I understand both sides of the argument...
Posted By: Transcender on 2005-08-03
In Reply to: Okay first it was MDI-FL, Transcend, MQ, SS - concerned. Sm
But I believe that a lot of the posts are from management. They really should not disguise themselves as MTs and try to trick people. Just let the truth be what it is, and if you do not like the truth, then do something at your company to change it. All the effort that is being put into posting on this forum by management from various companies should be put into different programs, incentives, or maybe just a nice word or two to their transcriptionists to try and make the companies better. I value this forum and believe that MTs need a place to communicate these things to one another to possibly prevent someone else from going through a bad situation. I do believe that some MTs do need to let it go sometimes, but when you know that it is management posting to try and prove you are wrong, that just makes you more determined to prove you are right. Just my opinion so don't jump all over me.
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That's a whole different argument...nm
x
Not to start a whole new argument, but sm
It seems awful strange that I know of at least 4 people that have left Transcend in the last 2 weeks or so from the same account because of lack of work all the time on either primary accounts or secondary accounts and now they don't have an ad posted, like they usually do to fill them back up fast. Hmmmm, maybe they finally realized that they overhired!!!
Ad hominem argument -- sm
I'll admit I had to look that one up. I'm not too proud to say I've probably resorted to an ad hominem argument at some point and time, but now at least I'm more aware of it.
agree 300%--no argument here
it's just all about power and money
no argument here, I just wouldn't...
have called it TOTALLY IC.
I am totally IC--no schedule, no line requirement. But, I am not lazy, I need to eat and pay bills, and us ICs don't want our company to lose the accounts. Therefore, I commit myself to 1000-1200/lines per day whether it be split or straight shifts, and I try to commit myself to 4-5 days/wk.
You had an argument about her professionalism?
your bounds by discussing something like that with her? I mean, after all, it's her company. Is it really your place to talk to her about her professionalism when you work for her?
And when you say she fired you - did she say you're fired? Seems fishy to me that she'd email in an hour about work if she really did fire you. And she doesn't have to fire you, she can just say she no longer needs your services.
That was the most well-spoken argument for
I agree 100%, as well. I know some people think that unions brought down the Big 3 automakers, but that's not so. Even their most well-paid line workers with the best bennies don't come anywhere close to what the Fat-Cats up in their designer-furniture-appointed, corner top-floor offices were (and still are) getting. For mismanagement. They aren't building the cars America wants, so they're buying Toyotas, Nissans and Hyundais instead.
When I tell people who are not in this business what an MT has to know before anyone will consider hiring her (or him), both medically and computer-literacy-wise, and then what they're expected to work for, their jaws hit the floor.
I was inhouse for many many years, but was eventually forced out, as although no one will admit to it yet, that office is job-by-job sending its work outside, and will most likely have nothing but a skeleton crew of workflow managers left before the end of next year. They couldnt be honest about it, either. They drove the top-rated, older MTs out with abusive treatment that actually made some workers physically ill. Others left an office that they realized to be a dead-end road.
So these days, many of us are working at home because that's all that's left of MT. Which is the best thing that could've happened to the most unscrupulous of the MTSO's, as not only do they not have the overhead of having to house a officeful of MTs, but they now have an 'invisible' workforce that has little to no contact with their coworkers, and often little to no contact with the office (unless of course, heaven forbid, they make an error).
I think lots of MTs know we need a spokesperson in our behalf, as we are basically an isolated bunch, swept under the rug by the healthcare industry and MTSOs alike. What unions have brought to workers like us in the past has been a VOICE. That's something few, if any MTs have these days.
I also think that after talking about this for years, thinking about it, being told it can't happen, but wishing that somehow MTs could be unionized, with our country's new leadership and thorough shaking-out of business-as-usual for the banking, stock, and auto industries, the time has finally come.
If ever an industry needed regulating, it's ours. And we're all but powerless to do anything as individuals; we have to join together for the strength to stand up to the unfair treatment we've endured for so long. We need a VOICE, and that's what unions are - they are the worker's VOICE.
