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Deduction in pay for errors....

Posted By: hmmmm on 2006-10-05
In Reply to:

I was just offered a job at a measly 8 cpl after I took this ridiculously long and time consuming test.  I get an email with FAQ and there is a whole section about how much they are going to deduct from your pay for errors.  Someone over there has a screw loose.  I wish I had not wasted my time.  I already have one account that I make about 12 cpl, but I just lost one due to outsourcing, where I started at 9 cpl.  I love my first account, but I always like to have 2 just for backup.  I so far have been offered 7-1/2 cpl, 7 cpl and 8 cpl.  I turned them all down.  These people are crazy!  If you want a good transcriptionist, PAY FOR IT!!!!


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I do not agree with deduction for errors, don't do it and don't understand why other MTSO do i

Two errors per page is a LOT of errors! nm
x
Pay deduction with DQS
Well, when I started DQS, I was told by the regional manager I would increase my pay with this program so they were cutting everyone's pay who was transitioning to DQS because of that..So my pay was cut three quarters of a cent per line.  I agreed, thinking this was happening to everyone.  Well, MQ tried this for a while until a few brave souls quit and others threatened to quit due to the reduction in pay.  Now, mind you, I have not had a raise since 1998 and yet they chose to decrease my pay.  Even though they have stopped this decision of decreasing pay of people transitioning to DQS, I remain at the deducted pay rate.  Do you think I have an argument to try to get my pay rate back? 
25% deduction
So, I'm not real clear, are you saying you are a statutory status worker and thus federal is deducted which is what ?? 25% and is withheld.  If you were and IC independent contractor, nothing is withheld and you send in the taxes on your own. . Employee and statutory have all or some taxes taken out.
Another Deduction (sorry)
So sorry, I forgot one of the most important deductions, your IRA or SEP IRA,your accountant will know which is best -- this was something my accountant insisted I do years ago; now they are worth "plenty" and I am so grateful to him for insisting I do this. It's all deductible and a wonderful way to save for your retirement.
Get a tax guy, his fee is deduction. FYI, if you
x
Deduction is 100%, not 50.
x
100% deduction for me too as IC.
xx
about deduction from mortage
You seem to know quite a bit about this. I have rented in the past and so always deducted proportionally off my rent. I was under the impression there were some not so favorable consequences about deducting off home mortgage, which would be my situation this year, something about having to ante up somehow after you sell the house for the deductions you claimed, depreciating, etc. Can you clarify this any for me or refer me to a site that would explain this in "simple" :-) terms that I could understand? Not sure what I should do this year!!
Office deduction
I can use the money now more than I expect to need it later, as property values continue to go up.  Also, after so many years of NOT claiming office deduction, isn't that penalty withdrawn?
Isn't the standard deduction much more than $2K? nm
x
I think you just don't take the deduction for it the year before...ask your CPA
x
the SEP IRA is a huge deduction...
but I can't say that I've seen people frequently posting they take $10K in deductions. That also means they spent $10K. You may be imagining that. Maybe do an archive search and then try to repost and contact them?  As has been frequently said on this post, the only difference between IC and SE is an IC pays another 7.5% self employment tax but then takes deductions. Don't see how that adds up to 10 grand.
HomeOffice Deduction
Can I deduct my home office if I live with a roommate and am not on the lease?  I have a room that is used solely for my office. 
Sorry, but no 'blanket' 100% deduction

  First, forget about a catastrophic illness - if you have a gallbladder or appendix, you can lose your home, right down to just keeping the shirt on your back. I know this for a fact because it happened to me.


 Secondly,  I fell into the insurance premiums are 100% covered trap personally (2006/2007).    When my accountant actually did my taxes and explained the formula used for determining how much of insurance premiums (and out-of-pocket expenses) are figured, my deduction ended up less than 50% of my oop amount.  I was disbelieving and demanded my accountant prove this, so they called the IRS and believe me, they proved it.  If someone tells you, without reviewing the details of your estimated premium/OOP yearly costs and estimated yearly earnings, that your premiums will be automatically 100% deductible, they do not know what they are talking about.  My point is not to be argumentative, it is to remind you that guessing without expert advice about your personal situation can be very costly.  Learn from those of us who have paid dearly for poor judgement and bad advice.


