Survey - Is it time for hospitals
Posted By: gourdpainter on 2009-08-25
In Reply to:
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.
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Well, here we go...time for another survey. Anyone out there love their job and able to survive on .
what they make. I am totally burned out on broken promises, dreams and expectations when I have taken jobs. Recruiters hype their company up but then they never live up to it. All I am asking for is a job with regular work every day when I am assigned to work and decent benefits. Is this impossible to find? Have any of you found such a thing? If so, let me hear from you.
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.
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.
Most of the time it is for security reasons. We do work for 4 hospitals sm
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.
beds full at the 4 hospitals I type in Texas (this is never a slow time)
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.
Survey
I got the same thing. We took that survey last year, and then finally many moons later the only update is that it is still being held under advisement? BS! I'm content with what I manage to produce for myself working as an IC for MQ, but am not hopeful about the promised benies.
a survey for MTs
I was just wondering for all you at-home MTs why you chose transcription and what kind of job (good paying or not so good paying ) your significant other (if you have one) has. If your significant other has a job, are the benefits good? Thanks in advance for answering.
This survey does NOT ask for any -nm
ui
Survey
I am working as an IC for a smaller service. VERY few if any ESLs and those that are ESL, are extremely clear and coherent. Base rate is based on 5K lines per pay period with increase in anything over that and great incentive for doing what you can Friday-Sunday. Frankly, I prefer the flexibility of IC over being an employee because of the unexpected emergencies that can and do arise.
Let's take a little survey.....sm
Since we are all up in arms about the state of MT these days, how about answering a few questions.
1. What do you believe should be the minimum line rate paid to MTs?
2. What do you believe should be the minimum line rate paid to QA/editors?
3. What do you think realistically your paycheck should be per pay period?
4. Do you think ICs and employees should be paid equally?
5. Do you believe that a person's ability to be an MT should impact the amount they are paid?
6. Do you believe MT pay should be standardized within the industry?
7. What is your BASE line rate before any incentives and does your company pay incentives?
8. Do you believe government should regulate minimum MT pay as they regulate the minimum wage in the general work force?
9. What benefits do you believe should be extended to employee MTs?
Let's just answer these honestly and see exactly how poorly we feel we are being treated.
survey
And my answers....
1. What do you believe should be the minimum line rate paid to MTs?
I think .12 to .14 would be reasonable. I know several services charging the client .24 or more per line so I think the MT should get a fair percentage of that.
2. What do you believe should be the minimum line rate paid to QA/editors?
Since I've not done QA, can't answer that one. Did do some editing and I found it to be more work then MT, just too much fixing to do so I think the current 50% of the MT pay is nuts! Why would anyone settle for that?
3. What do you think realistically your paycheck should be per pay period?
I would say equivalent of about $16 to $18 per hour so somewhere between $640 to $720 per week. Don't get me wrong. I'd love more but......let's be real. We were for the most part educated at community colleges or the like and cannot command the salaries of people with advanced degrees, can we?
4. Do you think ICs and employees should be paid equally?
same work, same pay. the IC may not have traditional benefits but made that choice for themselves and reaps many other benefits (scheduling, time off, etc.)
5. Do you believe that a person's ability to be an MT should impact the amount they are paid?
Well, of course. We all should be compensated for our skill levels.
6. Do you believe MT pay should be standardized within the industry?
Why? There is no other industry that is. I know attorneys earning $60 K and some earning $300 K and the same is true in all jobs. some companies pay more, some pay less. that's reality.
7. What is your BASE line rate before any incentives and does your company pay incentives?
Mine is 0.85 with the MTSO I am with right now, and I am fine with it. Their platform is wonderful and the work is really good so I can still achieve a decent hourly rate and have the right to work when it works for me.
8. Do you believe government should regulate minimum MT pay as they regulate the minimum wage in the general work force?
If you mean establish a minimum, that would only work for employee status, not IC. But no, I don't think so. It is up to us to stop settling for less than we are worth.
9. What benefits do you believe should be extended to employee MTs?
Depends on the person's status.
Let's just answer these honestly and see exactly how poorly we feel we are being treated.
Survey everyone please
nm
Hey can i still join the survey? nm
x
Survey: Don't give co name, but do you all have
xx
Salary Survey
Looking at the post below about who loves their company, I am hoping to take this information a step further with what I hope is a fair survey. Working 40 hours a week, what is your salary, acute care versus clinic, benefits versus no benefits, and what company do you work for? I think it is very hard to judge what the individual companies are offering, and a lot of the opinions are based on what works for one does not work for another. Thanks to all who are willing to share this info.
