Most of the time it is for security reasons. We do work for 4 hospitals sm
Posted By: MTSO on 2006-07-01
In Reply to: Bad Experience - Another MT
and 3 of them want us to take someone off the account immediately when someone gives notice. This is their in-house policy as well with any staff member with access to medical or financial records.
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Work 3 - like the security - cm
I am an IC for a doctor working about 6 hours a week.
I am an IC for a small service about 15 hours a week.
Lastly, I work as an IC at a midsize service to cover the rest of my income.
My preference would be to have 2 income sources instead of 3 as I don't really make *more* this way; however, the job security is better this way. I can always move work around to cover when I have less work from another source. I can't afford slack paychecks as I am a single mom with no CS.
I like that I am doing clinic work and acute care work so I don't get pegged into one hole and lose marketability. I also like the extreme flexibility in that I can do the work any time during the day and not be tied to a clock.
I work for 2 … gives a little bit of security for those "run out of work" times. nm
The hospitals take a long time with IDs sometimes. I know that the sm
account I am lead on takes anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks. It is a source of frustration for the management team as HR hires because of a need and then the hospital takes forever. Not all accounts though. Some are same day.
Survey - Is it time for hospitals
to bring their transcription home to the medical records department and contract directly with MTs, both ICs and employees? IMHO this is something that seriously needs to be done both for the cost savings to the facilities and to ensure that qualified MTs can make a decent living. This could be even more important with the EMR thing and could apply both to regular MTs and EMR editors. With health care reform on the table it would seem to me that this is the time. Email me with your suggestions of how this might be accomplished.
This is because the IT departments at the hospitals can take a long time. sm
I know this is a topic that comes up in our meetings, too. They are trying to get this time to days instead of weeks on most accounts; one on of the three that I lead gets IDs in about 24 hours now. Whoo hoo, finally! What is bad is that while the new employee is waiting, we need the help. No one benefits.
Many reasons why there may not be work in QA is because
there are difficult dictators and the MTs are struggling with reports. I feel really lucky that in our system you can actually go in and see how much work is being transcribed by the MT so you do know that work is being done. QA HAS TO BE THERE for when the MT is finished because in more cases than not, the work goes through QA (our clients do not want blanks). It is valuable time not to just the MTSO but to the QA in the respect that those reports have to go to the hospital when QA is done. Luckily, a good MTSO knows that and I work for a good MTSO. We are not overstaffed with QA either, usually one per shift so the workload is on me so yes, if it takes the MT longer to do the reports, sometimes you sit for a while with no work in front of you and the service pays you for that. Believe it or not, that is part of the job and you should be paid for it. Employees have a schedule and I count on that schedule as they count on me. That's my bread and butter and the service's bread and butter also. It does not happen often, but it can and does happen some so it definitely is worth their while to pay that tiny bit it costs them rather than pay penalties.
Do not work for them...here are the reasons why..sm
I worked for them a few years back and at this time, Christmas, three paydays in a row (all direct deposit too) did not come through. They knew about it before it happened, let checks bounce (which they did pay for) but still did not have the courage to tell any employee until they asked about their missing check. Three times in a row at Christmas! Plus, they had horrible supervisors that were so nosey and started trouble between employees all of the time. They had lost several really good accounts too. They are very unprofessional, like you said. Do not waste your time and effort with them.
beds full at the 4 hospitals I type in Texas (this is never a slow time)
Lots of reasons. Lie about pay, no work,
no questions answered.
REASONS to be grateful for MT work
OK, I've posted my share of be-atchy comments about this work and/or certain MTSOs :) but the other day I actually had to get up at 7:00 a.m. to drive 40 minutes for an appointment.
It made me realize how spoiled I am :) doing this work. In general, MTs don't have to:
Spend tons of $ on clothing for work - my favorite work outfit is a long T-shirt or shift.
Spend tons of $ on gas to GET to work.
Navigate the roads from H___; stop and go traffic/ school buses, and crazy people behind the wheel.
TALK to people. when you don't feel like it.
Just some random thoughts...
You use their computer and you can't use it for anything but work-related reasons
Very stupid and very annoying.
