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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

If you've switched companies, encourage the rest!

Posted By: Donna on 2008-06-04
In Reply to:

If you've decided to join us in the fight to keep our confidential health information and MT jobs in the states and not sent overseas, PLEASE let us know and help encourage others to do the same.  I recently have and currently work for MDI-MD.  We really need to keep encouraging each other to make the move.  If you're not sure if a company outsources to either Pakistan, India, or the Philippines, just ask here.  We'll help figure it out for you!


Let's not quit and let this just remain a hot topic for a week or so!  WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER!  Remember, if you take a cent less in pay, it's well worth it to help an American MT-based company prosper and help these companies that are more concerned about money than Americans' jobs lose MTs and possibly large accounts that these American MT-based companies could have a chance at acquiring.


This is US TAKING A STAND!  I just want to encourage you all to truly consider this. 


The companies I know of that definitely don't outsource offshore right now after THOROUGH research are Keystrokes, Axolotl, MDI-MD (where I work).  I'll keep researching.  Just remember to post here if you are questioning a company.  I'm still researching others and am including Pakistan and the Phillipines in my searches.


I'm contacting medical facilities in my area (Pennsylvania) to let them know that their confidential medical information could possibly be outsourced offshore and to consider helping keep jobs in America by researching their MTSO and hire a company that doesn't do this.  If you feel inclined to reach medical facilities in your area/state, PLEASE do this for all of your fellow MTs.  I know there is at least one of you in each state on this board! 





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It might even encourage the companies who care...
to truly offer more for American MTs. If they know we are willing to make them stronger against the Indians, et al, this might be the encouragement to pay a little more for better quality.
Like the rest of the good companies who sold
nm
Please don't encourage something like this!
praising. This Company board is notorious for some of the most heartless scam artists and shark recruiters in the industry. I needn't name names, but anyone who has hung here for a while knows. They constantly prey on newbies, use them for a month or two, never pay them, and then toss them when they are done. They are shameless. You have no idea that kk is not one of these sharks. Maybe kk means well, but obviously kk has no idea of the industry, either. If kk were to hire onto a job for 11.5 cpl, or anything per line, and then turn around and farm out her work to someone else, a stranger, who then returns their work to kk for proofing, who sends it in to their MTSO, well, guess what? KK is now a SUBCONTRACTOR. There are lots of legalities to that, the least of which is taxes to newby who is getting paid by KK, not to mention KK's original source of work, who might not allow subcontracting. Remember those pesky little laws we have in MTing?? You can't do what KK is just so casually offering the OP. Let's hope for the best that KK was, indeed, just trying to be nice. But I seriously 100% doubt it - nobody can be in this business enough, and make an offer slick enough as that, to not know what they are doing. PLEASE believe me on this one, KK might not be the saint you would like to believe. I understand your wanting somebody out here to be a good guy, but I doubt this is the case here.
Trying To Encourage You
Sometimes people fire you for reasons they don't want to explain. You mentioned that your company is increasing its outsourcing on a daily basis. That's one possibility. Other possibilities include the proverbial personality clash, jealousy, or just wanting to hire their relative instead of you.

That said, wait a couple of days and then take a deep breath, and go back in and ask to see examples of your reports that demonstrate the quality issues they referenced in firing you. Ask them to show you your mistakes.

If they agree to do that, try to write down the biggest mistakes, then go home and learn from those mistakes before you apply for new positions elsewhere.

If they don't agree to do that, see paragraph #1. You probably weren't fired for quality problems in that case.

Either way, you have already invested yourself in MT as a career. Don't let one person (who may be misinformed, jealous, vindictive, or anything else) take away your dignity. You can and will find a better job, and if you want it to be in MT, it will be!

Good luck!
The owner will encourage you to
talk to her current staff, etc., but that is definitely biased.  An anonymous board like this is is a safer.  
Don't know about platform. They do encourage (sm)
backup accounts.
So, MTSOs actually ENCOURAGE the leads.sm
to cherry-pick only the work they want to do -- a wonderful setup!.  This, and their salary, too.  Which doesn't surprise any of us, but where does this despicable and unfair practice leave the regular MTs, who are not salaried and only have the measly few pennies per line for the garbage that they are allowed, even encouraged, to throw at us? 
Yeah, but the AMA doesn't encourage patients to go
Yes, it happens.  But the AMA doesn't encourage it.  The AAMT on the other hand has done more to systematically destroy the MT profession than any other organization out there.
Careful. If you encourage poster to be proactive & U
x
I've had to do this for several companies
I have forgotten the number of the form employers have to have signed stating you are a US citizen, but part of the form requires proof such as DL or SS...other types of ID are accepted. I have submitted a copy of my passport in lieu of my DL (in the middle of moving and DL did not have correct home address). This is a federal law, so it isn't anything unusual about the company you are going to be working for.
I can think of a few companies I've been with that
s
Does the Medical Transcription industry encourage job-hoppers?

