UMM, if you follow Workstation Security Policy you can.
Posted By: MWMT on 2008-11-20
In Reply to: Ummm, no it's not - MyMT
Please refer to this document. If you land a private account, understand and follow all HIPAA guidelines, write up a confidentiality policy that you follow for the clinic, sign it, give them a copy for their records and keep a copy, copy and complete for each clinic the Workstation Security Policy, sign it and have the clinic sign it. Never let anyone use your work computer and hopefully have a private office. Store all records safely and shred all documents with PHI on them that you print.
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I am using Parallels Workstation
and it rocks. I just open it up in Vista and then I'm working with XP. Way cool.
Do you follow along with the mouse? I follow allow with my right arrow, the cursor going over the
words...I mean what do you do with the mouse exactly? I know that is a weird question, but I am still not getting it...haha! It could be a difference in platforms for sure,because my mouse is completely worthless to me in VR. I used EXText.
NO job security
Well, I can add a little more information about Interpro. I signed on to work, as usual, on this particular day, second shift and had an instant message waiting for me that said, "I sent you an email. Please read ASAP!"...it was a letter telling me that as an IC, I no longer had a job as of IMMEDIATELY and that they were phasing out the ICs in the company. I've never, ever lost a job in my life! What's more, the team I was on had gotten along great...one big happy family....that worked their rear off!!! I've seen these gals work over 16 hours a day to get the work out. I worked on a great team. Those ladies were great! They worked their rear off and for what? They never talked to you like you were stupid or beneath them. They were real, real people! They were awesome bosses! Sorry you new folks won't have the experience of working for them. This company needs to learn to appreciate their workers. Hey Interpro, the majority of your workers actually DO work and should NOT be treated as just a production number in the computer or as a pile of crap. I'm not there anymore, and that's fine. But Nandan needs to wake up and see what's going on in his company. It was much, much better before, Nandan!!! You made big major administrative changes in the last month and it is ruining your company...and just for the record, they do send work to India. I certainly miss the folks I worked with, but I don't miss the company itself.
Security fob - sm
Do you find that to be terribly inconvenient, i.e., does it interfere with your production at all in your opinion? I tired to use one with one job, and while I wasn't with this job very long, I strongly disliked it LOL.
Me too. Also, job security to the MTs
My son's pediatrician and my own doctor have English as their second language and I would bet my life and my son's life on both of them. They are wonderful people. Both of them said they would love for me to tanscribe for them, too, if they did not have their own service. I guess we all get to do in life what we are destined to do. I do see these so-called ESLs as people who provide great care and honestly I have transcribed for so long, I don't even blink at who is dictating. It is the dictator in any language who disrepects the medical record by misspeaking terminology or just plain disrespects the Transcriptionist in that they think we read their minds that I think less of, in which case I leave a blank. They can fill it in, and read their own mind. LOL.
What do all you IC's do about Social Security? (sm)
I see all these good-paying jobs for Independent Contractors, but wondered what do you do about paying your social security??
Extra job security, anybody do this?
I recently took on another job, this one part-time. I had been working for several months for a company that was constantly running out of work. This way I can always be sure there will be work in one place or other. I think in these economic times we have to protect ourselves. Anybody else do this? How does it work for you?
False security...DUH !
The email address isn't what they check; any dummy can use a false name. IP address and computer MAC address is what they check.
No anonymity.
How do you NOT have to pay Social Security??
x
Work 3 - like the security - cm
I am an IC for a doctor working about 6 hours a week.
I am an IC for a small service about 15 hours a week.
Lastly, I work as an IC at a midsize service to cover the rest of my income.
My preference would be to have 2 income sources instead of 3 as I don't really make *more* this way; however, the job security is better this way. I can always move work around to cover when I have less work from another source. I can't afford slack paychecks as I am a single mom with no CS.
I like that I am doing clinic work and acute care work so I don't get pegged into one hole and lose marketability. I also like the extreme flexibility in that I can do the work any time during the day and not be tied to a clock.
It is a matter of security not personal. nm
nm
Self-employment tax IS Social Security...
As an IC you pay it all, rather than when working as an employee and paying half with the employer paying the other half.
Does Keystrokes use a security fob for their accounts? nm
xx
What about violation of Homeland Security
They have all our personal information over there where it isn't safe. I was told of an Indian that was doing AIDs patients, got mad, printed their information, and sent their reports to family members....Go outsourcing!!! If my doctors outsource I won't go to them anymore. Ask before you go...
