This is a double edge sword and I ,too,
Posted By: Even though I agree to a point on 2006-08-06
In Reply to: with the email verification - not as happy
agree that the posts are way down since the new policy took place. While I agree with taking steps to control the trolls and other nprofessional comments, many are now afraid to really say anything of the slightest critical nature so perhaps some things about certain companies which should be revealed, now will not be, thus failing to give the heads up to MTs who need to know the real truth about companies who are not really the best to work for. As far a getting an alternative email address to avoid having all sorts of emails possibly being sent to our main email, that seems a bit inconvenient and still remains the fact that nasty emails will come in either way. I have read the board all week and there is really not much new here anymore. I, too, will probably visit here a lot less often, as it seems many have decided to do.
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Well, that would be a double-edged sword
If we all start requesting back-up accounts, you will soon find there isn't enough work on those 3 accounts, unfortunately, because that's likely where we'll be placed. That will lead to those 3 accounts you have also being overstaffed, and then none of us will have any work.
I've learned it's pretty much a vicious cycle. If one account starts running dry and the MTs are distributed elsewhere, then those accounts start running dry due to being overstaffed, and the cycle keeps repeating itself.
I believe someone posted on here not too long ago that they had been hired but ended up quitting before they were trained as the account they had hired for didn't even have sufficient work to pull the required 5 training reports for them. Now, THAT'S a mind-boggler - Hiring someone for an account that doesn't even have enough work to train someone for. Crazy, huh?
I hope they're working on lining up new accounts, but, if they are, it would be nice if they would clue us in so we know which direction to go.
Best of luck to all of my fellow MDIers!
Anyone know of Edge Transcription?
Hi. Has anyone here worked or is working for Edge Transcription?
Edge Medcom LLC
My name is Dan Edge, and I am the owner of Edge Medcom LLC. I would be happy to answer whatever questions you may have and provide more information about my company.
You will likely not find much information about Edge Medcom on the web because it is a brand new company. I worked for another transcription company before starting this one, and I felt strongly that I could do a better job. One of the problems at this other company was that they weren’t paying the transcriptionists enough, and weren’t treating them well besides. As a result turnover was rampant, the quality of the product declined, and we didn’t have sufficient staff to handle the amount of work coming in.
I am addressing these production issues with Edge Medcom. I want to attract and retain high-caliber Transcriptionist professionals by 1) Screening applicants diligently and thoroughly, 2) Offering a higher rate of pay (based on my research of the market) and 3) Treating them with the respect owed a professional small business owner (which subcontractors are, in fact). In return, I expect expertise, dependability, and loyalty.
I received a flood of resumes from my first ad on MT Stars, and at this point I have filed the positions I need. However, I’m sure I will need more as my company grows, and I endeavor to earn a positive reputation in the eyes of professional medical transcriptionists.
Dan Edge
President, Edge Medcom LLC
dedge@edgetranscription.com
MQ has the slight edge but KS isn't bad (nm)
Edge Medcom
RUN the other way. Not only is pay too low, quality of recording horrible, expectations of TAT impossible to meet. Owner very rude, abrupt and terse. My observations from a very short association with this company.
Anyone work for Edge Medcom or
Edge Transcription out of Monsey, NY? They posted on the Job Seekers board, and I'm interested in getting some more info. about them. TIA!!
From the Owner of Edge Medcom LLC
Greetings All,
I'm Dan Edge, the owner of Edge Medcom LLC. I am a new business owner who is learning the transcription industry, along with learning the ins and outs of running a successful company. I am always open to learning more about how I can improve my business. My thanks to those who have highlighted my strengths along with my weaknesses (http://www.wahm.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=492264&PID=2179276#2179276).
With that in mind, I would like to respond to some of the comments I've received on the WAHM and MTstars message boards.
-Regarding pay:
I based my starting rates primarily on two factors: 1) My experience working for another transcription company (which paid transcriptionists less than I do), and 2) The high turnover rate that is seemingly inherent in the industry.
Based on discussions with other transcription companies and with transcriptionists, my rates are about the median in the industry. I know companies that pay less per audio hour, several that match my rate, and several that pay a little more. For the transcriptionists who consistently make significantly more than what I offer, they are usually working directly for a doctor or hospital, i.e. they are not working with an intermediary transcription company that must make a profit of its own. Many transcription companies are beginning to outsource work to India, which makes it difficult to remain price-competitive.
