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I don't know how to off-line instant messenger....guess I'm

Posted By: mt on 2006-01-23
In Reply to: I disagree, first off, I have a heck of a hard time hiring qualified US MTs - at 8 cpl that put out (sm)

tooo stupid. WOW, thanks for clearing that up! Have a great day!!!!


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You don't know how to show yourself as offline on instant messenger? It's simple.
p
8 cpl was an example, not my line rate; however, my guess
would be the overall charge to the client to cover overhead, etc, would vary, depending on the size of the companies (both service and client), the state/region the client is in, degree of difficulty, platforms, quantity/quality of dictators, turnaround time, how the work is to be transferred, possible retainders, competition...

I have no idea, I'm the LAST guy to get paid.

I guess the bottom line is
can I make a decent living doing mostly VR at 4 cpl?
This is just a sarcastic guess, but I'm assuming by the line - sm
why else would there be so many mistakes. If they were paid by the hour, maybe they would spend more time on getting to know the ENGLISH language. I actually had a report come back from India where instead of the word "children" it said "litter."
I would guess with that high of a line count

that it has less to do with her Expander and more to do with a really good combination of doctors.  Sounds like you are doing great with 350 lines an hour -- an expander will probably push you up to 400 to 450. I wouldn't expect it to double. 


I guess so! I betcha make your new line count!! NM
.
I guess the bottom line is any one of us would go back to in-house... SM

given the chance.  I re-read my previous post to you and I sounded like a b*tch and I wanted to apologize.  You sound like a very positive person who takes criticism and not so pleasant advice very diplomatically.


If your problems with your boss are more of a personal nature, rather than the quality or quantity of your work, I would maybe go over her head.  You already have an adversarial relationship with her anyway, so why not get it on record that you feel she is treating you unfairly?  Or maybe confront her yourself?  I would probably do the latter.  I'm not someone that can bite my tongue which probably explains why I work by myself at a computer all day rather than in customer service! 


Just an FYI, I actually am starting an in-house MT job at a hospital tomorrow!  I've decided that if they try to lay me off in favor of outsourcing, I'm just going to refuse.  I'm going say "nope, I'm sorry, I refuse to be laid off.  I'm going to get back to work now."  I wonder what they would do? 


Just got a check for a supposed miscalculation of line on DQS for the last 2 years. Guess they
figure they werent going to win that lawsuit. Wonder what else they are going to do. They reduce ASR, they load the accounts with tons of MTs and we need either tons of backups or just a few and then have no work, what next.
Right here, and don't attack the messenger when you don't like it.

America and the Poor...


Wednesday, September 14, 2005


By Bill O'Reilly



America and the poor, that is the subject of this evening's “Talking Points Memo.”


The aftermath of Katrina has produced a debate over poor Americans. There are about 37 million people living below the poverty line right now. The issue was described this way by Newsweek (search) reporter Evan Thomas (search), a liberal guy but not alone, who writes, "Liberals will say [the authorities] were indifferent to the plight of poor African-Americans. It is true that Katrina laid bare society's massive neglect of its least fortunate."


Massive neglect? Let's take a look at that bit of overstatement. Halfway through President Clinton's tenure in office in 1996, the poverty rate was 13.7 percent. Halfway through President Bush's tenure, the rate is 12.7 percent, a full point lower.


In 1996, the Clinton budget allotted $191 billion for poverty entitlements. That was 12.2 percent of the budget and a whopping amount of money. That's why Bill Clinton (search) was called the first black president by some.


However, the Bush 2006 budget allots a record shattering $368 billion for poverty entitlements, 14.6 percent of the entire budget, a huge increase over Clinton's spending on poverty entitlements.


Did the elite media mention that? Jesse Jackson (search) mention that? Of course they didn't, because it's much more convenient for Evan Thomas and others to imply America under President Bush has turned its back on the poor, but it's absolute nonsense.


Even in the midst of the war on terror, this country's spending a massive amount of money trying to help the poor. So why the lie? Because political gain can be made off the suffering of others, that's why.


Those who oppose the Bush administration don't care about the truth. They only want to advance their own agenda. So once again, the no- spin zone rides to the rescue.


Hard-working Americans are providing the poor with Medicaid, food stamps, supplemental security income, that's free money, child nutrition programs, welfare payments, child daycare payments, temporary assistance to needy families, foster care, adoption assistance, and health insurance for children.


But it will never be enough for the Jesse Jacksons and Howard Deans of the world, never. They told you the truth. They'd go out of business.


Now I fully expect to be attacked by the far left media for telling you all this. I'm sure they will label me a racist, a shill for Bush, stuff like that, but I don't care. The dollars don't lie. We are a generous nation. And that is the truth. And that is “The Memo.”


