Working at home
Posted By: Perks on 2006-12-11
In Reply to: What I look for.... - Happy
If you compare working at home to having to get up and go into an office somewhere, rain or shine, that is a big plus. The only drawback to this profession is the declining line rate. Guess thats really up to the MT I guess. They will pay what you are willing to take. Just have to keep shopping around until you get what you want. Much better alternative than getting all nasty about the company you work for, there are plenty more out there, and they all pay different.
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In the early days, MedQuist said working at home was a benefit, therefore at-home sm
employees did not receive as many benefits as those working in-house. As I believe, it was something like at-home employees got 3 days off a year versus 10 days for the in-office employees -- WHAT?!!! I told them it made no sense to me, since by working at home I was saving them money -- no need to provide office space, equipment, references, utilities, etc. -- yet I get shafted. I was only part-time when they took over the previous company with their great policies, and I told them to kiss where I can't.
working from home is awesome but working for DSG is not...
horrible dictators, sound quality is bad, no answers to emails and they run out of work consistently...that is just my experience though...
Thanks. I am used to working at home
and not having to deal with this. This hospital has opened up a new surgery center which is its own entity and that took away a lot of our transcription plus a good majority of our radiology has gone to templates so in other words we are now very over staffed. They pulled some of us in-house to work on other stuff when transcription gets low which it frequently does so when I work on other things I get paid an hourly rate. I make more typing. Some of the other transcriptionists refuse to do anything else but type and one of the supervisors made a comment that that is not the right attitude to have. I have considered the nationals mainly due to my pay cut and gas prices and of course this coworker doesn't help, but am afraid of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. I have read horror stories on this board. Its hard to decide what to do. There is little opportunity for transcriptionists around here. The ones that have a job are holding on tight. One of the local multispecialty clinics outsource to India  and another one of our big multispecialty clinics do voice recognition and templates. They still have transcriptionists but let a lot of them go. I live in a remote area also and never thought I would have to worry about India, templates, VR since big city people claims we are soo far behind but it has happened. Oh, well thanks for letting me vent. I feel like I did this on the wrong board though, probably should have been on the main board. Sorry.
working at home
I work for a local hospital that has been promising us to go home for 7+ years and still be employees of the hospital. We have Dictaphone and recently got speech. We are in the learning phase. We were told they (hospital) cannot decide if we will use their equipment or your own equipment. I and another co-worker also work for a service. That threw up a red flag for us both. Our own equipment - independent, no benefits or possibly every thing outsourced and then possibly lose the job. We both figure with the speech recognition coming and possibly having to use our own equipment, it would be easier for a service to take over. Any thoughts to that?
This is why I like working at home - ALONE. nm
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Why are you working from home?
If it is so expensive, why are you doing it? Some people will complain that the sky is blue. No wonder you can't make any money with that poor wittle me attitude. Boooo hooooo!
Happy working at home
I love working at home for a hospital. I don't have to share work station, books, equipment with anyone. You have to teach family and friends that you are really and truly working, and to leave you alone during work hours. It's easy to allow intrusions but set rules from the start.
I had to work in the hospital med rec/MT department for a month and while I enjoyed the people, I hated being there in a windowless dingy room. At home, you create your own work environment. My two coworkers at home are two cats who keep me company. Good luck!
Exactly! When I first started working at home
with only 2 years clinic experience (no acute care at all), I was offered .075 cpl. Six years later, with that much in acute care experience and with the very same company, I was offered .0725. Something is just so wrong with this picture!
working from home question
I have been working acute care hospital, clinics, and doctor's offices for the past 7 years. All done from the same hospital, which handles it all. My favorite thing to type is op notes, but can and do everything.
I would like to work from home, but live in the wilderness with no possiblity of high speed except satellite or dial up. I have heard that dial up is impossible to make any money.
Can anyone tell me if it is possible to use dial up and make good money and how good is satellite?
What is the best way to go about finding a good work from home job?
Is it safe to put a resume on the internet?
Any other suggestions?
Working at home is very important to me
But keep in mind we HAVE BEEN working at home in this industry and making GOOD money for years now. It is only recently that this downslide has occurred. It is as much a benefit to the employer as it is to the employee to work at home. Think about all the money they save in office space and utilities and more and more of them do not supply equipment anymore. They want us to keep thinking the way your post reads and forget that we benefit them by working at home too. The working at home is a wash when it comes to which side benefits so we need not even go there
Interruptions working at home
You have to be very stern with everyone, especially family.
I told mine long ago, This is my room. I work in here. When the door is shut I am invisible to you because why? I AM WORKING. hehehee.
