Interview with in-hospital transcription department
Posted By: mtmt on 2006-07-17
In Reply to:
and wondering what the rate is for in-house. Ten years ago when I was an in-house transcriptionist, I was paid 13.00 an hour and 5 cpl for everything over 500 lines per day. Just wondering how the setup is now or if that has changed. I live in Alabama and the hospital I have an interview with, will eventually transition their MTs to working from home.
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Department B transcription services
Has anyone ever heard of a company called Department B or older name PM&R?? I have an interview scheduled for Tuesday but I was just wondering if anyone knew anything on this company.
Renee
I did an audit on our hospital transcription going to CBAY - sm
and it's a wonder a patient didn't sue the hospital. We were proofing their work in the beginning of the contract, but then, as all things go, we get caught up in other things, busy in our work and never bothered looking at their work again. Let's just put it this way - OMG!!! THEIR WORK WAS HORRENDOUS. CBAY ended up having to reimburse our facility money for the gross errors and then they were let go.
Call the hospital medical records dept and ask who does their transcription. They will tell you.
x
sorry, I mean not the HR director, not department. A recruiter is usually under sm
the HR department, but is not the director unless it is a company that is so small there is only one person doing everything. If you did a chart, there would be the HR department headed by an HR director who is responsible for the administrative things in HR, not recruiting. Most directors really are not good recruiters. Most directors are also lacking in the people skills, but they are knowledgeable in all aspects of human resource law.
Sorry to say department above. I was thinking one way, typing another.
go to the department of labor web site
and check out their TAA and ATAA page --Trade Adjustment Asisstance Program and Worker Adjustment and retraining and notification act. Congress was talking about extending benefits for people who have lost their jobs due to offshoring. My heart goes out to your all.
I have forwarded all responses to HR Department. sm
Hopefully they are doing THEIR part and contactnig people. If you dont mind, e-mail me and let me know who you are and I'll try to light a fire under them!
My son applied for a department store once, sm
and they asked him all kinds of psychologic questions - it was just weird.
send this to your insurance department for their
policy book. Why would you put this on this board?
I worked in QA Department for the Q about 12 years ago. sm
The last straw for me was an MT who consistently typed preformed instead of performed. She refused to change or just didn't care to go over her feedback. Manager would do nothing about it because she too worked 3rd shift. I will never go back to doing QA again. I make more money as a Transcriptionist anyway.
Contact the labor department.
They will investigate and fine them for not paying in employment taxes, etc., as by having to ask for time off, vacation, etc., that means you are an employee and not an IC.
That's a bit misleading. It is NOT just the IT department. The techs sm
who allocate the dictation files to you nothing to do with IT. If you have a computer issue, they will get someone from IT for you, but Marie and the rest are not part of that department. The ENTIRE COMPANY is based in India. Yes, they hire American MTs, but the company is in India, and they at one point even lied to the MTs and said work was slow due to Christmas (this was in the middle/latter part of January), then one of the techs admitted they had outsourced to an Indian MT company.
They are not the worst company to work for -- the pay is decent and on time -- although I never cared for the way the work was allocated and I absolutely DESPISE the fact that they are now lying and misrepresenting themselves in their ads saying they are based in Kentucky. There is a residential HOUSE in Kentucky owned by the Indian owner. Why not just be upfront about it in their ads?
Letter from Department of Labor
Has anyone received a letter from the Department of Labor from the state where your employer is located, indicating they are investigating the company regarding various contract laws? I work for a wonderful company and can't imagine why they would be investigated, unless this is another way to squeeze out medical transcription companies and send everything to India to reduce healthcare costs. 
Go to the Department of Labor website
It is fully explanatory there. It does not apply to at-home MTs unless they have 50 employees working within a 75-mile radius of them.
I have called the police department already..sm
I am not playing. They faxed me the paperwork and I am giving her until Friday for a cashier's check OR money order is in my hands, she is in trouble! LIES LIES LIES that is all she has done.
What people seem to misunderstand is that a recruiter is not the HR department. They are the sm
recruiter. HR director or department head deals with the rules of human resources, benefits, numbers, etc. Recruiter is the KEY person, the one people-oriented individual, the one who talks and gets to know the prospective employee, the one who tests and usually the one who checks the references. That person hires the people. It is the job of the recruiter in any company to hire the individual and THEN to forward paperwork to the department that needs the MT. Now, as a recruiter, I follow through within three (3) days' time to see that all the necessary contact with that individual and department has been made and if it has not been made, I put the crunch to that department head to step on it. We are dealing with people who need a job and have quit their job supposedly to work for us. No one can afford a lapse in employment unless they want a week off in between, which sometimes they do.
Too many people seem to think HR is the recruiter, but in a company with a true chain of command, that usually is not the case.
I don't know how this company operates in that area, but most of the companies I know that are in growth put an HR dept in place, have a director, and 1 or 2 recruiters. The recruiters hire. The individual departments are responsible for getting those people up and running BUT because I know how important it is to get people started and started on time and because sometimes I feel that no one can do the job as well as me (sadly), I have to follow up to make sure those people are not forgotten.
