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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Anyone making lines on APEX platform?

Posted By: sm on 2007-06-28
In Reply to:

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!




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Is this the same Apex platform

nm


Apex Platform

I also left Chronicle, mainly because of this horribly slow Apex platform.  I was really losing confidence, couldn't figure out why my line count was so low.  Thanks to you all for sharing; now I know that I am not alone.  The people at Chronicle were mostly nice (with a few exceptions), but "nice" doesn't pay the bills.


I do believe that Transolutions also uses Apex.


Lillybelle.


 


APEX platform?
Anyone out there using this?  I have never heard of this one.  If so, how is it to use, and is it user-friendly or not? TIA.
Chronicle - Apex platform
Anybody else having difficult with this platform?  I am new to the company and think everyone has been very nice and helpful and I think i would like my account but I just absolutely and without a doubt HATE this platform.  I don't think it is Transcriptionist friendly or production enhancing in the least.
lost lines due to new platform myself.
nm
platform and lines per hour

I'm working on a Windows-based Meditech platform and routinely get 450-500 lines an hour using Shorthand, and then on two other Windows-based platforms (Misys and Radplus) I get about 400-450 lines per hour. 


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.
You should be making tons of lines today. LOL!
xx
Now getting lines on Extext is difficult with clunky platform
This is their greatest moneymaker!  All jobs are run through voice recognition software first, then you will do good to get your lines from the junk that is thrown-back out of Exspeech.  The platform you question is set up for all jobs through voice recognition first, then spit out by EXSpeech is dictator is so horrible it cannot interpret their voice.  MT's end up getting nothing to transcribe EXCEPT the junky dictators that is not speech machine quality!  You are in for a BIG surprise!
1200 lines should be a given. You could be making superb money!
x
APEX

I HATE APEX!!  My line count on Apex was about 1/2 what I get on EditScript.  I don't understand it, but that's the fact.


Yes, Transolutions does use Apex
:)
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.
sure i was. i'm making fun of the people who are making a case for background checks, etc
to do medical transcription at home as if they may do something AWFUL with the info they receive. So if you want an invasion of privacy let's REALLY invade it and make sure fat chicks don't transcribe because they are so busy eating they can't get the work done, they mess up the keyboard with food and if they are provided health insurance they will raise the rates for the company sky high because their health risks are higher than others. Then there are the psychological issues overweight people bring to the table. After we eliminate fat people, we can go on to eliminate diabetic people who may have low blood sugar while typing and go into a spell and type the wrong thing. I could go on and on through the process of elimination. How about prescribed medications that may cloud your thinking? So you take Ambien to sleep but you have an Ambien groggy hangover when you are transcribing? Should they transcribe. How about your teens are on your last nerves and you take a Xanax? Should you be allowed to transcribe?
MTSO with platform versus no platform (big message)

If a MTSO advertises that the MT works in MS Word and sends dictation by FTP, does this usually mean there will be no demographic/doctor database and the demographics will not be autopopulated?


 


I got into a mess with a small company (got out real quickly too).  I was required to print out daily email copies of the doctors' office patient schedules (which were barely legible) and type in all information.  I spent more time hunting for the correct patient through pages and pages of these schedules.  Then I had about 25 pages worth of doctor's names that I would have to go through to find the attending, referring, etc.  A total waste of time as I didn’t get paid for that. 


 


I wish MTSO would give more information as to what platform they use (if any).  Proprietary software is such a generic, totally useless description.  Would they buy a new car that listed, "Car has gasoline operated motor?" 


 


And for Pete's sakes, why so secretive about the pay?  Give a ballpark figure.  Just say, pay is between 7-12 cpl depending on skill, testing, etc. Tell me if you pay for spaces, headers, etc.  It would save them time because I wouldn’t even apply for a 7 cpl job. 


 


Before I spend an hour or two testing, I need more information from a company to be sure it is compatible for my needs.  If the MTSO would spend a little time on their website detailing their platform, how they send/receive files, pay rates,  how line rate is determined (spaces/no spaces) employee/IC/SE status, minimal line count, whether work pools consist of 100s of doctors, or smaller pools with 25-50 doctors etc.   Having all this information on their website would save them time and the MTs time.   Phoenix Medcom has a really good layout describing pretty much everything an MT would want to know before testing with them.  I am just tired of testing with a company and then finding out the job wasn’t exactly suited to my needs. 