Also, has your salary gone up (ha, ha), stayed the same, or gone down over the last 5 years? Thanks again.
My survey answers - (s/m)
1. Q: What do you believe should be the minimum line rate paid to MTs?
A: Forget the 'going rate'. It's a national disgrace. Based on current cost of living in this country, inflation, average rent, price of food, gas, etc., and amount of skill the MTSOs demand from their workers, it should be closer to 12 cpl. And no, I'm NOT kidding.
2. Q: What do you believe should be the minimum line rate paid to QA/editors?
A: Never been one, so can't answer from experience. Granted, they do less typing, but then again, they're supposedly supposed to know more than we do, 'cause they're correcting and QA-ing our work. So it probably all evens out in the end, and they should probably be paid similar to MTs. Don't forget that some of them MT when not QA-ing.
3. Q: What do you think realistically your paycheck should be per pay period?
A: One that pays the rent, healthcare copayments, puts gas in my car and food on my table. That varies from region to region. In my region it would be about $1400 per pay-period, AFTER taxes/soc. security,etc.
4. Q: Do you think ICs and employees should be paid equally?
A: Have never been an IC, so am not knowledgeable enough to give you a cpl answer. But when all is said and done, they work just as hard as the rest of us. And don't get insurance. So their pay should enable them to buy their own insurance. If they can't afford it, they're being cheated.
5. Q: Do you believe that a person's ability to be an MT should impact the amount they are paid?
A: Are you talking about the quality of work? Quantity? Both? Neither? If you are, OF COURSE I believe in merit raises. But 'raise' is a word rarely heard in the MT world. Also, I believe that maybe the pay rate should not be by the actual account (as in which hospital/clinic) but by each dictator. Sloppy dictators and/or extremely difficult-to-transcribe ESLs should pay the MT more, and cost the clinic more to have transcribed.
6. Q: Do you believe MT pay should be standardized within the industry?
A: Only if that means standardizing it to compare with other skilled jobs in this country. But if that means keeping the status-quo, and keeping the pay down at 3rd World standards, then no, I don't. It all depends on WHICH standard they'd be adhering to.
7. Q: What is your BASE line rate before any incentives and does your company pay incentives?
A: Min. = apx. 1000 lines per day. No incentives other than, 'If you want more money, just type more.'
8. Q: Do you believe government should regulate minimum MT pay as they regulate the minimum wage in the general work force?
A: Absolutely. And the problem is, this is not the 'general' work force.. this is a highly skilled profession that requires aptitudes, i.e., hearing/spelling/extremely strong knowledge of English and 'medicalese'/extremely fast fingers) that take time & education (regardless of how much is on-the-job learning) to master. It's a talent. Not every nurse or doc can do this. Not every secretary can do this. Not even every MT-school grad can do this. So we should be paid more in accordance with what we can do. The fact that technology allows us to work from home should in NO WAY force us to accept less. Sometimes working from home is harder than working in an office. We may pay less for gas in the car, but pay more for heat, AC, electricity, etc. since we're home all day. The bottom line is we still get the transcription done to the very highest standards. I think it's time the government got involved with this sector of the health care industry that has been swept under the rug for far too long, and bring our pay up to more realistic standards. Most likely that will only happen if we could all be unionized.
But before the government can do anything to help us, FIRST they have to be made aware that we even EXIST.
9. What benefits do you believe should be extended to employee MTs?
Let's just answer these honestly and see exactly how poorly we feel we are being treated.
survey answers
1. Minimum line rate should be at least 12 cpl/65 characters. The company I work for now pays 6 cpl/43 characters, which evens out to around 8 or 9 cpl/65 characters - aka, not enough.
2. I think editors should be paid for the amount of work they have to do. I have been an Editor for almost 5 years now and the work is harder when the MT is brand new. You have to read every report line by line, which should merit more money. However, on reports for seasoned MTs where only blanks need to be filled in, this requires less work and should be paid so. Don't ask what I get paid to QA - it's definately not enough!
3. Realistically, I think my check should be at least $1200 to 1400 per pay period.
4. Yes, I think ICs and employees should be paid equally.
5. I think there are too many MTs out there that are not really MTs, as in going through the actual training and certification process. I know of several that just learn as they go along, but that don't know drug names, syndromes, etc. I think it should be manditory to have training to be an MT and then the pay thing wouldn't even be a question.
6. No, I don't think pay should be standardized because there are too many bad dictators out there to make typing their reports worth the same as someone dictating very clearly and cleanly. Pay should be based on difficulty of dictator and only mandated by the MTSO.