That is one of many reasons why I chose to work at home! No thanks to in-house! Good luck. nm
x
No work on four hospitals
I'd like to know how it happens that four hospitals can suddenly just stop dictating, and work suddenly just get slow, on all of them at the same time, and them not even in the same group. I think the company has hired too many transcriptionists and can't keep them busy, or is offshoring most everything, but telling us a different story. Is there any way to find out what's the real case? XXXXX It has happened several times like this over the past five years, and I am getting fed up. Are all companies like this or is this the only one where this sort of thing happens? People get sick and have operations every day of the year. They don't suddenly stop going to the hospital. Are they playing on our stupidity, or could this be legitimate? I find it very hard to believe. I'm a seasoned MT with 15 years' experience, and provide excellent work. What' up?
I think one of the hospitals is onto them about offshoring their work
x
Hospitals that allow even PART of their work to be
offshored, know FULL WELL that they are taking the livelihood away from American workers. And the one in charge of signing on that dotted line would be MAD AS HE11 if someone did that to their job.
Yes, the work is VERY begrudginly kept in the USA. And they charge more for it than they do for India-work. But they're just biding their time, because they know that eventually, most likely sooner rather than later, American medical transcriptionists are going to be 100% PRICED OUT of their careers.
BITE ME, transcription industry!
It is not the hospitals on a short TAT it is what MQ wants to make the hospitals very happy with
them. I would assume the accounts are on 12, 24 or 48 TAT but wouldnt they love having their work back no sooner than it is dictated.
Could it be that so many work from home or in the basement of hospitals? sm
This is NOT generalizing because I know several MTs who are not psycho, but I have met so many absolute nut cases in this field that I question my own sanity after listening to them!
We had an MT at the hospital I used to work for that called security because she was certain that someone moved her chair and wanted a full investigation. She could not accept that perhaps the cleaning crew did this!
Weekend work has been going on in hospitals many years but
weekend workers generally rotate if they work in house or they used to. This should be the way these companies do this rather than tie up every weekend. It would be easier to find someone if they rotated their weekends and were firm about the commitment. It is not that hard. It is about good management and if they can't manage to get that commitment, then companies need new management to implement that kind of thing. Finding weekend workers would be a lot easier.
Does anyone work for any hospitals in the Pittsburgh area. nm
:
Most hospitals will. Pay your dues (work cheaper to get experience.)
They are up for a HUGE account in Chicago. I work for one of the hospitals sm
and would be offered a position to work with them if it happens. I am very worried now. The last hospital I worked for went with Medquist and we all lost our jobs. They did offer us jobs but not on the hospital we worked for. I went to this other one and now this :(
The hospitals that I have worked at and the ones that friends of mine work for sm
all have a two week delay between the last day of the pay period and the payday. Same exact lenght - ends on the 30th, pays on the 15th.
I am not trying to argue, but I don't understand what you find wrong with this. The companies (all of them) need time to bill their clients and to process payroll. Some of the smaller ones probably have to wait to get paid too.
I work for KS and get paid on time every two weeks. The consistency is important to me as a single parent. I tried working for a small company but found that they had to wait to get paid and unfortunately, GMAC would not wait for me to wait to get paid. Going to a national like KS solved that problem and I can count on getting paid on the 1st and 15th of each month.
Apparently, they undercut because they have MTs who work for free and the hospitals had to pay them.
I know people didnt intend on working there for free but it sounds like too many MTs didnt get paid.
Only if you work directly for their hospitals, not as a Diskriter employee. nm
nm
I have talked to too many hospitals that do not care if the work is done offshore. sm
It is hard enough for the public to understand what we do, much less have them stand behind us in this.
I saw postings that all our work was overflow/extra support for hospitals. (sm)
Whatever happened, it has been ongoing since around the Memorial Day holiday. I too am getting worried. Christmas coming up, winter utility bills, not to mention the every day expenses we have in order to survive.
I am picking up a PT position. May be a little tired working the 2, but for right now it covers my butt.
yeah - they haven't told a couple of hospitals that they are offshoring their work - but I think
x
Thank you! I'm looking for part-time work to supplement my no-work full-time job.
We band together and start our own company offering our services to the hospitals we've been work
on already and take our accounts back from Transcend. I haven't signed any noncompete contract with Transcend. Would the MDI one be null and void? If my pay rate is null and void, so must my noncompete. They can't have it both ways.
