Depends on how company counts unofficicially, as well as your speed. SM
Posted By: MissIndigo on 2008-06-25
In Reply to: VR editing - Terry
I did excellently at one company, better than transcription because I'm relatively speaking a crummy typist, continued to do excellently after rates were adjusted as more people became proficient, the same again, but then my production mysteriously dropped, dropped some more, dropped, dropped, until I was making less than straight transcription--all without those official rate adjustment notices. I'm now with another company. It may be you, or your company may be underpaying. You need to figure that one out and act on it, one way or the other. Best wishes, Fellow MT
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- VR editing - Terry
- Depends on how company counts unofficicially, as well as your speed. SM - MissIndigo
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Absolutely can! Depends on your speed and
the account. You can make a lot of money. Granted 6 cpl is not a great rate, but if everything is included, even bold and underline, h/f, etc, the lines rack up. I average anywhere from 400-500 lph straight transcription on my best days, 350-400 on off days. So, it can be worth it.
Figure if everything including bold and underline, etc is being paid for that equates to probably 9 or 10 cpl for those companies only paying spaces and not paying for h/f or bold/underline, etc.
I say go for it.
Good Luck!
depends on your speed, knowledge & accounts.
x
It depends on your skill level, your speed, your ability to do the
nm
You need to know how your company counts lines. It probably is not
counting the same as your line counter.
a company I worked for set its counts down, sm
I only get 40% of what I did this same time last year, same doctors and same work. They changed the platform and that was the result. Seems they are all doing it or anyway most of them. They do NOT CARE about the employee or IC's either. Not even a thank you at Christmas time or an e-card. Times are hard and we need to support each other. I feel for all of you and hope and pray you can make ends meet.
A company I worked for reset its counts down, SM
probably a number gradually, long after the account was well established with EditScript, without telling us, and it was only with time that people monitoring their production realized we were all getting our pay slashed without notice. It's very doable, and in these days of intense competition to hold onto accounts, keep work onshore, and still make a profit, it was being done. As said, it's not necessarily eScription exactly, it's the employer. That said, there seem to be a lot of bewildered and unhappy people working various places with eScription who are struggling and failing to achieve lost production levels.
My high speed internet is through our local t.v. cable company. nm.
x
It depends on what the company needs. nm
x
It really depends on the company.
I signed on with a company with a $1500 sign-on bonus. The first $500 is given in after you are off 100% QA, the rest is given quarterly and you must produce xxx number of lines a pay consistently.
Other companies have different stipulations, but it is never easy or just for signing on. They dangle carrots in front of you on purpose.
To me, it depends on the company.
If they're honest and fair, I'd give them two weeks' notice because you never know when you might want to go back in the future and because, as a human being, it's just the nice, professional, thoughtful thing to do.
If they've treated you like crap, if you can't trust them and if their general devious practices make them a company you'd never go back to under any circumstances, I wouldn't give them any notice at all.
Depends on company....
I've done many different positions and I did not find them to pay well at all. Plus, most are salaried and hours can end up being much more than 40 per week and/or include evenings and weekends. For qualifications, depends on company. Some companies hire people with NO MT experience for these positions : ( You can probably make more in less hours with QA if you find the right company.
Depends on company, but you will have to SM
use expander. Whatever kind company has or your own, if you can use it. You cannot make, I mean NO ONE can make good line count typing words out with using abbreviations. Once you get used to that, with your experience, you should do well.
Depends on your company
It would depend on the company you go to work for so I would think you would need to ask them or give the name of the possible company. What have you been paying as an IC or were you covered by your husband and if so what did you pay there. Every companyis different with their plans and if you chose your own very easy to check on a Google search.
Depends on the company and you
And how they count the lines. For accounts that include spaces and normals, expanders, etc. it can be pretty good. Your reports are good sized and I would say if you shoot for 1500 you would be doing really well. This can be done in a productive 7 hours. Can't say the number of reports, because some docs are a lot of dead air if you do discharges especially. At first you can expect to build up to 1K in 7 hours and then get to 1500 and even 2000 if you type with total concentration.
On the other hand, really short reports of just a couple of minutes which are not normals are difficult to add up. You can type 40 in a day and be tired after 3 hours or 4, and it will only be about 700 lines. And, if you work for a company which does not count spaces, etc., you have worked probably for 4 hours for only 350 lines, and you may not make it to 700 from sheer tiredness. This has been my experience. I have gotten the most lines after I have worked for a hospital for a while (or a service on the same account), have developed expanders, normals, and their line count is fair being used to the doctors and I had no problem with 2K at about 45 reports a day. But that takes a while, and it could be tiring if you don't get normals, so it is better to pace yourself and be content with doing the best you can in a fair line counting environment. Sorry so long, but this is an important issue for me after all the years I have worked as an MT. Good luck!
