Assigned accounts....sm
Posted By: Tx MT on 2009-01-03
In Reply to: For every system set up, there is a way around it.. - me
There's a lot to be said for "assigned jobs" if it's done on a fair basis and if the person doing the assigning doesn't have their own agenda, i.e, where the "Lead MT" does the assigning of jobs as well as having to get her own lines in. Who do you think is going to get the best dictations?? Do you think she/he will assign the good, easy dictations to the MTs on a fair basis and keep the lousy, crappy, ESL dictations for herself ? Come on! For the most part, management doesn't give a hoot as long as work gets done and is kept within TAT. 
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It was simply the work from your assigned accounts.
More of our work is transcription based rather than ASR. However, we are in a training initiative so all employees will be prepared for handling ASR.
I do have assigned accounts and even those I can't get back within 24-48 hours at end of week. s
I think I need to have on-call coverage to help, but I don't have much time to train...I sometimes just think it takes less time to do it myself than to train someone new, but I'm just tired of working all the time. If I could find people who have so much experience that they can just be able to work and get it right by having a sample report and a template...hard to believe, but not everyone can do that....Also need a c-phone to access work on my system.
As everyone said, you have to have it assigned back to you...(sm)
It's actually not a part of ExText that you do it in. The program that handles the voice jobs is Dictaphone's JobLister. Not only would you have to have the rights to access it, you would have to have the program loaded on your pc. This is, with most companies, only given to team leads and QA.
I have always had an access # assigned....
If you could get into a records system without a private passcode, that would be a major HIPAA situation! I always have a sign-in ID asigned by the facility for any C-phone account I have worked; but it is strange that you are hearing a beep and not an operator giving instructions. I've never had that situation before. If you don't have an account Lead you can contact to get help, I'm thinking you'd best tell your employer this isn't working! Good luck.
being assigned same dictators
does help you get to know them so you can get fast with them and set up macros and auto-text but when are these MT companies going to realize that and quick putting us in pools? I realize they have to have their accounts covered 24-7 but this is no way to make money and really increases your chance of errors. It would be beneficial for both MT and the company to assign us our own dictators. There are only really a few companies out there who do this.....what a shame!!!
how is your work assigned?
I just started with a new company and very frustrated with how they handle work assignments. I'd like to hear from other MTs how they feel about it and how they are assigned their work. I have always been assigned a specific amount of work each day or worked a specific amount of hours. When my time was up or my jobs were done, then I was done for the day. This new company is doling out work in a very unusual way. It is a clinic Ortho account and she assigns work as it comes in, which is understandable. But if I happen to be gone for an hour or so and she gets work in, she will assign it to another MT who can do it right then and there. I have asked her to send me a whole gob of work each evening so I've got work that will last me the next day. She refuses to do it that way so I end up sitting here all day long waiting on her to e-mail me saying, "I've sent you a few files." And so far that's all it's been, a FEW files. Nothing I can't finish in under 30-45 minutes. This is just ridiculous but the line rate is so good that I am hesitant to try to find something else. Anybody else have this problem?
assigned work
Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I have the same problem. But I have an acute care backup account to work on. I prefer the other account though because I am used to it. It sounds like we work for the same company. LOL. When I get the clinic it is sent like you said as it comes in and sometimes if another MT is available she will send it to them. I work on a clinic general surgery account. And I wished they would let me do the accounts work exclusively. But no it is given to one MT one time and another the next time. But I have the backup account so I can't complain but that is how they do the clinic work.
How can you tell if you're being assigned certain jobs or not? sm
It seems to be as if I've been getting mostly the yucky dictators for a while now, with some good ones being thrown in here and there. I know a while back with this company (been here 1-1/2 years), I noticed a good change with getting assigned same clinics (clinic acct., obviously). It was even brought up at a phone conference, and the VP acknowledged they'd changed tactics and were assigning accts. as opposed to just letting us all in the pool. Said it was a good change for the company, and we MTs agreed as well.
But, for the last couple of months or so, I've noticed a downward trend in my dictators, and the job numbers aren't in order, just here and there, even different clinics popping in and out. I emailed the Account Liason and asked her if there was something going on here, and she said she didn't know, she'd have to check with the MT supervisor. She then came back & said no, there's been no change or assignments (which I reminded her the VP herself had said there was), and that I was just getting the luck of the draw.