Your standard deduction -
Do you have other things to count such as mortgage interest, etc? If you don't, then yes, your standard deduction would be the better deal.

I just finished a personal income tax preparation class in my accounting program in college. I always thought I was doing something with those deductions too until I took this class. Went back and looked at my old returns and lo and behold, always just took the standard deduction.

Personally, I am just upset that I took so much time keeping up with all those receipts and so forth!!!
Can you take home office deduction if you are sm

an employee and how would one guestimate if they would qualify? Looking into this option this year.


Home office deduction
No, but unreimbursed work-related expenses may be deduced on Schedule A.
nix the home office deduction
If you plan on selling your house later on. The deductions you claimed in previous years will be lost when you try to sell. So, if you were planning on selling for $150,000, but you claimed $500 a year in home-office deductions, per year, over ten years, that's $5000 you'll lose out at the end.
Rephrase Deduction Question
I am considered an at-home employee.  Not an IC or statutory.  I have no itemized expenses to carry forward on the 1040.   I take the standard deduction because don't have enough to itemize.  My CPA says because of that, I cannot deduct my MT expenses.  It does not seem quite fair.  Has anybody else had this problem?
get an accountant -- you can take off their fee as a tax deduction and to me, it's worth it to ma
sure my taxes go in quarterly and correctly so that I don't get slammed at the end of the year!
Home Office Deduction
I rent my apartment. I have a home office, which is a room used soley for the purpose of an office, which is the restriction, cannot be part of living room, etc. I deduct portion of rent, all supplies, telephone, cell phone, electric, gas, and oil heat. I don't think your name has to be on the lease, just that you live there and use that room solely as an office. Also, if you travel to and from your job you can deduct mileage, oh and internet connection, which I use mainly for work. Hope that helps you.
Tax guy fee is deduction as is insurance cost if
x
Home Office Deduction
I have 2 jobs, one as an employee and one as an IC. I was living in a house with a separate room for an office. I have now moved to an apartment. Will I still be able to deduct some portion of my rent and utilities if I don't have a separate office? I would still be able to deduct office supplies and a percentage of internet and cell phone charges, correct? Thanks in advance for your advice.
Another problem with home office deduction
It has to be exclusive use, so you can't take it if you use the area for other activities than strictly work. Also, I did the depreciation thing with my home and it can come back to bite you if you sell the house and make a profit. 
You need to talk to accountant. His fee is tax deduction, you will want several dedections each
6
Acct fee is a tax deduction. Find a good one.
:P
yepper - automatic deduction from invoice
and was not told about it before the fact - just that the account was switching over - was sent the e-mail about "rental" after the fact - then when the foot pedal broke they wanted to charge me for the replacement. Hello? It's a RENTAL??? I still work there but am branching out. It is not the norm.
You don't have to but I take morgage, etc deduction. Need the help now raising family. Plan on
:+
can you take part of the water bill under the home office deduction? (nm)
x
don't need to depreciate computers anymore. take the deduction in the year purchased
x
Ya still got errors
Keep trying, you are almost there!
if you had that many errors

then something was wrong from the get go.

>>>It sounded good because I thought it would be less wear and tear on my hands. I type already all day on a FT regular job. I never had a report that didn't need massive changing and it just didn't take long to see that I was getting the proverbial screw.

Like I many times before:  [1] have the correct sound card; [2] have the correct microphone (the one that comes with the product is probably not good enough); [3] have VR analyze as many documents as you have available (I have more than 500 MB); [4] add words and phrases to the Word List (decreases errors in the long run); [5] do not dictate like you talk to someone ... you need to ar-ti-cu-late correctly; [6] take the time to correct errors when they occur or at the end of the day. But, if you see an error and change it manually, the program is not going to learn; [7] You cannot use VR for all dictators, but you can for all good dictators. I would not use it for the nightmares from hell, unless they are so repetitive you know what they are going to say as soon as they start to say it.