I have been open to negotiating higher starting rates for transcriptionists who bring a lot of experience to the table, and I am very happy to increase pay after a subcontractor has proven to be dependable over a few months.
-Regarding checks:
I may make accounting errors from time to time, but it is extremely rare that I don't pay within the 30-day net time period. Any time a subcontractor asks me about a payment, I check it out immediately, and resolve the issue if there is a problem. Earlier this year, when cash flow was more of a challenge (as it is for any young business), I delayed paying my own paycheck for three weeks so that my vendors would get paid on time. That is how I do business.
-Regarding communication:
I have always been a believer in solid communication, and I make a big deal about this when I bring on someone new. I provide my cell phone number to transcriptionists and make myself available pretty much 24/7. That said, there are certainly ways I could improve in this regard.
One poster commented that communication has improved of late, and I note that this coincides with my taking back over the production department. I brought on a production assistant earlier this year, and things did not work out as well as I had hoped. She is no longer working with me.
-Regarding my rude, abrupt, and terse manner:
I can only say that this comment is ridiculous. I am probably among the most polite, most benevolent people you will meet. I consider the subcontractors to be my friends and co-workers. One of them is even coming to my wedding next April! I treat transcriptionists with the respect they deserve as fellow business owners.
However, along with this respect comes an expectation of professionalism.
The *only* times I have expressed anger to subcontractors are the instances when someone has committed to completing a job, then utterly failed to communicate and failed to fulfill their commitment. I've had cases where I've given someone a week to complete a transcript, and then they tell me at the last minute that they didn't do any of it (or more often, I don’t hear anything from them at all, ever again). I had a recent case when a Transcriptionist (who I'd worked with several times before), after having five days to work on a transcript, after finally turning it in late and incomplete, after flatly refusing to finish it, with no apology or explanation for why it wasn't finished -- she had the gall to complain about her pay for the job.
I can gratefully accept the criticism that my wages are uncompetitive. But I can't help but think that some of the unqualified (and unfair) negative comments about my company are coming from the flakes who screwed me over, then got upset because I would not stand for their unprofessionalism. These are the kinds of folks that work toward giving your noble profession a bad name.
Again, I appreciate the (honest) criticisms of my company, and I will take them to heart when moving forward in ’08. I encourage any of you with questions to email me at dedge@edgetranscription.com or call my office at 845-517-4000.
Sincerely,
Dan Edge
President
Edge Medcom LLC
www.edgetranscription.com
This letter is posted to both the WAHM and MTstars forums.
From the Owner of Edge Medcom LLC
I posted this letter as a reply to some comments about my company here: http://forum.mtstars.com/company/v/1/57082.html. I wanted to post it again as a new topic to bring it to the top of the list. Thanks.
---------
Greetings All,
I'm Dan Edge, the owner of Edge Medcom LLC. I am a new business owner who is learning the transcription industry, along with learning the ins and outs of running a successful company. I am always open to learning more about how I can improve my business. My thanks to those who have highlighted my strengths along with my weaknesses (http://www.wahm.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=492264&PID=2179276#2179276).
With that in mind, I would like to respond to some of the comments I've received on the WAHM and MTstars message boards.
-Regarding pay:
I based my starting rates primarily on two factors: 1) My experience working for another transcription company (which paid transcriptionists less than I do), and 2) The high turnover rate that is seemingly inherent in the industry.
Based on discussions with other transcription companies and with transcriptionists, my rates are about the median in the industry. I know companies that pay less per audio hour, several that match my rate, and several that pay a little more. For the transcriptionists who consistently make significantly more than what I offer, they are usually working directly for a doctor or hospital, i.e. they are not working with an intermediary transcription company that must make a profit of its own. Many transcription companies are beginning to outsource work to India, which makes it difficult to remain price-competitive.
I have been open to negotiating higher starting rates for transcriptionists who bring a lot of experience to the table, and I am very happy to increase pay after a subcontractor has proven to be dependable over a few months.
-Regarding checks:
I may make accounting errors from time to time, but it is extremely rare that I don't pay within the 30-day net time period. Any time a subcontractor asks me about a payment, I check it out immediately, and resolve the issue if there is a problem. Earlier this year, when cash flow was more of a challenge (as it is for any young business), I delayed paying my own paycheck for three weeks so that my vendors would get paid on time. That is how I do business.
