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How do most companies handle this?

Posted By: Wondering. on 2009-10-07
In Reply to:

I recently started with a new company, so all of my work is going through QA right now.  So, last night I typed a note for a doctor that was 250 lines and at the VERY end, he said I'm sorry, just delete this dictation, I have changed my mind.  Well, I didn't delete it, I had been typing a while with all of those lines. QA picked it up and she deleted it and sent me a note telling me that the dictator requested it to be deleted and please make sure I pay attention to that next time and I no longer have those 250 lines!!!  So, is this how all companies work, because I am not sure I remember having that situation before, but it seems quite unfair that I would type that many lines and then be told nevermind ???


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How do most companies handle this?
I recently started with a new company, so all of my work is going through QA right now.  So, last night I typed a note for a doctor that was 250 lines and at the VERY end, he said I'm sorry, just delete this dictation, I have changed my mind.  Well, I didn't delete it, I had been typing a while with all of those lines. QA picked it up and she deleted it and sent me a note telling me that the dictator requested it to be deleted and please make sure I pay attention to that next time and I no longer have those 250 lines!!!  So, is this how all companies work, because I am not sure I remember having that situation before, but it seems quite unfair that I would type that many lines and then be told nevermind ???
Here's how I handle it....sm

1.  First off, if you don't stand up for yourself, others will continue to rely on you.


2.  When someone knocks on the door to visit you have to tell them that it's your work time and they need to come after ___ o'clock.  Some people think that if you work at home you have lots of flexible hours and if you don't set the rules then they don't know.  You may also want to consider posting a note by your front door that says my work hours are 9a-5p - please do not interrupt during this time or something like that. 


3.  When people call wanting you to take someone to the doctor, get horses rounded up, etc. remind them that you have a job to do and that they need to take care of their own problems.  If you were driving into a hospital or doctors office to work they wouldn't pull this stuff on you so why take it now? 


4.  Use caller ID and if you end up answering the phone politely tell the other person that you're working and they need to call back after such and such a time.  


5.  If you will stand up for yourself and do the above things you'll find yourself not being as stressed out and having actual free time again.  You will also gain respect from family/friends that currently call on you once they realize that you're serious about not being the bail out person anymore. 


Good luck!


How would you handle this?
As I said, I do like the company, like the work, and have been with them now for 6 years (do I look dumb yet). I don't like being taken advantage of, but am not sure how to approach it. The software we have to rent is their work platform, just like all companies have. I don't want to make anyone angry, but also don't know what to say. All the MTs have to do this at the company, not just me. How would you approach this? Any suggestions?
omg..that is just too much for me to handle...
thanks much for that info!
It's the same old act, different handle
I think I can remember three different incarnations of this person...I think in one of them she claimed to be Eastern European royalty or something. She sticks a finger into the wind to determine which way the wind is blowing and then intentionally goes against it or whichever will put her in what she perceives is the best light. Then, of course, in the postings where opinion is split roughly down the middle, she's flipping faster than the grill boy at McDonald's at lunch hour.

Sadly, if she pops up and agrees with anything I wrote, I feel chastised and develop the sudden urge to go back and disavow whatever it was I had written.
If you can't handle it, don't apply for it.

If you can't handle the daily volume of work then don't apply for the job.  You risk getting the job, having more than you can handle and doing either a poor job just to get it all done or not meeting your deadline.  In either case, you risk damage to your reputation when the doctor is unimpressed with your work. 


Is there another Transcriptionist you can share the workload with? 


If the problem is more a lack of experience with transcription as opposed to too high a volume of work then my suggestion is to try to get transcription experience before venturing out on your own.


Of course you can't. You Can't Handle the Truth!
zx
How about you just don't handle it and ignore it.
sometimes, less is best!

How to handle nonpayers
Contact the attorney general of your state and the attorney general of the state where the company is located. If there is a department of business regulation in either state, copy them as well. Then inform the nonpayers that you will proceed on to small claims court. Then do it.
can you handle a 12-hour window?
Our company is offering a bonus right now, as they are taking on a couple of new accounts.  It depends on so much, because where I find them great to work for, others have not. 

I have been here about six months, and have never had one issue about scheduling; however, I do work the days I have committed to, just that they have a 12-hour window in which to do it.  My supervisor has also never bothered me for the occasional flexibility, and one of the administrators even told me to go ahead and work however I want on the weekend, whether it is Saturday or Sunday. 

You do punch a timeclock, but after I got used to it, it only has helped me as you actually make a bonus for lines/hour, which if you clock in an out say an hour at a time, you get can that pretty high. 

There is a lot of ESL, but plenty of help and information to help you...

Please feel free to E if you need to...
Thanks.
I had been posting as anon. This is my new handle.
nm
Company found way to handle TAT. SM

After 5 pm, they are dumping out whatever reports are in editors ques and sending them out to MTs, but just certain MTs who have high ratings and are not allowed to leave any blanks.  Sounds like a great idea, except if one is the MT who gets stuck with all the junk, one right after the other.