We need more attention focused on the healthcare and insurance industries in this country, and that in turn may start the ball rolling in terms of bringing MT and substandard pay into public and legislative view.
I think people need to know that those of us interested in unionizing aren't talking about being over-paid, or over-compensated in any way, shape or form for what we do. All we want is a fair shake.... a decent day's pay for an honest day's work.
I'm willing to bet many of the nay-sayers on this board are possibly MTSO trolls. Those who are 'grateful' for their lousy 6 cpl jobs, or who say that it's all we deserve, are most likely the same types who think that when a woman is raped, it's her own fault.
And that's exactly what's happend to the MT industry. Gang-rape by AAMT in the beginning, and now by AHDI. By wealthy business-types who buy an MTSO not because they give a darn about healthcare, or their workers, or even know anything about medical transcription, but just because it's a good 'investment' -- to buy low and sell high, and make even more money.
(As for norma rae below, who says 'It's not 1970'; well, actually in a lot of ways it IS 1970. Do you make much more than you did in 1970? (I sure don't). Less, perhaps? Are we in a recession? Yup. Are we fighting a pointless war abroad? Yup. And are women treated as less-than-human in the workplace? Yup.
Yeah, nowadays they can't legally make sexist comments to us, force us to sit in a cigarette-smoke-filled office all day, or ask us to make coffee. But they're still sticking it to us wage-wise. Why? Because they CAN. Because we LET them. Because even in the 21st Century, many woman still believe they're 'lucky to have a job - ANY job' - and will grovel and lick the feet of anyone who tosses them a few cents and a scrap of meat. Or rapes them and tells them they 'want it'.
If ever there was a ripe opportunity to get a medical transcription union going, it's NOW. As this dismal year finally draws to a close, I hope lots of you will reflect on how much you know, and how long and how much work it took you to learn it. Reflect on how many hours you sit in front of that computer. 10 hours? 12? 14? 18 hours a day? All so that you can make that line-quota you're expected to be able to produce in 8 hours? How much overtime SHOULD you have been earning, but didn't get paid? How many of you have a poor healthcare package, or no healthcare at all? How many of you lost any hope whatsoever of being to retire - not just later, like 70, 80, or 90, but EVER? If we're going to have to work the rest of our lives to pay for all our country's 'bailouts', it would be nice if there were half a chance that our jobs will:
a) Still be here 10-20 years from now, and
b) Pay enough to be able to live on.
good argument for doing away with
being paid by the line. There's no way you can get top speed and top quality...one of the two will have to suffer.
Yes, I've seen similar embarrassing work. It's awful, & yes, it was probably done by someone who racks up billions and billions of lines per pay period, which I certainly don't.
I'm not sure I've ever understood why we are paid by the line. I suppose the argument is that this would be abused & exploited by MTs who want something for nothing & that instead of seeing it as an opportunity to do research & whatever else is necessary to produce a quality document, it would be an opportunity to work as fast as possible and use the rest of the time to eat bonbons.
Is this realistic? Are there really MTs who would do this, or is this just the stock justification for cpl?
I can't think of another profession that is paid this way. It turns us into sweatshop garment workers, not educated professionals who are one of the strongest links in the chain of patient care.
Help me out here. What are your thoughts?
Really? Because I see it on both sides
I see your point about some naysayers, but assuming the ones that are unhappy are job-hoppers and unhappy people isn't the nicest comment I've ever heard either.
I think this is really sad for several reasons. We're all at risk for our skill being replaced by VR and outsourcing, we ought to be supporting each other in ways we can make effective change by preventing that from happening as best we can and getting together and finding constructive solutions about proving that our value is just as important as expensive machinery or labor from foreign countries.
Many people are just realizing this,scared about the future, and trying to shop to find the best deal possible that's still out there, not realizing that they're all about the same at present, it's the state of affairs in the MT world.