Social Security & Medicare
Here's the scoop: As an IC, you are responsible for all 15.3% of your combined social security (12.4%) and medicare taxes (2.9%).
As a statutory MT or a full employee, the MTSO will pay half, or 7.65%, of your social security and medicare taxes. It is only as an IC or statutory that you are able to fully deduct your home office-related expenses on your tax return. I think an employee can only take SOME of the home-office write-offs, but I am not sure which ones.
Also of note is that only the first $92,000 of your income is subject to the SS and MC taxes (not that many of us make this much, but it's good to know!) However, you are only required to report your income if you made over $400 that year.
When you file your federal taxes at the end of the year, you will have to pay a self-employment tax which is what takes care of your SS and MC taxes.
If you expect to OWE more than $1000 in self-employment taxes at the end of the year, then you will actually need to make quarterly estimated tax payments or risk paying a penalty fee when you file annually. To compute that, I believe that you would owe more than $1000 in self-employment taxes if your taxable income is more than $6500 per year (which hopefully includes nearly all of us!).
If you can find a company who will treat you as an IC (not binding you to specific schedules, etc) yet will hire you to a statutory position, then this, in my opinion, is the way to go.
For instance, I currently work for two companies, one as an IC and one as statutory. They both pay me the same per line, but since the statutory one also pays half of my SS and MC taxes, it's like taking my line count and adding 7.65% to it!
You may ask why I don't just go full-time with the statutory--the answer is this: My IC account has a lot of standards, so I actually make about the same, if not more, even after I consider the fact that I am responsible for all of my taxes for income made with this account.
Hope this helps to answer some of your questions!
Everyone has to pay 15% for social security; however, for employees
7.5% is paid by the employer (by law) and 7.5% by the employee. Self employed - contractors - must pay the full amount themselves.
IC versus employee - job security
Which status affords more job security with a company? Working as IC now and love the account and the company. I really want to ensure a long future with the company, so wouldn't going PT employee status be the obvious choice over remaining IC? I understand the pay is a bit lower but is one really more advantageous than the other. I do not need benefits currently; however, they do offer a 401K program for their PT employees. Thanks for any input.
Employee status = more security
There is an investment by the employer toward an employee through their unemployment insurance, all the recruiting and hiring costs, etc. As well, employers are bound by several state and federal regulations on interacting with employees.
A contract with an IC usually has a quit clause in it and, even if it doesn't, most ICs do not have the money to battle legally about a contract that was annulled. Easily broken.
It's about Nat'l Security, not bashing India
I have posted this before. It's not that American MTs are scapegoating India or Indian MTs.
Are 1st concern is with NATIONAL SECURITY. Some of our MTSO do transcribe for V.A. Hospitals (and 1 brave MT did whistle blow on Medquist for doing this).
I'm not against nation building; however, how is it that India and Pakistan have billions for nuclear weapons, BUT can't feed their people???
And, why do their top 1-10% of their educated, the Brahmans, ABANDON their country the 1st chance they get, and leave their country with a BRAIN DRAIN?
This situation is like Mexico in reverse. We get Mexico's uneducated and poor AND India's best and brightest.
These respective country's government MUST do better for their OWN PEOPLE!
It is not a matter of national security......
First: It's one thing to know whether I have HBO or Cinemax, quite another to know those in the US Armed Forces could have INTIMATE details of their H&Ps, operative and rehab reports, their addresses and phone numbers, and those of their loved ones, in an Indian or Pakistani file server.
------^ This information is easily available. Again, you think your job as an MT is more important than it really is.
Second: Why didn't you answer why India and Pakistan spend billions on nuclear weapons, BUT their people are STARVING? (whose being racists and cruel here?)
------^ Last I heard, the United States was helping Pakistan. Did you forget about that?
Lastly, the U.S. and Canada have OFFICIAL border, trade and protection treaties to protect each other, as they do now, having multi-nat'l forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is not the case with either India or Pakistan.
------^ Who cares! So, you believe your medical record is safer in Canada than in India? Why exactly is that? What makes an Indian more likely to misuse your information than a Candian? Please answer that question?
Musharef can't even get OBL in the Pakistani mountains because tribes are protecting him there!!!
-------^ And what exactly does this have to do with anyone's medical record? Why don't you first ask President Bush why the US has not captured OBL?
Now, tell me who is RACIST???!!!
-------^ ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION!!!!
Cleaning up garbage is job security? nm
nm
2005 MW Social Security Statement
Thank you very much for alerting us to this.
I am ex-MW employee. I too am going to report MW as my 2005 SS statement was not reported. I hope they are FULLY investigated.