First off I want to make it clear that I am not “bashing” any MTs by asking the questions below.  Also sorry this is so long.  Please bear with me.   -- Spelling and grammar police please take a break !!! 


 


I have been following some posts and just got curious.  So if we all could just take a deep breath, give it some serious thought, stay on point and not get carried away with other opinions, I think we can get some good honest opinions about why the MTSOs are treating their employees like “equipment.”  


 


What I have noticed is that when there are MTs looking for information about certain companies they often get replies such as:  I worked for them but “left after 1 month – 2 months – 6 months,”  Then there are MTSO owners who complain that after offering an MT a position the MT either says “no thanks” the day they are suppose to start working or are never heard from again.   This gives me the impression that there are MTs out there who treat working as an MT like they treat buying a new pair of shoes --- try them out for awhile and then return them if they don’t fit.  No emotional attachment involved. 


 


I am fast approaching 60 years of age and have been an MT for over 35 years.  I was one of the first to take the CMT test when AAMT first organized way back when.  My first MT job was transcribing from cassette tapes, using a typewriter and sticky paper for clinic notes and sheets of paper for hospital reports.  So obviously I have seen a lot of changes in the MT business.  Personally over the past 35+ years I have had 6 employers (4 inhouse before MTSOs offered working from home and 2 national MTSOs for the past 15 years).   Personally I am TERRIFIED of having to find a new job --- interviews, equipment setup, new platform to learn, loss in earnings during training, and so forth and so forth.  That being said I have a feeling I will need to be looking for a new position within the next six months and I am curious as to what type of employment search atmosphere I will be encountering. 


 


My curiosity stems from my impression that many MTs are comfortable “job-hopping.”  When they state they only stayed at a company for 1-2-6 months it is presented as matter-of-fact – no-big-deal.  I can see why they feel that way.  With several hundred MTSOs out there and most constantly looking for new employees, even the worst MT in the world could start working at age 20, work for a different company every 6 months and still not work for them all by the time they retire.  In my opinion that is what is causing the MTSOs to treat their MTs so badly, offer them less and less as starting wages, and not be responsive to questions or problems.  The MTSO invests quite a bit of money into hiring a new employee.  They either have to pay someone in their HR Department or a Recruiting Agency to do the initial resume search, testing, and interviewing.  There is a ton of paperwork.   If the MTSO supplies the computer, their IT Department has to set up the computer and ship it out which means shipping charges for the computer or paperwork.  And someone has to train the new MT.  All those expenses are incurred by the MTSO before the MT even starts to produce.  I can see why some of the MTSOs are resorting to questionable “bait and switch” tactics.  They probably also send out the oldest computers to the new MTs to cover themselves in case the MT quits and doesn’t ship it back in a timely manner.  It seems to me that the majority of complainers about type of work, amount of work, or computer problems that they are experiencing are the newly hired MTs. 


 


Because of all the “short-term” complainers, someone looking for information about a particular company is often given incomplete or misleading opinions based on limited information.   Can anyone honestly with 100% accuracy adamantly state a company is “#1” or “the worst on earth” when they only worked there for 2 months?  I would love to see any MT who posts a positive or negative comment about a company to also admit to how long they actually worked for the company and if they are currently employed there or not.  I think that would give their opinions a lot more weight. 


 


Obviously, not every MTSO is the “dream job” for every MT and for any MT to state they work for the “best company” is hubris and can even be fighting words to employees of other good or even great companies.  It can also lead to disappointment when an MT applies to the “best company” only to find out it does not fit their needs.  I feel that if the MTs on this board would try to leave personal opinions aside and give relevant information about a company it would be easier for an MT to find a good fit with ONE company and not have to “job-hop,”   If more MTs would work for a company for at least a year before quitting and moving on maybe the MTSOs would actually be willing to offer newly hired MTs the same respect they offer the MTs that have been working for them for 5-10-15 or more years.  


 


Finally to my questions.  I am curious to see if my opinion is based in fact.  Are there a significant number of MTs who “job hop?” 


 


These questions are primarily directed at employees of MTSOs, large or small, but  inhouse hospital or clinic MTs are also welcome to respond.  I realize IC MTs have a whole different set of guidelines they go by and often have multiple clients at the same time.  But if you are an IC and wish to give your opinion, please feel free to do so – just state that you are an IC so there is no confusion.  