Is that the messenger you're shooting?

Anyone besides me having trouble with yahoo messenger? nm

Shooting the messenger ISN'T the answer... SM
Maybe you (and/or the Moderator) didn't approve of the *tone* of some of the responses to Appalled, but it's too bad the thread was locked before the REAL issue could be addressed.

Appalled said that she'd been out of the MT workforce for 3 years and she was very upset to find out her new employer was expecting her to bounce back and forth between multiple accounts, making her not as productive as she once was -- like the MTSO was doing it on purpose just to make Appalled's life miserable.

Well, guess what: That's what it's come to in the last 3 years. It's not just Appalled's MTSO - it's pretty much Standard Operating Procedure these days for all or most MTSOs to be scrambling to keep their accounts in turnaround and keep their clients happy. This has turned into a VERY competitive business in the 3 years that Appalled was out of the loop. Someone should've made sure Appalled had a clear understanding of that... but the thread was locked because the focus was perceived to be on negative name-calling and whining.

And guess what else: If this business is competitive among the MTSOs, it's EQUALLY if not MORE competitive among the MTs. If Appalled can't, or won't, adapt her work habits to what's expected in the Here and Now, Appalled will be replaced by an MT who WILL do the work exactly as assigned.

And if there are no MTs willing or qualified (or hungry enough) to be adaptable in meeting the employer's needs, and if not cheerful about it at least willing to take on the challenge of multiple accounts, there are MTs on the other side of the world who WILL do it, and for much LESS per line.

THAT'S the REAL issue: MT as a reasonably profitable career choice has changed radically in the last 3 years.

Did it occur to you (or to the Moderator) that many of us have been working in the conditions that so appalled Appalled, and we don't like it, either, but we suck it up and DO what's asked of us -- and we're lashing out with negative comments, not so much against Appalled on a personal level but with the MT situation in general?
I've had no problems with mail/messenger-nm

Both have been working fine.


not sure about cell phone, but you can sign up for free efax messenger. sm
you can get a free efax messenger as long as you don't care what number they assign you. then you can have them fax to that number and it will come into your email inbox and you can print from there.
A gross line is anything on a line is a line. A line set at 65 characters means it sm
has 1-inch margins on each side. The maximum number of characters on that line would be 65 and that includes spaces. If there is 1 character on that line it is a line.

A standard 65-character line usually consists of 65 characters with spaces unless, of course, the employer does not pay for spaces and then it would be 65-characters without spaces.
Anything on the line makes up a line even if just one letter or number. Every line of print is a
s
Gross line = each line on page counts as a line, even if it's only 1 word. nm
x
Gross line means anything on a line is counted as a line.

You can get an idea in the difference using documents you have already created, assuming you're working in Word. Simply open a document and check the properties. Click on the statistics tab and you will see the number of lines as well as characters with and without spaces. If you're currently getting paid by the line and a line is 65-characters with spaces, do the math and see how that number of lines compares with the number of lines in your stats.


One thing to keep in mind: if you have a blank line between paragraphs, instead of hitting the enter key twice, format your document to give the appearance of blank lines between paragraphs.


If it's different for each report, my guess (only a guess)
would be no. I think the macro would work if it was the same each time, but not sure if it will if the documents are different each time.
Gross line, also including blank lines because my line rate is so low. It all works out in the wash.
x
$.06 gross line / .70 = approximately $.0857 cents per 65 character line.

A gross line is anything on a line versus 65 gross characters per net line the other way.  You make more money working for the gross line than for the 65 gross character line, as long as the line rate's OK.


A gross line is any line with typewritten characters on it - no matter how long or SM
how short.  So your gross lines may be longer than 65 characters, but you get credit even for a line as short as "Sincerely,".  If your gross lines are not being counted that way, then you are not being counted on gross lines and are probably getting screwed.  I'd look into that if I were you.
Yes if gross line or 65 character line with spaces....Good Deal!!! nm
x
1) do you have a contract stating line counting and line rate,sm
if you look at the IRS website it's pretty clear what constitutes IC versus SE versus employee. You might want to photocopy that along with a copy of your contract with your next invoice and also put on the invoice any monies due from past invoices they "changed"...maybe catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Good luck!
New England, 16.50/hr, 8 cents a line after minimum line count..
full benefits available with general contribution by the hospital before you start paying for them, retirement, 403b, all benefits, and working at home as an employee, BUT, you have to live local to the hospital.
I changed my line to a business line, talked to a supervisor sm

at SBC, told him what I was using the service for, and got the okay to use it -- $49/month unlimited. 