This isn't VR either.


I don't know if this can be asked or not, but how does Keystrokes handle templates? (sm)

Are they prefilled by the platform and if so are they paid to the MT as having been typed by the MT or does the system subtract for the template? 


I have no problem not being paid for template characters; however, I have found (with a couple of services that I have worked for) that the platform (or client or maybe even the service) will fill in absolutely every heading that MIGHT possibly be dictated by the doctor.  We, as the MT, have then had to bounce up and down the template looking for the heading that is being dictated and in some cases, having to modify the template by extracting words to fit how the doctor is dictating that heading.  In both cases, the line counter was set up to deduct the characters from the ORIGINAL template (which we were not paid for).  If the doctor dictates a shorter heading than was prefilled by the system, we are essentially losing lines.  (I hope that wasn't too confusing.) 


It's just so much easier to type as the doctor is dictating and use my expansion program rather than jumping up and down a template.   I'm wondering how Keystrokes handles their templates.  TIA


But the newbies can handle being team leads?
Give me a &%$) break!!!
Good question! How to handle the stress.
Would be a good thing, but what does a person do?
Does anyone what national company has been hired to handle...

ProHealth Care of Wisconsin hospitals. I heard that they have now changed to a national company to do all of their work for all their facilities.


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Ok. I could handle once as a mistake if explained promptly and fixed. Twice? I would run sm
as fast as I could. Twice in two months? What if you never get paid at all? You would be better going with a national while getting your own so that you have benefits and a steady paycheck. Start your own accounts slowly so that you start right.
That is terrible. You know, those women have no idea how to handle all these big university accounts
that are moving up there. They are very very wrong about some of the things they do and it seems like they really dont know as much as they would like you to think they do. That is absolutely disgusting that they did that. I hope that MT reported them to anyone in New Jersey they could find. I would have taken that as far as I could have if I would have been her to the CEO. That is just horrendous. My goodness, why does MQ continue with them. I believe firmly if you make enough calls you will find someone that is willing to listen and take the info where it needs to go I believe that.
The key is working multiple accounts. Three months is hardly long enough to get a handle sm
on the job.  Maybe better to keep a parttime job until you are up to speed on the new job.  I haven't run out of work in almost a year (and that was only for a few minutes), but I do multiple accounts.  Great company, great people.  Nice bennies.
Plain and simple, you have to be able to handle the difficult dictators in this profession if..
you want steady, appreciated work by a national company. There are so many hoppers out there who bounce from company to company, and then come here to complain about it. Trust me, we have all had our share of tough dictation over the years. When I started MT over 20 years ago, I cried daily trying to get through those many mumblers, ESLs, etc. to make mere pennies an hour. The experience and skills that I gained by hanging in there made me a successful Transcriptionist over the years. I started out in-house, and then obtained a few local accounts, and built from there. I ran a small MT service with several subcontractors helping me. I am now with a small national, the name of which I don't want to mention. I make a good line count of .11/65 characters with spaces and have absolutley no overhead. If you are an experienced and skilled transcriptionist, there are companies out there who will pay you what you are worth. Don't settle for less. However, if you are new and inexperienced in this profession, do not expect to make a good living until you have built the skills necessary to succeed. If all that was involved in MT was getting the easy dictators or accounts, it would not take much to be good in this profession. A company needs to see that you can tackle whatever comes your way. No one ever said it was going to be easy!
I can handle micromanage and cherries, but its the bill collectors I want to stay away
You see, to me it is more than worrying about micromanaging and cherry picking. I have been in the biz long enough to develop a rough skin. It is when I do not have enough money to pay the rent or car which bothers me. So, I take the shift least wanted b/c there will be work there, I allow micromanaging and say I will do better next time, and I learn all the toughest ESLs without complaint. You see, no one can control another person, and one should know no job is perfect out there. The only thing a person can and should do is mature-up, quit whining, and get to work so the roof stays overhead, the pantry has milk and bread and the car is still outside. Of course, that is my 2.5 cents.
Youch, MQers, how do you handle DQS timesheets if you're a regular employee with no set schedule?
nm
TransTech and Medware, are these companies considered large, medium-sized or small companies? (sm)
TIA
Yikes.. That is only inline with companies like Focus and such. "Real" companies pay their MTs
decent rate.  I make over 5 cpl editing. So, if I got that slap in the face, I'd be outta there.
Do the research...most companies, and not just MT companies, do not pay for maternity leave...
we get time off but not paid...and I really don't even understand the point of you posting this...
How do you know which companies are Nationals and which are smaller companies.
Is there a list somewhere? I'm new to this.
By "most of the companies", I meant MORE than MT companies.
clarification
Sten-Tel is the platform. Different companies use it, pay and how companies run are different. nm
:P
Nobody said MT companies were not for profit companies. (sm)....
As MTs we are an important segment of what it takes for the company to thrive, but we are still just part of the whole structure.