I don't answer the phone. Let them leave a message. If it is too tempting to stop and answer it, unplug it.
Put a note on your door for ding dongers - Day Sleeper. No Solicitors. That keeps them away.
The problem is MTs because we work at home have this wonderful life of freedom. Sure. It means that we can pick up everyone else's slack, or have them angry at us because we don't do it. Or we end up doing for everyone and working while those 8 to 5 folks are sleeping to make up for what we could not get done during the day. Or for those who call and ask you to pick up their kid from school, or take grandma to the doctor/pharmacy - call them once at work and ask them to do the same for you. They think it's ridiculous. That's when you can point out to them how untrue that is.
My favorite expression when I am interrupted is, OH SURE! I CAN DO IT, I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!
It makes them feel bad and away they go with their interruptions.
Lasty, if you have a headset on when folks try to talk to you, pretend you can't hear them. :) I heard one of my nephews tell the other one who was trying to interrupt me, Don't bother, she can't hear you she has that head thingy on. hahaha.
I love working at home...
I agree that there are those out there that think being an at-home MT is a piece of cake and anyone can do it and they are sorely mistaken...I have an 8-1/2 year old and a 14 month old and I take great pride knowing that I am able to do my job and take care of my children....I have never used my children as an excuse not to get work done and I don't plan on it...my job as an MT is very important and I do it to the best of my ability....I do wish people would take more pride in their work but we don't all have the same work ethics unfortunately...
HOW IS WORKING HOME A BENEFIT???--sm
Like Judge Judy said in her books, Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining. Who benefits the most (financially) from MTs working at home? Who doesn't have to provide an office? Who doesn't have to provide a PC (except for a fee)? Who doesn't have to pay the electric bill to use this equipment? Who doesn't have to pay the MT's phone bill? Who demands the MT have high-speed cable internet connection? Maybe your definition of benefit is different from the rest of the working world, but I/we count a benefit as something we can take to the bank, i.e., insurance, PTO, etc. (FT only, yet). 
Yes ago I was working for a home health
care agency and they tried to initiate EMR. This was 15 years ago and I didn't know what EMR was at the time. It was a no go. Recently had an appointment for my son with a specialist we saw for the first time. He was so busy filling in the blanks, that he barely even looked at my son and sort of having a limb missing or having green skin I don't think the doctor would have noticed any issues. If they want EMR I don't have an issue with that, but why not just have an MT transcribed document uploaded into a databank?
I hear ya! When I first started working at home...sm
I felt pressured to the max, but what I finally did was to put my bills in date-due order and placed them where I could see them at all times while working. It sounds silly, but it caused me to discipline myself like I had never done before - and after awhile, it became habit to work as if I were in house and actually helped me to increase my income! It is really nice not to deal with the office politics and a supervisor at the next desk, too! Good luck to you!
I make more working at home that I ever did on site
the most I made as an MT on site was 8 bucks an hour.
I figure working from home is worth at LEAST sm
an extra $5/hr for me right now (maybe more). Had offers to work in-house. Ability to work from home is the ONLY reason to do MT. Absolutely no point in leaving the house to do MT work.
Working from home/office work
I feel I need to speak up. I understand that the industry is going backwards in pay and for all of the more experienced MT's this is really degrading from what I hear from some. I understand and I would probably feel the same way. This is a craft. Not everyone can do what we do. It is a very hard craft. We should be paid what we are worth. There is no doubt about that but I also know how it works in an office in this industry. Being in an office is awful! I did it for 15 years. I worked at 2 different companies and both took advantage of the hard worker I was. I had MULTIPLE jobs and was not compensated for it. When I hear MT's complain about how bad they have it I want to scream. Yes, the pay is an issue. Yes, the belittling emails from managers is ridiculous. I completely agree and all of those managers should be let go but you do not know how awful it is to be in an office setting dealing with those belittling managers.
Trust me everyone in the company you work for or wherever that is not a VP or CEO is going through hell on a daily basis and not getting paid for it. You are making a lot more money for the time you put in than the people working in the office mostly. The people in the office are probably working on salary. When you figure the hours they work and the amount they are paid that are probably making about $5.00 an hour or less. They also have to work nights/weekends etc. from home. They also are having to listen to all of the MT's daily when they have a problem, they call in giving a excuse as to why they cannot come to work and trying to scramble to get the shift filled when the MT is really not sick as she said, problems dealing with the clients and their complaints about the work or turn times, problems with MT's and editors fighting via IM or email, problems with the Sales guys telling potential clients...oh yeah, we can do that...when we CANNOT.