If you want to stay with it and keep trying to find a way to beat VR and make a living still, that's cool, but it's okay to realize that some things are more tolerable on the job than others, and to each their own about what should be acceptable business practice. :)
Looking at both sides ..
I recruit and I see both sides of this story on a daily basis. We provide equipment and we pay very well and are employee status. I have people lie to me, hold equipment when they decide they are not interested in the job because they actually have to work, and have every excuse why then cannot work. On the other hand, I have dedicated, extraordinary people who go the extra mile, can actually figure out their own computer and how to turn it on and maintain their QA and really make my life a pleasure. I know that you cannot have it all .. but I will say this, if you are an MT who works for a company that can't get it together you might want to write to me and investigate working with our group. We are growing and have no intention of offshoring no matter what, have benefits available that are excellent and for employee reasonably price (family is terrible nearly everywhere though this actually covers you). I transcribe right along with people if need be and we genuinely care about the people who work with us. We are on dial up right now but will be going to our web-based system in September. We have more work than you can imagine and if you are willing to dial up with the rest of us for a fe months, then life will be good .. very good .. come the Fall. You must be willing to commit to your schedule and do your work .. sounds easier than it usually turns out to be I am sorry to say. Have a good holiday weekend.
I have to provide good argument here, though.
That is no different than the MTs (new or even experienced) who have poor medical terminology, poor grasp of the English language, etc.
For the newbies who don't know the difference -- maybe in a test they do but when transcribing they don't get it -- between a hemorrhage and a hemorrhoid in the brain. For the experienced MTs who have never understood that pleural is lung, plural means more than one.
I've seen great work by US MTs and by offshore MTs, alike. I have also seen the most horrifyingly low-quality work from US MTs and offshore MTs alike.
Your argument loses all steam when you get to
For Pete's sake! Simple - no problems, just don't sign it! You state they're likely to sign since they've been thru the trouble of testing? Sheesh! We all know that taking the test is the magic door to finding out what the job is all about. Otherwise, all details are a big secret. Only way in is if you know somebody first. So, you take the test, find out the pay blows and you say NO THANKS and move on. Glory, glory, glory - hallelujah! Amen!
Some of these posts are revolting. No argument here.
*
There are two sides to every story. The MTs sm
that commented worked/works there. You do not. So I wouldn't put to much weight to what you say.
There are two sides to every story...
I have worked for Breitner for four years and have always been paid on time. I have never had a payroll issue with this company. Just so everyone knows...if this occurred, it does not occur across the board. Let's be fair.
Not taking sides
Actually I am in the same boat as everyone else. You have to work harder to make more money because this industry does not give raises. Our economy is hurting; however, I would NOT want live in India or any other country that is being sent work because their economy is obviously worse.
Also OFFSHORING is when transcription is sent to other countries. Outsourcing is what hospitals to when they send their transcription to companies rather than being done in house.
Lots of industries are offshoring. I just sit here in my peaceful living room and decide how much money I want to earn today and determine how hard I want to work. Some days I don't want to do it at all. Other days I am grateful I don't have to go wait tables or tend bar for a second job. As much as people complain about this industry, I can't think of anything else I would want to do to make extra money.
not taking sides but...
I completely understand what you mean about the pay...it is quite a long time to wait for a full paycheck.
But...you really should have read your contract BEFORE signing it so you only have yourself to blame for that aspect.
Two sides to the coin
I have worked for Phoenix for two years on both their Emdat platform and a Lanier account. I am delighted with both though I will admit the Emdat was awkward to set up with expanders/autocorrect.
Nevertheless, the folks are a joy to work for, keep in touch enough to feel in the loop, and answer e-mails promptly. Pay is fair, work is steady. Couldn't ask for more.
Sorry, you're weakening your argument big-time. nm
for your lack of discipline in saving. But for legal purposes, they should be taking the taxes out.
I love it there.. two sides to each coin.
My team is really great. I was so thankful for the nice card, handwritten, and also an unexpected gift card.