These are the most critical factors involved with using SR (speech recognition) software. If you eliminate or skip over any ONE of these items, you're going to reduce accuracy.

I've been averaging 99.5% (one to two errors per page) for a long time. It think it's obvious I'm doing something right.

There's nothing more I can say. 


Errors
Aunt Bea -- no question is a dumb question. I personally correct errors as soon as I see them. I always have the fear that my spellchecker will not pick them up -- for instance if the error was "too" instead of "to" your spellchecker would not catch it. I leave nothing to chance. Hope this helps.
errors
.25 for typos, commas that don't affect the sentence
2.0 for missed medical terms
2.0 for incorrect use of a medical or nonmedical term
0 for leaving out a significant part of a sentence or replacing anything in a sentence that is not said.
when in doubt - leave a blank
errors

Is it typical for a co. to deduct for errors?  I have had some, but nothing that is overly noticable.


Errors

Do you find that it irritates you probably more than it should to see errors in the newspaper, etc.?  I mean, something that will be read by so many people should be proofread to perfection, don't you think?  They seem to just jump out at me and I know I'm more critical since I am an MT.  How about you?


 


No, I don't think it is about errors....sm
work is sent to other countries because it is cheaper.
errors
I have a question.  Ok say I want to go in to my system tools and do a scan to check for errors and if any fix them.  Well I thought this should be in my system tools section.  It was with my old computer.  On this one which is Windows XP it has disk scan cleanup or something like that to get rid of unnecessary files.  Well what about scanning for errors.  I don't see that option.  Maybe I am missing something?
errors
See when I first started my first job the owner sent me a paper and it had certain things to do to my computer every so often and it said once a month "Scan Disk for errors" and I remember doing this on my Windows 98 but I don't see anything like that on this one. I do defragment once a month. The paper had that also on it. But in addition to defragmenting it said scan disk for errors. I thought that is what I was doing when I did a disk cleanup but I think the disk cleanup is just getting rid of unnecessary files. I can't ask the lady because she died right after I went to work for her. Like in a month. Poor lady. The company was taken over by another company then. I don't know I probably need to ask someone who also worked for Janelle too (previous owners name).
Errors!!
and on several occasions, found glaring errors in my and/or my husband's chart.
errors
Whichever company you work for, take it as a wake-up call that maybe you have gotten a little sloppy and try to pay closer attention. I mean no offense at all with that. I have been in the same position and it's hard to swallow your pride and have your errors pointed out to you when you are used to being trusted and not QA'd much. As long as the QA at the new company is not condescending I'd stick with it and take it as a challenge to sharpen up.
if you do not get less pay for errors, try to take it
with a grain of salt. grammar errors should not affect your QA score, overall, yes? I too sometimes get a little nauseated at people who go through my work always with something to prove where I swear they just refuse to let a report go by without finding something. Then there are the wonderful QA people who use it more as a training tool and really help and cut some slack.

in reality, these hospitals do not seem to care a pinch about patient care and I have seen that upfront. they send work overseas to save a buck and cut corners in EVERY single area of the hospitals leaving patients with sometimes nonexistent care at all. it is such a game. the stories I could tell when I first started transcription - there was no QA or any such entity whatsoever and it never seemed to matter much back then.

...and don't get me started with these companies who expect perfection, for a whopping 8 cents a line - ??????? say what?

I oftentimes feel like a slave literally as just some 12 plus years ago this was a great profession for someone like myself with no official college education. I used to be so proud of myself...

but for the most part constructive criticism is welcome.

wish I could offer some hope but from where I sit day in and day out things only seem they will get worse. they are really pushing for certification - this whole country is doing things wrong lately. can't even go any further just makes me depressed.
It could be the errors were in the
transciption of the dictation itself and therefore not available to her.
VR changes a lot of errors for you
and I am glad for that. I took ShortHand in high school back in the dinosaur years and it has helped me so much. I keep my foot on the pedal and as fast as I can go, hardly lift it off.
I can use the deduction now, and when old and ready to sell, hope sell price is high enough won't
matter.  Also, I think there is a time frame of not working that negates the job deduction factor. 
some examples of errors

You did not specify how many examples you wanted, so I included quite a few, hope it helps.  All of these are from one group of radiologists, all american.  In answer to your question, unfortunately most of these I believe to be the result of laziness.