I could go on and on. Being in an office is a lot more work than you would think. I would be greatful for what you have. I am not bitter at what I have gone through in an office setting. It got me to where I am today. I just want to let you know it is not easy working in an office and it is a lot harder than being an MT when you can type and then stop for the day and not have to answer to others and deal with their issues. Being an MT is a craft and it is hard...just be thankful!
Have a HAPPY HOLIDAY! Be joyous! Feel Blessed!
What is your problem with moms working from home?
It sounds like you have some kind of bias against moms working from home! What is wrong with that? Just because an MT is a mom working from home does not automatically qualify her as someone who puts out crappy work. I am sure there are tons of moms on this board who put out quality work. I put out quality work now and once my baby comes I will still put out quality work. Quit bashing moms working from home.
Do any acute care hospitals still have MTs working from home? sm
Back in the day (which was a Wednesday... in case you are curious)... I started out working for a huge acute care facility, then went home for them. Any of them still do that?? You can e-mail me if you want.... I'm sick of working for nationals.
I hate it when people tell me that working at home is a benefit (sm)
Benefits are something that the company pays for. No use as MTs. If it was a true benefit, then they should give us the money to cover the costs of what daycare would be, because if you have kids, generally they stay at home with you, right? So, they should be compensating us for daycare costs on top of what we already make. Now THAT would be a benefit!
I worked for them years ago, back in 1994. No one was working from home then... SM
Well, if you were working from home, you were coming in and picking of tapes. It was a pretty good place to work. I was just starting out as an MT so it was really good experience for me. They paid me hourly, but I was in house back then.
I have a friend working in a hospital and she is looking for a company from home as an employee.
Would anyone care to recommend a good company?
Hmm....working on the holidays, PMS, kids home from school, wanting to find a better job but can'
s
I love doing pathology, but it is hard to find a position for working at home. Gross pathology is
easy, descriptive typing. Microscopic is a little more difficult, but once you get the terminology down, it goes really quickly. I also found it easy to get lines in with pathology. If you've done acute care, you should not have a problem with the transition, IMHO.
Ditto.. Over 13 years experience working in hospitals doing all types of reports, currently working
for a national etc.. and Spheris told me I didnt have the qualifications. What cracked me up was the hospital I was working at at the time contracted some of our work out to them.. What a joke..I was good enough to work for a hospital and gave them work, yet not qualified enough for them. What is wrong with this picture.
MQ same situation. No pay for working holidays, no pay for working weekends nothing. Now noone works
much anymore and so they jerk the work out of the accounts to some place that throws it back with a lot of bad bad quality. This is the NE region. I dont know what the others are doing.
did that at home...
worked for a court reporter service typing depositions at home for a while. The biggest problem was that it seemed there were often 2 or 3 people talking at once and it was hard to tell one from the other. Things had to be verbatim to the letter, with absolutely every word spoken included in the report. I can see where it would be easier to do that in an office setting where you would be able to ask questions about things you were unsure of. The pay was excellent, but I found it really difficult to do it at home.
About MT at home
I am - or hopefully soon to be - was on eof those recruiters, and I coul dgive you a heads up on what they are thinking when they advertise, and what they really expect.
First, not all companies are making 14 cents or more a line with so much off shoring - BUT that doesn't mean they coud not give more. I have been asked to low-ball on many occasions. What a company needs to realize is that without MTs, there is no company. After soul searching, I will be leaving my inhouse job for an at-home MT position NOT WITH THEM. Now that I know what they do, I am hoping to cope, and work around it to make what I need without the stress. Cause the stress is making me physically ill, and I am too old and too professional and too qualifed to be treated the way they do. AND I wont be a part of their antics with the MTs. I mean how many times can a bank possibly make an error. MTs are smarter than that. Them leaving would only make my life more stressful in the office.
Yup. Only 2 at home still, 12 & 17 NM.
nm
FLOATING HOME - PLEASE
No houseboat just a floating home with the sun rising and setting over Mt. Hood.
PT at home with benefits
Does anyone know of a good company to work for part time at home that offers insurance?
New at home based...
I would like to get some feedback on a few companies. I have been offered positions from AccuScribe, Cymed. I am an IC now and have been in a hospital setting for several years, now at home working for a local company that does not pay well.
This newbie really needs some help!
Thanks in advance!
Carly
At home positions
DTS America Brentwood TN has at home positions awesome management group there.
Used to work for them at home--sm
You don't work for any certain facility. They now have the MTs working on all their facilities depending on the region you are in. They have heavy ESL.
radiology at home
MDI-FL pays 10 cpl for radiology and acute with Meditech experience. Good company.
