But if that account is paying your bills, you must negotiate and be flexible. IMO
Posted By: SM on 2007-03-07
In Reply to: Just my opinion, but I have never and would never take a pay cut per line from a client. SM - jd
I know you can only lower a little bit, but to let them know that you are flexible and care about keeping their account may just encourage them to stay with you. I can't afford to let an account go without just a little negotiation.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
You need to be flexible. Nothing stays the same in MT. You do it how the person paying you says to
:+
Does paying your bills rely on offshore? No. Easy
asdf
Yep if I needed a job, beats not eating/paying bills - nm
xx
Are there really ICs that would take an account paying....
On the job board there have been several postings for IC positions paying 8 cents to as low as 6 cents. Are there really MTs that accept this? When they accept this, do they understand the expenses that they will incur? Some say setting your own schedule is worth it but these positions are set schedules. They say they are not but if the work is not done during that time, it goes to someone else. I personally, would not take less than 10 and even that is low.
Let's negotiate sm
My 7-month-old cocker is notorious for that. We could put them together and they could stay busy chasing each other. He does that to me every morning,about 1-1/2 hours before the end of my shift. Would love to strangle him at times, but his face is so cute that I melt every time. Actually, I bought him from a breeder who listed his picture on the internet and I said to myself, "Self, you have to have that pup. Go look at him." So we did, bought him and he loves me so much I can't do a thing alone.
How about at least trying to negotiate for a
nm
will they negotiate at all?
I have a few small clients that I bill monthly on the 1st but they pay by the 15th of the month. My larger clients are billed twice a month & pay within 2 weeks of the invoice date. I pay my MTs twice a month & am pretty sure they would fight me if I had to switch to monthly pay.
Under the terms they are giving you, by the time you get a payment from them you will have 4 pay periods out of your pocket if you pay your MTs twice a month (which I think most would expect). Unless you have a huge profit margin on the account, it will be hard keeping your head above water with these arrangements. I would suggest asking them if they would accept a monthly bill but pay within 10 days of the invoice date. If they don't compromise on this, I don't see how you will ever see a profit on this account since the payments would be so far behind your payroll expenses.
They negotiate their rates with
the client that way. This should be disclosed to the MTs. It is called the visual black character and you are getting a huge cut in pay. These are things that you need to question and be sure to document.
I'm not sure how flexible. When I say
punch in you have to go to their website and go through a log-in when you begin your work and a log out. They need to stay with TAT time, so even as an IC you need to have scheduled hours, although you set your hours and can have flexibility with those, but once you commit to those hours there isn't a lot of flexibility in them.
Sure you can. I did it with 2. I have a flexible
job with 24-hour TAT and I worked bits here and there around my children's needs. It wasn't a piece of cake all the time, I got frustrated, was tired at times, but I had to work and was not willing to put my children in daycare full-time. When they were about 3 I put them in a mother's time out program for 15 hours a week to give me time to run errands, take a nap, work, or whatever.
Being flexible is a must...
and it is not your employer's problem that you need to take care of your kid. This attitude is the exact reason why MTs are not respected. People do get sick on nights, weekends, and holidays. You should have considered that when you decided to become an MT. It's a 24/7 job.
Being flexible is a must...
and it is not your employer's problem that you need to take care of your kid. This attitude is the exact reason why MTs are not respected. People do get sick on nights, weekends, and holidays. You should have considered that when you decided to become an MT. It's a 24/7 job.
What are you paying your MTs? If you're only paying 7 or 8 cpl
and expecting extremely experienced MTs, forget it. You're not going to get it. If, however, you're willing to pay 9 or more cpl then you will find what you're looking for. There ARE experienced MTs out there who will work their fingers to the bone IF they are compensated well and treated with respect.
Yes, Transcend is very flexible. - sm
You can pretty much choose the schedule you want to work, but then have to consistently work the schedule you chose instead of jumping around during the day. This works better for everyone involved because then it's easier for the managers to find coverage for accounts. If you just work whenever you want as long as you get your hours in, you're taking work from people regularly scheduled during those hours you don't normally work. The work week goes from Sun. to Thurs. or Tues. to Sat. Yes, they do pay shift differential.