Not trying to be argumentative, just think sometimes we get that "I'm the quarterback" attitude and forget that we can't get anywhere without our line men.
Companies that outsource to other companies?
Anyone know of any reliable companies that will outsource to American companies and pay a decent line rate? I am amazed at what the companies charge and then want to offer in this business anymore.


2 companies with that name. Was this the NJ job? nm
.
I have been through a lot of companies and
they are all the same.  I just found that out not too long ago.  I am with a company now that everyone cheers about.  They are just the same as everyone else.  Nothing to cheer about IMO.  This business has gone downhill fast.  Sad.
What companies, if any,
. . .

. . . hire and actually promote professionals who have forgotten more than many MTs know, have years and years of experience, work when needed, don't rock the boat, and produce excellent work?  At my company, the editors and managers usually have just a few years of experience as an MT, if any, and many have no management experience.  Some managers have never even seen a typed document.  That doesn't make sense.  What companies give one a chance to actually grow with them?  Any of them?  How do the promotions go to those who took an on-line class and have been an MT for 2 years?  Kudos to anyone who could answer this . . . Bewildered 


He said that some companies do that, but
usually when they do there is a reason for it, so told me to keep an eye out for future class action lawsuits or that sometimes they use it as a means to withhold severance pay, etc.  IMO - basically it's a CYA letter.  Atty agreed.  But again, IMO, why be worried about a CYA letter if you have nothing to CYA for?  Any company that wants ex-employees to sign a release from future lawsuits is definitely not up for nomination for Employer of the Year, that's for sure and just one more bit of proof that it isn't the MLSs at fault.   I'm not concerned about it, but I'm sure as heck not signing it either.  I just think it's hilarious that a few Transcend groupies come out of the woodwork ready to blame the MLSs that left as if they weren't the GOOD transcriptionists and that's why they left.  Seems to me if they weren't any good they wouldn't be able to get hired anywhere and so would want to stay put where they know they have a sure thing.
Some Companies...
Charge you per report for their useless template. What a rip off...
QA Companies
Anyone who works as a QA; I am curious as to what you think of the company you work for?  Good or bad.  Looking for a new QA position and would like some information on the companies.  Thanks.
Here are some companies
First Choice Medical
QT Medical
JLG - some accounts still on WP.
TeleType

That is all I know of right now.

Good luck.
Some Companies Pay Less
Some companies, especially small ones, lure you in by starting you at less and tell you that once you're off probation in a couple of weeks your line rate will be raised a couple of cents.  Months later, despite quality work and that pitch-in attitude during backlog periods, you're still making 6 cents a line.  A lot of good begging does....What a joke these companies are...........
Any companies out there?

with:


1.  ENT, cardiology, family practice or internal medicine work.


2.  Require a minimum line count of 500 lines a day with the option to do more.


3.  Word based with a 24-hour TAT and have direct deposit with assigned docs/accounts?


Are there any companies out there using DQS except MQ? (sm)
If I were going to try to work 2 companies at the same time until I could decide I thought it would be easier if they used the same program.  This old dog is getting too old to learn too many new tricks at once. 
That would be companies. If you
want to make it in this biz, you have to learn to spell!
Are any companies besides MQ using VR right
x
Not sure of any companies (sm)
I've worked on it for hospitals.  I am not aware of any MTSO's that use it.
companies
Diskriter has some ChartScript accounts.  A lot of hospitals use ChartScript also.  I used it with my in-house job.  Very productive platform. 
None of the companies do! That's the name of the
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
There are probably less than 5 companies
(and that is probably stretching it) that don't offshore.  I've interviewed with probably 8 companies the last 6 months, all either offshored or had less to offer me than QT.   I immediately turned down all the companies that offshored (that I knew did anyway) and all the others I turned down because it would have been a significant cut in pay.   We have a no frills lifestyle as it is so there isn't room to take a cut in pay. 
With all the companies looking for MTs
I don't understand why you are thinking unemployment.   I think you have to be unemployed xx days before you are eligible anyway.  
Which companies use - sm
ftp sites?
Thanks!
Not all companies
are like that.  That is unreasonable.  We do not expect that of our employees.  If you work both Sat and Sun you have 2 days off during the week. 
MT companies, do any of you......

have MT work available that does not entail heavy ESL dictators, like every single report?  I cannot make an adequate living on those types of dictators day after day into the night, and sometimes even into the next day.  I have 5 years experience with a lot of experience.


Just trying to understand what they want put down as far as their dictations is very, very tough, and I am losing my health as a result of having to kill my ears, straining to hear them, and trying to understand what they are saying at all.  I have no problem with some ESL, but I am having a very tough time with every single report being dicated this way by ESLs.


If you have a low ESL ratio, would you please contact me?  


I desperately need work.  I am an excellent worker, and have no money for my bills. 


I would really appreciate hearing from you.  Thanks.


Publishing e-mail addresses inside posts is not allowed.  Thank you.  Goldbird


They are two different companies
nm