added to this pot leaves me wondering what is going on.
I certainly have let D know my concerns but to no avail. nm
nm
Sorry..I meant THIS concerns their
medical records
What concerns me is that the rule is
Unless you like being banned, then keep on having laughs over the job seeker's board posts. It happened to me, so I like to tell people that I was instantly banned for pointing something out on a job post. It is not acceptable no matter what the forum or nature of the job posting. It is not really up to you or I to decide what is just having a laugh! The moderator has posted this in the past. NO MAKING FUN OF THE JOB POSTS. Someone may want to apply, do you think that there are only American MTs in America? Do you think only foreign MTs stay in their country? Even if the job was foreign in nature, that doesn't give anyone the right to poke fun or have a laugh at someone else's expense especially someone who is offering jobs!!!!!!!!! 
I know the feeling here and that is what concerns me. nm
x
I definitely share your concerns...
In my previous post I was and am trying to stay hopeful, as I really enjoy working with MDI like you, when I talked about possibly changing to another account. In reality, I feel as you do, that I just don't think there will be enough work on straight MT side to provide that. I just don't understand why such a great company like MDI is offering such a pitance for VR when most other companies are offering 4-5???? Just don't get it. Again, I'm trying to remain hopeful and would like to believe what the leaders at MDI told me about tripling the line count, but seriously, in reality I really KNOW it is just not possible.
Does anyone have any ideas about anything we can do? Perhaps approach MDI/Dorothy as a group with our concerns??
Do you really think owners have time to come on this board to know there are any concerns? sm
If you really and truly believe they are offshoring, ask them. Tell them you have concerns and that you have heard they were outsourcing!. I know for a fact that L is still quite involved in the company and believe me, they have hired new people; people who just couldn't cut it and were not good enough to put out quality work; QT has always, always prided themselves in quality! If an MT can't do quality work, why keep them? It's a waste of time and money! I just know one thing, I will do my all this week to help get us back in TAT. You do what you have to do!
I don't think there would be any greater conflict concerns than there would be with any kind
;+
I'm not saying you don't have valid concerns but I sincerely feel...
You all should be entitled to have your own board. I've done the Transtech thing a few years ago. This is all old news. Same as most of the companies on here, you either love them or hate them but I feel there is a ton of people that work there or people who want to work there and you should have your own board to discuss this.
well I sure didn't I was fired for voicing my concerns
Would they take me back?
Transcend Line Count Concerns - SM
Any fellow Transcenders have knowledge of how the company handles not meeting line requirements, especially if low to no work on your account. Are there warnings given or do they just pink slip you immediately? Anyone had ANY experience whatsoever with this....Thanks so much. Am worried.
Do Not Fear Retribution for Sharing Concerns
Denise:
Thanks for the kind words about my post. It is my sincere attempt to ensure that every team member feel valued and empowered to be successful. It is regrettable to hear your concerns for simply sharing your feelings and yet I can understand because I do know that these types of passive/aggressive response have been taken by managers of our organization and virtually all others.
Denise, it is my job and responsibility to make sure each team member has a voice and that their concerns are heard. While I can't always provide everyone with exactly what they want I am typically able to help. I hope you will feel comfortable sharing your concerns with me.
Thanks again for the reply and sentiments.
Jeff E. McNeese
SVP, Operations
DTS America, Inc.
T: (877) 387-6876 ext. 115
F: (615) 329-2298
jeff.mcneese@dtsam.com
yourvoice@dtsam.com
Once upon a time, a surgeon responded to my concerns
The girls were tearing up the 3 surgeons up one side and down the other. And OMG, what they had to say about the office manager!!! I felt they were betraying the man who fed them. So...I went into his office and said, Dr., the morale is very low, the office staff are very upset, threatening to find new jobs and I thought it should be addressed during a staff meeting.
His response was: Do not pay attention to what they say. Venting is a necessary part of being a part of the work force (when you are an employee). The doctor brushed it off,did not want to hear the details and he did not really care who was the instigator. He felt that as long as they showed up on time, held up their end of the load and were pleasant with the patients (anorectal surgeons - ouch).
That office staff who whined and complained and ridiculed was with the surgical team for over 10 years - An RN, 2 front office, insurance cler and med Records gal.
Huge Bonuses (which say THANK YOU!) at Christmas brought momentary pleasantness but come mid January, they'd start again, feeding off each other, like a bunch of women at a Sewing Circle (have you seen the pic on this website depicting us as women in a sewing circle, dear?)
Bottom line - it is harmless. If money is there and then not there, without warning, a person who is not complaining about it is the one I'd be curious about.
I've had concerns for at least a year. I'm a long-term
QTer so I have seen lots of changes. Not that I expect anything, but we've always gotten something for MT week and this year not even a card and the whole stink over Christmas. The IRA thing doesn't have me really concerned. From what I understand they only hire ICs now. I know they've had some long-term people leave who might have been employees, so it might not be cost efficient to continue the program. I haven't had a raise in several years and these days I'm just glad to have a paycheck. I don't know how much of the work is being offshored, but you would think that would free up some $$, unless they have had to hire extra QA people. I like not having lots of e-mails/phone calls, but I also would like to know what is going on. I denied for months they were offshoring, but when I got proof it was a slap in the face and I felt like we should have been told about it. There seems to be plenty of work on my account so the offshoring hasn't affected me directly. So far the checks are always on time and have never bounced.