7. 1,000 lines a day is not unobtainable for any MT as a base line rate, as long as they are considerd FT. Incentives should be given when the MT is no longer required to go through line by line editing; quality of work, as well as quantity. Anyone can type more, but how well is it being done? No, the company I work for does not pay incentives - I'm betting, though, that I would be spending a lot less time editing if they used my idea!
8. Does the government actually even know we exist? I think they think that all MT jobs are over in India. I'm sure, though, if we brought ourselves to thier attention, they'd find some way to regulate just about everything having to do with the industry. However, I don't think the government should have anything to do with it.
9. Medical, dental, vision, disability (carpal tunnel, anyone?), and family plans shouldn't cost you your entire paycheck!
My main beef with the MT industry is the number of companies that willingly send work out of the United States just to save a few pennies per line, but that gripe could go on and on and on...
What do you pay for health insurance? Survey. sm
What do you pay at the company you are with for health insurance? Is it employee, employee w/spouse, employee w/children or family? What is the deductible? HMO or PPO? Big company or small? What percentage does the company pay?
We are trying to come up with what is fair for everyone without putting us out of business due to cost. We need more MTs for new contracts but cannot grow until our benefits are better. Catch 22.
I really would appreciate feedback. What other benefits do you get? Do you want?
Re: Survey below. Why would someone say that an owner is moody. Why are they sm
talking to the owner at all? I have never talked to the owner of Keystrokes and I have been there for over two years. I have never had a broken promise. I have plenty of work to make my line count and 24 hours to do it. I have high QA scores and do not get bothered, which is important to me.
To each his/her own.
Personal info from survey's
Oh, it asks enough info and you can count on it collecting your IP address, that is all it takes to find out exactly who you are. This survey may be free - but you can bet her future survey's will cost you to take, and once she has all this data, you can bet your sweet bippy her site to access all of this information is going to be a pay site! She is not interested in improving anything in our field, she is only interested in $$$$$ she can make collecting data and making this data seem like it means something.
Wow..okay. How about a survey of ANYONE that was happy with their service.
I'm not sure how or why they keep in busy if everyone can do better on their own getting a job. Personally, I've never felt I needed a matchmaker. I just did the best I could in matching up my own skills and preferences to what was being offered to me once I applied. I have never had a problem getting a job in this business, anyone else???
QA error values survey...
I am just curious and trying to get a randomized answer regarding error values when an editor/QA/QC audits reports. For example: Major medical error has what point value, minor English error has what point value, etc. Also, if you don't mind stating what company this is or was for? If you would rather email me, you are more than welcome.
We were notified that they were correlating our survey info (sm)
and hope to have a new plan out to promote retention and happiness. Last letter we got stated that it was taking longer than anticipated. This was maybe a month or so ago. Not sure exactly what will be effected, just hoping for the best.
Anyway what was the result on the Female MT and Male MT survey?
Oh yeah, Cant find the tread and the results.
Survey - how does your company do with maternity leave?
I am contemplating trying to get pregnant within the year, and I am wondering how all the MTSOs take to maternity leave. I am afraid if I get pregnant, my company might find a way to get rid of me before having to cover my maternity leave. Any advise or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.
Survey - What type of medical insurance does your company offer?
Just curious about which company you work for and what type of medical insurance they offer. HMO, PPO? Cheap or expensive for you?
Christmas Bonus survey...Has anyone received a bonus yet this year or expect one?
We usually get one but haven't see it yet. Just curious if anyone has been so lucky as to get one.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THEY ARE GETTING RID OF THE LITTLE HOSPITALS THAT WON'T DQS?
X
So does that mean that the hospitals (sm)
(their website indicates US-based hospitals) that use this company are okay with this level of quality that the QA in India provides? Thank you.
Is there anyone else who would like to see hospitals (or more hospitals)
offer transcriptionists the opportunity to work at home directly for them, with decent hourly pay that is at least consistent with the cost of living in the employee's particular region (and assuming that the MT would be working at home for a hospital that is in her/his region), with same employee benefits as the on-site employees?
hospitals?
i've been applying to the hospitals in the area about every 6 months, and no one is hiring. i don't even think hospitals or doctors offices have MTs anymore...not my doctors office, and not another place i applied for a job...they have these little hand held things they dictate into that transcribe their words right there and then, they print it out, sign it, stick it in the chart, over and done.
if i weren't 10 years away from retirement, there is no way i would get into this business. having been doing this for over 20 years, its hard to find something else.
i've got work today, but its crappy work, the national cesspool stuff, and my line count is going to be so far below the minimum requirement it won't be funny. but they shouldn't mind, since it means they won't have to pay too much at the holiday rate.
but i keep applying and looking and applying and i know something good will hopefully come my way eventually.
in the meantime, i've had to get a 2nd job, part-time, another at home MT job, with a much smaller company, all IC employees, and i'd jump ship in a second and work for them full time if that wasn't the case because they are like night and day from the place i work for full-time now, but i need benefits, am single, own my own home, and will soon be one of those old ladies living out of shopping carts on the street, eating out of dumpsters, at this rate.