 


Please answer as many questions as you feel comfortable giving information about (I hope you will answer most because of the anonymity of this board):


1.  How long have you been working as an MT?


2.  How many DIFFERENT companies have you worked for (even if it was only for a few hours) in the last 10 years?  (If you left but came back later that is only 1.) 


3.  How many companies have you accepted an offer of employment from but then never actually started working for them?


4.  How many companies have you quit working for within the first pay period?


5.  How many companies have you quit from? 


6.  Have many companies have you been terminated from (I guess the word “fired” from is no longer politically correct)  i.e. you were not meeting line requirements, QA requirements, time commitment requirements (signing on late, leaving early), or being told you don’t have the necessary experience/expertise for the accounts assigned to you, etc? 


7.  How many companies have you left because they were bought out by another MTSO and you did not like how the new MTSO was treating you? 


8.  How many companies that you were working for completely went out of business (was not bought by another company) and told you that you had to find a new job yourself? 


9.  What is the shortest period of time that you have worked for one company? (Even if it was only for a few hours)   What is the longest period of time that you have worked for one company? 


10.  Have you ever continued working for your former company while training with a new company? 


11.  Have you ever worked for two different companies (2 part-time or 1 full-time and 1 part-time) during the same time period?  For how many months/years did you work for two different companies?


12.  What is your primary reason for applying to a certain company (pay, insurance, flexible schedule, equipment provided, sign-on bonus, referral from another MT, etc)?


13.  What is your primary reason for leaving a company (cannot maintain minimum required number of lines, not assigned accounts or job types as originally discussed, running out of work too frequently, difficult platform,  computer slowness/crashes, management conflicts, QA conflicts, other “bait and switch” type of issues where the MTSO said one thing but you ended up doing something entirely different, personal, family, etc)?


14.  Are you really happy at your present company or are you just working there because you are afraid if you try another company it will be worse and not better?   How long have you worked at this company?  Do you plan to continue working at this company for at least 1 year (of course barring unforeseen personal or professional events).  Would you be willing to give the name of your present company?    


15.  Do you think you will retired as a Medical Transcriptionist (or in the Medical Transcription field, such as an Editor, Supervisor, etc) or do you think you will switch careers at some point before retirement?  


 


Thank you for your time. 


 


If you would like to e-mail me with any questions or responses, I would be happy to hear from all of you. 


 


Thank you for satisfying my curiosity and giving me some insight as to where the Medical Transcription field is heading in the future. 


 


HAPPY HOLIDAYS. 


 



 


 


 


 


 


 


I've worked for several companies
and I would hate to be on a list like that - eeek!
I've heard of a lot of companies, what was L&H? nm
xxx
I've seen positive comments about many companies on here!
That's how I ended up where I did, from positive leads on this board regarding several companies that I was interested in!

OSI, however, was not one of them. No thanks. I'll do my own work, not have it shipped out to Punjab ro 5 bucks a day.
I've interviewed with several companies and none have asked for

SSN, birthdate, or any credit information.   Unless you are in a position where you handle money I don't see that your credit history is anyone's business.  I guess they could run it when you provided your SSN for tax purposes, but I would certainly not provide SSN before I had a job. 


No joke. I've already written several companies
Have fun recruiting!
I asked for more than what I've seen other companies offer.
There was about a 2 second hesitation and then they said yes we can do that. 
Which companies? I've applied to the one OP mentioned
x
I've said which companies I'd recommend and didn't get flamed.
.
Honestly, I've been hired by companies that didn't test me.
I did not like those jobs one bit.  You start out immediately being stressed because they're out of TAT and desperate for people.  The work quality was terrible and I mean worse than any other place I've ever worked.  With your CMT credential, I don't think you'd have a problem finding a decent job.
Gee, I only make negative comments about companies I've actually worked for
and have the scoop on. I never said the line rate was high for this company, but nice fast software is what saves a good MT's line count. There are plenty of ESLs too, but no more than most acute care hospitals. So if you can't handle ESLs, you wouldn't want to work for TT (or most other hospital accounts). The new accounts are not teaching hospitals, which is good for me because I don't like doing residents. For now there is plenty of work and OT when you want it. So IMO a starting line count isn't the only important factor for how much money I can make, and certainly not the only factor in my job contentedness. They are fair and respectful and use good software, and those are the facts, not theories.
Spheris MTs, any out there who switched from TWS to SM
Clarity/Cornerstone and to ShortHand care to comment?  Good, bad, same?  Please share....thanks.  
Baited and switched
I don't like Transcend. Applied for one position and got another which was one of the worse accounts I have ever had in my entire career!! They must have a hard time getting and keeping people on that account. Anyway, I didn't like the way I got set up so I quit.
Has anyone switched from MQ to SoftScript?
and if so, how did it go? Any info would be greatly appreciated :) TIA! :)
they switched to Emdat and now pay 7 to 8 cpl
x
Hi there, I worked out of Nashville, too. I have been switched around SM
between several CSCs due to closings. This one seems okay, at least the office staff is friendly.
I also have lost a lot of lines when we switched to DQS. SM
It seems like everyone else loves it and makes big lines but I haven't had that experience at all. I think it bites in a big way.
Those who have switched from Transcend to Amphion
Can I hear from those who have switched from Transcend to Amphion about how their pay is, have they made the same or lost money.  How do you like it there  and how is the WORK FLOW?
Nice people, but I was switched from
account to account because they ran out work. I also agree with Regina about the non-stop e-mails, etc.--too much distraction during the work day. They pay on time as agreed, but not too much. I'd say keep looking.
Here's a funny for you. I switched professions at age 48.....

