Spheris India. See Message Inside.
Posted By: nm on 2007-09-08
In Reply to:
Coimbatore has the potential to become one of the largest Medical Transcription (MT) centres outside the US due to the advantages of a large number of student population and health care knowledge available in the city, according to Mr Suresh Nair, CEO and Managing Director, Spheris India Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, and President, the Indian Medical Transcription Industry Association (IMTIA).
The Industry, which now largely depends on business from the health care institutions in the US, could also expect to secure greater business from the hospitals in India in the coming years as the health insurance business that drives the growth of the MT industry is set to gain greater acceptance among the people here, he said.
Addressing the media here, he said the MT industry in India currently employs around 20,000 people and compared with other BPO activities such as call centre jobs, the attrition rate in MT sector was less. The size of the business generated by the MT industry annually in India was estimated at $250 million that was a fraction of the global MT industry's business volume of $12 billion. In India, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi were prominent centres for the MT industry but now the business is seen shifting to smaller cities such as Pune, Kochi and Coimbatore. The industry is witnessing a 50 per cent annual growth in the country.
He said though the US health care sector generated the largest volume of business for the MT industry in India, other countries such as Australia, the UK, West Asia and Singapore offered good potential. He said more than 50 per cent of the medical transcription work was done inhouse by hospitals in the US and this offered more opportunity for growth.
Mr Nair clarified that the medical transcription work was moving from the US to India not because of any cost advantage but because of the growing shortage in the availability of medical transcription personnel in the US. There was an estimated 10 per cent annual decline in transcriptionists capacity every year in the US because of retirement and inadequate number of new recruits joining the profession there.
He said it was estimated that India requires addition of 10,000 transcriptionists every year to cope with the demand. Apart from the Philippines that had traditionally competed with India for this work, others such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan have joined the race to get their share of the outsourcing pie. There are signs of South American nations and countries in the West Indies setting up capabilities in this field.
He said there has been a gradual migration of companies in the industry from larger cities such as Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad to smaller cities such as Pune, Coimbatore and Kochi in the last two or three years. In the last twelve months, three or four MT companies have moved to Coimbatore from Bangalore. Powered by the growth in broadband connectivity, there was also growing trend of transcriptionists working from home that offered tremendous employment potential to women.
Mr Nair expected Coimbatore to have 5,000 medical transciptionists in the next 18 months. Asked about the safeguards the MT companies have put in place to get their fee for the work done from clients abroad and to pay their employees here promptly, Mr T.P. Prabhakaran, CEO of Pradot Technologies Private Ltd, Bangalore, which also has a unit here, said the companies entered into contracts directly with the hospitals and also obtained part of the payment in advance. The MT companies have established their presence in the business and have strong relationship with their clients.
Mr Nair said a trained MT could earn up to Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000 a month, and this could go up to Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 after two years of experience.
© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu Business Line
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nm is no message inside........nm
x
message inside
Hi,
I just signed on with them. So far so good. They seem to place you where your strengths are. Good luck.:)
no message inside.........
x
see message inside
They have a new platform now, which is user-friendly. Like any new job, it takes time to learn and gain speed. My experience with everyone has been excellent. They are there and always willing to help you. It's worth a try if you are willing to give them a chance. You will get paid 3 days for training, which is also a plus!
SM, see message (inside); NM, no message (inside)
nm
Still using the pilot program to India. see inside
Also, they are planning on putting all accounts onto VR and everybody will be doing VR editing at 4 CPL. They are already implementing this and they eventually want to move all accounts to VR. Also, no incentives for production, no shift differential, etc. Just your line rate. I wish I would have known this when I hired on with them, would not have taken the job.
sent you an email - no message inside
xx
But there was a message inside, so I was confused! nm
x
Sorry, message too long, see inside
I meant instead of saying quit, or something equally ridiculous without addressing what she said, to prove what she said was untrue. It can't be done, it is all true. I am not flaming, but I have been there, done that, and am equally tired of reading from management, you're going to love this...., and then find out it equal $200-300 less a month. Just facts lady.
sm = see message (inside post)
nm
Thanks for the info! - No message inside
: )
PRECYSE SOLUTIONS (no message inside)
xx
nm=no message inside. Can't believe it's so hard to understand. nm
x
I feel for you. (long message inside)
I just recently left a job where I was getting paid hourly plus production to make a lot less. It sounds absolutely crazy, I know, but I was a stressed out basketcase. They got a new operations manager not long after I was hired who was not happy about them paying a few of us hourly. They hired a couple of people for each shift and paid them hourly because the account had a lot of downtime and very short TATs on their jobs. Bogging people down with a secondary was causing the work to go out of TAT too much, so they finally decided to try the hourly plus production thing. It was working great. We were happy, the client was happy, and all the work was getting done on time. Anyway, the new operations manager was absolutely horrible and started doing all kinds of stuff that made me feel like the hourly was going to be taken away any minute. Without that, the company didn't have enough to stay for. Each day you were hearing about more stuff happening/changing. The communication was horrible.