Trying to adjust to home
I've had a tough time working at home. It takes more discipline than in an office and I applaud anyone who can do it and make money. 
Hospital at home now.
Please forgive me but I really need to vent. I think I am at my lowest now. I have worked in local Hospital Radiology dept. for 10 years and was told I must work at home, or no job. I must provide high speed internet and pay for it, I provide space in my home and desk and chair, must show proof that my homeowner's policy will cover their computer equipment, and must show picture of area in my home showing a door for HIPAA compliance, they say. I get 9 cents per line, only what I type, one line each for headers and footers. They won't tell me how they determine a line, they won't say if macros and normals are included. I went to personnel and they say my department head determines what and how she pays and they won't interfere. I have a one year old mortgage so can't say no, and my pay is down to 8-9 dollars an hour, and that is before I deduct what I have to pay to work at home. When I told my supervisor that the new program they put in is not Transcriptionist friendly, she said, no it's not, it is mainly designed for Voice Recognition. I can't check my lines, they give me a paper with total lines for the last two weeks on it with my paycheck. I feel abandoned and abused. I called local labor board and they said if I was getting minimum wage and overtime pay as required by law, then I should be thankful I have a job!
I am about to default on my mortgage, and have three kids to worry about too. Can it get any worse than this?
Will likely still pay hourly, even at home.
But I agree; 1200 lines will be required at minimum.
You would not be sorry to work for them. Like any @ home job, it is a job and to be taken serious (
The pay is good, it is based on a line rate and bonuses for tier levels. You would not be sorry. A good group of people, excellent technical support and communications within the management!
Staying at home
Hi: Our children are grown and gone and I still choose to stay at home. I like the flexibility that I have working as an IC. I like making as much or as little as I would like to. I like being off when my husband is so that we can spend time together, go see our children, travel. I even take my laptop with me when going to see kids so that I can work if I am scheduled. I could not do that working in an office environment. I agree with the other poster. You take the good with the bad. You pick your battles. Also, after working at home for so long, I'm not sure I'm a candidate for working in an office environment! That would mean wearing a bra every day! Hope you find the answers you are looking for.
At-home Transcribing
I have been working from home since July 2002. I absolutely love it. I have worked for Spheris, MedQuist, and now I am at Webmedx. The company I am currently with is the best. Spheris is also good, but they do not have bonus incentives. All 3 of these companies have PT positions available. You pay a $250 deposit for the equipment (which is better than using your own cuz if anything goes wrong they pay for it and not you!) which is split into $50 from each paycheck. If you ever leave the company you get that back. Also they have full medical, dental, 401K, and vision, and PTO time. I work FT and absolutely love it! My take home pay is around $1000 every 2 weeks. That is TAKE HOME!!!!!! So, if you have any more questions please feel free to ask me. Good luck in your job search!
other at home jobs
I know a few days ago there was a post from someone on where you can get other work at home jobs. Can someone please tell me where to find these. I remember them saying there was a web site on Good Morning America. You can email me directly. Thanks in advance!
May have a home office in tn
But definately is affiliated with the Phillipines, know the person who runs it.
Not like they are going to come into your home to check.nm
nm
Home vs. office
Well, I've done both but did billing in between. Each has benefits. Our local hospital pays more per hour if you get over the req. amt. of lines. Pretty cool. However, they're small and don't often have openings. They have a good starting wage too.
OTOH, I like being at home, working in my sweats, and having my 3 cuddle babies (my 3 pugs) at home with me. We are trying to breed our 2 black pugs (just once to carry on the line) and I wouldn't have been able to do that if I had still been doing med. billing at an office. I had a TAH last May and had to use all my vac. days. I have to be home with my female if she has puppies in case something goes wrong and with the puppies in case she abandons then litter. Home trans. allows me to do that.
So, I guess, to each his own. At first, when I left an hourly paying job, I wanted to run to the local hosp. and beg them to hire me. Now, I'm more secure in what I can do and I feel comfortable at home. :-)
I know......been IC at home for 18 years. sm
Yes, they are my own client(s).
Is TT home of the unprofessionals?
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Work from home
Does anyone work from home doing anything other than transcription? If so, can you share what your doing?
I do dog-sitting in my home. $15 per day.
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Many at home will be on production...
which may be harder to compare. It would really depend on your production in those cases. I average around 300 lph, but that is pretty high production. Of course, if you start on a new account or get accounts you're not familiar with..that number really drops. I think $17 an hour is fairly reasonable and seems to be along the lines of QA pay at MQ.
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