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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

I have a hard time believing your overhead

Posted By: is costing as much as you say. on 2007-01-30
In Reply to: Question ... How would you handle this? - sm

I think you should consider selling your clients to an American-based company and go back to MT'ing.  It doesn't sound like you can handle the pressure of being a business owner.  I am an IC that makes 10 cpl and my MTSO owner does not mind at all that she is only making 3 cpl off of my 10 cpl, but she does not have to QA my work or do really much of anything, and she's clearing 3 cpl on my 10.  Now, if you have complaining MT's, then you need to be more strict about TAT and QA.  They should not require you to QA once they've become familiar with the dictations.  Also, you need to find a way to also provide 24-hour turnaround.  The problem here is that you are only willing to pay 7-8 cpl.  I'm still baffled as to the cost of your overhead?  Most physicians supply paper, their own dictation equipment.  FTP sites do not cost that much.  Lot of eyebrown raising ???'s here, that I don't think you are being forthcoming.  JMO.  Good luck! 


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Working full time at home with small children is hard but part time works great
is almost impossible. You will either have to work when your spouse is home or for only a few hours during the day and then more when they are asleep. I work part time at home and my kids (2&5 now) have done very, very well. They are great kids, very well behaved, don't get into much. I stop working to check on them/give them some attention every hour or so while I work (5 hours each afternoon or so) and they get all my attention in the morning and at night. It has worked out beautifully for us.
It is not a matter of believing her.
I didnt say that at all.  I just think it's funny that she goes on and on about how great she is and it has absolutely nothing to do with what the OP is asking as far as advancement.  I am not saying that someone with 12 years of experience cannot be a high producer, but it MUST BE A PRETTY SMALL COMPANY!!!! 
Believing that a victim is at fault in anything...
scams, crimes, abuse...anything. That's just wrong. If your house was robbed, would you like it someone said you allowed it to happen, take responsibility. How about if your grandparents got scammed out of their life savings by a fast-talking con artist? Would you tell them it was their fault? I don't think so.
sorry you are having such a hard time...
but I honestly do not know what you mean. may I ask who are you talking about.

at some point, people have to stand up for themselves, that is, in my opinion, what
"this country is based upon." thank heavens some people felt they were worth more than just working for the government, and left to start a new life here.

if you are upset about the postings regarding MT profession disintegrating, then I disagree with you.

we do perform a very important service, one that helps our 'fellow man' every single day, in the over-50 reports we probably transcribe each and every day while people wait to have surgeries or need emergency care.

we are typing those reports to create a legal document with our names attached to them as well.

this is not "pissing and moaning" but active dialogue with the hopes something good can come out of it. sorry you feel that way, and I am sincerely sorry you are being touched by those problems because of a natural disaster...
I have a hard time understanding if this was so
wrong then why wouldn't anyone not even your own husband be on your side?  I don't know about this one.  Something doesn't sound right.  JMO.
I'm having a hard time understanding why you
That doesn't make sense to me.  Just because you transcribe a report, that doesn't make you the only person who knows about it or even a significant person in the whole process. 
A little hard and time consuming to figure out
If you do 300 lines per hour of 65 characters with spaces, no bolds, no caps, etc.then that would be at an average of ten words per line, 12 courier font - 1 inch margins, and so that would be 3000 words per hour divided by 60 which is only 50 words per minute.  Your speed on transcription is different than regular typing as you have to account for stopping, listening, correcting, etc.  For reqular typing speed I would double what your transcription speed is.   I would tell them what my average transcribed line count is and tell them to figure out how that turns into words per minute. 
The hard time was the past thing.
Hi, I have just joined Spheris Hyderabad. Two months for settling down is what they give you and after that it is your regular type-type-type. There are nooooooooo problems with this new Spheris Clarity (R) platform. With this, things are just moving smooooooooothly.
It's hard so that you'll fail the first time and
Tell your employer that the money you give to AAMT/ADHI for the 'privilege' of taking their test is funding the progressive offshoring of the American MT profession. If you've been an MT for nearly 30 years, you don't need a CMT after your name. You were a professional MT long before that bunch of con artists dreamed up that scheme to make themselves rich by making MTs think they were on their side. Now we all know better. Don't fund their offshoring scam!
I must say, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time
The above "Frank" conversation is a classic..  You guys have made my year with this one. Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo FUNNY!  You two are in the wrong line of business.  Thanks for making my day.  I laughed 'til my stomach hurt.
I loved my account with Spheris, but had a hard time
punching in and out.  I worked originally for Healthscribe and then they merged with Spheris.  Things didn't change for quite a while and then all of a sudden things took a crappy turn for the worse.  I ended up with at least 5 accounts that I was in daily.  I went from having to punch in and out and being required to work full time hours to stay a full time employee even though I could get my work done in part time hours.  I didn't stick around and after 2 years with Healthscribe I left shortly after the merge was starting to take shape.  Like I said, the biggest problem was punching in and out.  Good luck.
I had a really hard time with a pastor who preached on marriage
when I knew this was not his first marriage. I couldn't stand it. All the things he said applies to us, but what about his first wife? Where does she fit in? Too confusing for me.
Waste of time and hard-earned money
when you can only make may be 1 cpl more if you are a CMT.  They should not charge you, they should just let you take the test and send you the certificate. 
What is your overhead??