Platform versus non-platform (templates)?

I've been working for MTSOs for years now, using their templates which sometimes cause productivity problems (macro issues, etc). I'm wondering if productivity is increased when working on a structured platform, such as one that a national company provides for its transcriptionists?  I've never used a platform, but it would seem that all one needs to do is straight type onto the screen and the platform program takes care of margins, page breaks, etc?


Any thoughts (as well as companies who are hiring who use platforms) would be appreciated.  Thanks


You realize by doing that they're making more money & you're making less? You should reconsid

Aaahhhh, now I get it. Gross lines vs. Character lines. I guess I've just been conditioned to
think in terms of character lines.  One of the perils of working as an IC for somebody who defines what a line is versus owning your own company and defining it yourself.  After working for someone else for 15 years, maybe it's time to bust out on my own.
That is a lot of work/lines for 2 people. I do 3000 lines per day sm
if you times that by 30 days that only comes to 90K lines a month, that is working 7 days a week including weekends. I don't think 2 people can handle that.
900 lines is below 1100 lines, where the bonus starts.
x
Gross lines include all lines containing
printable characters, so a full line and a line with one word on it are charged equally. Straight lines are basically the same as gross lines, but with this method of counting the blank lines are counted as well (again, equally). I have only had one company pay this way, and they are a middle man. I would think the charge would be about the same as for gross lines, and that not too many offices will want their lines counted this way (the one I worked on was probably inherited from someone who had counted the lines that way, so just continued).
The norm is 1 minute = 10 lines; 10 min = 100 lines - sm
granted this varies per dictator. More lines if a fast talker, less if a slow talker.
I went from 2400 lines to 1800 lines

a day when I switched from clinic (through an MTSO)  to hospital work. Not only was the clinic work easier with more macros (and less providers to learn, 12 vs 300+), but I was typing in straight Word (as opposed to Softmed/Chart Script).  So you see, it really varies depending upon the type of work as well as the platform used. That said, I am so much happier typing the 1800 lines per day (I make over $15 per hour plus an incentive for any lines in excess of 1200 per day) plus a great health package/benefits, AND approximately 5 weeks of paid time off per year.  In my opinion, hospitals really are the best employers WHEN they appreciate the work we do.


My advice for you is not to judge a job by any one criterion but rather the entire picture. The 'extra's can really add up.

Good luck in your job!


Which is the one where they are sc*&ing us the standard lines or the qualified lines? SM
Mine show up as STD when I pull up my transcription log.  But I see now there is STD/QT....  So which is the one where they are ripping us off, standard or qualified?  Need to know.  I am about to switch companies and I will not do if they are actually taking lines from me.  Thanks guys. 
Question versus gross lines versus 65-character lines....

I have always charged or been paid by 65 or 60 character lines or per letter or space typed, but have never been paid or charged per gross line.


What is the advantage of this?  If I were to charge 11 cents per 65-character line including spaces, what does this figure out to for an average line rate and how do you do this calculation? 


I'm wondering if it is financially beneficial for me to bill by gross line or to keep it the way I have it.  I do know some accounts will only pay per 65-character line, as this was the deal my first own account I recently acquired.  They were adamant on a 65-character line, but didn't specify with or without spaces and I personally would never not charge for spaces.


Thanks for explaining this.  I appreciate it and hope everyone has a speedy day.


Word count: 824 lines. DocuCount count: 897 lines.
I just counted the same file in Word and then in DocuCount, and DocuCount was higher than Word.

Just as an aside.
platform?
on my platform you can do a control/+ (the one near the backspace) to enlarge the text...
What platform do you use?

I am bored, and trying to get aquanited to the boards, so I am posting a little spree here. 


What platform do you use?  I use Extext by Dictaphone.  Like it so far.


