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1200 lines should be a given. You could be making superb money!

Posted By: go for it on 2006-03-10
In Reply to: Just got an offer from a local hospital and wanted to run it passed you all before I say yes... - IowaMT

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1200 lines per day.
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Need to type 1200 lines on new

I just started new job about a week ago.  I need to type 1200 lines/ day to reach my income goal.  How long does it usually take to reach this amount of lines?  I can't seem to find a comfortable routine.  I want to work nights but no luck with that.  I am straining too much to see the work because the eyes are just too tired by the end of the day and day time is full of interruptions.  Thought about splitting it up with 4 hours in the day and 4 hours at night.  Anyone heard of doing this? Any other suggestions?  I have an Expander but I haven't put all of the shortcuts in yet.


thanks for input.


well, some newbies are getting 5-6 cpl; so, 1200 lines day = $16,000
nm
Hours per 1200 lines

Just want to get some feedback on how long it takes to do 1200 lines.  I did clinic notes and was an IC for four years and work on and off throughout the day, so I really never had to work straight through the day to produce.  I am now going to do acute care-hospital work minus lab and radiology reports.  I have about four years experience.


Thanks,



Make money? I'm not making any money because of my decision. You read my reasoning
You can agree with me or not, but don't make false assumptions please.
Diff between 1200 lines/day with MQ vs Spheris:
If you type 1200 lines a day for 5 days of the week with each company, here is the incentive difference:

MQ: Incentive would be $0.
S: Incentive would be $24.

That is for the entire week.
How long does it take you to type 1200 lines?

On a normal good day it takes me about 5 hours, somedays I just can't stay focused so it takes longer.  I'm still debating about getting an Expander so just wanted to see how long it took people on average. 


Most expect 1200 lines a day, but I think I've seen 1100.
How hard that is depends mostly on work availability and how good the platform is.
Our department does 1200+ reports a day. They average 11 lines. nm
This is for 2-3 line normal chests to MRIs. They look longer, but if you take 65 characters with spaces, you will be surpised. Here's an example:

CHEST:

INDICATION: Chest pain.

FINDINGS: Heart size within normal limits. Lungs are clear.

IMPRESSION: Normal chest.

This is 116 characters with spaces, which is 3 lines (if you round up - actually 2.55 lines). If by the line, you would make $0.30.

Something to think about.

Do the same with an MRI of the knee. Copy and paste it into word and count it. A very long one I had was only 15 lines.
I have more than paid for VR. I achieve 1200 lines in 3 hours. No need to hate sm
the MT to use technology to its full capability. Do you think a company cares if you type everything no. The bottom line is you have to get you line count.
I can do 1200 lines in 5 hours so with 2 full time jobs
I work on average of 9-10 hours a day.  When I sit down to work, I do not do anything but work.  I do not surf the net, etc.   Also, I am single and I live for my weekends so during the week I work hard.  I also have 2 kids so most of my work is done during their day at school and after they are in bed for the night.  I have a ton of short cuts in my Expander program too.  If I type something twice, I come up with a short cut for it.  Its not that hard.  I would try the one full time and one part time and see how your time is first and if it is okay, then I would bump it up gradually.  You don't want to burn yourself out but if you can do it and you have good accounts, go for it!!!!
Sounds amazingly stressful. I'll stick to my 1200 lines a day, thanks. nm
s
I have 17 years acute care experience and don't make 1200 lines in 6 hours. sm
I work for a company that is VERY picky about their work, 100% QA everything.  I have been with them over a year, and have to go back and listen to my work a second time while proofing.  I only make 160-170 lines an hour, but the pay is good for that, and I have learned so much in the year that I can go to work anywhere without problems.  For me it is worth the extra time to put in the few extra hours a week to have really top QA.  There is room for all types in this business, the really fast ones, and the slower ones who work differently, you just have to find your place.  Ideally, we should all type 200 lines an hour and have 99%+ QA, but I don't thank too many of us make it.  Good luck to you.
You realize by doing that they're making more money & you're making less? You should reconsid

Making money with VR

Any of you who do this, how in the heck do you make any money? I accepted a job with a company for 4 cpl for VR, but I nearly have to type the entire reports over.  I was doing it part time and it takes so much time that I figured out I am only making 5.00 per hour.  What's the average rate for this?  I  gave it up, it's not worth it for the line rate, considering I was editing typed transcription as well that came back from India and it was just as bad and took just as much time.


 


 


making money?

I think the only way we newbie MTs can make any money is to make it ourselves, like counterfeiting. 


I consider myself still a newbie at almost 2 years of nearly full-time working at home with IC status.  Love my company and enjoy my work; it is mainly VR and 3 cents per line.  I am rather slow because I keep double checking everything, but on a good day at 8-10 hours and 800 lines I will make $24.  Isn't that encouraging?  


The extra dollars do come in handy and so appreciated for my farmer husband's income, but this could no way support a single income. 


Working for $3.00 per hour was great sometime in the past, you know?  Like 35 cents per gallon of gasoline in 1969. But it 2009.