I never overreact. I thoughtfully consider all sides. However,
the tone of your continued arrogant, hostile, and rage-filled posts only points out that you are the OP masquerading as management in a fury about an email sent out which by no means can be construed as breeching any matter of confidentiality. Your threats were laughable as witnessed by the counterposts.
You would do us all a favor now if you would go take your medication. Dosages should never be skipped. You should know that if you are an MT.
I don't know. Still trying to figure you out. You seem to be so ugly and hateful. I bet your mama had to tie pork chops to your ears so the dog would play with you.
Agree with both sides to an extent...
I worked as an IC for years before going to work for a hospital and then am now at an MTSO for the majority of my work. I also have had my own conract on the side for over 5 years. They call maybe 1-2 times a week for a missing document. When gas starting becoming outrageous early this year, I started charging them a courier fee since I still pick up tapes and print out documents. They have no complaints and I have no complaints. Seems like a win-win for both of us....and I make great money for 8-10 hours a week of their work since he has gotten to be so easy to do. So, for extra money, this is DEFINITELY the way to go. I know a friend who started her own MTSO and it is a pain marketing/invoicing and doing administrative work and has heck of a time finding and keeping quality subcontractors. If I oould find another client like THIS one, I'd be working 20 hours a week and making full-time money!
Well, then I come to this board to get both sides of the story
and I appreciate hearing your experience. The best thing for me to do is be aware of this, keep working at my old IC job, and try this one out. If I see what you are saying, then it simply will not work out for me. What I have to decide about though is do I need the stress of even trying. It has been a bad year in transcription and I am not in the mood for many more of these types of games. Simply put. So do appreciate your feedback and I probably should have just stuck with the IC I have and increase the work load. Now I have to go through this trying out a job again, and ugggg, what a pain in the neck!
I think we DO need to "take sides" on this issue.
This lawsuit, or even the threat of one by an MTSO of an MT, is nothing more than an attempt at INTIMIDATION. It's the big companies' modus operandi these days: 'You're lucky to have a job, so accept that 3cpl and quit yer bellaching.' 'MTs can be sued for typos.' 'Say anything against us, even if it's true, and we'll sue your @$$es.'
MT has become an 'Us vs. Them' scenario, and regardless about how you may or may not feel about this one particular company is really beside the point. This is a large company that represents other large companies just like it, and when ANY company starts to throw its weight around in order to try to 'control' what MTs do, it affects all of us. We certainly wouldn't want them setting a precedent and this sort of thing becoming the norm, would we?
MTs need to stick together and support each other, even if there is some perceived risk in doing so. ESPECIALLY if there is risk. Because when a company acts in such a manner towards a current or former employee, it ultimately affects ALL of us.
Gees just mentioning arguring started an argument
Just not worth it. It's all about respect....and maturity.
No argument about AHDI sucking an egg, but I suppose it is just personal sm
preference. When I started transcribing 35 years ago or so, I had never heard of AAMT or anything like it, but the people in the Medical Records Department (which of course his now referred to as HIM -- why keep things the same if you can change them constantly for no rason) who transcribed the reports were called transcriptionists. The machine I used to access the dictation was called a transcriber.
Of course, it is no big deal and I shouldn't get so hung up with labels. I worked briefly for an Indian company (felt like I was sleeping with the enemy but that's another story), and they called us transcribers … ugh.
There are 2 sides to every story. If you were a good employee, sm
if you called the office and told them that you had a medical emergency, there is no way on this green earth that they would lock you out of your account for that reason. Absurd. I've had to leave work due to illness. That's part of life. TransHealth is extremely accommodating.
There is more to the OP's story than meets the eye.
I have worked on both sides, Merit and dictaphone.
I think the Dictaphone is better but the account I had you could not view old reports. You could open up another text client and view them that way, but opening up 2 word documents of any kind messed things up and I had to get out of everything and start over.