I am going to call SS in the morning. Who should I notify in the Department of Labor?
I also did not have my state taxes taken out by MW, but I was required to pay my state taxes as if I were an IC in my state, even though I was an employee in this company.
Taken directly from social security web site
I am full retirement age (FRA) and still working; do I report my earnings to Social Security?
Question
I am full retirement age and still working. Do I have to report my earnings to Social Security?
Answer
When you reach full retirement age you no longer need to report your earnings to Social Security.
You do, however, need to report earnings for those months in the calendar year before the month you reach full retirement age. For example, if you reach it in May, you would need to report your earnings for the four earlier months.
The law also changed the annual earnings limit for workers who reach full retirement age during the year. During those months before you reach full retirement age, your benefits would be reduced $1 for each $3 you earned over the limit which is $37,680 in 2009 and $36,120 in 2008.
you would live in a security compound with all Americans around you...sm
not in the Arabian desert on a camel!
Read the manual!
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.
While there are tax savings remember you must pay the full 15% of social security
And not 7% portion with your employer patient the other 7%. There are lots of deductions true, but those social security taxers are the killer.
Oh no. Also check to see if your tax deductions (fed, state, social security) were
nm
Medware employees, please check your Social Security statement
I worked for MW in 2005 and just got my annual Social Security statement. It has a big fat zero for my 2005 earnings. They also withheld 10% of my salary (at my request) for 401(k) account, but that account also had a zero balance. I reported that to Dept. of Labor and have now notified SS. Please be aware and check, take care of yourselves because they sure will not do it for you.
I'd do it in a heartbeat. You'll never beat a hospital's benefits or job security.
I like the idea of going to my job every day, doing it well, and being done with it. You are not penalized pay-wise if you dont happen to meet your line count and the incentives are nice. I'd say jump from that sinking ship and jump aboard job security.
Here Here!!! I just called the Social Security office to apply for benefits, and somebody is already
They needed and had my medical records to do this.!
retiring from Spheris? Gonna get retirement pay from them or Social Security? nm
.
since I didn't pay into social security as an IC, I started a retirement plan to cover me.
x
been there, done that. That's the policy.
nm
Yes, they have a policy on
employees posting on forums.
If you post on a forum, you are not supposed to talk about the company in any form. You are not supposed to visit sites like that on their computer either.
If they catch you at it? Termination. They have that right, whether we agree with it or not. You need to look at the employee handbook.
I had a policy that was better than what
most companies offer. There are many companies out there and each agent can have a different premium for the same insurance. I was able to get the same insurance I had with DH company for about $200 less and it was very good insurance.
Policy is that you must use PTO (sm)
but this will depend a little on your supervisor. If she knows your account's been low anyway, and you've documented your out-of-work situation through the Community page, AND if you've shown some willingness to keep checking back in case work becomes available, she might be more flexible with you.
I can honestly say I've found my own supervisor to be excellent about this, especially during the summer slowdowns.
Of course, it's hard to keep checking back in if you have another job to get to! Congratulations, by the way, and best of luck to you.
This is my new policy too. SM
I am also a CMT and from now on, I will require pay info and insurance info up front. No testing will occur until this information is given. I am also a CMT, I have that to back up my skills, there should be no question that I can do the job.