I do think if we newbies hang in there long enough and become good at our work then we will move up to better pay.  However, we who work for 3 cents or 6 cents per line and are so thankful to be making even that are probably the ones others may blame for the poor pay since transcription companies can hire us so cheaply.


Don't know what the solution is.   


 


No they're not because I'm making more money on it....sm
than before the program was implemented.  I also know others who are making more money per hour  - and no one argues with more moolah! 
And you still end up making more money paying LD. sm

If you consider an 80-hour pay period (which I don't do), at $27 per hour with the 800-number company, you'd make $2160.


At $33/hour, paying $1.80/hour, you'd make $2640 minus $144 (a deductible expense also), still netting you $2496 -- substantially more than the company giving you the toll free number and less pay.


 


Makes no difference to me.  I personally wish you all would stay away from MDI-MD so I could have more work ... LOL


Making money - just curious
Just curious, but how does anybody here make any money if you are on this board all the time bashing people- that really takes a lot of energy up that could be spent on making money.
money-making docs? sm

As a hard worker in this industry to put my son through school to become a medical professional, I can tell you that after all my hard work and broken back, he is still paying student loans, works like an animal, hardly has time for his family, continues his education and is not "rich." He treats his staff like family (constantly haunted by his mother to do this) and barely has time to take a bathroom break. I know there are those with fast cars (always thought they did it to get to the patient faster, but I'm sure that's not the case with some of them) and those who are rude (perhaps not taught right by their moms) but some are just ordinary guys and gals who put their pants on one leg at at time like the rest of us and worry about the next payment like the rest of us. They're not ALL the same. I read another post about docs yawning while dictating. I think in most cases they're exhausted and the paperwork is just another thing to deal with after they put their kids to bed, if they get the chance to do that even. I didn't understand this until I "lived in it". As the babysitter, I can tell you, "it ain't pretty." They suffer just like the rest of us.


It is all about them making more money. If you have seen the News lately
they had a piece on money making is with those of us who own animals. Some will pay any amount to cure their pet, like chemotherapy for their animal, when the most humane thing would be to put them down.

Vet medicine is all about them making money now. Personally, I love my pet, but I will only do the basic healthcare, shots, exam, and that is it. They want blood work, lyme titer, check for diabetes, etc. I tell them NO, Absolutely NOT! She is healthy, 3 years old, and even if she has those conditions, which in most cases, the animals do not, she will not be treated. Who ever heard of a dog having diabetes or thyroid problems. It is an animal and I will not pay healthcare bills for a healthy animal for unnecessary things.

Watch your wallet, love your pet, provide a good home, feed them, bathe them, and give them their yearly checkup with shots and they will be fine.
If you are already making that kind of money
and working less hours then I don't know why you would want to change to an unknown. BTW, would you care to share who you are working for now making over 50K and 6 hours a day? Pls e-mail me privately if you like. I won't post it, I promise!
The up side to not making enough money is
that pretty soon the fridge will be so empty it will be significantly easier to clean.  And I do mean soon.
and that folks was where our "mom and pop" biz that we were making the money on...have gone!!
The biggies saw the opportunity to make the money that we were...and decided we made too much, so that is the story...long and short!! The future does not look good for us, only them and the india counterparts.
The money making part is true,
the Congress Center in Atlanta sold out for Sylvia's show and standing room only and I am sure her return show will be the same. It is like wrestling to some, not me, but entertainment and should not be sought out by people who are in the situation such as the missing kid's family. As long as psychics are out there, people will seek them out plus other off the wall treatments for different maladies. It is human nature but I would not want to be the one giving the advice.
You punch a level so you know you are making money?
I would never set something up like this to make myself go faster. I know if I don’t type the amount of lines I want per day, so simple I don’t have a decent check. Don’t need a stop watch, counter, etc. My motivation is bringing home the amount of money I want every 2 weeks. My way is really simple, just fast fingers concentrating on the end result.
I am making tons of money doing tapes.

Just like tapes get misplaced so does digital dictation.  Also, have you ever timed how long it takes to download and upload files?  I think it runs about the same.  I am assuming this is clinic work.  So, if you don't go the office, then you'll need patient lists faxed or e-mailed, what have you.  It also costs money to have a secure FTP site for transfer.  So, no matter how you look at it, there is that time taken for the administrative end of transcription so to speak. 


To the OP:  I would ask if the problem really is the delivery if you could cut back to two days a week and given them the option of typing STAT reports to be faxed to them OR you could ask if they'd go halfers on a courier service.  But, I think the problem is the cutting of the paper, so you may just want to mention that you'll need to attach a fee. 


I had to attach a FAX fee to an office that was constantly calling and requiring me to search for letters that they apparently hadn't filed yet, so I started charging them for that service.  Guess what?  They don't call as much.  Just a thought.


Regarding making money, I forgot to mention...SM
The standard for "average" typing speed is no longer the unassisted "The fox jumped over" standard as measured on a typewriter. You know, back when 75 was considered decent.

I don't actually know the new standard for a competent typist, but it's set by those who have trained themselves to use word Expanders extensively and is at very minimum double that on unfamiliar text. On familiar text with many phrases in storage, much higher.