Flexible work
I know of www.rapidtranscript.com that is looking for additional folks.
9-5 vs. flexible hours sm
You didn't state if you were going to be an EMPLOYEE or an INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. A company can tell an employee what their set schedule will be; typically 9-5 (or 8:30-5 with a 1/2-hour lunch at noon) etc. BUT a company CANNOT tell a contractor what hours to work; they can only negotiate what work you will be given, NOT how you accomplish that work. Lots of companies try to get away with the tax/financial advantages of using "contractors" and then treating them like "employees." Rare companies will allow their employees to flex their schedules to fit their personal life...So, ask yourself, Who's The Boss? Them? or You? Hope that helps...
Flexible hours. nm
/
Flexible hours
If anyone knows of any jobs that offer 24-hour TAT please pass on! I used to have flexible hours as an IC just two years ago. What happened? That was the entire reason I went into this field!
flexible hours
Thanks for the input..
Flexible is my middle name! nm
/
Flexible keyboard
Would anyone be interested in sharing their opinions or experience with a flexible keyboard. I saw one in a discount food store, a place called Aldis, and it was about 14, 15 bucks.
It looked interesting; however, I am so used to punching the keys down (the keys and board look almost wafer-thin!) so wanted to know if anyone has tried it and if they liked it or not.
Any input would be appreciated, thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving season to everyone.
And are flexible enough to be able to lick
x
Here is the brando flexible...
http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00355
Not always...not all companies are flexible with schedules!
..
I understand how you feel but try being flexible
or go to a different company. I'll be the first one to admit I am an employee and rarely work my schedule. It is NOT a problem with management, in fact it is a plus. Why? Because when the work runs out, I have two other hospitals to back me up. If they are low, I log out, do my laundry, run my errands and sign back in after dinner when the work has built up again and there isn't anyone willing to work those hours. I log in on the weekends as I often get notes from my account supe advising everyone who is scheduled to work but are NOT working how behind the account is. My committment is to my accounts because if I take care of my accounts, those accounts take care of my employer and when that happens, my employer takes care of me. Patients don't always need treatment and/or dictation is not always done when you are scheduled to work. This is the nature of the beast and being miserable is no way to deal with it.
Over the last 10+ years, this attitude has been rewarded many times over by being a very valued employee and have appreciation shown in many ways that have made my life richer, in addition to providing an income that exceeds the average MT.
d~
Wal-Mart has a flexible keyboard for about $18
I do not have one yet, but would like to try out the flexible keyboard. The picture shows the keyboard being rolled up like a rubber mat. That's what it looks like a rubber mat with all the keyboard keys on it. The keys look like the soft keys of a calculator.
I love the flexible schedule!
I decided to stick with MT because of the schedule. (Plus, I can make more money in 6 hours of MT than 10 hours at a regular job with commute, lunch, breaks, etc.) DH and I had a long lunch yesterday at my favorite restaurant. I was able to drop off and pick up the kids at school, and be there for their sports practice. This next week is a Thanksgiving feast at the kids' school, so I get to go to that, too. I clean during the day while I'm working, so the house isn't a total pigsty.
the best advice is learn to be flexible and...
give the client what he/she wants, even if it goes against what you were taught. I see a lot of newer MTs who really seem to believe that medical transcription is all black and white when in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.
Not every doctor follows the BOS to the letter (some don't even know what that is!) and if an account is verbatim, then that's how you need to transcribe it.
Also, not every doctor wants names replaced with "the patient" - I work for one doc who fills his letters/reports with not only the patient's name, but sometimes names of family and friends of the patient as well. (Many of his patients are very well-known from both the entertainment and sports industries, and this doc loves to drop names at every opportunity!)
