Not ridiculous. It's clearly stated in their ad and the norm for
Posted By: a lot of places. on 2008-01-10
In Reply to: Precyse MT Holidays No Pay - D-MT
xx
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I guess it is now the norm but it did not used to be the norm.
how do you know i am not the norm?
Based upon just the posts on MTstars? did you do an independent survey? I gave her my experience, which is for several years with 2 different branches/mgmt of the company. p.s. MQ is the largest MT provider in the WORLD. Do you think the MAJORITY of these MTs are so unhappy? I don't. THAT is why is shared my experience. Sorry if you don't like it.
$1.35 seems the norm. nm
the norm if ..
you refuse better conditions. Since there are companies out there who do pay more for your time and effort I would not say that 1.35 is the norm, I'd say that it is the norm you will settle for. Keep that in mind when you do your collective thinking everyone. Frankly, being paid by the page to do heavy MRI and scan work is a total insult to the MT who is transcribing the work.
Yes, 8 cpl is the norm (nt)
x
This is not the norm.
It is less than honest to make people believe this is the norm only to find out once hired...it's not. There are VERY few accounts or platforms at ANY company that would allow MTs to get that kind of count daily....unless working lots of OT.
Did I ever say this was the norm? I think NOT
All I said was that is what I do on my particular ER account with lots of templates and easy docs. There are multiple different types of accounts at KS on multiple different platforms. Did I once come out and say that everyone should be able to get that kind of a line count? No. I did not. Someone asked what ER MTs at KS usually average for line counts, and I simply responded that I type between 2500-3000 a shift with no OT on my account. I did not speak for anyone other than myself. Good god. Get over it!
Actually, the norm for this was
explained to me this way: For every 1 minute of dictation it should take 2 minutes to type it. This is using the old fashion way of transcribing, meaning straight typing, no Expanders and so on. So, if you use expanders, of course, the typing time is cut down further. You also have to keep in mind whether or not the dictator is good or bad, whether it's an ESL dictator, if you are new to the account and so on. All of these things will increase the amount of time it takes to transcribe any report.
something else going on here then, not the norm.nm
nm
I do too - in the 7 - 8 hrs of norm. NM
!
Yes, it's the norm here...
There are a lot of nasty attitudes here. I admit, occasionally I have one, too. I think it has something to do with this industry and the abuse so many MTs receive these days. My suggestion would be, if you enjoy this site for the most part, just take a break and come back on a different day .
MQ not the norm...welllllllll
guess I'm not either? No complaints on my end w/over 11 years
It seems to be the norm now. I am at $1.15 and make sm
over $50k a year, so it is not bad. If you are fast, know the terminology and have a good mix of types of radiology reports, it would be good.
LOL ... well, that is the exception, not the norm. sm
I wasn't trying to brag at all. I'm older and simply cannot do that on a daily basis (wish I could!). My only point was that if they were cheating me, it would not be possible. I agree with the poster above -- if people think they are being cheated, then they should just move on. This using several line counters and checking and double checking and so on and so forth seems a huge waste of time.
3 years is the norm. nm
nm
Well if this is becoming the NORM there's a problem s/m
There was a big news article today about skyrocketing late/no credit card payments due to the housing market burst and the upcoming recession. Maybe a little 1984 here, but could this credit check be being done by companies as another reason why they can't find qualified workers in the US, thus villifying further offshoring of jobs??
98% here and I thought that was the norm. nm
x
Two weeks is the norm
Good luck!
It is becoming more of the norm so I adjusted to, not resisted the
.
Yes, very serious; however, 700 lph is not the norm every day. It just depends on the dictator. Th
Sometimes the reports are 98% accurate and sometimes, depending on the dictator, they are 90% accurate. As you know in this field, it depends on the day and dictator. The daily average, after all is said and done, is about 600 lph, 700 is on the very high end and not a consistent average every day.
This is the norm at the companies I have worked for. sm
Don't take it personally. A lot of us go through the same thing. It hurts when a punctation error is pointed out, yet no mention is made of what a great job you did on the medical terminology. Kind of wounds the pride. Take comfort in the fact that the rest of your report was without error. You should learn to follow the style your company wants you to follow. They each have their own rules.
Hopefully the norm has better voice recognition than
MQ has given me. It honestly takes me longer to edit than it does to transcribe. I pray to God that's not typical of voice recognition.
Your one clinic does that. It's certainly not the norm by any means.
x
less staffing all around the hospitals is the norm...
i have siblings in nursing and radiology departments and it's cut, cut, cut = dangerous patient care.