Are your MT's employees?   What type of overhead to you have that takes up over half of the cpl?  I only make 3 to 4 cpl from my IC's and I okay  on that.  Something is not right here and I don't know if you want justification to cut your MT's or what but I would LOVE to know what kind of overhead you have that takes so much of your money.  If they are employees, make them IC's working from home so you don't have to pay benefits, etc. rent office space or whatever.  You have a lot more choices than cutting their pay.   I also only charge my accounts 12.5 to 13 cpl and do pick up and delivery and do well.  I could be completely out of it but again, feel your problem is your overhead and not what you pay your MT's. 


Wonder if you scrub them too hard. I wear my soft ones for 2 years at a time! nm
s
I disagree, first off, I have a heck of a hard time hiring qualified US MTs
client ready work.  Then, when I do hire MTs I constantly run into the problem of how they only want to work part time or can only work 2 hrs on this day, an hour here, or an hour there, or the next problem is consistency.  Out of the blue, oops, can't work today, or I lost connection to the Internet yet they're too stupid to go offline instant messenger.  One MT owes me money because I was nice enough to help her out (yeah I know my fault) and she screwed me over.  Such drama.  It's a CONSTANT battle to find good US MTs.
Goes both ways. I have a hard time with tenses when speaking Spanish. :)
s
ROTFLMAO. STOP!!! I haven't laughed this hard for a long time.
Can you imagine 10,000 MQMTs just wanting to show Frank a personal touch?  He will be one tired guy.
I spent about a month in India and they do speak English but sometimes I had a hard time
understanding the way they pronounced the words so I would ask them to spell it.
I meant bought. Hard to type and listen to the music at the same time.
:
I would not; most of the time those type files, although not usually hard medical terms, take lots l
to type and are very difficult as it is hard to hear with background noise, different speakers, usually no macros, etc. I think they are worth more pay, not less. I also get paid by the word at 0.008 and had figured mine to be about 0.09/line as well in the past. stick with where you are.
Remind her your overhead has gone up, i.e., the price
x
What ungodly taxes? And what overhead?

The little bit of tax you pay that an EMPLOYER would pay is very small.  The other taxes you pay regardless of IC or employee. The difference is IC mails check for those taxes herself.  Employee has same money taken from check, the difference is MTSO mails it to IRS, instead of IC mailing it.  It all still comes from IC net pay. My independence is well worth the small amount I pay myself that EMPLOYER would pay for EMPLOYEE. 


What overhead?  Overhead is another word for tax write-offs. EVERYTHING you need to work from home is write-off.  Garbage, electric, water, etc.  Ofter will find that with all the write-offs, you actually pay less in overall taxes. 


I too question you overhead expenses. I work for a company that only gets 11-12 cpl and pays us 8-8.
/
You live in a dream world if you think that MTSOs are making money hand over fist. Overhead? Add i
Banks charge about $200 a month for a business account plus .10 for every check deposited and written.

Ten people in an office? At $30k a year, that's $300,000 per year IF you can get them to work for only $30k. Add in 2 editors, an IS consultant, an accountant, a lawyer, rent on office space, checks, stamps for checks, software upgrades, phone lines, equipment for MTs, equipment for office staff, lightbulbs, toilet paper, a copier, a printer, paper, ink, pens, pencils, long distance charges to call MTs and customers, recruiting ad costs, taxes, benefits because most MTs are employees now because the IRS says most should be classified that way, high-speed internet, internet service provider because hotmail and yahoo are free but not professional, email encryption, fax machine, fax phone line, staplers, staples, paper clips, file folders, file cabinets, etc etc etc.

I am not whining. I am just stating facts. Add that to the headache of juggling schedules based on unpredictable workload due to unpredictable amount of people needing medical attention, the headache of billing clients who pay when they want regardless of what your terms are, covering for people who get sick or need time off, and it is not an easy thing to do. I am lucky that I am a workaholic and love what I do. Am I rich? No. Will being an MTSO make me rich? Probably not. Do I make more than I did as an MT? Yes, but at a higher price.