However, something I'd read on this board got me to thinking. If these people in the position to control these jobs, such as the AL and who all else, are also typing and getting paid by the line, naturally they could pull in all the good jobs themselves. If they do get paid by production, I don't think they should be able to control the ques at all.
I just don't know whether to pursue this line of questioning or not, since I'd already tried once, and I'm not 100% sure of myself, just suspicious. Like, the other accts. jobs that are thrown in between while working on one clinic is usually a bad one.
Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.
Also, should I ask for a line-rate increase? I've been here 1-1/2 years and am making the same as I started, .08/line.
ask them about your assigned (or not) doctors - be careful with KS
also, no auto backup with Lanier footpedal, can only work when Lanier is available.
Well we are individually assigned work...sm
The manager assigns the work out to each individual MT so I am wondering how much work the other MTs are getting on the account.
Are you using a Cphone? Don't the files keep feeding into your que or are you assigned? You'll
s
I assigned single letters to very common labs SM
For instance, i is for calcium (i just because I wasn't already used it for abbreviations with low-range numbers). Calcium 10.3 would be i103. Creatinine 0.7 is e07, e used for the same reason. I like it.
10-20 red cells is 1020rc and 10 to 20 red cells is 1020rc', but I'm not crazy about it. The "tttrc" I used to use was just as basic but better; I just wanted a system that would be memorable and allow me to enter lots of values without conflicting with other abbreviations. Maybe someone will offer a good system so I can change without bothering to think about it. :)
This is becoming the normal, unfortunately. To get assigned docs & accts. makes for good line
s
How about zillions of accounts. MQ has these accounts so overloaded even the new hires dont have any
work. I would love to read some of these reports and then they expect perfect QA and no blanks. Did they lose their minds completely.
The accounts are old and she keeps her accounts TRUSTING she hired the right MTs
who if in doubt will ask questions regarding reports. No one can find all mistakes in all reports and that is human to have a report with perhaps a typo. You think anyone reads through all the reports of a national company before they get to the hospital? Not a chance. Some random QA is supposed to correct all mistakes? Not hardly. Doctors/dictators make mistakes too. We all do. So do QA people. So the thing is this person hires good people who are trustworthy, the hospital likes the way she does their account and life goes on quite nicely w/o hovering editors/QA people. BTW, who QAs the QA people on your accounts. Ever wonder?
I assume you are assigned number much like a license number that can be verified through the AAMT.
Beyond that, I have no idea.
Not all accounts are good accounts. One
That should not be the case. Sounds like you need new accountant with strong knowledge of IC deduction. We save a several thousand on what we pay in taxes based on what I can deduct as at home IC, $2000 off the top for what I pay my child to help with office chores, as an example. The measly 7.xx% I pay that an employer would pay is well worth my independence in being my own boss.
You don't need to remove the key, remove the shortcut assigned to the key
in the customize keyboard dialog box.
How many accounts?
My national employer has 19 accounts in my queue, though I rarely work in all of them in a week or a month. Still its too many. I'll often work 5 or 6 accounts in a single shift, despite the promise of a limit of 2 or 3.
This is a terrible business practice. If you are a dedicated MT, it requires extensive time to review account-specific instructions, not to mention being unfamiliar with place and people names associated with the different regions. It is unfair to "quality patient care" to bounce MTs into unfamiliar territory. After all, how quickly and accurately can one transcribe a record when you are overwhelmed with studying your fifth or sixth different set of instructions in less than 4 hours? I believe the substantial amount of MT shuffling is to slow us down--they have overstaffed and its to their benefit to force familiarity with odd accounts so they can do it again next time. They do phase people out of primaries and secondaries and even tertiary accounts once they become proficient. We hear the work is low due to summer slow down, yet they keep sending their "please welcome our newest recruits" memos.
And, yes, I will definitely be searching for a new company very soon.