I have found that high-speed is the norm and if SM
you can use satellite or dialup, they will specifically state so in the ad.
Credit check IS the norm. Employers want to how
x
I guarantee you, you are not the norm. Why lead someone that needs to make a living into a
situation that is getting worse all the time with lost accounts and over hiring and not knowing yet what the pay scale will be.
I've heard that no response from managment is getting to be the norm.. sm..
Why did you leave, if you don't mind my asking....
Paying for experience is NOT the norm out here. I'm finding newbies getting offered my same 8
s
The norm in the 80s was 4 cents per Gross Line, not 65 char with spaces. nm
nm
As an ex-Keystroker, this behavior sounds like the norm. It is convenient to blame the person who
x
Could the KS RAD MT who stated
below that she has been at Keystrokes for 2 years and makes good money define what good money is? I would like to make sure there is plenty of work to make $$$.
someone stated... c msg
IC only, no benefits, paid by the minute.
I stated
at the beginning of the test that it was not timed and was open book.
Sorry...should have been *It* stated
/
Please know, as I stated above -
that a USB may NOT be what is required in a job. There are also 9-serial port and 15-serial port pedals. All companies are different and have different requirements. I'd hate for you to buy something you don't need.
I had stated it would not keep them from getting
a job for sure and yes, you are right about the chuckle...but I definitely would love to see a little more professionalism in this field. I think people would take the field more seriously with more professionalism amongst all of us though a few laughs do make the job more interesting. :)
As stated below, have been here for almost
it's stated on both ads.. looks low to me
/
WOW! VERY well stated!
This is an excellent letter. You made some very valid points, didn't lose your cool and I think you prevailed in your argument. You succeeded in pointing out to AHDI themselves their glaring inconsistencies. I am so proud of you for having the courage to write this and share it with us.
Well stated! sm
You took the words right out of my mouth. I am not yet a CMT but am going to take the exam before the end of the year.
I have a friend who is an ER physician. He has no respect for what MTs do, primarly because his reports are riddled with errors by MTs who 1. Don't care or 2. Do care but do not have the skills to produce an accurate medical record.
Either way, MTs are sometimes viewed as low-skilled labor that is easily replaced. Credentialing can only help to undo some of the damage that has been done to our profession in the past few years.
Again, this is just my opinion. Please don't flame me if you do not agree with my views. We're all in this together and want the same thing. More respect and ultimately more money. Most of us work because we have to. 
Well stated. You get what you pay for...SM
We're talked down to by MTSOs and QA and expected to turn out perfect work while at the same time wages are going lower and lower. What workers in any other line of work would stand for this? Would they care?
FT only, which is usually stated in their ads.
Usually have 2 accounts. The schedule depends on the account, but with KS and most all companies now the schedules run Tu-Sa or Su-Th. If clinic work may not be required to work weekend.
That is ridiculous
I never heard anything so ridiculous - none of the companies do what? want you to earn too much? LOL. Every penny you put in your pocket is probably two in theirs. Companies want you earning as much as you can.
This is ridiculous...sm
I received an email today regarding an employment application I had submitted some time ago. I currently work as an IC and am very happy with my job, so the application must have been submitted at least 6 months ago. First of all, the email does not state the name of the company that I supposedly applied to. It is three sentences long and states that they are looking for ICs to work from home. They will pay 6.5 cpl without spaces! Attached is a list of their computer requirements. The email states that if I meet the requirements to contact them and they will direct me to their testing site.
I have about 20 years of experience as an MT. What is going on with this field that a company thinks that 6.5 cpl is a respectable rate for a seasoned MT? Not to mention not putting the name of the company in the email...so I don't even know who I'm dealing with. And, not paying for spaces?!?!? I will not work for a company that does not pay for spaces. A space is a keystroke. It should be counted. Spaces don't get into a document by magic!!
I have a good mind to respond to this email and tell them exactly what I think of their offer, but then again, it probably wouldn't do a bit of good.
ridiculous
That statement is absolutely ridiculous. The QA manager is the most easy person to get along.
That's ridiculous
I have to say that I used to be MTSO and while I was not rich, I definitely made more than the people who worked for me...if you don't, even part of the time, then you are doing something wrong and why be in business? And yes, most of the MTSOs that I know (and I do know 5 of them right in my general area) do live in the very best neighorhoods, have 5000 sq foot houses, and if not vacations homes, then quite a bit of money in the bank.