This is worrisome to me that I feel this way, but unfortunately I have come across companies that have let this happen and I do put a fire underneath the departments and it is successful.
Ortho department has testing, the others do not at this time. nm
nm
HR Department at Keystrokes is a director, a clerk/secretary sm
and a recruiter. The director is new but only does the legal stuff and is working on the benefits package, etc. The clerk is doing the paperwork. The recruiter is doing the recruiting, interviewing, checking references, passing hire info on. The pieces are in place now and you just validated what has just been put in place. I know there is talk of a second recruiter, one for radiology and one for medical records, but I think this is still in the baby stages. The HR Director heads the department but will not recruit.
Yes, turn them in to the Department of Labor and Industry for nonpayment.
Try the BBB or FTC for unfair labor practices. Send them a certified letter demanding payment or you'll sue in small claims court.
if I remember correctly, isn't that Spheris' India department?
Supposedly over 4000 employees, JUST for that India account, according to Advance Health Magazine...
I thought exactly the same thing! Tech department must be lacking
x
I wrote to their HR department, which is the only contact I could find for them, last week, but no r
x
The formal QA department is new only started last August. Before that, it was up to the lead MT'
to do QA. That obviously did not work for them and they started a QA department.
Ortho has only done formal QA reviews.
Radiology does QA reviews but internally and only comes to the MT's if there is a problem, otherwise tells them they are doing well.
No complaints at all. Platform is super MT friendly. Great QA department.
Very happy at Medware.
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.
Your interview.......sm
It depends on so many things. Will you be working as an employee (with benefits) or IC? Your post makes it sound like you'll be an independent contractor, as employees are usually not given the option to determine their own pay scale.
It also depends on what kind of work you'll be doing. If it's just x-rays, i.e., short reports, you're better off charging by the report. Try to keep in in the $1.25 per report range and make sure you get paid for links; two separate reports on the same job, like shoulder and clavicle would be two reports, CT of the abdomen and pelvis would be two reports. On the other hand, if you'll be doing long reports like MRIs, Special Procedures, etc., then you'll do better charging by the line. 65 character line with all spaces included. I would ask for 9 cpl at the least. Maybe 10. They'll probably try to chew you down anyway. And most importantly, walk in there with confidence and professionalism. Don't be intimidated by them. You are a professional. Don't ask them what they are offering. Tell them, in a polite but firm manner what you expect to be paid, and see how they react.
Well, that's my advice. Good luck. Let us know how it turned out.
Your interview - sm
Just my opioion, but for those hours you should get shift differential and weekend compensation too, and you're right, they do stink....also, I've worked that shift and there are times when there is no work..some docs don't dictation for 4-5 hours, and then dictation all the reports at once, so find out what the story is if you have NO work for a length of time...why sit around waiting for work during those hours for nothing? Be sure they can guarantee that you will be busy the whole shift...and if not, get something out of it. Good luck.
Your interview.......sm
Sounds like it went well. Give it a try. If you're not happy with them in a month or two, start looking for other opportunities. Good luck!
Interview
My interview just consisted of general employment info. Not a lot of questions to me, mainly just telling me about the benefits, pay, etc. and discussing what kind of schedule you want, etc.
I've had interviews in the past that were more like a test, but this was not one of them.
I work for Diskriter on a SmartSource account where I am actually an employee of the hospital itself. They also have accounts where you are employed by Diskriter. I have no complaints at all. My lines counts are much higher than when I worked at MQ. Although the pay is pretty average, if you are a high producer the incentive really makes a big difference. There have been postings on this board in the past about hospitals/QA being extremely picky, but I have not had that problem.
Good Luck in your interview!
The interview
was actually the offer of a job. They asked me what my favorite specialities were, what I did not like to type, etc. The recruiter was very nice. BUT...the platform is horrible and keeps going down. Lotsssssss of problems. Not staying myself.
Interview
Interview was no big deal. Just basic interview questions about your experience and what you are looking for, what they offer, etc. There was no test over the phone that I remember.
When they interview you why don't you ask them
how many times they have been investigated by the labor board. THIS IS NOT A LIE OR A NASTY REMARK. THIS IS THE TRUTH!! They have been in trouble with the labor board on a couple of occasions!
What was the interview like? TIA NM
NM
I might add that I did not interview for
a recruiter position, but an MT because I do MT on the side. Because recruiting takes up so much time, I am literally thinking about going back into full time MT and if I do that, this would be the company that I would work for.
Interview? sm
What did the interview consist of, Nelli? Just curious. Know some who interview over phone and that is not acceptable to me. Some use their books but I would draw a total blank! Would rather test online.
The interview
was over the phone and was just an interview... No testing of any kind whatsoever. I visited with my then immediate supervisor about my past work experience, etc. I didn't actually have to prove my knowledge, which I thought was a little weird, but whatever I guess. Pretty low key. I honestly do not know if they called my past employer or not. She offered me a position at the end of our conversation and emailed me a job offer after our conversation, which I had I think 7 days to respond to. We discussed pay, hours, benefits, etc., during our phone interview. Does that help?