I think it depends on the company (sm)
but don't quote me on that.
The company I work for uses ChartScript and generally work is pooled by priority/FIFO. Work can also be assigned, but it's done through iPlayer (in my case), not by ChartScript.
I like ChartScipt okay. I think it varies, but for my company, it's Word-based and I have access to a report search which can be done by dictator, patient, etc., so I can look at other transcribed reports for information. This is an EXTREMELY handy feature.
It's easy to learn and, from my experience, pretty user/production-friendly.
Good luck!
Depends on your company.
I work for two different companies using my C-phone. They both have different settings. They should send that information, and if not, I would ask.
That depends on your company. You will need to ask your TL about that one, I guess. nm
x
It all depends on the company you are working for. sm
If you are the only recruiter for a company, you are not competing with anyone in the same company, but you are competing with the other companies out there. You have to know the way to sell your company hopefully that your company has something to sell, you have to have strong people skills, be able to administer whatever kind of test is appropriate, and I think it is imperative that you have experience as a medical Transcriptionist as well as a QA specialist. I think both of those positions go along with making a strong recruiter.
Depends on the company. Usually not a problem
as long as you meet your production. Usually nationals are bothersome about your hours when you DON'T meet the production requirement nor the hours! Good luck to you! That was not a stupid question, by the way!!
Depends on the company's definition.
At MQ, a medical Editor is a Transcriptionist who uses ASR (automated speech recognition) to get her job done; she literally edits the speech recognition product.
The QA Specialist handles the QA blanks the MTs or MEs send.
That depends on the company's policy.
Each company defines it's own policy. Most all do pay it out but since offering paid time off is not mandatory by any federal or state government, there is no mandate that a company HAS to pay out any accrued but unused paid time off.
Your Human Resources or Benefits Department will be able to direct you to the policies that govern this for your employer.
Ex-HR'r
Depends on what company you work for though.
I had the same experience about 10 years ago. I did a comparison on 1 page and found out they were not paying me for any normals, Expanders or macros. I talked to the President personally and he admitted they do not pay for these things. So, I got paid for tp instead of the patient; etc. I told him I was shocked. He said, "that's business." I quit on the spot. That company is no longer around.
Depends on your company. One I work--sm
wants ***00;23**, which is the number of seconds in the report where the word is, another wants ***the word that I think it is***.
What does you company want?
It depends on how the company handles it
Those companies that say IC status and then define a shift and/or days are clearly asking for employees but not wanting to pay the benefits, taxes, etc., and they are pretty clearly breaking the law - at least the way I interpret the law.
I work for a company and am an IC - a true IC. The only thing they ask is for me to tell them how many lines I think I am going to type on any given day. They ask for that a month ahead of time, but it's completely up to me as to how many lines I want to or can type and then I can do them in my own time frame.
A lot of it falls on the shoulders of the MTs, unfortunately. If a company is hiring someone IC status, but then defines days and shifts to be worked and the MT accepts that, we are propagating that method of hiring and telling the MTSOs that we are willing to do that.
It totally depends on the VR platform your company uses...sm
Some are very good and the reports require little editing, others are awful the reports can be typed almost as fast as editing them, not good when there is such a difference in pay.
Depends on each company, but usually incentive pay is only on the additional lines. Ask to be sure.
s
I guess it depends on what company or client you work for. nm
x
It depends entirely on the company you work for. If their tech support stinks, then
the program will not do well, but if they have good tech support, they can tweak it to work just fine.
increase speed 3, decrease speed 2...sm
increase backspace 9, decrease backspace 8. At least that's what mine does.
Depends on the company. Some companies require it; others do not. Some don't require it
if you promise that you will seek your certification at some point in the future. Other companies could care less if you are certified at all at any time.
C-phone speed help! PLEASE! Speed key!
I am in tears - typing speedy gonzalez - a total knee replacement, not a standard, dictated in under 1 minute - FULL REPORT! Can you imagine? I have a C-phone that is just hanging in there, but lost all its programming. Isn't there a # key on the number part of the phone that reduces speed? I need it way slooooooooooow!! I'm afraid to just start hitting numbers, though, cause I've lost reports that way!! Anybody have a # to hit for me???
