see inside for companies that pay QA per hour

• Editing at extremely low line rates. - Administrator sm
  • My opinion - VR editor here..
    • RE: Editing at extremely low line rates - Howie
  • Nor did I say Ideal - my 2 cents - SM
  • Differences between reality and fantasy - my 2 cents - SM
    • on rereading I did say Ideal, didn't I?? - SoRry! my 2 cents - NM
    • No where in the post did I say that the figures were IDEAL. - Administrator nm
  • I am paid hourly. - QAer_in_Cali
    • Hourly QAers may be a dying breed, but cpl QAers are the up and coming thing - with so much MT being done offshore. (sm)
  • MTSO profit???? - ????
    • Wait, if you are paying 9 cpl then clearly you wouldn't need QA - at 5 cpl. What I said was (sm)
      • you said off shore and New grad MT's - right?
  • Editing offshore MTs should pay by the hour. Any QA - QA specialist
    • ditto, except I would only do hourly for American MTs as well! - oldQAhand
    • Hourly would be great, but you and I know it's almost unheard of anymore. - nm
      • Lousy companies pay QA by line. - sm
      • No it is not unheard of. Many companies still - QA specialist
        • Ok, so give some examples then. I can attest that more than less are paying by the line - and not by the hour. nm
          • see inside for companies that pay QA per hour - nm
            • What about MQ, Precyse, JLG? - sm
              • What better/larger companies? - USMT
        • Verifying hours worked - ????
          • My employer verifies the hours worked because I am - QA specialist
  • Why is the rate so low? sm - RADMTic
    • I can answer this one. - Just Me
      • Your expertise in medical terminology - RADMTic

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu

They've used it in the past. I have no idea if they're still using it or if it's their only software in use. They are or were:  Allegiant, Greenlight in Oregon, Interpro, Lee Perfect, Orion, Phoenix MedCom, Probity, PDA, Stat-IQ, and Stat-Med of Missouri. There may be others... nm

Please explain this to me.  I am not new and not naive, but I really would like someone, preferably an MTSO, to answer a simple question for me.

Why is it that QA, for most MTSOs, still get paid by the hour, but VR gets paid by the line?  Are they not basically the same thing? 

Am I wrong? 

Would you prefer a higher cpl for Editing VR or an hourly wage for Editing VR? 

Before VR, the MT would type the report and leave blanks for words/phrases the MT could not understand.  Those already typed reports would go to QA so that another ear could try to decipher the blank and send a nearly 100% correct report to the client.  QA was always paid by the hour because the reports they worked on ranged from one blank to fill in and little listening to the voice file required, all the way to listening to the entire voice file and practically retyping the entire report for a newbie Transcriptionist or a totally unintelligible ESL dictator.   Now, doing VR, the “Editor” receives (supposedly) already typed reports.  The Editor then has to listen to the entire voice file, and sometimes there are very few changes, while at other times, the entire report gets thrown out and typed from scratch. 

Also, I think VR is dangerous when paid by the line.  As every MT has been told since transcription began, “if you leave a blank, DO NOT leave a sounds-like word – just leave the blank.”  Everyone knows that if the Editor is not really paying close attention, the word typed on the page can look/sound “reasonable” when compared to what is heard because the suggestion is there that the word is correct.  If there is a list of Diagnoses or medications with no context of what symptoms and past history the patient has, it is very easy to assume what has been typed is correct, whereas, if no suggestion was made, the MT/Editor may hear something different.  There is not an MT on earth that has not raged against QA because QA changed something that the MT swore they heard right and typed right the first time.  I vividly recall nearly being fired for insubordination because I was livid with one QA.  It was an ESL dictator doing a discharge summary.  The patient was on over 20 different medications.  I heard and typed “q. day.”  The QA heard “q.d.”  The account specifics stated that “q. day” was to be typed as is, but “q.d.” was to be changed to “daily.”  No change in content, but I was assessed an error for each and every change QA made because of “not following account specifics.”  Do you think an Editor making 3 or 4 cents a line cares if the dictator is saying “q. day” or “q.d.” and will bother to change that, whether or not the account specifics requires verbatim transcription.  There are many words that sound similar that a tired or stressed Editor will skip over because it sounds/looks acceptable.  Unfortunately, there are also probably whole paragraphs that get little scrutiny because the Editor is trying to get their lines done to avoid losing benefits.  I would never say these Editors are trying to get paid for not doing their jobs, it is just physically difficult to concentrate for extended periods of time at the same intensity, and unintentional errors do get by.  Again, we have all probably run across finished reports in medical records with blatant errors that we swear would never get by us but which the MT who transcribed it felt they gave 100% of their effort and produced a 100% accurate report.  None of us intentionally would send back to a client a report full of errors, but it does happen.    

If QA can be paid by the hour for doing the same thing, isn’t it more equitable to go back to paying MT/Editors by the hour?  The way things are now, everyone is stressed because they are afraid they won’t make enough lines to pay the bills or keep insurance.  Of course, there would be minimum editing lines per week, just like QA has to prevent Editors from taking their sweet time, but I think the MTSOs would benefit also because they would also have a more definite payroll month after month.   When I worked in-house and was paid by the hour, I never had that stress.  If I had a few really bad days with impossible ESL dictators, I knew it would not hurt me.  I guess I am not competitive, so I do not care if I type 400 lines an hour or edit 1000 lines an hour in order to make a $10 a day bonus.  I just want a decent paycheck that I can count on month after month. 