THREE-VIEW RIGHT HAND


There is decreased relative small of the distal aspect of the 4th metacarpal. (There is diminished size of the distal aspect of the 4th metacarpal.) Otherwise, the hand is unremarkable in appearance for a patient of this young age. 


MRI LUMBAR SPINE


 


This is best visualized from L3-4 through L5-S1 where there are actual images in addition to the sagittal imaging through the entire lumbar spine.( This is best visualized from L3-4 through L5-S1 where there are axial images in addition to the sagittal imaging through the entire lumbar spine.)


 


 


ABDOMEN, THREE VIEWS


 


The colon has lost his Hounsfield markings in the transverse portion and splenic flexure. (The colon has lost its haustral markings in the transverse portion and splenic flexure. )


 


CT ABDOMEN W/WO CONTRAST


There is a small left inguinal hernia with fat within the hernia sac but no bile (no bowel).  No inguinal lymphadenopathy.


 


NAME OF EXAMINATION:  Sinuses.


FINDINGS:  Paranasal sinuses demonstrate generally some metric pneumatization.( Paranasal sinuses demonstrate generally symmetric pneumatization)  No bony abnormality is seen.


 


MRI OF THE LUMBAR SPINE


 


Compared to December 23, 2003, there has been no objective change in the L5-S1 left posterolateral disk herniation. It causes narrowing at the left lateral recess. It doe snot produce central stenosis. ( It does not produce central stenosis.)


 


OB ULTRASOUND COMPLETE


 


There is no polyhydramnios. However, the fetal kidneys are abnormally hyperechoic. This has been associated with polycystic kidney disease and so I recommend a postnasal follow-up study.( This has been associated with polycystic kidney disease and so I recommend a postnatal follow-up study.)


 


MRI OF THE HIPS WITHOUT IV CONTRAST


 


The muscles about the shoulder show normal signal on all sequences.( The muscles about the hips show normal signal on all sequences. ) There are no soft tissue masses.


 


RIGHT HIP TWO VIEWS


 


DISCUSSION: There has been destruction of the right femoral headache and femoral neck.( There has been destruction of the right femoral head and femoral neck. )


 


AP PORTABLE CHEST


 


EXAM DATE: January 22, 2005 at January 12, 2005 hours(January 22, 2005 )


 


 


MRI ANGIO ABDOMEN BEFORE AND AFTER IV CONTRAST


 


TECHNIQUE: 3-D time of flight MRA of the abdominal aorta and renal arteries was obtained following contrast administration. In addition, evidence of the kidneys was also obtained before and after IV contrast.( In addition, imaging of the kidneys was also obtained before and after IV contrast.)


 


TWO-VIEW CHEST


 


FINDINGS: Left apical pneumothorax measuring 1-2% is stable. Left lower lobe maxillary sinus is again demonstrated.( Left lower lobe mass is again demonstrated. )There are no other findings.


GALLBLADDER ULTRASOUND


 In the porta hepatis, there is a consistent with echogenic lesion measuring 1.1 cm.( In the porta hepatis, there is an echogenic lesion measuring 1.1 cm) This could represent a lymph node in the porta but also could represent an exophytic hepatic meningioma. (This could represent a lymph node in the porta but also could represent an exophytic hepatic hemangioma. )


OB ULTRASOUND COMPLETE


 


 


DISCUSSION: There is moderate dilatation of the left renal pelvis. There is mild dilatation on the right. However, neither uterus is abnormally dilated. (However, neither ureter is abnormally dilated. )


 


 ULTRASOUND OF RIGHT BREAST


There is heterogeneous echo texture in that region compatible with typical combination of breast parenchyma and fatty/femoral tissue, but a discrete mass lesion is not identified. (There is heterogeneous echo texture in that region compatible with typical combination of breast parenchyma and fatty/normal tissue, but a discrete mass lesion is not identified.)


