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How much do most people charge for doing IC work for doc offices, just

Posted By: like derm, fam prac, etc? (sm) on 2006-01-29
In Reply to:

What program is good to use for line counting?


I was thinking 13/cents a line?  Is that undercharging?  I have to remember that I have to pay my overhead so even though 13 sounds high, I have to pay equipment,  equipment, equipment.


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DH has one through his work, but he's in charge of over 100 people. Can't see
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Doubt you can charge 15 cpl for VR work to the docs - you can't even charge them 12 for straight
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They are and that is why we dont have work then. They bring in other offices and run your office out
of work because too many people are on the account then. Make sense. Nope.
I, too, work for MQ out of one of their CA offices - 7 years now. Steady workflow sm
I wouldn't say I don't run out of work, but maybe 3 times a year I do. Just depends. Around school time beginning I do. May pay is probably above average because the company I worked for that MQ bought paid really well.
I have had absolutely no problems with MQ, though the things I keep hearing and seeing do bother me that I belong to a co. like this. But personally, they've been too good to me.

I guess not all offices are the same, for sure!
Contact the unemployment offices of the state in which you work.
See Wikipedia "unemployment benefits" for an excellent discussion. To determine your eligibility, try contacting the unemployment offices of the state in which you work--start with the state to which your employer pays state income taxes on your wages. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck to you.
Do you know any IC transcriptionists or friends who work in doctors' offices?
That is how I got started. A good friend worked for herself and had no coverage for vacations. I covered a vacation, then a day or two a week, which eventually worked into full time. I also did prn work for local offices.
It is mostly trial and error! Lots of foot work, go to their offices, ask for the OM and see if the
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RMAs/CMAs usally work in physician offices as the office nurse.
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Who ARE these people who make this stuff up every year charge $ for it??
I could make one up every year myself.  Why do they think they are an authority.  I have never understood this, and will never buy another one.  I bought one in my life for $75.  What a waste of money to read someone's "made up rules for this year."
Puhleez! I happen to know of two MAJOR MTSO's who charge 0.45 cpl and only pay their people 0.08


to 0.09 cpl!  And both of the two companies I speak of also offshore. So let's do the math, they charge the client 0.45 cpl, they pay the India MTs 0.02 cpl.  Either way you add it up, they are making big money off our sweat or by exploiting third world workers!


Boo Hoo for the MTSO's and their overhead and their time and headaches.  And what friggin overhead do they have, really?  They have an office staff of about 10 people at the very most!  They employ mostly IC's, don't have to worry about paying for benefits and the one's that do have actually employees, the benefit packages are a joke.


I will say one thing, if I EVER lose my mind and decide to take a job with another MTSO, I will turn over every rock I can find before I accept a position.  They want to do a background check on me?!?!!  Well, I'm gonna do one on them.  


I harbor just a little ill-will towards some MTSO's.  If they're not offshoring the work, they're screwing us "worker bees."  It is a racket and it's best to get your own accounts or eliminate the middle man and work for the hospital.  I do both.  The hospital pays me hourly and gives me great benefits for me and my kids.  My accounts are for making my fun money!


 


How about interior wallpapering and painting? People charge big bucks for that. nm
s
My people skills are just fine. I just want to hire people who want to work.
I've not been ugly, I've asked questions, legitimate ones.  Please tell me what is wrong with that.  This site is not just for MTs, it is for QA Editors, Supervisors, Service Owners, there's even sections for Billers, Coders, and Nurses.   
what to charge for work on the side

A doc is interested in my services.  It's been so long since I did work on the side that I'm literally out of the loop.  Can anyone give me any idea what to charge?


In the past I charged by the page, as the docs preferred it.  Truthfully, I haven't even explored the character count on XP.  If someone could provide that as well, I'd certainly appreciate it.


Thanks!


PA requires you to charge sales tax on your work...
if you send your completed work to a MT company or doctor within PA.  However, I send my work out of state, so I don't have to charge sales tax and I don't need a license.  I had asked someone at one of the companies I IC for and she said that she had heard of that before from one of the other girls.  When I lived in WA state, I had a business license from the state and had to file every year.  The sales tax thing was a real shock to hear at first!  
2 people to do that amount of work, is she nuts? More like 20+ people - nm
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I think you would have to charge an hourly rate for this type of work.

