Getting your own accounts
Posted By: ML on 2007-07-27
In Reply to: If you have a certificate in MT, sm - assuming it's from a school.
I was a newbie starting out and I got my own accounts. Actually, I had about seven of them but then they outsourced to India and lost five of them. It is not as hard as all the posts state. Do not get discouraged. Have determination! This business if very hard. I went back to billing because of the controversy, bad pay and the Nationals wanting so much and not paying, putting up with QA. I would never work for a National. I have always worked for local Docs. Just go around to all Doctor offices and print up a flyer and be persistent. Sell yourself over the Nationals. I did this four years and just recently went back to billing, which I have 12 years experience because I see no future in transcription, especially in the next 5 years. Do not give up and accept the negativity of the posts, I am sure they were just trying to brave you for the storm. I would start with Family Practice or Internal Medicine. They seem to be the easiest and were for me and then I moved on to different specialities.
 
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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?
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.
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.
Own accounts
Make up a brochure or flyer -- keep it simple, a little colorful, state experience, what you have to offer them, and your price. Do mailings to smaller offices, chiropractors, psychologists, outlying smaller cities if you can do digital. Be prepared to pick up and deliver. Take about any account at first to get some experience with "own accounts" and eat the loss if you have to. But just go for it. How many people view a house before they buy it, that is about how may offices might need to see your brochure before they show an interest. Give a good personalized service at a price that they can afford and go for it.
I don't think the accounts have...sm
anything to do with it. I think the MT services do that to keep it uniform and easier to control MT errors. I've had a service for many, many years and never, ever had a client request anything of this nature. They couldn't care less whether it's MT or MT's.
accounts
All my accounts are on Bayscribed through MDI-MD. I go at a good pace on all of them except one which is just a thorn in my side for line count and I probably only average 100 lph on it.
Some co's put them on ER accounts right out of
xx
own accounts
one of them uses tapes.
The other one I type from their notes.
Getting own accounts
I believe I was the one who made the comment regarding my clients not knowing what "BOS" was. I was being flippant to make a point. The way I got my own clients was to purchase publishing software, create brochures, business cards and letters. I went door to door to every doctors office in a large southern Calif. city. I also passed out pens with my business name on them. Then I mailed my brochures along with letters to every doctor in the county. I also purchased the most current reference books available, and at the time, dictation equipment (tapes), spellchecker software, etc. It was a huge investment. This was about 10 years ago. It's easiest to get accounts from plastic surgeons, psychiatrists, or psychologists, i.e., any doctor not associated with a large HMO who may be using a national.
Good luck to you. It only takes one account to get started.
Don't most accounts
Mention this in their account specifics? Every account I've had does and only 1 account had 1 space; all others have been two.
My accounts almost always use no's. 1, 2, & 3 .... nm
?
My own accounts
I also have my own accounts and was making between $48 to $55 K but then one doc died and one retired and so now down to $40K+ which the timing was right as doing some remodeling and need to cut back. It was nice working only 20 to 24 hours per week. But now just got another smaller account and should be up over 52K next year. But taking on the smaller accounts as your own is one way of making more, even if you have to pick-up and deliver and transcribe tapes. Hopefully it will last the 6 years I plan on working close to full-time. If not, I will be one of those out there with a sign asking for handouts as I found out that they make over $100 a day.
If you have your own accounts and need to
What's the big deal? QA is something for sub prime MTs. If an MT is good at his or her job, then they'll make every effort to make the report is correct, but if there is a question, then that needs to be brought to someone's attention as opposed to guessing.
I have had plenty of times when I'm not sure of the tape skipped, and the physician never complained. So this 100% or 98% bull crap is wrong. Guessing is wrong no matter who is doing it whether it be QA or the original MT. 
getting your own accounts
I have never done that but have contemplated many times about starting my own MT business and trying to get local clients. You'd have to send more than your resume though. You would need at least a flyer indicating what you are offering and the experience you have. Sure would be nice to keep the whole line amount for yourself, but what happens when you want to take vacation........who does the work? And you'd have to have either equipment for them to call into with their dictation or pay one of those 1-800 services where the docs can dial into. Lots of things to consider if taking on your own clients.
When you have your own accounts, they do!
knows what they're doing! Sometimes, you'll even get a chuckle out of a physician when they've made a blunder, and you point it out, all in gest of course! If you only have worked for MTSOs, then of course, the only feedback you get is from QA or MTs that think they are better than you in most cases.
accounts
I understand that no account belongs to me. I just thought that I would be assigned an account and work on it. But then again I am thankful to be working, no matter what account being a newbie.
Own accounts
Business brings in 75 to 80K, I myself make 60K, self retirement, self insured, pay taxes on about $20K. All on those silly ole tapes.
Own accounts
Do a search on this subject we have talked about this many times. Start small and grow. Buy a tape transcriber, have digital equipment. Be prepared to take all and anything to start. Be patient. Send out mega amount of flyers, brochures. Hire a consultant if you want indepth or step by step information.
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