Yes, I have three hospitals too
and am very pleased. My liaison is awesome. She actually treats me like a human being.
CA Hospitals
I wondered the same thing. So many of the hospitals and clinics rely on MediCal, Medicaid payments. What is going to happen? Does the state have any safety net built into the system? What if the insurance companies go belly-up and quit paying as well? Domino effect!!! Ark!
Plus hospitals don't want to buy sm
the dictation or transcription equipment, just download the completed product into their electronic medical record. How would a bunch of ICs manage that?
Not to mention getting American MTs to all agree to be ICs - personally I wouldn't want to be one. I NEED INSURANCE and want a paid vacation, which I get through my company.
St. Louis Hospitals
Hi!! I, too, would love to chat with fellow STL MTs. Feel free to e-mail me!
St. Louis Hospitals
Hi!! I, too, would love to chat with fellow STL MTs. Feel free to e-mail me!
I'm not sure who the other university hospitals use but
I never see anything on their sites or on CareerBuilder about hiring in-house MT's so apparently they're all using an outside service of some type. Most hospitals I've worked in-house for use Medquist and another service at the same time (without Medquist's knowledge).
The only Phila. area hospital I've ever seen advertising for in-house MT's is Cooper in Camden, NJ (across the river from Philly).
I emailed you with some hospitals to look into - sm
I really hope it helps. In the meantime, I will get in contact with a couple of people I know to see if they hire outside their state.
I think MQ used to have them right. I guess they still have a lot of hospitals in the
Philly area.
hospitals hiring again?
Does anyone know if the east coast transcription scene is any better than other parts of the country, i.e., work? Are east coast hospitals starting to hire in-house once again? I am moving back to the east coast mid 2006 and wonder if I will still be working out of my home or can look to applying for an in-house position. I was gonna post this on the state board of NY but it seems to be quite inactive. Any information is truly appreciated!
Not that I know of. More likely to find hospitals that do. 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?
Hospitals outsourcing?
Anyone know of any hospitals directly outsourcing to MTs? My local hospital does - but not hiring now. I'm w/a great company other than running out of work consistently even on three accounts for months on end ....
Started several new hospitals
is starting at the end of August. 4th was a little slow but only for a few days. Work is fine and nothing much has changed so all's well.
What I have found is that the hospitals SM
will usually try that as a last resort to get their own transcriptionists to produce more. When they find out that the production increase isn't that big (or production actually decreases), then they outsource the whole thing and say that they tried everything to keep their own people.
hospitals vs. companies
I am applying at both a hospital for a prn position and with an MT company for part time work. I have the option to work in-house with the hospital, which I may do because I have to drive 25 miles to the city to bring my kids to their preschool anyway. My question is, what are some of the differences between working for a hospital and working for a company? (Pros and cons for each) I have less than 2 years experience, and some of that time was spent doing chiropractic transcription, so I am concerned that I might need more experience or training for the hospital work. Thanks in advance for any comments. |
hospitals vs. companies
Thanks so much for the input!
Except that the doctors & hospitals - sm
are being swallowed up one by one by the big mega-institutions: Tenet, Sutter Health, Catholic Healthcare, etc. The docs & hospitals have less and less say over who does their transcription (if they even have a clue who does), just like they have less and less control over what procedures they can recommend, and what drugs they can prescribe.
It's all come down to the fat-cats in the 3-piece suits sitting in their high-rise corner offices, dictating what healthcare will be meted out to those of use who need it, and how much the hospitals should pay for 'ancillary' costs such as transcription.
If ever there was a group of people the goverment should be investigating and putting a short leash on, it's the HMOs and the Health Management Corporations, which have ruined almost every corner of the American healthcare industry.
Maybe it should be shared with the hospitals and
clinics that trust AHDI. Show them what a load of ___ that organization really is.
ATLANTA HOSPITALS
I am not sure about St. Joseph, Grady or Atlanta Medical, but my husband used to work at Emory and they have outsourced everything they can..he was laid off during all the change about 3 years ago.
A new nonprofit board just took over running Grady, so no telling what is going on there....
I live south of Atlanta (Griffin area) and all hospitals in this area outsource.
I heard through the grapevine that Southern Regional (Riverdale) let their radiology transcriptionists go not too long ago, but don't know about HIM.
But, if you happen to find a hospital that still has in-house, please let me know!!!!
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