I would charge more per line for working holidays or if asked to work scheduled days off. SM
But did you address that in your contract? 
Charge what the credit card companies charge when they don't get paid on time!!!!
 
Audio hour charge - what is fair rate to charge company?

you don't have to charge $60/HR - all you have to do is charge a good rate and then..
work smart, not hard. If you have a great dictator, charge him 14 cpl on a 65 char gross line, then set up your templates and word expanders, you can make $80/hr. But you need all three to work together, otherwise you might only be making $60/hr. Some people are just really good at what they do - shouldn't they make more if they are more productive?
I'd still charge by line, just charge a lower
rate, like maybe 8 cpl.  Do you have to pickup and deliver work?    You could also setup a one-month contract until you see how it goes and then you can figure out the best way to charge and go from there.  You could also charge a flat rate per page and keep it fairly low.  
One office I charge .12, another I charge $2.25 page--nm
//
FT people usually get work before it goes to PT
people and that is probably the situation here.  You could ask but you'll probably get a response similar to above, that FT get the work first.  
Do you MDI-MD people have enough work? sm
I saw an ad on one of the other boards, thought I had seen mention here not too long ago of not enough work for those who were there.  Just wanted to find out what the situation is now before I go any further in pursuing anything with them.  TIA!
People really do think we don't have to work don't they? LOL
I have a friend who is off this week and she called assuming I could just go do stuff with her...no wonder she always asks me for so many favors...apparently people think we get paid for doing nothing!  I bet they wonder why my house is such a mess if that's the case! LOL
I know people who went to work for Cymed.....
The ones who say they are happy are the ones that don't really need a good pay check (older ladies who basically work for the insurance and a little extra cash). The others say that they can definitely tell a big difference with them not paying for spaces. They all say the people are nice though and offer good bonuses for extra work on the weekend at times. I've also heard that there are a lot of ESL doctors. I tested and was offered 9.5 cents with them, but everyone else I've heard says they were offered 8 to 8.5 cpl????
Too bad for all the people that go there and have no work. I am not the least bit impressed with
Dixie. Maybe she had better refer people to offices of MQ where there is work before she tells everyone how great MQ is across the broad. Maybe we all have gone and gotten other jobs because we have no work at MQ. Maybe you if you arent Dixie can enlighten that lady about the other side of MQ she seems unwilling to talk about. How about that.
People don't tell because they like having enough work, I imagine - also, sm
Josie Blowsie over there may not make the same line rate I make. That's subbing, of course. I don't tell what I charge my local contracts because I don't want to be underbid.
Obviously these people don't have to wake up and go to work EVER
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If you don't want to work for 8 or 9 cpl, don't. But people know what they will be making when
:+
I'm with you! So I work the hours people don't want
to work. Much too stressful to fight for work. Life is too short for me to take the money I already earn to spend on a physician prescribing nerve pills.
people sometimes goof off at work, nothing wrong with that
 It doesnt take up THAT much time.
Most people don't have that many backups for no reason if they have enough work so I wonder about
your response.
You can work those machines harder than a lot of people do
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Those people obviously do not work full time or want to
make a good living. I would work at McDonald's before I would let someone take my house. If someone is not making enough money in this field, it is them, not the industry. Tired of everyone tip-toeing around this issue. The money is there but you need to buckle down and do the work. Stop whining and start working.
Thank you, sounds like you work for good people....
I think no matter where you go it has its little ups and downs. Have a good day and thank you for responding.
Add me to the people who favor at-home work. sm
There really are a few companies an MT can count on for reasonably good benefits.

As someone who has no children, no husband, boyfriend, or parents, if you have what I don't, CHERISH IT! The people you love are far more important than PTO! Enjoy the beautiful office your husband made for you. It obviously was done with love. You're a very fortunate woman.

Don't forget to count your blessings every day!
Mistakes found in other people's work

I work on a platform where we can pull up previously-transcribed reports for samples.  I have worked for this company for about 7 months now and have never had a QA done on my work.  I like to know if I am doing something wrong or if there is a better/easier way of doing things.  While going through some reports to get samples I have noticed things that are not that big a deal, but more along the line of somebody padding their lines, i.e., in the laboratory section writing out the number seventeen, in extremity examination writing out plus-two pedal pulses, cranial nerves two through twelve, things like this.  Also, things like sclerae IS instead of are.  Our accounts are not verbatim.