Don't judge until you walk in someone's shoes. I bought a new vehicle this year, a 2005 Ford Taurus, trading in my 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee and actually had comments made about how it must be nice to be able to buy a new car.
Oh, forgot to say all the phones ringing, overhead speaker blurting out pages, background talking
dictator's cell phones ringing, kids yelling from dictator being at home, machines in the ICU beeping off and on during the entire dictation, saws going from casts being removed nearby, and you can just imagine all the other noises such as nose blowing, sniffling, chomping on food while dictating, and on and on.  EXSpeech doesn't like those noises, so the machine lets the MT"s transcribe those YUKKY reports all day long and all night long.  Exspeech gets the good guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If it rains hard, the wind blows hard and there are trees
nearby, it snows heavily it will mess up the signal.  The speed is not constant, sometimes as slow as dial-up, but at least still connected.  Many companies will not allow satellite. 
So, you think it is okay for hard-working MTs to earn 7-8 cpl for their hard work?? nm
:{
Not anymore. For some time now, I've been working 32 hours and am considered full time to receive
p
Yeah, our choc. lab does that from time to time - makes it interesting!- nm
x
Cannot legally require you to commit time to them as an employee and then not pay you for that time.
x
full-time in office/ part-time at home
I currently work full-time in a physician's office and have started part-time online. My hope is to eventually go full-time online; however that will be done the road for a single mom with a son in college. My suggestion would be try to type part-time for a MTSO and see how that goes i.e work and money with a decision down the road for ultimately being home all the time. A guaranteed paycheck is always a necessity for me. Hope this helps.
I work part-time hours with full-time pay...
I made over 26,000 this year...
I work a full time and a part time, but not sure about 2 full-time...
My hubbie is disabled and I am the only one in my family working also, so I fully understand. You will not have a day off at all working 2 full-time as that is going to be the only way you will get in all your hours. I work one job in the mornings from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the other from 5 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and do have off one day a week, but if I had to get in the extra 15 hours to make the other job full-time I am not sure how I would do that other than lose my only day off. Also, make sure you have your account specifics in front of you at all times because you will get yourself confused as to who is what and having notes will help in that area. Good luck to you, as it is possible, but forget about your house being clean, having any social life, etc. Feel free to email me personally if you just need someone to talk to, as I have been where you are and still am.
Maybe they will. Give it time. It takes time to set up links.
OSI, Precyse, etc tell us more.
full time, part time, statutory
newly defined full time...

newly defined part time....(which is an added classification)

I believe statutory just was not mentioned because there is nothing new about the definition of statutory.
full time/part time/statutory
The definition of full time is new.

There is a new classification called part time.

I believe statutory was not mentioned merely because that has not changed and they do not receive PTO/benefits.
I work 1 full-time, 2 part-time....nm
NM
It is hard but only at first...

I have 2 children and did it with both of them.  I am also a nurse but after trying part-time out of the house work combined with MT-ing to stay home with kids as much as possible, I ended up strictly at home 2 years ago. 


It's not the easiest when the children are infants - but it's worth it once you get past that phase.  I actually used to type with my daughter breastfeeding in my lap!  I had some crazy, crazy days and nights.  Don't expect to get 3-4 hours straight - be ready to get an hour or 2 when you can throughout the day.  It can be frustrating, but once they reach a certain age and are sleeping well you can work at night and during naps.  (My kids did not take to naps too well, so the night was my time.)


Now my kids are 8-1/2 and 4-1/2 and it's wonderful.  I'm finally past the crazy hours and grabbing an hour whenever I can - never at the same time.  (I am fortunate to work for a company that does not require set hours.) I type while they are at school and then on occasion after they go to bed at night.  I volunteer at their schools once a week, coach my daughter's cheerleading team, and am baseball, soccer and football mom.  I had an RN office job part-time about 2 years ago that I loved, but I just couldn't take not being able to be there for their school activities, after-school stuff, etc.  Nothing beats the flexibility of MT-ing. 


Good luck.  There will be smooth days and not so smooth ones - keep in mind how lucky you will be to be able to attend everything you want to with your child - to not have to call in sick when they are, to not have to ask permission to run that lunchbox to school when they leave it in the car, etc., etc.!


hard to say - sm

I sure hope not.  I don't want to think that God would punish many for the actions of few like this either.  Probably purely coincidental. 


The sad thing is that those who demanded that these religious monuments be removed are probably not even from the south but chose that area because of the spirituality and religious folks that make the south their home.  