I have 8 accounts and seriously,
they do run out of work, but I change my work hours. I know if I get on at 6:30 a.m., I will get a decent amount of lines done in about 2 hours time with the normal interruptions of kids. I usually do get back on in the afternoon to try to finish up and there usually is work for me at that time too. I was transferred to Amherst when our office closed. I have been with MQ for 4 years. It just stresses me out that people complain so much about Medquist and it is always the same people. Why not get another job????? Why do they continue to come here and complain about the same thing over and over and over again????? It is the most annoying thing I have ever seen. I agree that we all need to vent, I do too. But why remain at MQ if you are all so unhappy? Maybe finding another job with a different company will make you happy, although it seems like people from every other company are complaining, as well.
15 accounts......
Yes, but it is important that we post this information. I believe, or at least I hope, that the people at the top need to hear this.
The people at the top management levels read this board regularly. They are concerned about the bottom line. Three things affect the bottom line: production, TAT, and quality.
If you have 2-3 accounts, you will have much higher production, much better quality and TAT will be better controlled. You will make more money because you are not wasting time jumping from account to account.
I believe the problem is in middle management. They are the ones putting us on 15 accounts at a time. (I actually had a supervisor who told me she had asked the manager while she was throwing me at every problem account and her answer was...."Tough S---" Unbelievable.
These are only for MT's/accounts that are on DQS
If your account has never been switched to DQS, I don't believe you would receive a check. This somehow pertains to DQS. It appears that the longer your account has been on DQS, the larger your check would be. But this is all a mystery to us MT's. It may also pertain to certain accounts/clients that MQ had misbilled, per the law suits against them. At this point, MQ upper mgmt is keeping very quiet about this check, so can't help but think that it pertains to the overbilling that they had done to some MQ clients -- possibly we were the MT's who were worked on those accounts. BUT YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE about the purpose of the check, other than they had to pay back some monies FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. Will we MT's ever know ????
TOO TOO MANY ON ACCOUNTS
Don't forget to call Human Resources and follow up with a written Employee Complaint with ALL these complaints. They think the complaining is only from an isolated few and won't even take things seriously until the written complaints start to mount up.
Try for your own accounts - How did
xx
Those of you that have your own accounts, what's the
best way of getting your own accounts? I have one small local account that I got from a newspaper services ad eight years ago. If I had two or three more like this one, I'd be a happy camper. I've mailed postcards and made cold calls with no luck whatsoever. I've even done intro letters with business cards to new providers on the city business license list and in response to help wanted ads. No nibbles there either.
It doesn't even necessarily have to be a local account. It could even be Internet based or via mail/UPS. One guy used to priority mail tapes to me from New York back when I had my virtual assistant/secretarial business.
Any positive suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
New accounts
It is like selling a house or anything, it takes a large volume of people to get one buyer. Even if I am not looking hard, I send out flyers every year or so to keep my name out there -- have a lot of people that are willing to subcontract for me. I also hit the smaller ones sometimes and do the rounds in the medical office buildings by the hospitals. Send flyers out to smaller cities/towns if you are set up for digital as those are the ones that are sometimes looking. Do networking with other MTSO's in your area. I know many in mine and we all network together. A lot of it is being at the right place at the right time as they often just throw our flyers out and that is why you have to keep sending them out. Offer something unique -- I cut apart chart notes and that helped with a couple of accounts. Stupid but they love it. Also accounts that use transcription services -- take them a flyer personally with some cookies -- it does work to get it to the manager's/doctor's desk it really does. I have also offered my own accounts a "finder's fee" if I get an account. Anything works. I have gotten a few through the yellow pages. But it takes time and persistence. One mailing does not usually do it as there are a lot that start up and stop so if they see it once or twice, they remember it. Good luck. Keep your prices fair and offer a good service. Patti
Do 7 different accounts in my
job, 2 programs, and another job with another program. different hospital. Once you get used to an account and work on it regularly, I have found it does not slow me uip to switch from account to account, keeps me in work. Also, no problem with doing way over 1000 lines in 8 hours. But that is just me. I have been at this 21 years. I hear others do have problems and sympathize with them.
As far as QA and their accounts, sm
this company has the best I have worked with. I have no idea what the QA rate is, but they do have the best QA IMHO, so I am assuming they are paid well.