-Regarding communication:
I have always been a believer in solid communication, and I make a big deal about this when I bring on someone new. I provide my cell phone number to transcriptionists and make myself available pretty much 24/7. That said, there are certainly ways I could improve in this regard.
One poster commented that communication has improved of late, and I note that this coincides with my taking back over the production department. I brought on a production assistant earlier this year, and things did not work out as well as I had hoped. She is no longer working with me.
-Regarding my rude, abrupt, and terse manner:
I can only say that this comment is ridiculous. I am probably among the most polite, most benevolent people you will meet. I consider the subcontractors to be my friends and co-workers. One of them is even coming to my wedding next April! I treat transcriptionists with the respect they deserve as fellow business owners.
However, along with this respect comes an expectation of professionalism.
The *only* times I have expressed anger to subcontractors are the instances when someone has committed to completing a job, then utterly failed to communicate and failed to fulfill their commitment. I've had cases where I've given someone a week to complete a transcript, and then they tell me at the last minute that they didn't do any of it (or more often, I don’t hear anything from them at all, ever again). I had a recent case when a Transcriptionist (who I'd worked with several times before), after having five days to work on a transcript, after finally turning it in late and incomplete, after flatly refusing to finish it, with no apology or explanation for why it wasn't finished -- she had the gall to complain about her pay for the job.
I can gratefully accept the criticism that my wages are uncompetitive. But I can't help but think that some of the unqualified (and unfair) negative comments about my company are coming from the flakes who screwed me over, then got upset because I would not stand for their unprofessionalism. These are the kinds of folks that work toward giving your noble profession a bad name.
Again, I appreciate the (honest) criticisms of my company, and I will take them to heart when moving forward in ’08. I encourage any of you with questions to email me at dedge@edgetranscription.com or call my office at 845-517-4000.
Sincerely,
Dan Edge
President
Edge Medcom LLC
www.edgetranscription.com
This letter is posted to both the WAHM and MTstars forums.
Comment regarding Edge Medcom
I am pretty sure I am the MT that the owner of Edge Medcom was referring to in his posted comment. What he failed to mention is that he was never billed for the work that was done, even though 40-plus pages had been typed. After 5 days of laboring over the poor quality audio, I was basically working for nothing at that point. How many of us would like to work for nothing and struggle to boot? Yes, I did complain about my pay at that point and yes I did refuse to finish the job because I made barely anything on that job. He also failed to mention all the excellent quality work he received from me up to that point. After over 20 years as a transcriptionist, I am very weary of pounding the keyboard for companies with substandard audio with the $$ basically coming out of my pocket. Mr. Edge, early in our business relationship, made mention of what he makes from a seminar transcription and it would seem to me he should be able to pay his transcriptionists better. I guess it comes down to the old adage of you get what you pay for. Thank heavens I will be out of the transcription profession in the near future to one I can really make some money at!
Has anybody applied with Edge Medcom? I just saw their post on...
the other board. It got me curious. Just wondered if sparked anyone else's curiosity?
my name is double ?
thats my name. pls use another name.
Sorry double ?
,
You have to pay double....sm
The employer share and the employee share.
I pay quarterly.
Now this is a double duh....
I get a QA every 3 months. There are a lot of doubting people here. I can hardly wait until most are put over on some crapola VR program and then they can really complain. I love mine, plan on sticking with it and well, just figure out for yourself on the split. Just say half and half. HA!
Double ditto
I work for SS as well and couldn't agree with you more. This is the first company that has sent out nasty e-mails regarding taking MTs pay away. They are so unprofessional.
Always double check your
And then check it again.
sorry about double post
.
OK. Double wow. Same newbie here doing well.
.
double dipper
Sounds like a yummie dip cone!! LOL But! Hey I know of some managers that do it - and get away with it. And we wonder why these transcription companies can't or won't pay their MTs well, its cause they are being robbed blindly by their trusted management. Shame shame.....
Double Dippers! Wow!