I jumped into MT from a accounting/administrative secretary work. Got sick of the backstabbing and college graduates booting out all the oldies who knew their jobs. I was next.


I have no desire to go out there for a regular job. What I see in stores and shopping reminds me too much of people at places I used to work, so even Wal-Mart, etc. doesn't turn me on.


My dream is to hit the lotteryand retire...fat chance since I never play... LOL


If you like to be switched on accts all the time.
x
Switched to an IC job at 8 cpl, great dictators, no ESL
x
I would completely disagree with you. I switched
from radiology to acute care, and the difference was overwhelming. Switching from a specialty or even a few specialties to doing acute care, which involves ALL specialties & procedures & dozens if not hundreds of different dictators, is a big big change. I think your post would most definitely mislead newbies.
Old posts say you get switched around a lot and the software is clunky. What about
s
That is absolutely correct which is why I switched to IC. I had the same situation.
nm
Switched once, all together 6-7 accounts, awful quality
QA could not have been nicer, could usually fill my blanks, but when you can't get a handle on a dictation from the first sentence and it's all downhill from there, I didn't want my initials on those reports. I emphasize all the positives I stated about the company. If someone wants a real challenge with every report, and expects it to take a while before comfortable with the dictators, it could be a nice home. I just could not make enough to pay my bills.
Yes! Just switched 3 weeks ago from IC to employee and hating it! nm
nm
I switched to flexible to keep my options open. (sm)
So far I am finding the platforms others have out there are not allowing me to make as much money as I did with MQ even with the cess pool. I work for a great company now, truly fantastic people, but their platform is slow and often down for one reason or another.

I am going to give it a little longer, but may be calling to crawl back to FT with MQ when I am eligible to change classifications again. I switched from FT to PT and then flex so I am sure I will have to wait a year before I can swap around again.

I would think now is an extremely good time to at least call them and check it out. What have you got to lose?
So are you saying your account has not been switched over to a Transcend platform yet?? Thanks! nm
nm
Any Warminster MTs have any thoughts on the email about getting switched to the NE region. Just
wonder what you think about the whole thing.
We had a ton of people in our office quit because of the low line count on DQS when switched from
another DOS platform to DQS. Same account, same doctors LESS lines.
I was switched from one heavy ESL acct to another and couldn't get the lines, so I bailed. Other
m
No, some of the rest of us can do that too.
But if she types 2,400 in 8 hours, to be full time she will have to type 26,400 in an average pay period and I think that is requiring to much as a minimum just because she is fast. And expecting her to slow down just to spread it into 40 hours a week is silly.
They are just like all the rest: Pay so so,
tech support okay, accounts okay, people okay, not great and can be rude. Do not dare get cancer is all I can say.
Do you know something the rest of
If you do, please share it.  Otherwise, please, we have enough to worry about.  Why should I get out now.  Nothing has changed.  If it does change, then I will act accordingly, but acting in a blind panic right now is wasted energy. If and when it does change, then I will find another company or get my own accounts.  Otherwise, I am not going to freak out. 
DSG is just like the rest of them

They only answer what they feel like answering.


 


 


Here we go. Let it rest, will ya? Please?
With sugar on top! Everything you said was valid and great. But please just let this thread chill out.
Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but.sm
she was very good to me and for that I am thankful.
And who exactly is the rest?
Are you referring to the rest of us who refuse to work for unethical companies who ignore the labor laws?
Why don't you tell the rest of us who have no work
which account you are working on so I'll know which account to request to be moved to. I am constantly without work and nobody seems to give a crap. Everytime I tell my lead I'm having a problem, either with the system locking up or no work, she lies and says she has the same problem so I'll shut up about it. This is really aggravating.