I'm lookin for part-time work (about 3-4 hrs daily) after 13 years of full-time, anyone know of a
company that is hiring flexible part-time? I'm starting a career in real estate but don't want to totally quit transcription, but I think most places require 25 hours a week and I cant work weekends, as real estate sales are the biggest on the weekend with open houses and people off work to shows homes to. If you know of a place I'd sure appreciate the info. Thanks!
i work 3 part-time jobs now. it can be confusing if you are learning both at the same time, but sm
other than that not a problem for me. best to get one down before starting to other or you might become overwhelmed.
Ugh - well I did all my work on time and I expect to be paid on time.
The phone company doesn't wait, the cable company doesn't wait, and the electric company doesn't wait for their money either - all of which I need to pay in order to do my job. I work when I am supposed to, I help when behind, and give 110%, and I ask for my check to be on time.
I think if an MTSO is going to have to mail checks they should do so priority to make up for the delay.
Full time but no work half the time-nm
nm
Part-time MT getting full-time work ??????
TransTech should not be giving out work to PT people on their DAY OFF, or any other time BEFORE a full-time MT has enough work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO job security
Well, I can add a little more information about Interpro. I signed on to work, as usual, on this particular day, second shift and had an instant message waiting for me that said, "I sent you an email. Please read ASAP!"...it was a letter telling me that as an IC, I no longer had a job as of IMMEDIATELY and that they were phasing out the ICs in the company. I've never, ever lost a job in my life! What's more, the team I was on had gotten along great...one big happy family....that worked their rear off!!! I've seen these gals work over 16 hours a day to get the work out. I worked on a great team. Those ladies were great! They worked their rear off and for what? They never talked to you like you were stupid or beneath them. They were real, real people! They were awesome bosses! Sorry you new folks won't have the experience of working for them. This company needs to learn to appreciate their workers. Hey Interpro, the majority of your workers actually DO work and should NOT be treated as just a production number in the computer or as a pile of crap. I'm not there anymore, and that's fine. But Nandan needs to wake up and see what's going on in his company. It was much, much better before, Nandan!!! You made big major administrative changes in the last month and it is ruining your company...and just for the record, they do send work to India. I certainly miss the folks I worked with, but I don't miss the company itself.
Security fob - sm
Do you find that to be terribly inconvenient, i.e., does it interfere with your production at all in your opinion? I tired to use one with one job, and while I wasn't with this job very long, I strongly disliked it LOL.
Me too. Also, job security to the MTs
My son's pediatrician and my own doctor have English as their second language and I would bet my life and my son's life on both of them. They are wonderful people. Both of them said they would love for me to tanscribe for them, too, if they did not have their own service. I guess we all get to do in life what we are destined to do. I do see these so-called ESLs as people who provide great care and honestly I have transcribed for so long, I don't even blink at who is dictating. It is the dictator in any language who disrepects the medical record by misspeaking terminology or just plain disrespects the Transcriptionist in that they think we read their minds that I think less of, in which case I leave a blank. They can fill it in, and read their own mind. LOL.
What do all you IC's do about Social Security? (sm)
I see all these good-paying jobs for Independent Contractors, but wondered what do you do about paying your social security??
Extra job security, anybody do this?
I recently took on another job, this one part-time. I had been working for several months for a company that was constantly running out of work. This way I can always be sure there will be work in one place or other. I think in these economic times we have to protect ourselves. Anybody else do this? How does it work for you?
False security...DUH !
The email address isn't what they check; any dummy can use a false name. IP address and computer MAC address is what they check.
No anonymity.
How do you NOT have to pay Social Security??
x
It is a matter of security not personal. nm
nm
Self-employment tax IS Social Security...
As an IC you pay it all, rather than when working as an employee and paying half with the employer paying the other half.
Does Keystrokes use a security fob for their accounts? nm
xx
What about violation of Homeland Security
They have all our personal information over there where it isn't safe. I was told of an Indian that was doing AIDs patients, got mad, printed their information, and sent their reports to family members....Go outsourcing!!! If my doctors outsource I won't go to them anymore. Ask before you go...
Social Security & Medicare
Here's the scoop: As an IC, you are responsible for all 15.3% of your combined social security (12.4%) and medicare taxes (2.9%).