Current pay rates are adjusting to the new reality that a worker is able to produce considerably more with today's technology than before. Those who aren't using it, and using it extensively, are finding their incomes dropping drastically. Best wishes.
Sorry you are so disgruntled but many of us, myself included, are still making money...
there have been changes but I am still making great money so I have no complaints...good luck to you though
All those folks care about is making MONEY.
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nice to hear that I'm not the only MT making such little money at this
And I've been doing it for a decade now and it keeps going down every year.

I've finally decided to take some classes in another line of work so I can get out of MTing but still work at home.
How long will it take to start making money as an MT?

I'm new to this career. Have only been working for 6 months or so. Does anyone have any advice for a newbie? How do you make a decent living on 6 cpl? Any advice for increasing speed? Thanks.


MB


Making 3000 Lines Per Day?
Is it really possible to make 3000 lines per day? If so, how is that possible? I am a very fast transcriptionist, and I use shortcuts to the max;I cannot fathom how 3000 lines in 8 hours is possible. Is there a WAV-to-text conversion program out there that I am missing out on, or what? What is the key to this level of production? I can't figure it out, and it is driving me bonkers.
I had no problems making lines, but
I worked on it with 2 different companies.  One company the only demographics I entered was the patient's name.  The other company required me to enter more demographics.  It is super easy and I would think by the end of the first day you would be comfortable.
I would be 43 and have no life at this time and wish I was making decent money, but not ;0( ...NM
NM
Agree completely.....money making scheme....
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Anyone making lines on APEX platform?

Have heard this is a slow platform.  Is it possible for an experienced MT to make at least 150 to 175 lines per hour?  Would you take a 2 cpl raise to switch to this platform?  THANKS!


You should be making tons of lines today. LOL!
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No. I'm making excellent money doing this (IC). I have no desire to leave this profession.
  
I have been around awhile, and will last making good money as long as this field does.
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There are too many MTSO that whine about making not enough money to pay you a livable wage.

I applaud you for being truthful and NOT GREEDY..


Have done both, and still prefer at home, making more money and setting my own hours. (sm)
In-house your required to meet a productivity of nothing less here on the east coast of 135 to 155 lines per hour, not to mention the QA's done weekly!! Yes, weekly, random 10 reports per MT!! I never had a problem with the QA's always between 99.6% and 99.8%. But, you work straight, no talking, in your little box (I call it). Yes, the benefits are a perk, but not that much and I worked 2nd shift always, so it was 18% of my base wage. I am still making more at home productivity wise and take a break when I want to. But, like you said circumstances change. Good luck!!
Two jobs don't equal one when it comes to making money and not wasting time. sm
Recommend looking for one good job.
We paid hourly with incentive for high production. So she's making money when she's just
sitting there.  I don't know if it is a habit or not because this is the first time I've really had to work with her for any length of time.  I usually only work a couple of hours a day with her when our shifts overlap.  I think I'm definitely going to ask the girl I'm filling in for what she thinks about her.
Haven't heard in years. Supposedly making it harder to get money
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Curosity- I am curious if I am making the normal amount of money weekly for MT. Would anyone care
to share their weekly amount of pay? 
You live in a dream world if you think that MTSOs are making money hand over fist. Overhead? Add i
Banks charge about $200 a month for a business account plus .10 for every check deposited and written.

Ten people in an office? At $30k a year, that's $300,000 per year IF you can get them to work for only $30k. Add in 2 editors, an IS consultant, an accountant, a lawyer, rent on office space, checks, stamps for checks, software upgrades, phone lines, equipment for MTs, equipment for office staff, lightbulbs, toilet paper, a copier, a printer, paper, ink, pens, pencils, long distance charges to call MTs and customers, recruiting ad costs, taxes, benefits because most MTs are employees now because the IRS says most should be classified that way, high-speed internet, internet service provider because hotmail and yahoo are free but not professional, email encryption, fax machine, fax phone line, staplers, staples, paper clips, file folders, file cabinets, etc etc etc.

I am not whining. I am just stating facts. Add that to the headache of juggling schedules based on unpredictable workload due to unpredictable amount of people needing medical attention, the headache of billing clients who pay when they want regardless of what your terms are, covering for people who get sick or need time off, and it is not an easy thing to do. I am lucky that I am a workaholic and love what I do. Am I rich? No. Will being an MTSO make me rich? Probably not. Do I make more than I did as an MT? Yes, but at a higher price.

Don't judge until you walk in someone's shoes. I bought a new vehicle this year, a 2005 Ford Taurus, trading in my 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee and actually had comments made about how it must be nice to be able to buy a new car.
Me, too. Can't make money if you can't put lines on the page. nm
n
7 cpl gross and counts blank lines, IC status-- make a ton of money because it's easy work...nm
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At 200 lines a day for 6 cents, you are making $1.20 a day or 0.15 hour for an 8 hour day!!!--cm
Did you mean 2,000? Even then you would only be making $1.50 if you work 8 hours a day.
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Nice post. I'll return. to Kill Opponents you should be very International , Superb is feature of Curious Grass Full TV becomes Superb Table in final , to Steal Mistery you should be very Greedy Big Round Forecast or not