Anyway, my point is that you can't always go by money. No or low stress is worth a lot of money to me. I know the bills have to be paid, but your health and well being are more important than any amount of money. It was very hard for me to decide on which company to go with because I had several offers. I prayed about it and took a leap of faith that I was making the right choice this time. Only time will tell, but I feel very positive about it.
Things that should be considered in addition to pay rate per line are: Cost of insurance, paid time off, schedule offered, does the company outsource (an important issue for me), what the minimum quota is, is overtime offered/expected, and is quality as important as quantity to them. The company offering a higher line rate may cost a lot more per month/pay period for insurance, which could end up balancing out the 2 cpl. Who offers the best PTO? To me, the PTO offered says a lot about how the company treats their employees. If they expect the push, push, push for high production but never want to pay for their employees to have well-deserved time off -- I don't want to work for them. I don't like being treated like a number that doesn't have a life away from the computer. Will you be expected to work a lot of overtime or will it be on a voluntary basis? Which one offers a schedule that works best for your lifestyle. I hated working every weekend, and while it was hard, I found a company that was willing to offer me a daytime M-F shift.
Anyway, just some of my thoughts that I hope will help you in your decision. I wish you the best of luck. God bless!
Sorry this turned out to be so long. LOL I actually stopped myself and could have said a lot more - believe it or not!
hmmm, not seeing a post (?) No message inside
xx
NM means No Message inside post
nm
I really must work on my schmoozing skills, ya know? no message inside.
x
I worked for Spheris for quite a while. Honest answers inside. sm
Their rate of pay is pretty average, compared to other companies. They way they count their lines is fair and honest, no matter what you might hear from others. Depending on who your supervisor is, the schedules are somewhat flexible. Some supervisors are pretty lenient with the schedule, and others are very rigid. Overall, the people there are pretty nice. If you're just basically looking for a company where you can go in, get your lines done, and walk away, they're probably a good fit for you.
But there are definitely bad points, also. There's not much in the way of feeling like part of a team. You pretty much feel like just another number to them. If don't give them what they want in terms of lines or overtime or whatever, you'll definitely hear about it. They love to ask for you to work extra or switch your shift to accommodate them, but they don't generally feel like paying back the favor. They're famous for turning down PTO requests for no particular reason, no matter the reason for the request. The recruiter will promise you there's plenty of opportunities for advancement, but really there aren't. I've known gals who have worked their butts off for them for years and still haven't gotten anywhere. The only way to get a raise is to move up in levels of difficulty, and the levels that pay the most per line are the accounts that have tons of ESL's and lots of very difficult report types, with sometimes pages of really crazy account instructions that have to be followed.
In my opinion, if you go with Spheris, you'll make the most money if you take on a medium-level account, probably with more clinic work, where there aren't so many ESL's and not so many crazy instructions, because if you can crank out the reports at 6 or 7 cents a line, you'll make more money than struggling thru accounts that pay 9 cents a line but are terrible to type.
SPHERIS IS IN INDIA!!
Spheris is now offshoring to India for sure. They have an office there. I think it is a shame that they cannot treat the US MTs with the respect that they deserve, leaving us to wonder how to feed our family and pay the bills and the next thing you know...WHAM!! you find out they are in India!! WHAT A LOSER COMPANY!!!
Just went to look at Spheris India and it seems they
Spheris, India, etc. sm
They have really stepped up sending the work to India. I noted it slowly happening last year. At first, when you asked where a certain account went, they would lie to you and then find out later it went to India. As the year went on, they really became blatant with it. I quit in December because I couldn't make a living on the crap I was having to work on and sometimes, I was lucky to get the crap!
I'm sure the major changes will include a pay cut. They're good for that. Worked there for 6 years and there was at least 3 big pay cuts across the board, not including losing the good accounts.
I left them a scathing exit survey and they still sent me a letter wanting me to be rehired!
does this have something to do with Spheris India? nm
xxx
Please notice the OP was SPHERIS INDIA and NOT
On the US Spheris' web site for application of an MT position, notice this at the bottom of the page:
***Spheris adheres to the requirements above as we strive to maintain consistency and fair hiring practices***
If you bother loading in all the Flash players on Spheris India, you will see THAT is where the age restrictions are given.
No intelligent person could ever believe the US side would blantly violate US hiring laws as to put such a restriction on the US company's web site.
I have nothing to do with the company. I am just amazed at what people will contrive others into believing by not paying attention or investigating the issue at hand.
cbay is spheris' India company...
claim they have over 4000 employees, but the MTs are in India...
that was reported in the advance health magazine.