LIne counts
Per discussion below about 16,000 per pay period, is that one week or two weeks? I am a small MTSO, IC or whatever and have 4 accounts (6 docs) plus I work in a clinic to "get out of the house" after an ugly divorce. I work there 20 to 25 hours plus bring home tapes. (hourly rate) On my IC accounts, though this is per month, I do 32,000 to 34,000 lines per month and put in about 22 hours per week with pick up and delivery, printing, cutting apart chart notes, etc. So if that 16,000 per two weeks, that could be considered part time but if it is one week, she is a whiz if she does that part-time which I consider under 24 hours a week.
Just my 2 cents worth.
line counts
If I work the eight hour shift with the two 15 minute breaks and 30 minute break I usually do 1500-1700 lines per day, depending on the dictators, quality, etc. I rarely do 2000 and it takes 9-10 hours a day with NO problems when I do (and no breaks). Oddly, it seems that when I push myself to do more I have less problems with my hands than when I don't....... go figure !!
Line counts
To all transcriptionists:
I am new to MTStars. I am so glad to see a place where transcriptionists of every kind can blow off steam. I am a well seasoned profession medical transcriptionist and like so many of you, take pride in my work and profession. The rash of recent sweeping changes and concerns in our industry have me very concerne as with all of you. We can no longer afford to sit back and say nothing. For too long the personality profile of the medical transcriptionist was that of a meek, never-talk-back mouse in the corner who did what she was told. After all, and I may be dating myself here, many transcription departments began in the basement of hospitals - you gals remember that? We were stuffed in corners where storage boxes made their homes!!!
For too long this industry has gone largely unregulated and for too long we did not unionize or gather forces to protect ourselves and our profession as other allied health fields have done. Because we are a nonrevenue-producing department in the chain of our healthcare system we are always the first to get cut in budgets. Yet that medical record is most vital to reimbursements and to the patient. We now find ourselves wondering if the powers that be care at all. We are concerned about offshore outsourcing, the shady practices of national transcription companies, and an array of legitimate concerns.
The medical transcription industry is a multi-billion dollar business. You bet competition is stiff. Is it any wonder there are so many scandals right now?
Here's mine concern, for now. LINE COUNTS!!!! WE MUST UNIFY OUR EFFORTS FOR ACCURATE LINE COUNTS THAT REFLECT WHAT A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST ACTUALLY PRODUCES AND WHAT A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION COMPANY COUNTS. For too long, way too long, I hear (and have experienced it myself) so many transcriptionists complain and voice their concerns and doubts on what their actual line count may be when they work for a national transcription company. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO CLEAR THIS ISSUE AND BRING IT INTO COMPLIANCE FOR ALL INVOLVED - TRANSCRIPTIONIST, TRANSCRIPTION COMPANY AND CLIENT. We are the only industry I know of that puts blinders on its workers when it comes to piecemeal work. The cable man, the UPS guy, the plumber, salesman - all know up front what the client gets charged, what their cut is, and what the company charges - Hell, even the farmer workers know up front what they get per basket of strawberries they pick!!! - CLEAR, UP FRONT. WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE THE LINE COUNT UTILITY PROGRAM THAT CHARGES THE CLIENT?
If we are losing our work to overseas sweat shops, let's address the sweat shops here in the UNITED STATES making the money. I believe a forum like this is valuable and long over due - we should list companies that are shady and treat their employees with unfair practices. There must be a way to address the line count issue on a national level so that it changes, changes to the benefit of all - the transcriptionist, the transcription company and the client. I say we start by dialogue among ourselves at this site and take it to all transcription companies in a format that engages the dialogue among all concerned. I'm willing to invest some time on this issue of importance to all.
By the way, I don't currently work for a national company - I have been an independent contractor who has just lost 2 hospital accounts to, yeah, you guessed it - INDIA!!! Hospitals CFO's got a boner when they heard this company can do the work for $2.00 an hour.
RE: Line counts
There is already an advocate for what you are proposing. It is called The American Association for Medical Transcription focuses on directing the evolution of medical transcription and to advance and represent the profession ...
Line counts
No, I'm not in a union, never have been, don't belong to any group, but did belong to AAMT a long time ago.