I pay all of our bills but I never would
He makes money and I make money and we should each be able to spend some of that on ourselves if we desire. The only time we really consult the other on any purchase is if that purchase is over a certain amount. I do not ASK him if I can buy anything for my business. If I need it and we can afford it, I buy it. If it is a major purchase that might involve a credit line, I would definitely discuss it with him but not ask his permission. It should be shared. When you get married, you are sharing, not one person owns you/controls you or vice versa. I would be willing to bet that at some point during his little outings, he has chipped in for beer. I doubt one person would be willing to supply all the beer for all the guys every single get-together. My DH used to play softball and there were lots of times they'd hang out and have a few beers after and all the guys chipped in for their share of the beer. If he's telling you the beer is always provided for free, I would have a real hard time buying that. Sounds like you are an understanding wife and you deserve time out to go to lunch or do whatever (and some of that time should be without your kids to give you some alone time, too). If he can't see that, he needs a reality check! Leave him at home with the kids for a weekend and see how fast he wants to run out that door once you get home! lol
Can you really pay your bills with only 29K though???
nm
If you have bills to pay you take whatever
you can get. You can refuse a job, but the work will just go to India or some other country and the company can get rid of all but a few MTs who will edit the work.
I have been in this business at least 20 years. I make better than most people these days, but I have not had a raise in 5 years. I have been offered at least 8 positions the past 6 months and not one of them offers what I make now. I test very well, usually getting at least 98 on the highest level of testing, I can do any ESL given to me, I do all Op notes, so I would be an asset to any company, but none will offer me what I am making now, much less offer me more.
ATT- I was paying $320 for 7000 minutes, I am now paying $175 for 5000 minutes in CA. nm
nm
yes they are very flexible. They are a great company to work for.
Best job I EVER had!
Correction - They will be flexible with HOURS/days, etc.
...rather than benefits.
You are lucky you worked for a flexible company
x
Pay bills or make a
list of things I need or want.
Do you have bills that NEED to be paid?
If there is no other job but those with companies that send work offshore, are you going to refuse to work for them? How do you feel about stores that sell merchandise that was once manufactured in US and now outsourced to another country? How about the very merchandise itself. Do you check to see if Liz Claiborne or Nike or other favorite brands are outsourced and decide against buying them, hoping that somehow you are going to force these goods to be manufactured in US and are you willing to pay higher prices to justify American workers wages?
What bills could we possibly have?
That was exactly what one doctor said to me when he called wanting my services and I told him what my charge was. He was in a town 15-20 minutes away and since tapes were the "in" thing", I charged for picking up and delivery, minimal charge.
Well, he thought that was ridiculous and told me I didn't have any "expenses" associated with this job, so what was I charging him for other than doing the reports. BTW, he got my name and number from his partner in the office who thought my charges were more than reasonable and willing to pay for it to get what he called "great" service.
Of course, we have no expenses, we live free, not having to eat, buy gas, pay all the same bills they do. You know, the necessities of life!!!!!!
Go figure!!!
we did just the opposite, but now bills alone about 2,500.....
We had a place similar to yours on a slough with lots of wildlife...loved the wildlife. Used to sit out on the deck and watch the great blue heron, raccoons, muskrats, ducks, etc. But never got it paid off as we kept building on as kids came along (3). We were there 30 years and finally sold to move out of the flood zone and into a new, easy-maintainance one story with smaller yard up near the hospital. The other place was so hard to paint and maintain that I knew we had to move before we couldn't take care of it anymore. Problem is our mortgage alone is 900$ month! Not as steep as others on this posting, but lots for us as the MT thing is not bringing in the money I expected! The house is worth lots more than we paid for it, and I keep saying we should sell it and rent until the big housing "adjustment" that I keep predicting, but family won't budge!
Keep the bills out of sight--sm
For me they are the biggest distraction. I can ignore the phone, tune out the noise but those stinking bills in my line of sight are the worst. I either have to go online and pay them or call so and so and tell them why I am late. I don't pull them out until after I am done or before I start. Otherwise, they stay in the drawer. Now, I keep the paid receipts on top of the desk to remind me why I work like a mule!