I just wanted to bring up the thread from below as its getting buried down there. OH MY GOSH!! I had no idea that this was going on, but it sure does explain a LOT of what has been going on and I haven't been able to figure it out. Wow! That's about all I can come up with. I definitely know of at least 1 or 2 QA staff who must be doing that for sure - they are just never there - hammer out the jobs by simply filling in a blank for any question, and churn thru the jobs, paying attention to none. Yet one can never really contact them. They must have rows of computers set up on their desks! Or lots of KVM switches, on top of lots of nerve. Yep, these cheaters are definitely ruining it for the rest of us. Double dipping would never even have crossed my mind, but it sure does explain lots of weird situations.
Double Dipping
not only does it happen but then company overstaffs and makes it easier for the DDs to continue. They are just always swamped with work, and nobody is the wiser, but I know! Its disgusting!
double dipping
I know when I previously worked for a company out of NJ, the recruiter who hired and trained me and maybe was my supervisor--no one ever gave me a straight answer on that one--also had her own company and was advertising on the other board for people for her own company and offering higher pay! How crazy was that?? Consequently, besides what seemed to me to be an unethical situation, I could never get an answer to a question because she never had time! And it seemed like I would never know what I had done incorrectly until I did it, and then QA would be VERY unhappy. Needless to say, I didn't stay there very long.
It's the double-dippers (you know who you are) SM
Who have more than 1 hourly QA job and are juggling the companies during the same hours. It's all well and good for people to say that QA should be paid hourly (and I agree) but when you have people out there who will take advantage and get 2 jobs at $15 an hour during the same hours this is what happens.
You might double check this...
In the 3 states I have lived in, they did not charge to change your phone number if you were changing it due to harassment. And this certainly sounds like harassment!! I can't imagine being called that much by a company I don't work for, telemarketers are bad enough, but at least they have to stop at a certain time of night. Caller ID was the greatest invention ever, I don't answer unless I know who it is and that I want to talk to them. Good luck to you.
Double with eScription
Yes, with eScription, I am able to double my lines compared with typing. I am actually doing a bit more than doubling.
I see a lot of double dipping at
?
I have more than double your experience and sm
I make 8.5 base rate, but actually 9.5 because of incentives. YES I think right now you are a bit off you want 9 cents or better base rate. Because so many places are now making you an employee, paying a portion of your taxes, providing medical insurance and PTO...well those aren't free. Sure, you earn them because the MTs are the only workers who generate all the income of a company, but there is only so much after the cost of equipment, the monthly per MT platform costs, the cost of support staff, with which to pay the MT. When you further decrease that pie by paying benefits, it means line rates go down.
If you go IC, which is getting harder and harder to find, you could probably get 9 cents a line all right, but no benefits and you pay all your own taxes. I was an IC for years and I never got to a point where the taxes didn't still kill me. Your situation is different and you'd have to access that for yourself.
Line rates aren't everything. I was making 9 cpl IC last year and my gross was $35K. I took a job with a base of 8.5, good incentives, and my part of my health insurance is tiny, BUT I will make about $42K this year AND have benefits, although the line rate is technically less. Oh, and that $35K was working 1 full time job and 1 half time job all year (a lot of hours) and the $42K will be made at 1 job with many fewer hours.
double standard
Since you're so knowledgeable about how to treat people and what's insensitive you surely know that you came off looking like the bigger jerk with your condescending, bullying way of making your point. There are ways of educating people without making them feel bad about something that was unintentional to start with. I don't know if you actually have a double standard or are just a bully, but I have much more respect for the OP as a person since she admitted her mistake and apologized and you still wouldn't let it go. You may be an expert on PC, but it seems a little phony when you present it in such a hateful way. Grow up.
I can double my lines with VR and
I average around $20 or above an hour but this is an account I have been on for years. I have to have the audio as fast as it will go and that is some fast editing in order to make. Probably with incentive and per hour not as much as in the past but I like VR very much.
Double Amen!
No matter what they tell you...they do NOT give raises..EVER!
Somebody needs to double check
The laws that apply to someone who is an EMPLOYEE may not apply to someone who is a STATUTORY EMPLOYEE, which are two distinctly different classifications. I'll contact TPTB and see what I can find out.
Because they are a pain in the A double SS up there. I wish they would take their 1 hour TAT and
stick it. Sick to death of them.
An Industry Double Standard??
All of the posts about some potential blacklist started me thinking this week. First, let me say I don't think one exists, and I do think there is an informal network where someone any of us may have worked with might work at a company or whatever and information is shared. But here's my question.