Line counts in MTS.....sm
My MQ account is still on MT Shell. Over the past couple days, I've noticed that when I check my line counts under "Work Summary," they seem much less than what I was expecting. Have been doing this for over three years, so I have a good feel for the approximate number of lines I've transcribed. Of course, in MTs there is no way to see the gross number of lines you've typed, as far as I know. You can see the "gross" lines for each report under "Edit Transcriptions" but that doesn't allow for empty lines. I wish it would give the actual line count you are being credited for. Again, my line counts seem pretty anemic for the amount of typing I've been doing.
Everything is so underhanded with this company. With all the crap going on, I am nearly ready to jump ship.
low line counts
Hey fellow MQMT
Do you realize you're not being paid for spaces.
I just figured that out... Starting to work for the night.
Consideringtypingwithnospacesjusttoseehowtheylikeit.
about low line counts
My line counts are always low and it is mostly MY fault. I HATE leaving blanks so will listen and relisten, trying hard to get it, slowing it down, speeding it up, etc. Also, I always proofread my work before sending it. When I worked in the hospital I used to ask the high producers just HOW they got so many lines and they would always say, "don't proofread, the spell check is good enough," and also they didn't care if they left a lot of blanks for QA. The one thing I HAVE discovered is to listen to the whole report, leave blanks right away and then go back after the report is done. I used to struggle and waste time, but now find that once I get used to the dictator's voice, when I go back sometimes it sounds much better! I hate to admit this (and sorry QA people), but I do think I am going to start leaving more blanks because I do have to make more $$$ and it aint happenin this way!
line counts
Said 5 errors in 10,973 lines. I have done more than 2500 in an 8 hour day. Like to average 300 to 400 per hour but my accounts now only take me 25 hours per week now. (including printing, delivery, cutting chart notes, etc.) I have two I/C's that do my psych accounts now. Cut back this year after ugly three year divorce but my small MTSO sill grosses 55 to 60K of which 80% is mine from typing. Will be picking up another account or two after the first of the year. People can accurately do 250 to 300 lines per hour, believe me they can. I pick up the small accounts that the large ones do not want and give them personal service and little extras. Have been doing this for over 20 years.
Only 10 more to go before retirement.
Line counts
I would guess as a newbie you would probably average about 100 lines per hour starting out (yes, that's only about $7 or $8 an hour). This should increase within a few months, but this depends a lot on what kind of work you are doing. Most company requirements are around 150 lines per hour. I have 10+ years experience and average about 300 per hour.
I will also mention that working part time may also hinder the process of speeding up just from the fact that you won't be working as much. Keep with it though, the speed will come.  l
line counts
Really decent...in fact, that rate might give you a slight edge over 65 w/space counts. Is that for IC or FT employee status? What about headers and footers, benefits, etc.
line counts
Headers and footers are patient demo, report type information, ccs and the like. Even though some of that info is already entered for you, some companies pay for that because it accounts for the time you spend looking up doctor and patient information...and some don't pay it. It typically varies by account profile. In any case, for parttime, it sounds pretty good to me. Good luck with it.
Line counts: How do you do it?
Do you work really fast in short spurts. Do you sit your butt down and stay planted there till you get all your lines done? Do you set a goal for yourself each day and not stop till your get it? Or do you just type for however long you are going to type and are happy with whatever you come out with for that day? Do you have a goal each day/each pay period, what? Do you use an expander? Do you use Smartype or something similar where it finishes words for you?
I seem to have a hard time keeping my happy @ss in my chair! 
Line counts
I'm in the same boat. If you make a template for each dictator, you can add 200 or 300 extra lines a night, which adds up over the pay period. It takes 1-2 minutes to do it each time you have a new dictator, but it pays off. Each of them has their own style with their own order of headings (at least at my hospital)and if you make a template with jump codes, it works wonders - plus it saves Keystrokes and is easier on the fingers.
Hang in there!
As long as everyone is together, that's what counts.
nm
Well, obviously your opinion is all that counts
LOL
Maybe it's what you're NOT seeing that counts.
s
why do u need it explained. Everyone counts different.
what do u need to know?
Line Counts
For those of you who responded, are these edited lines, standard transcription or a combination of the two?
Line counts
AT the present job i work at, this line counting situation is wierd. We are to take 26 x the number of reports we type in a day to get our line count. Has anyone ever heard of this and i am coming up short from what my employer says i have and what I actually get on my paystub. I am told the company uses DocuCount for their line counting progam. Now.. why is it we cannot see what the manager comes up with lines and what we have to compare. The only way we know what our actual line count is ...is when we get our paystub. I downloaded a free line counting program to compare but I am confused on Custom line count and just Line count. What is the difference. Can anyone help me here? TIA
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