Spheris sends most work to India. SM
They are most certainly NOT a company to work for, if you are a single mom.
if I remember correctly, isn't that Spheris' India department?
Supposedly over 4000 employees, JUST for that India account, according to Advance Health Magazine...
Article in local paper about Spheris and outsourcing to India
Franklin-based Spheris Near Top of Medical Transcription Business
BY SHARON H. FITZGERALD
In today’s world of Palm Pilots and voice-recognition software, you might think the need for medical transcriptionists is waning. You would be wrong. Franklin-based Spheris employs more than 5,000 medical transcriptionists worldwide and is looking to hire more as its service to more than 200,000 physicians at health systems, hospitals and doctor groups continues to grow.
The world is changing because the demand for electronic medical records … is very high. Certainly there are some technologies being tried and adopted, such as speech-recognition technology or systems where the physician is required to key in his or her own information. Those are still in their infancy and hold some promise in the distant future. But for right now the work-flow habits of physicians and hospitals and the need to see many more patients and process them more efficiently is driving the demand for what we do to its highest levels, explains Harry Shaw, Spheris investor relations.
In July, Spheris was named No. 7 among the nation’s fastest-growing healthcare information technology companies. The designation was by the publication Healthcare Informatics, which also ranked Spheris 28th for total revenue. The company is the second largest in the medical transcription industry.
Spheris’ growth is in no small measure due to its December 2004 acquisition of HealthScribe (also known briefly as Avicis), which was No. 3 in the field. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Spheris gained a workforce of more than 1,800 transcriptionists. About 1,500 of those employees work at a centralized facility in Bangalore, India. Thus, says Shaw, the transaction gave Spheris a much-needed global perspective.
To service this increased demand that’s out there, having enough medical transcriptionists to do the work is a real challenge to the industry in general. One way to tackle that increased demand is to tap the resources that are available globally, he says. One of the neat things about having an operation based in India is that a lot of dictation is done at the end of the day after hours. So we get a lot of volume that comes in late in the evening, and if you follow the sun, that’s the morning time for India. They’re just starting their business day, so we can route a lot of volume that we get late in the day to India when transcriptionists are just coming to work.
Shaw says the fact that Spheris owns its international facility and employs its workers rather than subcontracting differentiates the company from similar businesses. In addition, all Spheris’ medical transcriptionists in the United States are either full-time or part-time employees of the company.
With more than 3,500 employees and additional sites in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Sterling, Va., Spheris depends on high-tech global systems to quickly turnaround client transcription. Here’s how the technology works: Spheris provides clients with a server and whatever voice-capture system the client prefers. That might be a hand-held device or it might be a phone number the client calls. Shaw says fulfillment shops ensure that the client — as well as transcriptionists — have the hardware and software necessary to do the job. Following a patient encounter, physicians and other healthcare providers dictate details such as patient history, diagnosis and medications prescribed. The voice files are sent to a data center in either Franklin, St. Petersburg or Sterling, then passed out to transcriptionists.
The technology play is critical for a company of our size, and it’s one of the advantages that we offer in terms of cost savings, he says. He acknowledges, however, the continued existence of sneaker net, with some physicians continuing to speak into a tape recorder; then tapes are picked up at the office for delivery to Spheris.
Most of Spheris’ U.S. transcriptionists work out of their homes, where they usually receive digitized voice files over the Internet. Spheris offers the client a variety of templates, or the client may have its own format. Turnaround time is 12 to 24 hours, Shaw says, although stat service is available.
As it is known today, Spheris is the result of a small Franklin company called Total eMed, which purchased the much larger EDiX from IDX Systems in June 2003. The resulting company was branded as Spheris. In November 2004, the company completed a recapitalization in which two private equity investors, Warburg Pincus and Soros Private Equity (now known as TowerBrook Capital Partners), acquired ownership. The management team, led by President and CEO Steven E. Simpson, also invested and continues to lead company operations.
Asked if an IPO is in Spheris’ future, Shaw says the company will take a cautious approach to that. We want to make sure that we stay disciplined around the acquisition of HealthScribe, making sure that we’re fully integrating all aspects of that. … We do have a growth strategy in mind, and that certainly is an option down the road.
LOL, I have to laugh, as I just lost my acct to Spheris Global (India). nm
xxx
I hated it there, they sent good accts to India (spheris global). nm
xxx
how horrible but Acusis/DRC outsources to India, just what Spheris will do with that easy account. n
,
How can a message be confidential if it posted on a public message board? nm
India, Michael. The MT world is going to India. Wonder why? nm
!
sm small message or see message...geesh..nm
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please don't put nm or call yourself nm if you have a message - nm means no message -sm
nm means no message. sm means see message. if you call yourself nm, then people might not click to read the rest of your post.
just trying to help.
ps. if the money is there, why does that particular person's balance say zero?