While I don't believe in a blacklist concept, we DO seem to have that with employers here. So my question is, what's the difference? Why is it okay for MTs to say DO NOT work here... and it's not okay for an employer to say DO NOT hire this person... And I'm asking aside from the legal reasons of what can and cannot be given in a formal reference check. I'm talking about the informal network that we have in our industry.
The reality is, like it or not, all MTs are not created equal just like all employers are not created equal. And there is no one size fits all company or MT in our industry.
So what makes this different? Why is okay for MTs to blackball a company and not the other way around? I'm not asking for argument, purely curious about your thoughts on this. Thanks.
double your production?! Bwahahahahahah
lmao
Double dipping. There may be a few people sm
who do that, but at the company I work for, I receive a prompt response from my supervisor and even the backup supervisor. I doubt they are double dipping. Working for one MT company is enough to drive anyone insane, let alone more.
I should have said old hires used to get double; now all will get extra 4 cpl;
nm
Managers are double dipping
Most companies do not require their managers to type. Most of them are there to make sure YOU are working and TAT can go to h#ll before they would lift a finger to do something about it. In fact at every single company I have worked at least one of the managers was double dipping - working at more than one company at the same time, same hours, etc. for double salary and obviously the other company didn't know about it. That is rampant today.
If you want to be manager somewhere you better be in cahoots with somebody.
FYI - If you go there, better double check your lines!!!!!! nm
@
There is no way in HE double hockey stick that I would EVER take that job
You say you need the job, but I can guarantee you with that account you'd make more at McDonald's. So, think hard before you step into that. They'd have to offer me 40 cpl to do that job, and it still wouldnt be worth having to buy wigs and Tylenol when I yanked out all of my own hair and banged my head on the desk all day LOL...keep us posted..
Double check - are you sure they didn't say
x
I get double line pay on holidays
usually not much work, cuz we focus on clinic work, but we do get double line rate on the major holidays.
Charge double what you would pay a subcontractor.
more than double my yearly salary
Always knew I worked harder than most - now I get paid like it.
does this mean no double spacing counted either? -
offered 51 cpl VBC but not sure if that would be good or not?
Another point - and the double talk
This is all double talk. They are not replacing domestic transcriptionist, but they sure make it hard for us to survive when we have no work at night, no work on the weekends, and no work on the morning shifts because it went offshore. They will not fire us directly because they would have to pay unemployment. Instead they make it impossible to survive on what few lines you can get and you have to quit, so they fill in the gap with the foreign slime. My income is about 55% of what it was 2 years ago and I have been forced to find a second job just to survive.
Sue and Larry, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Neither of you have no idea what it is like to try to feed a family on what we now make, not to even mention trying to buy clothes or get what they need for school. Forget vacations, after school activites or whatever else goes on in this world. I just try to make sure we eat every day without enough money to even consider buying something for dessert.
Softscript double whammy
 A few weeks ago I was suddenly terminated from SoftScript because I did not meet production. Let me add that I am a 15 year Transcriptionist and repeatedly asked for assistance in the form of improving productivity on the accounts I was assigned as well as asking to be transferred from my main account because of the demographic problems that were severely cutting my productivity. I was actually a bit happy to be let go because if nothing was going to be done to improve things, I needed to move on, but I was unhappy about the manner in which it was executed. I even emailed all of the templates I had made to my supervisors so that someone else could get some use of them. Since I knew it would take at least a couple of weeks to secure another position I applied for Unemployment Compensation. So the kicker is that today I got a letter stating that I was determined ineligible for benefits because Softscript had said that I was terminated for MISCONDUCT. Not kidding one bit. So, not only do they make it impossible for me to make production, not offer any suggestions or support when asked for help, just quit paying for headers and footers that I actually typed, not pay at least minimum wage, and terminate an excellent MT, but now they are going to disqualify me from unemployment. Nice. You know, they pride themselves in not offshoring, but they are going to have to start because sooner or later no American MT is going to put up with this treatment.
Sory for double post, please answer at least one...LOL
nm
If and when you find one, be sure do double check yourself that you are being paid for what they
:P
Double check your line counts.
p
I believe that is double spacing for lines, not between sentences. nm
k
Sorry for the double post - I thought it didn't *take*
nm
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