AP PORTABLE CHEST


Underlying fusion is suggested, again worse on the left than the right.  (Underlying effusion is suggested, again worse on the left than the right.)


LEFT SECOND TOE


 


There is an old, healed fracture of the proximal phalanx of th cleft third toe.( There is an old, healed fracture of the proximal phalanx of the left third toe.)


 


TWO-VIEW CHEST


 


There are remote compression fractures involving the right 5th and 6th ribs.( There are remote fractures involving the right 5th and 6th ribs. ) The lungs are otherwise clear.


 


THYROID ULTRASOUND


 


DISCUSSION: In the left lobe of the thyroid, there is a moderately large maxillary sinus that measures 2.2 cm in greatest diameter and is mostly sold and have a cystic center. (In the left lobe of the thyroid, there is a moderately large complex mass that measures 2.2 cm in greatest diameter and is mostly solid and has a cystic center.) The remainder of the left lobe is normal.


 


There is a small 6 mm nodule in the inferior aspect of the right lobe. The gland itself is not overall enlargement. (The gland itself is not overall enlarged.) The gland is heterogeneous overall in echogenicity.


 


 


TWO-VIEW ABDOMEN


 


No convincing evidence of small bowel obstruction, although developing shortness of breath could theoretically give this appearance and follow-up is recommended. (No convincing evidence of small bowel obstruction, although developing small bowel obstruction could theoretically give this appearance and follow-up is recommended.)


 


 


OB ULTRASOUND


 


DISCUSSION: There is an intrauterine gestation with a large yolk sac. However, the crown-rump length measures 7 mm and this corresponds to an estimated gestational age of about 6 weeks 4 days. However, there is no detectable cardiac activity. The amniotic fluid volume is probably normal of ra fetus of this age.( The amniotic fluid volume is probably normal for a fetus of this age. )    The placenta is closed. (The cervix is closed.)


 


 


EXAM OF LEFT FOREARM


 


 


FINDINGS: No fracture. There is prominence of the anterior fat patient which suggests effusion. (There is prominence of the anterior fat pad which suggests effusion) No other findings.


 


MRI LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST


 


Tip desiccation of L4-5. (Disk desiccation of L4-5.)


 


 


TWO-VIEW ABDOMEN


 


FINDINGS: Findings of right chest, cardiac size is normal, no infiltrates or effusion. (FINDINGS: Upright chest, cardiac size is normal, no infiltrates or effusion.


 


 


TWO-VIEW CHEST


 


Stable right breast opacity, likely represents


fibrosis.( Stable right basilar opacity, likely represents


fibrosis.)


 


AP CHEST


 


 


Picture of congestive heart failure/volume


overload not significantly changed from


exam 4-hours earlier.( Features of congestive heart failure/volume


overload not significantly changed from


exam 4-hours earlier.)


 


 


RIGHT SHOULDER


 


FINDINGS: The patient has history of a right humeral fracture, plus surgical fixation noted.( The patient has history of a right humeral fracture, postsurgical fixation noted. ) Alignment is intact.


 


IMPRESSION


1. Postsurgical change involving the right


proximal femur.( Postsurgical change involving the right


proximal humeral.)  Alignment is anatomic.


 


 


 


OB SONOGRAM


 


FINDINGS: Transabdominal and transvaginal evaluation of the pelvis was performed. An intrauterine collection and yoke sac is identified. (An intrauterine collection and yolk sac is identified. )


 


 LEFT HIP


 


 


FINDINGS/IMPRESSION: Two-view left hip demonstrate a fracture of the neck of the left humerus in varus angulation.(  Two-view left hip demonstrate a fracture of the neck of the left femur with varus angulation.) No additional fractures identified.