As far as the dictators, I had an easy-dictator account with both Merit and Dictaphone and yes, there was more than enough work to do on the Dictaphone side but the Merit account ran out quite a bit. I had encountered 3 different team leads during my stay tere and all were as nice as they could be.
Interesting posts. It is good to hear both sides
I can understand the employees who want everything and give very little back. Very frustrating.
But then you have the situation described for the employee where there is no job satisfaction, no family/personal life allowed or frowned upon by management and no chance for promotion. And then being compared to an Indian who has a completely different social environment.
I know mothers who are IC and while they do take time off during the day for their kids (how dare they make dinner for those kids and hubby) but then they work long into the night after kids and hubby have gone to bed. There are no weekends with their family either. And the work reward is the pay will be lowered because the client wants to pay a lower rate. It is not exactly incentive to work hard without any breaks and ignore the family in favor of what the company needs.
I remember years ago working for a start up company and the manager did not want the single girls to date at night and instead work late. She thought they should be devoting their time to their career in transcription. Well a Transcriptionist could do that but whether she worked harder or not the pay would be the same and she would always be a transcriptionist. The manager on the other hand if the company did well would receive promotions and raises I am sure. So that is the difference....management perks vs worker bee perks. It was easy for her to give up a social and personal life because the rewards but the transcriptionist typing straight for hours and hours would see the same pay day in day out, no advancement or recognition for working harder other than not having a manager angry.
However after reading that post I will be aware and really give it my all. I do understand the need for a better work ethic. I see what the management wants and needs. Especially when managers are spending Thanksgiving with their families and the transcriptionist is working for 7 cpl with no break. It is the American way of doing business. 
Remember..."There are 2 sides to every story" and "you can't believe everything you read
x
What I don't understand is this-
But I still don't understand
They never have anything positive to say, except about themselves. I guess we don't need to ask anymore questions after we come to that conclusion.
So, let me understand (sm)
That this is your first career/job out of high school and you are getting 8.5 cpl for clinics and they are mentoring you? Did you hire in at that? How long have you been there to be offered QA with such little background in MT? (no offense) I have 10 years experience and they are talking 8 cpl to me. Hmmm.....
I think we can all understand
The typo police don't have to come out every time. Get a life. We all work with words all day long and when you get on here, you might be a little tired. Give 'em a break.
I don't understand it, either. sm
It'd be great if MTs came here and supported each other. This is NOT a great field to be in, IMO. We should be banding together as sisters (and brothers) in the same boat.
I wish the monitors would institute a zero-tolerance policy toward people who deliberately harass someone here like this person or people were doing to Metrochick.
Don't understand
I couldn't afford to stay in business if I paid people for NOT working. I can understand if the computer is down or if there is a problem, but just because there is no work, a company would go broke. Can I bill the doctors if they do not dictate a day? How can I pay you if I cannot bill a customer for work? This work has always been up and down -- feast or famine my father used to say. But through the years -- now over 20 -- I have learned to save for the lean times. Like I said if the problem was on my end due to machinery malfunction but if docs don't send in the dication how can I pay you for something I cannot bill out to them?
I Understand more now
I understand more now of what you are saying. I agree with you more than when I first read your post. It is so hard to juggle in this job market. There are so many pieces that fit into the cpl you charge the client, the transcriptionist, supplies, QA time, software, etc. that is it very hard for an owner to make much and when an account is down for the day to pay those people that should be on it while it generates no income is double hard. It is really hard to strike that balance of being staffed correctly for both the busy and slow times of the year. A lot of it is out of my control. You are probably with a larger company that can afford to pay you for 8 hours of work and generating income from only one. They count that into their overhead. I have only 5 accounts of 2-3 docs, have 2 part-times and am the QA, owner, Transcriptionist also. But on those accounts that my gals type, I make only 25 to 30% max on what they type which a lot of times generates out to only $7 to $9 an hour for doing pick-up, pick-up, delivery, printing, etc. That is why in 2006 I am going to probably cut back to doing only what will keep me with a decent income to pay my bills and I do not have to worry about having enough work for the gals, doing the running, etc. My guilt is high when the docs are on vacation or it is a slow time and the gals have no work but I cannot cut myself short either. Enough rambling on, - I do understand more and I think that if your company is not paying you for the time, they know they have overstaffed themselves to cover those times when the need is heavy and thus I would probably look for another company that staffs more evenly. Sorry I rambled on so much.