As a statutory MT or a full employee, the MTSO will pay half, or 7.65%, of your social security and medicare taxes. It is only as an IC or statutory that you are able to fully deduct your home office-related expenses on your tax return. I think an employee can only take SOME of the home-office write-offs, but I am not sure which ones.
Also of note is that only the first $92,000 of your income is subject to the SS and MC taxes (not that many of us make this much, but it's good to know!) However, you are only required to report your income if you made over $400 that year.
When you file your federal taxes at the end of the year, you will have to pay a self-employment tax which is what takes care of your SS and MC taxes.
If you expect to OWE more than $1000 in self-employment taxes at the end of the year, then you will actually need to make quarterly estimated tax payments or risk paying a penalty fee when you file annually. To compute that, I believe that you would owe more than $1000 in self-employment taxes if your taxable income is more than $6500 per year (which hopefully includes nearly all of us!).
If you can find a company who will treat you as an IC (not binding you to specific schedules, etc) yet will hire you to a statutory position, then this, in my opinion, is the way to go.
For instance, I currently work for two companies, one as an IC and one as statutory. They both pay me the same per line, but since the statutory one also pays half of my SS and MC taxes, it's like taking my line count and adding 7.65% to it!
You may ask why I don't just go full-time with the statutory--the answer is this: My IC account has a lot of standards, so I actually make about the same, if not more, even after I consider the fact that I am responsible for all of my taxes for income made with this account.
Hope this helps to answer some of your questions!
Everyone has to pay 15% for social security; however, for employees
7.5% is paid by the employer (by law) and 7.5% by the employee. Self employed - contractors - must pay the full amount themselves.
IC versus employee - job security
Which status affords more job security with a company? Working as IC now and love the account and the company. I really want to ensure a long future with the company, so wouldn't going PT employee status be the obvious choice over remaining IC? I understand the pay is a bit lower but is one really more advantageous than the other. I do not need benefits currently; however, they do offer a 401K program for their PT employees. Thanks for any input.
Employee status = more security
There is an investment by the employer toward an employee through their unemployment insurance, all the recruiting and hiring costs, etc. As well, employers are bound by several state and federal regulations on interacting with employees.
A contract with an IC usually has a quit clause in it and, even if it doesn't, most ICs do not have the money to battle legally about a contract that was annulled. Easily broken.
It's about Nat'l Security, not bashing India
I have posted this before. It's not that American MTs are scapegoating India or Indian MTs.
Are 1st concern is with NATIONAL SECURITY. Some of our MTSO do transcribe for V.A. Hospitals (and 1 brave MT did whistle blow on Medquist for doing this).
I'm not against nation building; however, how is it that India and Pakistan have billions for nuclear weapons, BUT can't feed their people???
And, why do their top 1-10% of their educated, the Brahmans, ABANDON their country the 1st chance they get, and leave their country with a BRAIN DRAIN?
This situation is like Mexico in reverse. We get Mexico's uneducated and poor AND India's best and brightest.
These respective country's government MUST do better for their OWN PEOPLE!
It is not a matter of national security......
First: It's one thing to know whether I have HBO or Cinemax, quite another to know those in the US Armed Forces could have INTIMATE details of their H&Ps, operative and rehab reports, their addresses and phone numbers, and those of their loved ones, in an Indian or Pakistani file server.
------^ This information is easily available. Again, you think your job as an MT is more important than it really is.
Second: Why didn't you answer why India and Pakistan spend billions on nuclear weapons, BUT their people are STARVING? (whose being racists and cruel here?)
------^ Last I heard, the United States was helping Pakistan. Did you forget about that?
Lastly, the U.S. and Canada have OFFICIAL border, trade and protection treaties to protect each other, as they do now, having multi-nat'l forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is not the case with either India or Pakistan.
------^ Who cares! So, you believe your medical record is safer in Canada than in India? Why exactly is that? What makes an Indian more likely to misuse your information than a Candian? Please answer that question?
Musharef can't even get OBL in the Pakistani mountains because tribes are protecting him there!!!
-------^ And what exactly does this have to do with anyone's medical record? Why don't you first ask President Bush why the US has not captured OBL?
Now, tell me who is RACIST???!!!
-------^ ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION!!!!
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