I think they do, but must follow
nm
Follow up
There were many reasons why it took longer than 8 hours to do 1150 lines. One reason was because of the difficult dictators. The US MTs get the majority of the bad dictators. India gets many of the good accounts. This is a fact!! The other reason is because they have this little thing called OLC. You see, they do not like anything to go to QA. So they have you ask other MTs to pull the job # in to listen to your blanks for you to see if they can get it. Not only is this extremely time consuming for the MT, but it is very time consuming for other MTs, thus making it difficult for everyone to get their line count in in 8 hours. There was hardly anyone there that could do it consistently in 8 hours on a day to day basis. There was also much referencing for doctors names and addresses that was very time consuming, and that you don't get paid for, but you could not leave it blank without searching like in three different places for it. How time consuming is that....One would think a large company like that could come up with a better solution than that for their MTs. Maybe a better datatbase, do ya think??!! There are very many reasons this company goes through MTs like they do. Their turnover rate is VERY high. I personally met my goals everyday. Somedays it took longer than others, but the pay was not worth it. Give yourself a raise!!! My all time favorite. Excuse me, but even MacDonald's gives raises to their employees for doing a good job, that little thing called RECOGNITION, and they don't expect them to sell more burgers to get it....Most companies base their raise on hard work, dependability, quality of work being done, and when a company has top notch employees that know their work and are doing a great job, and pays another person whom just started the same wage (whom quality or quantity is not there yet) that is just not fair. Where is the incentive to be dependable, and to go out of your way to go that extra mile to make sure that job is done just precise. Another thing about this company is that they expect you jump around on different accounts just about every day. Emails that come through saying this account is out of turn and you need to pull so many jobs from this other account in. Well, again, it is hard to get your line count in in 8 hours when you are jumping all over having to other accounts and having to read pages of account specifics before you can even get started. They expect way too much for giving way toooo little. Compensate fairly and one does not mind going that exta mile for a company who shows you they appreciate it. If one does not mind working a ton of a hours for a low wage, then this company if for you. I think it is just degrading for all MTs out there to have any one MT sacrifice their hard earned skills and work for a company who treats their workers in this way!! We are skilled individuals and many work for less than what kids make at their part time jobs because they are willing to do it to stay at home and work. We need to demand a wage that we are worth. Afterall, most MTS either have schooling behind them or lots of years of experience. Isn't that worth getting paid what you are worth?? Just because we stay at home should not mean we have to get paid peanuts. What are you saving the employer, office space, equipment, electricity, and all the other things they must provide to have employees work in their office. We save them that money. So why should we get paid less!! Quite the opposite, I think. I certainly am not trying to keep anyone from getting a job. The only thing I wish to gain is to see this industry take a turn and have us very skilled individuals who are important enough to come up with a document that could play a part in a person's life, be compensated fairly!! Aren't we all worth that much!!??
Follow up - sm
I decided against Webmedx. I passed the test and was offered a position but declined. After studying the incentive program, I don't think I would be making any more than I do for Medquist. The starting line rate was too low. They try to push the incentive program, but it just doesn't seem that good.
So, I guess I'm sticking with MQ for now.
I'm planning to get out of transcription. I have tested and gotten offers from a few companies, but none of them seem vastly different than Medquist, unfortunately.
I already have a few online businesses and hopefully will be able to work on them full time some time in the next year or 2. 
Follow up
My husband called the company in Oregon (there really is a legitimate company with that name). They said it is a scam, someone is using their identity to get people to open checking accounts. This scam is using the employee names and e-mail addresses but somehow it is routed to the scam artists. The legit company gave my husband the FBI information so he could report it.
follow up
today (saturday)I have had 106 lines ALL day and I'm 5 hours into my shift. that help any? seriously, you will NOT make ANY money here...keep looking! your best bet is steer clear of any service, get on directly with a dr.'s office or hospital, that's where any decent income is...
Anyone know any follow up...
on what happened to that transcription company or on the Pakistani girl doing the transcription?
Follow up with them....(sm)
I'd send a follow-up email or call. TT is definitely worth pursuing. They've been swamped lately with resumes and there's always the possibility they didn't receive yours for some reason.
IMHO, TT is right up there with the cream of the crop, so by all means follow-up on your resume.
I am going to follow through on TTS. sm
I think I emailed you, and if you don't respond, I completely understand. I am going to follow through with the labor board on this one. I saved every email and correspondence from them, so on that end I should be good. I'm sure the current TTS'er will go yelling up the ladder, but it really doesn't matter because I don't think this is something they can backtrack on. I'll keep y'all posted. If anyone wants to join in, feel free to contact me.
That has been the policy for the many years I have been at MW. sm
Near the beginning of the year we are asked to decide which holidays we will work and which ones we would prefer to have off. That gets submitted to your team leader for approval. The 6 are Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thnxgiving, Xmas, and New Year's. You must work 3 of those.
MQ notice policy
I am leaving MQ (Columbus office), have accepted another position. Does anyone know MQ's policy on termination. I would like to be nice and give them 2 weeks, but if I do, are they just going to tell me goodbye and no more work? I'm an SE, so I could just wait until I start my new position, then fulfill my SE lines at night for 2 weeks.
Any input appreciated.
Thanks.
But from the posting policy above it says...
Third -- No company-specific information, i.e., account names, privileged information, posting of internal memorandums/communication, etc. Company names themselves are, indeed, permitted. Do not name specific accounts or copy/paste the memo that made you upset at work.
It says company names are permitted....?
I believe they have changed the policy about (sm)
bonus lines for reaching next level.
You can get a private policy for less than that and probably
better insurance too. At that price I don't think they are absorbing any of the cost, so it really isn't a benefit.
I'm looking right at the policy: 16 hrs a week.
Go take a look.
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