How can they tell? Which platform?
Besides, it's not canned text.  LOL  That's a feature in Meditech.  If you use an expander, it's an "expansion".  Those are two different things there.  Isn't it open to interpretation?  If I were in your shoes, I'd download the trial version of ShortHand just to see if it worked and to see if they could detect it.  It's asinine to not be able to use expanders.  Why wouldn't the company want the work done faster and potentially more accurately?  I know there are some really long words that I have to stop to remember how to spell, so those are in my expander.
WOW!! Do you really think that? Platform is what
is used to type. You must be new to the biz. Also you cannot work for Amphion. You would know if you did.
Different platform
I'm w/ Baltimore office, still working on INET. Hearing that won't be for long, not many accounts left on it.
EP-1 Platform
Can anyone tell me about the EP-1 platform for spheris?
what platform is it that they use?
was it easy to learn?
New platform?
Perhaps the platforms should offer grammar checks as well then.......hmmmmm. UH OH, perhaps we just opened up a can of worms!
What platform are you?
Sounds like you have ideas worth sharing with whomever designed the platform.
MDI-FL has a platform
I worked for them earlier this year. I now cannot remember the name of it. It seems like something that would have been used in the 70s or 80s. I don't know if they use it on all of their accounts, but I had a very hard time with it. It took too long to search for the patient and MD data...it also froze up on me many times and I would have to restart my computer which caused me to lose all lines I had typed. I absolutely hated it. Horrible spell checker.

I now work for Sten-Tel who has a 'word' based internet platform called EditScript which is a breeze. I love it and have never had any problems with it.
New Platform...SM

I started on a new platform about two weeks ago and am finding it HORRIBLE!


I normally get between 130-170 lph, depending on dictators.  Today I worked four hours and had 200 lines


It is a word-based platform.  To put in a QA marker you put in spaces, highlight them change screens, use the mouse (no shortcut keys) click add, save, and then back to your screen.  To remove a QA marker, you have to change screens, use mouse click on QA marker number, and then click delete...  You also have to do this to look up or edit doctors, patient info...


In all honesty from anyone who has worked on such a platform, WILL I GET FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP MY CHILDREN FROM STARVING?


Thanks in advance


new platform
what's the name of the platform?
MTS platform
Does anyone know who uses MTs platform?
What is the platform like??
I get paid hourly ($15), so the platform doesn't really matter that much. Would you mind telling me about how much that rounds out to an hour? Just wondering if I'm making the right amount or if I should look elsewhere. Thanks.
is a platform...
i using express scribe and have been reading here about platforms, is express scribe considered a platform?  I have did MT for over ten years in an office setting but this is my 1st at home position and am unfamiliar with the platform. In the office setting we only used microcassettes and typed verbatim. So please forgive my ignorance in this realm.  Would someone be willing to explain or give an example.  I would appreciate it. I like to be knowledgable in the aspects of mt and feel you're never too old to be knowledgable. Thanks!!
Platform

Is anyone familiar with a platform called Medquist Cquence?  The service I work for has a client who uses this.  I am having a particularly difficult time learning this system.  Would you care to share what you think of it.  Is it worth the time spent in learning it, and once you do learn it, do you get a decent line count?


TIA


Anyone know MD-IT's platform?
nm
Do you know what the platform is? nm
x
Platform...
Platforms are simply the different software that companies use to transcribe and edit their documents. Each company has their own "platform."
Platform that will allow you to do this
We have a platform that allows you to do this.  The platform allows you to type and then it sends the completed report to an ASP platform that the users will have their own logins and can access any report via a secure site on the internet.  If you want more information, please email me at amy.newton@medcoretech.com.  We only charge per line, no setup fees, no monthly minumums.  We have tons of MTSOs and clients that use our system.  I hope that helps.  Thanks,
MTS Platform
Is Express Scribe better than Transcription Gear or Bytescribe - even though you have to pay. And how about ExText - can that be purchased?
What platform is it if you use your
own computer? Do they have editscript or anything like it? Do you know what the line rates basically run and how good the incentives are? Is the work steady? I'm just looking for a good decent place to work that won't cheat me or make it almost impossible to actually make any lines. All information appreciated.
Platform
I just do not like that platform.  I will never work on it ever again if at all possible.  It is horrible.  Good luck finding an MT that does like it. 
Which is better platform????
I have been offered a job with a company that uses EMDAT/Inscribe and also offered a job at DeVenture who uses the SHINE platform?  Are they both terrible, or is one better than the other?  Would like to hear your opinion, please.  Thank you.