I still feel like a team player of Spheris, as the shackle scars are still on my legs! Spheris was
Micromanaged to the microsecond, or ms! Horrible. And part of a team? Total opposite - part of a team as in prison.
I can't give you the name of the message board, but it is not a free message board (HINT). There
Monitor, I hope this post is okay.
Don't imply you're worried at all. Just stating fact that Spheris does NOT allow a Spheris MT
work concurrently for MQ - no exceptions. MQ, on the other hand, does not have the same feelings as Spheris. Just all I had to say so that MTs aren't misled into thinking they can do the same "legally". Even went to the ropes on this issue with Spheris, as I was professional as well, and wouldn't share info, etc. The point they raised was that MQ is their direct #1 competition, and if I was typing for MQ and doing great work, that was in direct conflict of interest with Spheris' best interests. Guess which one I obviously stuck with!!
offshore to India, it's OFFSHORE (off shore), not outsource to India.
nm
Thank you, Spheris recruiter! Anybody wanna place a bet that there are lots of Spheris
HELP WANTED ads on the job board?? So funny!! Out of the blue, Spheris, we love you!! Lets all run and apply NOW!!
But that could be Leave a Message or Little Message! LOL
nm
Congrats! :) SM = see message. NM (no message)
I also know Spheris would fire you if they knew you worked for MQ. That is a BIG NO with Spheris!
nm
Spheris - any spheris employees out there care to s/m
comment on the new Cornerstone platform, good, bad? Will we all be going to SR on this? Thanks.
If the transcribed files go to India, are sent out from India to be transcribed, sm
then the transcribed work is sent BACK to India to be pasted into the GEMS platform and then sent back to the clients in America, how on earth can the company claim to be US-based because its Indian owner has a home in Kentucky?
see inside
As I mentioned before, the best thing to do would be to send a resume directly to the medical records director. If they are in need of a transcriptionist, chances are they are going to walk that resume right down to HR and have them get in touch with you for an interview. And it also lets the MR Director know that "hey, there are people in the area, and we don't have to outsource overseas or out of the hospital."
I can't say it enough - I wish I had lived in St. Louis because I would have taken the job in a heartbeat. Some people did work at home and others worked on site.
See inside...
I love the fact that there is always work (except on a few occasions around holidays, etc). I love that I can generally get an answer to a question when I ask it. I love that my pay is always on time (as the previous person said). I love that they do not outsource to India. I agree, there have been some changes, but I really love MDI.
There are some minuses too, but I have worked for a few other nationals after working at a hospital, and really, MDI is the best I have seen.
sm inside
I was in a simlar situation once. I didn't want to burn my bridges, just in case the other job didn't work out so I told them I could not commit to full time as some personal issues came up but that I would be able to help them out 1 day a week. They allowed me to do this, and it ended up that I went full time with them later, as I actually made more money in the long run... better dicators, etc...
Look inside for what
Rolling On The Floor Scaring The Cat Laughing My @$$ And Other
Body Parts Off. Teresa, they may have an opening at OSi or SoftScript for you.
Thank you!!!! Please sm inside
Thanks for all the information! Did you feel that you were able to get yourself on some sort of 'schedule'? I just left somewhere because I had no idea from day to day when I would get work or how much and ended up waiting around all day long sometimes and either getting very little to nothing or too much at once for the TAT. Did it seem pretty manageable? (I would also rather work during the daytime hours...) Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your help!
see inside
I worked for them recently (within a year). They had software changes earlier to that, so if you see negatives about technology problems, it was before that. Evidently they did have lots of problems back before they were on their current system. Still some occasional bugs.
IC only. Good accounts. Put you on one account, and you stay on that account. If you have a similar experience to mine, you won't run out of work on your account.
Software getting dated. Not written by/for MTs or with requests for MT input. Hence, you have the programmer(s) doing really strange Keystrokes that are not productivity-friendly. They fix one thing and break three others. Need to fire the programmers and invest a bit more in getting decent programmers.
Office staff--THE best, hands down. QA will leave you alone unless there's a problem. You don't get QA scores sent to you or nitpicking. You either have good quality or they'll be contacting you about it.
Hours--THE best, once again. You have a quota to get in every week, and you give them a weekend day. Other than that, you're free to get that time in when you can.
OTI is also the company in my experience that's come closest to actually treating ICs as ICs.
I have worked for many nationals, and OTI remains my best overall experience. I had to leave because of needing benefits. That's the only reason I left. I would recommend them to anybody who's got at least five years of acute care experience in the Basic 4.
See inside. sm
SoftScript pays up to 10.5 cents a line with full benefits.
JLG, I believe, pays up to 9.5 with benefits (or at least they used to).
Be sure and watch the job boards for hospitals hiring for at home workers. Good pay and full benefits at a great price. Don't settle without checking all options and best of luck to you.
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