Just had interview
I was offered 50% ESL. Pay/bene's seem same as MQ. Sounds like MT support is better, and Webmedx was 2006 AAMT Employer of the Year. But now with everyone jumping ship at MQ, things may open up for me more there!
interview
I do too. I am nervous also, but telling myself I have nothing to lose after MQ, at least I hope so!
If you don't ask anything else in a job interview
Insist that they tell you much your line rate will REALLY be. Some companies that use Dictaphone EXText take a flat percentage off the top to allow for headers and footers, no matter that not all headers and footers are the same, they are different for different hospitals but they are greedy and take anywhere from 10 to 17% (that I have proof of) off the top so if you are told you will get 8 cpl you will have to deduct the percentage from that. I'm sure that other companies that use different software do the same thing. Ask them to tell you what their flat percentage is. If they refuse to tell you stop the interview!!!!!!!!!!! 
I know for a fact that one company takes 17% off and their president went in one day and changed all the headers to have hardly any lines in them at all but they still take that 17%. I worked very closely in the home office and saw that with my own eyes and that greed made me find another job. I did not want to be a part of any company like that which would cheat the employees that way.
Remember, if they refuse to tell you the flat percentage that they skim off the top of EXText or other software (the magic number) STOP THE INTERVIEW!
also at interview ask
1. The platform used. Is it MS Word. What Expanders work on it. Can you use the Expander you are knowledgeable about.. be it Autocorrect, Shorthand, Instant text, etc.
2. How many steps are there in setting up a report to begin typing... And then how many to send a report.
3. How long from date of hire until you actually start on the account.
4. People currently on the account... what is the range of lines per hour that people are doing..
interview
Good luck! They expect 1200 lines/day for full-time, 8 cpl, employee status with 90 days' probation. I actually just heard from them again and have another interview Monday...Sounds good/legit; I've been doing this for 8 years and have worked for a lot of people. They said there's never a lack of work, either!
interview
My husband had a fit when the only interview time they gave me available was for 10:15 or 10:45 p.m. on a Sunday. Needless to say, that didn't go over and the interview was abruptly cut short.
MDI interview
They're fine. Work is plentiful. Platform is okay. Don't overcommit your daily lines, be conservative and when you go over they are very grateful.
I have an interview! sm
One of the girls on the board here helped me out by forwarding my info to the recruiter, and she put me in for an interview on the 2nd. I've never worked IC, but this is what I've been wanting, so I hope the interview goes smoothly and I'm offered the position. If so, I look forward to working with you. :)
During my interview....
Person stated they pay 7.5 cpl for clinic work with minimum 1200 lines/day. Insurance was with Aetna. I didn't take the job. Dunno much else.
interview
I would call. There are some who use the tactic that the person who calls gets the job. I have always followed up, especially when I was told I would hear something. Call and ask if the position is still available. Can't hurt and they will know you are really interested.
Interview
My recruiter was nice also, in fact from your description, probaby the same one; however, nice doesn't pay the bills. In fact, if the recruiters are being so blatantly honest about the lack of work, what the hell are they doing hiring in the first place?
MDI interview
Hey there...to anyone currently working for MDI...any news? Good? Bad? How is the interview? I don't currently have any equipment other than for the company I work for; I have an interview in a couple days, do I need a foot pedal or anything? Do you take a typing test during the interview? I have not taken a transcription test for 15 years as I have been with my company for that long and am now looking for supplemental income. Any information would be greatly appreciated! TIA!!
Re: interview
The interview is very casual. They don't quiz you or test you. They have seen your resume and obviously that is enough for them. I think the main purpose of the interview is for them to see what you are looking for in the job and for you to see what they are looking for and for you both to determine if you are a good fit.
The equipment you will need depends on what kind of account you are hired on. You will have to talk to the recruiter about that at the interview if you are offered a position.
I have been there for 3 years and am happy. No work being sent to India, no speech recognition to mess with, just straight typing, good communication, and everything is fair and professional.
MDI Interview
Hey there!
I was hired on this past summer, and I don't recall doing any testing. There was a detailed phone interview (wouldn't hurt to have your resume on hand during the call for easy reference) in which I felt they were checking to make sure it would be a mutual fit for the position. The recruiter was very nice and very professional, and really listened to everything I had to say.
I was initially placed on one of the internet accounts, so I only needed an Infinity foot pedal since I already had everything else.
I got the impression from the interview call that they are very selective in who gets chosen for a certain position, and I was impressed with that, particularly after quite a few impersonal You passed the test, would you you like the position? offers I'd had. It was nice to know the recruiter was actually listening to my needs as an MT and not just looking to fill a position ASAP.
Good luck with the phone interview and keep us posted on how it goes. I think you'll be impressed with MDI, and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!!!
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