Things have definitely changed and I don't think for the better, though I've interviewed with several companies lately and haven't found one yet that is better than QT. I just try to do my lines and be thankful for a paycheck and just accept the fact that the company will never be what it was.
This is the thing that concerns me about this field. Pay is staying the same not increasing!
Every OTHER medical field, nursing, therapists, techs, etc. are all experiencing the yearly salaries going up. Transcription compensation is not increasing.
While they may increase the RATES the ability to make the more money is not there because of VR, taking away the header allowances, more difficult accounts, more ESLs, stricter QA, etc., etc. slow platforms that require information inserted that you don't get paid for and anything else that lowers your salary. If hospitals are looking to slash their transcription budget, they are going to pass that onto the service and the service will pass that onto to the employee.
I know transcriptionists that were making 45-50K in 1987 working 40 hours and now they are making 35K and often times working more than 40 hours to make that lower amount. Or I hear people say I can make the same money but I must work much harder and longer hours. I think wow...you have to work harder and longer to make what you made in the 1980s.
Other occupations have gotten consistent raises without the need for more hours and I don't think employees would put with up it. Imagine a well qualified R.N. being offered a 1987 salary? The hospital would have a hard time hiring nurses. But the transcription service environment is so competative if they can offer the work cheaper and cheaper while guaranting accuracy they will get that contract. So in order to stay in business they have to find a way to pay the Transcriptionist the least amount of money to see their profits which they need to stay in business.
Of course if transcription is all you know and you don't to work in an office or get a job at Starbucks you keep going and accept the pay because we really have no control. You have to work with what they offer you.
I've never had a problem with checks or insurance before so that is what concerns me.
But, I will be following up on Monday. I was just hoping that anyone who had this happen could confirm that is the way it is done. Thus far, no one has really confirmed this so that is a good sign.
Funny some of us were written letters by company attorney when we posted our concerns here
:(
Diskriter off off offshores - and on some hospital accounts - they have not informed the hospital
x
Jewish is the main hospital, St. Mary's is another hospital under their management. (nm)
x
First for hospital, then outsourced still on same hospital work
and believe it or not, the hospital was so much easier. Had worked at the hospital for 11 years before they outsourced and then worked another 3+ years for the company they outsourced to. What a difference! The company had so many rules and regulations you could hardly keep up with them all, thousands of them, on the same account, mind you. The higher ups would not leave you alone, constant IMs about any and all. I have gotten to the age where I do not need all that and walked the other week. Have scheduled testing with another hospital for this month. Hope I make the cut, love the hospital work 1000 times more than a company.
Also looking into them. Do they have benefits?
TIA. 
How are the benefits and
do they pay according to experience, i.e. will they match what you are making elsewhere if they have more work than one can handle lately if one tests high with them? If you know, please tell.
DSG benefits
Quoted me at over $1000 per month for two people. Needless to say, did not take it!
Same here! What benefits?
x
? Benefits
What health insurance benefits does KS have? I have heard they are not paying anything toward it and it is very expensive.
Benefits
I just put in a call today as I am looking for benefits now as my husband was just laid off. I can take Unicare for $354 per month until January 1st when Blue Cross/Blue Shield kicks in. The cost on that is $256 per month (my share) as Keystrokes picks up 25% of the employee portion. Seems to be average as that is around what my husband paid at his old company.
Benefits
SAAAWEEET!!  I LOVE KEYSTROKES!! Just when you think they were the best... THEY GET BETTER!!!
No benefits necessary
hd
How about FT with benefits?
x
Benefits
I think Cymed is worth looking at. They have a few different options and deductibles so you can try and find a fit with your needs. Also it is BC/BS, plus dental and vision. Not sure how their costs compare to others out there, but no matter where you go the cost of benefits has gone through the roof unless you can actually hook up with a hospital. Good luck.
PS - got many more benefits where I went
LOL - much, much better.
How about benefits?
Medical, PTO, etc. TIA.
Benefits
Do they provide benefits?
Benefits
For health insurance, all the plans had fairly high deductibles. The lowest deductible and most expensive to the employee was $1500 up to $3000. Dental seemed to be basic. Also, they don't kick in until 1st of the month after your 90-day probationary period, assuming you are meeting your production. Didn't stay long enough to qualify.
FN benefits
I really don't see what ALL the hullabaloo is about regarding FutureNet and whether they offer this or that as far as benefits, DD or whatever. As an independent contractor, if you have to get health insurance for yourself and dependents, look at the cost as a tax deduction for heaven's sake.
To be eligibile for DD, you have to CONSISTENTLY make 14K lines a pay period and I for one, would much RATHER pay the extra $25 and know that my check is going to get to me by 12 noon the next day. You will receive an email with the tracking # etc, the Thursday before.
Take into consideration too, that there are a LOT of services out there that do NOT offer benefits or direct deposit. I have been in this business 25 years, and I for one, LOVE the flexibility of being able to work for a service when I want to, and not having to work someone's set schedule, just because of benefits or whatever. It's a choice that YOU and only YOU can make.
No benefits. IC only. nm
x
Benefits
No more than anywhere now a days and definitely cheaper than trying to get them on your own. Benefits have gone through the roof pretty much everywhere.
benefits
The way I see it is I will pay nearly $400-500 out of every check for benefits? Is that true?
benefits
thats about right
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