What is your opinion?  Would you prefer a higher cpl for Editing VR or an hourly wage for Editing VR? 

I know it has been has been posted here before, but I can't seem to find it. Is there a list of companies that have a 24-hour turnaround time for getting work back?

Also, a list of companies that use ExText or train on speech recognition? Thanks.

I would like to know what companies offer a 12-hour window.  I ask if anyone that knows of any will please let me know.

Thank you so much for your time,

Ada

I know this has probably been asked before, but I'd like to know of some companies alow 8 hours of work within a 10- to 12-hour window?  I don't mind punching in and out, I just can't sit for 8 hours nonstop and produce like I need to.  I know other factors are important, but I think that's where I'm going to start this time.   BTW, no need to offer up MQ.  I work for them PT, just need a good FT right now.  Thanks!

I am wondering if there are any companies that let you work anytime you want as long as you get your daily or weekly line count in?  Thanks....

I have many, many years experienced and was just told a little while back, even though I am an IC, that I have to have a set schedule...And I am struggling to follow the set schedule due to family illness....

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I worked for them recently (within a year). They had software changes earlier to that, so if you see negatives about technology problems, it was before that. Evidently they did have lots of problems back before they were on their current system. Still some occasional bugs.

IC only. Good accounts. Put you on one account, and you stay on that account. If you have a similar experience to mine, you won't run out of work on your account.

Software getting dated. Not written by/for MTs or with requests for MT input. Hence, you have the programmer(s) doing really strange Keystrokes that are not productivity-friendly. They fix one thing and break three others. Need to fire the programmers and invest a bit more in getting decent programmers.

Office staff--THE best, hands down. QA will leave you alone unless there's a problem. You don't get QA scores sent to you or nitpicking. You either have good quality or they'll be contacting you about it.

Hours--THE best, once again. You have a quota to get in every week, and you give them a weekend day. Other than that, you're free to get that time in when you can.
OTI is also the company in my experience that's come closest to actually treating ICs as ICs.

I have worked for many nationals, and OTI remains my best overall experience. I had to leave because of needing benefits. That's the only reason I left. I would recommend them to anybody who's got at least five years of acute care experience in the Basic 4.

SoftScript pays up to 10.5 cents a line with full benefits.

JLG, I believe, pays up to 9.5 with benefits (or at least they used to). 

Be sure and watch the job boards for hospitals hiring for at home workers.  Good pay and full benefits at a great price.  Don't settle without checking all options and best of luck to you.

This is my first time doing IC work.  I imagine it will eat up some of my profit, but I am just having my other job hold out a little more.

You only do as much as you want.  She will send an e-mail out to the P.R.N. pool of transcriptionists stating, I have 60 minutes of Dr. Mickey Mouse available.  His speciality is ENT.  It is due back by noon tomorrow (Pacific standard time).  Does anyone want all or part of this?  Then (based on whoever responds first) she will assign the work.  Let's say you want 30 minutes of it--you would e-mail her and state, May I have 30 minutes of Dr. Mickey Mouse's work?  If you're the first to ask, she will assign it to you. 

You don't have to take work...only e-mail her when you want it.  There is not that much work.  She e-mails maybe 1 to 3 times a day.  So the work volume is pretty minimal, but it is something to fill in slow periods with another job.

Hope this has been helpful.

Chickadee

SPi Transcription - web site is:   

http://www.spi-bpo.com/web/spi/text_page.jsp?fldr_id=199

I read some of the MT Stars archives entries that gave the impression they were now an American company. 

After reading more, you may be right.  I think they may be foreign-based.  They acquired an American-based MT company several years ago and set up their corporate office in Nashville, TN but sounds like they are still pretty much an overseas company.  Kind of confusing.  Anyway, check out the web site for more info. 

First let me say I am not paid by the line, but by the report.  Secondly, my lead has been wonderful.  I keep in close communication with her.  I also let her know that if extra help is needed I am available.  I honestly feel like me keeping busy is related to the two accounts that I have as well as my lead.  I was adamant about getting a second account.

I am sorry that your best day this pay period has been 175 lines, but you really have to question the variables surrounding this.  Do you work on a large account, what about your scheduled times.  I know that with radiology, usually the doctors are very active first thing in the morning taking care of the films from the night before.  This is a good fit for me and I will continue to voice that.  Even if things were really bad, I would be ringing the phone off the hook with my lead and the office trying to get resolution.  Jumping ship is not always the answer as we change and find ourselves sinking. 

In the past I left one company that I had been with for 6 years and it took going through 3 other companies before I found one worthwhile, which was not KS.  I hope things work out for you and you can pick up more work because no one can survive on 175 lines per day.  Good luck!!!

MTStars provides the most extensive listing of job opportunities anywhere.  Our Job Seekers forum is free and the job advertisements are usually very descriptive.

We also offer a free resume bank for you to post your resume on. 

If you have questions about a specific company, please ask here on the Company board.

Please:  Do not post job-wanted posts.  Do not ask what are good companies. 

Otherwise, you will have to search for your position through the job ads and the application process like everyone else. 

If you have questions, feel free to email me.

Goldbird