I guess my question is what would most of you do, leave it alone or say something about it?  I have left it alone for this long, but it just doesn't sit well with me.  I'm sure I do things that are wrong too and that is why I wouldn't mind getting reviewed every now and then to ensure consistency and quality.  Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions. 


Yes some crappy India people get this work
But I think it is also a great opportunity to keep this IN the USA.
People (& animals, too) will work harder to get
nm
Slow work and people not going to the doctor

I have been transcribing for about 20 years, but took a break from it for about 1-1/2 years.  Now I am working for a service.  Here is my first question to you guys:


1.  How long has it been slow like this?  There does not seem to be that many jobs, and the response is slow when applying.  I use to get calls almost the same day with just posting a resume (a few years ago.)


2.  Also, this economy is so horrible.  I was thinking, people are losing their jobs - losing their health insurance.  Do you think that is really cutting into our industry, because people just cannot afford to go the doctor unless it is an emergency? 


You need to talk to the people who pay the bills where you work. nm
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Be honest - the only people who care where the work is done are the MTs! nm
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When people learn I work from home - sm
The first they want to know is where can they sign up for the same type of work because they like to type and work on a computer.  They seem to have the impression that someone sends me a check every 2 weeks for basically doing nothing and knowing nothing, which is what most people seem to think when you work from home.  Like if THEY could just work from home they would be on easy street.  HA! 
just wondering - but why do people continue to work for a company - sm
that has no work or keeps running out? I'm not asking this in a sarcastic tone, I'm actually being very serious. When I posted my resume on MTstars bank, I was FLOODED with calls from transcription companies. Might I suggest, if people are not happy where they are currently working, to just post your resume on MTstars and wait for the calls to come in.

It's just a thought. And again, I am not being sarcastic, I'm being serious!
We are outdoor people so my suggestions wouldn't work

for you, although we have a motorhome so our camping isn't really roughing it.  


We did not take an extendend train trip, but did take an 20+ hour trip on a train.   We did not have a sleeper car as it was just as cheap to fly as it was for the sleeper car and we were trying to save $$.  Anyway the train had mice and a sewage problem and every time the train hit a rough spot that made it jerk the sewage smell would go through the whole train and gag you.   There were people in sleeper compartments that their bathrooms didn't work.   Our train originated in NY and was going to FL and we got on midway and all the better seats were taken.   The train also seemed to stop at every crossroads for someone to get on/off so sleeping was not easy.  


You are lucky because Amherst is always out of work and I know they hired a lot of new people ?? so
just curious about this.
I read the story and they interviewed people who work in the
Luis Vuitton store. They said they had 3-4 of the debit cards used just that day. Other high end stores were reporting they were being used in there as well. One guy on tv was interviewed and said he was unemployed yet he was going to buy a car. That means he'll probably have no insurance, probably no license. Every single taxpayer is paying for these unemployed, young "disabled" people with a bunch of kids who have chronic back pain or <insert whatever disorder here> to go shopping and not for needed things like food and diapers. 
Geesh! What's up with you people who refuse to work holidays?
Don't you think people get sick, have accidents, etc on holidays too? What about the doctors and nurses that have to work holidays? Did you forget about them too?

How about police officers, firemen, paramedics...

Do you think you are the ONLY people out there with family and would like to spend time with them during holidays? We would all love to do that but this chosen career requires some sacrifices.

If you can't give a little you should have never started doing this kind of work.
But really. To make this work, don't you have to intrude upon people's lives and SM

make a horrible pest of yourself? Honestly? My riding instructor, who is one of the dearest friends I've ever had, gets into these schemes. His latest was Tahitian Noni juice.


He had some remarkable results with it on a horse that was just a juvenile delinquent - she reared in crossties, acted up at shows when she wasn't in the arena, she was just a PMSing witch.


So I was impressed. I went to a meeting with him. Come to find out, they don't actually want you to buy the Noni juice - they want you to recruit other people to recruit other people. Biggest mess of flim-flam I've ever seen.


 


My response to people who tell me that I'm lucky to work at home.

"Yes, I work at home but I never go home from work." They usually stop and think and realize that there's nothing lucky about that!