The way I understand it . . .
they are instituting what they're calling a pilot program to sort of test the waters of offshoring work by starting to send a small percentage of work overseas in order to be competetive with their contract fees. No, I don't think they're doing it yet, but it is obviously going to happen at least to a small extent in the near future. We have to accept this as the trend of the future because it's happening everywhere, like it or not.
What does this mean for MTs? I don't understand.
?
Understand. Thank you!
x
I understand!
That is why I love it when they post unqualified applicants need not apply!
I can understand...
I worked for an Iranian doc in office and there was a woman there that'd worked for him for about 13 years. He would call her at 3 am because he thought of something he wanted to tell her (she was also an MT). He did this all the time. As far as I know she's still there because he pays so well.
I understand all that.
The point is that besides the tons of different work types there are VERY different account specifics from hospitals all over the country. I am well versed in different work types; that was not the issue. The issue was all the different account specifics that changed on a weekly basis to boot. It became where we had no primary account. How is that productive for them or for me?
I understand that...
That is my exact point that the PTO accrues so slowly that how do they expect you to use this for your maternity leave!! Actually right now I earn less than 4 hours every two weeks and I can't accrue any because I have to use it for holidays and when there is no work unless I want to work all through the night after I have just sat all day waiting for work!! Do this make more sense... I was just told I wanted to be a maternity rider when that is not the case. All I came on here to do was to try to find a better job with more PTO then maybe when I do have a baby I can take two weeks off with it at least...at this rate I will have to come right back to work like two days after I pop a kid out! I never wanted to get into a XXXX match with anyone over maternity leave, but that is what it has turned out to be!!!
I know, don't understand it either!
there really is no proofing while you type. Proofing is going back and proofreading a document after it's done. Doesn't everyone technically read the words as they type??? And with all that going on at once, you miss things. On the other hand, I do not blame MTs who do not proofread the documents at the end, definitely less production and hence less money. I'm going to tell you a secret...lol..I just started skimping a bit on that myself. If I have a small mistake, oh well. I need to make a living here! :)
No, you don't understand.
My account with them DID pay for headers and footers and I always randomly check my line count against the ESCRIPTION (not Editscript) metrics of the company. This week it is off consistently and in talking with the company was told the client does not want to pay for headers any longer ???? so without letting us know, we are suddenly not paid for completing demographics. I simply wanted to make sure others were aware of this as this evidently can happen anywhere at anytime and no one at the company may feel compelled to share this info with the MTs.
I understand what you are trying to say, or what
is bothering you. I have been in this industry my entire adult life - a LONG time - and I agree that most companies have changed in that they just don't share info that is really pertinent - like not getting paid for headers anymore. Its sneaky to me, or underhanded, and just breeds contempt or suspicion in the MTs. Or, the company can have an uppity attitude, like why on earth is it the MTs business what they are getting paid for or not? Which also makes me feel bitter. I remember the old days of honest communication - the news might not have been good, but I handled it well. They treated me with respect, and I felt like a professional. Gone are those days, and it is a shame. 
This is what I don't understand........
Wouldn't it have been more beneficial to everyone involved to sell the company rather than just let it die a painful death?
I don't understand...
why they yell at the MTs when it is not their fault? The MTs get blamed for everything!!!!!!!!! Grrrrr
I don't understand
how you can say they ALWAYS pay on time when just this past Friday they were late with direct deposit
I don't understand something sm
How do you have any contact with anyone in upper management? I work there; I never even hear from upper management. I talk to my manager and that's it. What morale problems are your referring to, because I couldn't be happier here?
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