High bills
In Georgia, it's not unheard of for the power bill to exceed $300 during summer. In fact, it's expected. I can't believe the posters with two-digit bills. My water bill is $65! Everything around here has gone up in the last year. My doing MT was supposed to be for extras and fun money, but it's not turning out to be so.
I have plenty of bills to pay...
Hubby had open heart surgery and was off work during the busiest season last year. I now handle ALL the bills except his truck insurance and truck payment to the tune of at least $5000 a month and that doesn't include the $75,000 hospital bill that the insurance doesn't pay. I couldn't do that if I didn't stick to my guns. Sure, we're not in the best of shape right now, but we are scraping by with a little ingenuity and things will get better for us...but I surely will not work for peanuts,never have, and never will...and neither should you.
You have to prove you're worth it that extra $.01 or so,(ahem), but in reality, we really need to stick together. Fighting amongst ourselves doesn't solve the problem.
that's determined by your bills!!...
There is an easier calculation but I think most companies require 1200 lines a day nowadays. Some 800 to maintain fulltime. One way to figure it is that you take the amount of lines x cpl and divide by 8. If you typed your other stuff in word, check the line count to see what you have done on a good day when paid by the hour. Hopefully you are getting paid characters and spaces as opposed to just characters.
If you figure you can put out only 800, which is still a good bit, 800 x 0.08 cpl divided by 8 would be $8/hour. 1200 lines would be 12 an hour. So, if you are currently making 10 an hour, you would have to put out 1000 lines a day for $10 an hour.
It can be done.
What? Not only easy, but I did it Still pay bills.
But I do make what I need to pay my bills
so I am satisfied and like I said, just work part time, not full, work the time I want.
What is the difference between an acute care account and a multispecialty account??..nm
nm
This is strange. I just discussed a flexible on-call person
for radiology with the owner of Keystrokes, where I have worked for 4 years. We were discussing the feasibility of having someone trained on a few accounts, ready to do "x" number of reports a day without a fixed schedule, floating on a few different accounts.
If anyone is interested, please email the office. You can do so through the ads on the job seekers board.
I have a flexible schedule, I make decent money, better
than I could make working in an office, even though I haven't had a raise in 5 years and not likely to get one anytime soon. I homeschool my children, we don't have a 9 to 5 lifestyle, DH doesn't have a 9 to 5 job and it allows him a 3 day weekend so we like to travel. I am able to work anywhere I can get internet access so we can pickup and go at a moments notice w/o me having to worry about work.
I hate office politics. I don't have to spend $$ on clothes as I work in jeans or sweats, or can stay in my jammies all day. We only have 1 car and that works for us now, but wouldn't if I worked outside the home.
Life is just less stressful not having to get my kids up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready so they can catch the bus by 7:00. My DC would be getting home at 4:00 or later if they were in school and by the time they did homework and we had dinner it would be time to prepare for bed and we wouldn't have much family time. By homeschooling my DC have been able to explore their passions, have really developed a love of learning and we have developed a wonderful family bond. We spend hours every week talking about world events, relationships, etc. My DC are my #1 reason for working at home. When they have left the nest I may consider working outside the home, or at least exploring other work-at-home options.
for tracking congressional bills
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Kansas utility bills
Hi, I live on the Kansas/Oklahoma border have a 3000 sq ft home (2 levels) and 2 boys who don't know how to close doors. Anyway, our last electric bill was $260.00. This was keeping thermostat at 80 upstairs with ceiling fans going in every room. If it gets too warm, you just go downstairs where you have to wrap up in a blanket as there is a good 10 degrees difference in temp. I have to admit, I thought mine was high but am now thinking we don't have it too bad. Good luck to all and hopefully, we will still be able to pay these next year at this time and the rates won't have put us all in the poor house.
arkansas utility bills
Wow. I live in a 6 room house and my last bill was 328.00. We have very high rates here.
|