This is ridiculous
3.5 cpl is ridiculous! The only way it could be any good at all is if you JUST had to fill in the blanks (nothing else). No 100% proofing. No new MTs. Maybe one or two accounts at most. And IF IT IS NOT being transcribed by offshore MTs. That's the only way 3.5 cpl would be worth it. Also, if companies would STOP paying QA on a production rate, it would help the industry! Being paid on production to ensure quality is an oxymoron. It makes no sense. It says hey, do your job perfect but the more the merrier. Its a sore subject with me, and I'm hoping that we stand up and stop accepting QA positions on a production pay. Maybe eventually the companies will have no choice but to go back to hourly pay and pay as what we are worth! If you have to proofread any more than filling in blanks, you're getting ripped off big time at 3.5 cpl. (mtsunite.com)
that is ridiculous IMO. SM
They are definitely short-changing you by giving you $3.00 for the first page and then $1.50 for subsequent pages in a report. That would be equivalent to being paid, for example, .08/per line for the first page( working for a company) and then .04/line for each subsequent page of a report. That is extremely unfair. Charge for what you produce. I had my own clients for years, and depending on the going rate in your area, I certainly would not go lower than .10/line (or figure out the equivalent if you have to charge per page). I am being conservative here as this is low rate. Also, if printing each page, add a percentage to that line rate. Whole different ballgame when you have to print and deliver reports. Time consuming and more cost to you. Their offer per page is ridiculous. Think how much money that patient is billed for the visit, and then see the pennies that you would make by producing one of the most important components (the medical report). The medical report is as important as the actual care the patient receives. If they do not agree with your charges, let them go with a company who will charge them much more, and they will likely call you back. I once had a client who wanted digital dictation so I footed a hefty TASP service bill every month so my docs could call in their dictation. They then requested that I print and deliver the finished reports. Not! They were upset because I denied their request, and ended up going with a large national and pay a much higher line rate. They still did not accomplish having their reports printed for them. They called me back, but I was already involved with a new client who appreciates me and does not try to get everything for nothing. Good luck in whatever you decide, but don't settle for less than you are worth!
7 cpl is ridiculous! sm
I was thinking about applying here, but I definitely will not be wasting my time taking the test and interviewing with them now! I don't have the experience you have (I have about 11 years now), but there is no way I would work for that!
Thanks for posting that and saving me some time.
ridiculous is right
You're not the only person I've heard say this and it's a shame this is happening. I realize we MTs cannot expect to be paid higher wages when the services are suffering as well.
But I see too many ways for this whole mess the transcription profession finds itself in now to just fail and do a turnaround. The government insists on privacy protection of medical records, then allows us to send them overseas with little if any regulation. What about taxes and Social Security loss due to this? The Department of Labor gives us our own classification (a bit of recognition for us) but our pay is not on par with other professions in the same classification. AAMT wants certification to be mandatory but what's the incentive to study and work so hard for it if it doesn't make a much more substantial increase in our salaries than a penny a line? Yes, that can add up, but it should be more, way more. Physicians want cheap rates with excellent quality but how many qualified MTs are willing to work for pennies before feeling used, frustrated, burned out? How many young people are willing to enter a profession with such low wages and have to work hard and wait years to achieve even that?
In the end, I don't see how all this VR and offshoring and underbidding it is going to benefit anyone except lawyers who will profit from suits brought about by privacy violations, malpractice suits due to the result of physicians depending on missing and/or wrong information in the medical record, misplaced records, dictation getting lost in the process of transfer between here and there, etc. How many service owners will want to continue making as little profit as they do now (small ones)? I also see coming an overall shortage of qualified MTs who can understand the American physicians who are impossible dictators and the ESLs. What incentive do the new MTs have to hang in there and strive for this other than a sense of accomplishment but that doesn't pay the bills. Yes, if you work long hours and/or multiple jobs you can do well, but is this what it has come down to? And how many will be willing to do this for any length of time when they have other options?
It's all going too fast to prevent errors, serious errors. I think we will be needed again, hopefully paid a higher salary again like so many years ago, but not until a tragedy happens and America wakes up to how these allegedly cost-saving methods of doing medical transcription is hurting the economy and the physicians start getting only what they are willing to pay for. There are the lives of the human beings (patients) involved here. This isn't about producing just a product (like a garment) in another country. Medical transcription involves too many people in too many areas of medicine to let it totally falter. Something has to give at some point.
One thing I'd like to see is for the insurance companies to raise the fees for physicians and services who offshore since their transcription is more prone to error than if it was done by a knowledgeable native American MT who knows our language, and also because it leaves the country thereby jeopardizing the patient's protection and privacy since these other countries do not have the security measures that America does.
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