I have also used The Neighborhood, and their unlimited is truly unlimited.  I also explained to them when I signed up what I was using it for and their comment was "unlimited means just that -- unlimited, no matter what."  I cannot remember how much they were, but it might be worth checking into for you.  (www.theneighborhood.com)


 


Good luck!


What is the average line/hour for a 65 character line with spaces? NM
.
Curious, do most IC's usually charge by the gross line or 65 character line?
Thank you~
it certainly is not pay worthy at 4.5 line or 3 line. I know the companies cram it down our throats
nm
That still is not a paid line rate. If your base is $0.10 per line, it will be $0.08 cpl.
Considering other companies pay 4 or 5 cents per line for VR - you are still making out.

Question about what is PAID for a line and what is BILLED for a line
Does the MTSO actually bill for headers, footers, and other things the transcriptionists are not paid for?  I worked for a company a while back and their copy of what each Transcriptionist typed the day before and our copy was a lot different, about 30% different.  Their copy was the billing copy. So, double their enhanced amount and subtract our 9 cents a line, it comes to a bigger profit than what I thought.   
What's the diff between a gross line and a 65-char line?

Mebbe just got my first OWN ACCOUNT YAY!  He said to charge him the "going rate" since I pay him that.  This could be the start, baby!  (I hope)



A gross line is any amount of characters on a line

for instance...


MEDICATIONS:


Effexor


Prevasid


 


A 65 character line without spaces is black marks on the page only and 65 w/spaces is everything... tabs, spaces, numbers, letters, bold, etc.


 


 


that should be "up .02/line" NOT up "to" .02/line. geez. nm
x

Gross line versus character line....Sm please

I am thinking of taking a job that pays by the gross line and not a 65-character line.  I have never worked this way.  Does this literally mean if there is one little word on a line you get paid for it?  I have not pinned her down on a line rate but I am just thinking I am going to be comparing apples to oranges and am wondering how to accomplish that. 


Thanks for any help!


gross-anything on line counts as line,even one word
xx
gross line is anything on a line, even just your initials. sm

spaces really don't matter in a gross line count.


 


But that's a GROSS line, not a 65 character line.
So a newbie would have no problem at all hitting 150 lines per hour.  A gross line is any line with a printed character on it.
Which is better? Gross line or 65 character line? It's
nm
I don't make 0.08/line.. I work for no less than .13/line. nm
.
IC, by line, 68-72 character spaces/line
@
I would go with the line rate. At less than 9.5 cents per line sm
I make $30 an hour.  I would never transcribe for $15 an hour, for anyone.
7.5/gross line or 10/65 char line?
Anyone have any idea which would come out to more?  TIA
A gross line may be close to 65 ch.pl but she said line
z
Anything on a line (even just initials) is considered a line.
I prefer to use the 65-character line count (including spaces).
gross line and character line
I am an IC currently doing one doctor who pays me by the hour but I will be starting another doctor soon and he will be dictating differently so I was going to charge him per line.  What is the difference of charging gross lines or per 65 character line?
Gross line is anything on a line is a line
so if there is just one character, it is a line. Font definitely makes a difference though particularly if there are true type fonts involved. That's one you have to be careful on and insist on fixed fonts.
Just do a gross line - anything on a line is a line. sm
I use Abacus - free line counting software.

The bottom line is doesnt matter what they pay if there is no work you make no money. Bottom line.
:
Instant Text V Pro
If you would like to learn more about Instant Text, please see the link below for a brief overview.
INSTANT TEXT PRO
BUY THIS - WORTH EVERY CENT YOU PAY FOR IT AND MORE. YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE ALL YOUR ACCOUNTS EASILY (YOU JUST PLUG IN THE VALUES FOR THAT ACCOUNT)AND DOUBLE CHECK WORK THAT YOU DO NOT PERSONALLY BILL FOR AND WORK THAT YOU DO BILL FOR CAN BE EASILY KEPT TRACK OF ALLOWING YOU TO ONLY SPEND 5 MINUTES A MONTH OR SO TO GENERATE A REPORT FOR YOUR CLIENT. AFTER YOU SET THEM UP ONCE THEY ARE THERE AND YOU JUST RIGHT CLICK A BAR INSIDE A DOCUMENT TO GET A REPORT ON THAT DOCUMENT. NEAT! IT IS ALSO AN EXPANDER PROGRAM AND ALLOWS YOU TO IMPORT YOUR WORD LISTS FROM MOST OTHER EXPANDER PROGRAMS. THEY HAVE A WEBSITE (GOOGLE FOR INSTANT TEXT ON THE WEB).