 


 


THREE-VIEW ABDOMEN


 


In this since, bowel gas pattern slightly improved since the 14th, but otherwise there has been no significant change. (In this sense, bowel gas pattern slightly improved since the 14th, but otherwise there has been no significant change. )


 


NUCLEAR MEDICINE CHOLESCINTIGRAM WITH GALLBLADDER EJECTION FRACTION


 


.After initial accumulation of tracer within the gallbladder, the patient was given solid bolus intravenous injection of CCK and additional anterior sequential imaging was obtained.( After initial accumulation of tracer within the gallbladder, the patient was given slow bolus intravenous injection of CCK and additional anterior sequential imaging was obtained. )


 


MRI BRAIN BEFORE AND AFTER IV CONTRAST -


 


 


There is confluent periventricular signal abnormality in the lungs bilaterally consistent with chronic small-vessel ischemic change.( There is confluent periventricular signal abnormality in the pons bilaterally consistent with chronic small-vessel ischemic change.) Probable remote lacunar infarcts noted in the left posterior frontal subcortical white matter.


 


THREE-VIEW ABDOMEN -


There is gas within the large and small-bowel. No distension. There is a round calcification in the pelvis which probably represents calcification in the wall of a cyst. There are no suspicious calcifications. No pathologic skin or nipple alterations(this sentence does not belong in this report). Mild hypertrophic change in the lumbar spine.


 


 


TWO-VIEW CHEST


 


 


REPORT: Bones free of consolidative infiltrate.( Lungs free of consolidative infiltrate.) No pneumothorax or pleural effusion identified.


 


LUMBAR SPINE SERIES


 


 


REPORT: There is very mild levocurvature of the cervicalium spine. (There is very mild levocurvature of the thoracolumbar spine.)


 


THREE-VIEW ABDOMEN


 


No evidence of bowel destruction. (No evidence of bowel obstruction.)


 


 


CERVICAL SPINE SERIES


 


FINDINGS: There is a fracture of the CT vertebral body inferior to the junction of the dens with the body.( There is a fracture of the C2 vertebral body inferior to the junction of the dens with the body.)There is retrolisthesis of the dens in relation to the CT vertebral body. (There is retrolisthesis of the dens in relation to the C2 vertebral body. )


 


How errors are counted
Unfortunately, there isn't a universal way of counting errors to quote a per cent accuracy. Basically, where I work, 98% accuracy would mean there were 2 noncritical word error in 100 lines (not characters).

When you hear quotes of alleged 95% accuracy in speech recognition, it probably means 5 errors in 100 characters, not lines.

Again, with offshore companies claiming 98% accuracy, who knows how they are counting?

But you are right, we all make errors, and I have seen stupid ones in my own reports that I would have felt bad if I hadn't caught them. I am sure doctors sometimes get laughs out of our bloopers the same way we get laughs out of theirs.

Mistakes/errors

I read below about the mistakes and I have to admit, I make mistakes, I am human.  My accounts know I am human.  I just re-read one of my physicals and I had somehow put "See expensive data base in chart" and it should have been "See extensive ..." it is not often but it does happen.  If we were perfect we surely would not be here on earth right now.  It is hard for us to see and find our own mistakes.   But for those who say that they have 98 or 99% error free, what does that actually mean -- for every 100 words you can have two errors, or what.  Never have been able to figure that out.   If I do 3000 lines per day, can I have 30 to 60  lines with errors?   All I know is that the majority of us do a darn good job and the best we can and those that make continuous errors, just like in any line of work, won't  be in it for long but mistakes and errors do happen to all of us.   For those that have no compassion for anyone that does make errors, be careful as it is a long way to fall off of the pedestal.    My two cents worth go ahead and flame me, I have broad shoulders. 


PS --my accounts have been with me for 5 to 15 years and I make over $50K a year but I do make mistakes.  


Yes, these are errors she would obviously correct.
These are errors the software makes while you are dictating.  Of course she would correct these.  I make a lot more errors than that while typing - and of course I backspace and correct.  If I only had to do that twice per page that would be very good!
spelling errors
I have spelled so many words wrong and each time I do I fix it with autocorrect.  I just figure that I spelled it wrong once, it will happen again.  Some words I have spelled wrong so many different ways you would not believe, but each time they are corrected for me---saves lots of time.