Accounts
Ihave 4 clinics -- one with two Internal Medicine, one with two surgical oncologist, one with a plastic surgeon and hand surgeon and then my psych. Total in all accounts is about 25 hours per week and gives me about $3000 per month. I work 12 to 20 hours additional at a clinic as an employee doing EMR work and that pays me per hour with benefits. Going digital I hope within the next 2-3 months. No health problems yet. Have had accounts from 5 to 18 years.
If you have your own accounts and
do you feel obligated to share whatever work there is with them, even if it's really only enough for you? In my case they have other work that can do but they make more from my work, so they are anxious for any work I have available. It's overflow, so sometimes there is work and sometimes there's not. The amount of work available right now I could easily do myself.
Usually I share whatever I have with them, but right now I have so many bills and really need to do the work/keep the money myself. But I feel bad about doing that. Should I feel bad? My husband says no. He thinks of it strictly in a business sense.
I believe it with your own accounts.
most MTs do not have their own accounts and have to deal with the company's line counting system as well as being paid a very low rate.
Then again, I could never work 60 hours a week (my body just wouldn't allow it) even with my own accounts so this income is definitely not the norm, but having your own account I feel can really put you in control of your income potential. You go girl or guy, don't know.:)
Own accounts
Do a search on this as we extensively discussed this about a week ago. You have to be ready to do all types of accounts using all types of equipment. The more money sounds good but there is a lot of work to it, no relief for time off, a lot of non billable time. You have to realize that if it is just you will be be seeking out either a one to two doctor clinic as that is about all you could handle at first. Most of these smaller clinics use tapes, you print, pick up and deliver. But if you are going to limit yourself to digital only then you need to expore setting up your own FTP site, know how to transfer back and forth and it is usually a larger clinic which would be hard for one person to handle. I think you need to do a little more investigation and there is no "book" to buy it is through a lot of hard work, sweat, tears and perservence that you keep doing your own accounts. Like I said you are sick, no one to do your work and often times the office understands the first time but when you are new, a second time and they look elsewhere. They have a hard time understanding sick children, relatives, power outages, disc failures, etc. until you have built a reputation and rapport with them. Has taken me 20 years to so do. Good luck, use your own common sense and brains and do a flyer, brochure, letter introducing yourself and send them out. It can be done but it take a while to get started and keep going.
Own accounts
Well how did this office contact you? I would get this one under your belt and use them as a stepping stone and a reference and go from there. It works the same in this field as in any other field you want business, you go out and advertise, do flyers, make phone calls, etc. Most will not come to you unless you have been established for years or have an ad in the yellow pages, etc. So start with this one since they have contacted you and go from there.
I am an IC with my own accounts -
I get 17 cpl for transcription and 12 cpl for editing VR, all acute care.
Getting Own Accounts
Hi, I would like some info on where to start in getting my own accounts as in what kind of equipment required, where to begin, etc. Also, what do you charge, etc.
I have 17+ years of transcription experience working for others, want to try something different.
Own accounts
Have had several contacts to me regarding own accounts. I don't mind sharing general information, etc.but please do not ask me for samples of my brochures, flyers, business cards, etc. and ask for a step by step procedure to go through for obtaining your own accounts. I am not a consultant you pay for those fees. If you have been in the business even working for someone else for many years, then you should have a basic idea what is needed with regards to equipment, etc. No one can know you have a service unless you go out and advertise it. Get your name out there and let them know you are available. I am not being mean but I had to do a lot of learning along the as well as time spent in research and development and if you want to do this there is no easy way. Guess I could write a book and sell it. As for rates, if you are working for a small MTSO in your area add on 25 to 35% of what your rate is currently. To me, I would rather start out low and raise in a year or so to get the account, the experience of doing my own clients, etc. Patti
Getting new accounts
Talk to your hospital medical staff coordinator and ask if you can sponsor doughnuts for the doctors lounge on a certain day. You get an estimate of how many dozens you need, pick them up, deliver them to the lounge and then the hospital puts up a board saying the doughnuts are compliments of "XYZ Transcription Service." You leave a stack of brochures and business cards on the table so they get into the hands of the doctors and not the office managers. You'll get business quicker by impressing a doctor than you ever will by impressing an office manager.
The accounts I currently have are *sm*
small and I use a call-in system for them. This account would be quite large. My first thought was to get the account and use a call-in system and switch to something less expensive later on. I find it strange also that they expect the vendor to provide the paper but that is what it says. In regards to what someone else posted, am I allowed to request a copy of the prior bid?
getting accounts
I work as an employee, but have a friend in another state who developed her business by going in person to Dr.'s offices, introducing herself as someone who will do overflow work when their regular Transcriptionist gets behind or goes on vacation, and leaving a business card/flyer. That way she is nice, polite, and doesn't come off as cutthroat. When she does get the call, her work is so professional that many switch to her permanently.
My own accounts
Surgical oncology -- 28 minutes = 568 lines -- 65 minutes with proofing and printing.
Internal Medicine -- 64 minutes - 2 docs -- 950 lines - 2.5 hours
3 Psych consults -- each is over 30 minutes, 400 to 450 lines per consult, 1 to 1.5 hours for each report. Depends on how may tests are done.
With pick up and delivery I put in 8 hours today.
Maybe she has other accounts you know nothing -sm
about and she would have given you one of them. You cannot ask her that is for sure. As for telling her where you went, not sure that is a good idea since it was her client. I hope you are an employee for them and not an IC. She may think your filched her account if she finds out. Also read the find print in your contract with her if you have one, there ususally is a clause about taking work from one of her clients directly yourself (non-compete clause), if so you may have a big can of worms on your hands; I don't think it matters that they approached you when it comes to a non-compete clause. Good luck.
Own accounts
Own accounts have been doing them for 5+years. Lots of saved phrases. Will be doing psych this afternoon and will do probably 1000 to 1200 in 2 to 2 1/2 hours if the reports are 10 to 12 pages each. Just gotta go out there and get your own small office accounts.
Just on my accounts alone
I have TNR 12, TNR bold 12, Arial 12 and Arial 14, and Tahoma 12.
There's no standard as far as I am concerned. The oft-quoted 65-character line is based on Courier 12 point, so if anything were the standard, that would be it, IMO.
What do ICs with own accounts do...sm
When they need a day off? I know my hospital has another girl that works when I can't but I am running into times when she can't and I have something where I can't work. Is it the hospital's responsibility or is it mine?
Well, since I have several big accounts in...
Massachusetts, I wonder what part of the state has no MT jobs. Perhaps you mean you cannot get the work from individual practices? My accounts including several multi-physician offices as well as some bigger, well-known hospitals.
Maybe you need to contract with a company if you are trying to go it alone. The MT work is definitely still "out there" in abundance including in Massachusetts.
there are no transcription jobs in medical offices in this part of massachusetts
Own accounts
Where are you located? I have been going through the same issues and I just got a phone call today from someone who worked for a national company for 10 years, got fed up and is experiencing the same thing also. If you hear of any pointers that work, please let me know.
Anyone with their or Rad accounts?sm
What is the general turn-around time on radiology and what is the average line rate charge? I have my own accounts and I have one that has been a great account for me (10 years) which is a mixture of hospital and radiology. I can't really say I worked part time because I average about 5-6 hours a day but some days total work time only adds up to about 3-4 hours but takes all day waiting for radiology for a certain doctor and they generally like the reports back as soon as he is finished which could be anywhere from noon to 4 o'clock because he stops and starts so much. Sorry for the venting, but I have other accounts now I could be working instead of sitting around waiting for him to decide to get off the phone. I hate going back and forth to accounts for hook up reasons. What I need to know is the average turn-around time for radiology, thinking that I will just start another account for an hour or two before starting back up with this radiology account.
I have gotten all of my accounts in nearly
identical manner! Its so funny! In fact, I never even wanted most of them - I would go back for followups, and the doctors or staff would pester and pester me....A career I never wanted to start! Go figure. 
own accounts
can someone give me advice where to go to get all info regarding what I need as far as software and line counting software and anything else in order to get started? I really appreciate this info and you can e-mail me too.
Your own accounts is the way to go.
x
own accounts
You sound like you are in a position I would love to be in...could you share any persona insight whatsoever on how I may possibly achieve my own accounts..I really have no idea on how...I did, however, 10 years ago or so, thought of a way on my own and that was I simply mailed what could be referred to as a "resume" to local large offices near me...but, it obviously is not the correct approach as I did not receive one single response..Thanks for any insight into this.
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