I personally find the removal of these markings truly abominable.  They are a simple reminder of what this country was founded on, faith, hope, and freedom. 


Southerners are devote and proud. They will get through this with time and help from the rest of us.  This is what American grit really is.  Help from others or no, we have to stick together and pull ourselves up from the muck. 


 


 


I really would like to know why it is so hard

to let someone ask a question if they want.  You do not have to read it, think about it, address it, whatever.....what difference does it make that the topic was brought up at some past time?  This board is for communication and nobody is forcing you to read redundant posts. 


Just PLEASE stop making folks feel stupid.  Go onto the next post or start one yourself. 


You are being to hard on
Not stop it - you are just looking at your own reflection in your monitor! You really shouldn't be so hard on yourself!
How hard is it to get a job?
I'm considering getting a Medical Transcriptionist Certificate at a local college.  I was wondering how hard it is to get a job after graduating?  I've noticed on the Job Seekers Board that most of the jobs require experience.  Any advice?
Having a hard day

I'm having the hardest time working today.  My best friend is having surgery at the Cleveland Clinic today.  She is only 28 and has grade III anaplastic astrocytoma.  She was only diagnosed three months ago after she had a seizure and this is now her second surgery.  She is so far away (we live in Kentucky) and I really want to be there.  To those who are reading this, I am asking for your prayers for my friend, Jenny, and her husband and two young children, that they may all be together this Christmas.   Please also pray for me to have the strength to help her and her family through this terrible time and difficult road ahead.  Thank you all.


don't be hard on yourself for the

decisions that you've made.  we all want to believe what our spouces tell us and hope that things will change but in the end it never does and in the meantime you're raising your kids in an environment that will effect them the rest of their lives.  i've been through a lot of what you're going through and there's no good or easy answer to help anyone through it.  I used to be very confident, strong and able to do anything and now I don't have the confidence to make the most simple decisions because my x was so abusive.  my family didn't believe me about the things that would happen and I was too humiliated to tell my friends.  when I finally got the courage to make him move out I was recovering from neck surgery, couldn't ambulate by myself, didn't have a full time job,  had a 1 year old, and  he had wiped out the savings.  it's been 2.5 yrs and I'm almost back on my feet.  there are state systems that can help you but be prepared for a battle there too because you will have to nag and nag to get help in a somewhat timely manner, just don't give up.  start checking into things as quickly as possible because I found out that it's usually first-come first-served type of thing.  call you local police department and ask what they can offer and what steps you need to take to keep yourself and kids safe. what I finally realized was that I didn't want my son growing up in an environment that was unhealthy and unsafe not to mention I didn't want him to think that it was ok to treat people, especially women, in the way he was seeing at home.  I'm a firm believer that God gives you what you can handle and you will be a better person once you've overcome his challenges.  I also believe that it's my job as a mother to do anything I can to protect my son for as long as I can.  no parent, not even a step-parent, should ever be jealous of their child for any reason especially health reasons and needing more attention. I know I'm on my soapbox but I believe that you can find the confidence to do what is right for you and to be stronge for your kids.   try to remember that abusers never change. (feel free to email me anytime you need to.)  there's lots of us out there that can relate to what you're going through and although there's nothing to make it easier it helps to have people just to vent to.   my prayers go out to you and your family


Most MT's tell me it's hard to get 9 to 10 cpl now...nm
x
Not hard at all

I set up my Linksys wireless router myself and it was pretty much self explanatory.  The Linksys help line is pretty good too, in case you run into trouble.  Might have to wait a bit on the phone depending on what time you call. 


This is hard for me to believe
I guess I am stumped as I do 180 to 220 minutes per day.  To me 60 minutes means I am hardly working.  I am not trying to  put this down but this is definitely part-time and so you should be able to do it unless they make you do it at specific times and you like to make your own time to work.  You just need to work toward goals and reward yourself for every 20 minutes you do.   But if this is an account you will be on all the time, you should be able to whip out 60 minutes in less than 2.5 to 3 hours.  You can do it.  How many minutes/lines do you do a day now?  You must not need to make money to pay bills, that is my biggest incentitive -- no money - no food or ability to pay bills.    Patti 
It is so hard
I feel so bad for you.  I had to do the recently.  I still shudder when I think of that horrible day.  I don't know how I got the courage to do it, just knew I had to.
Was that so hard?
THAT is more along the lines of what I was trying to find out - not getting bashed just because I already have a great career and make pretty good money.

I never said I was looking to swich careers. In fact, I specifically stated that I already have a very fulfilling one and was just looking at MT as a part time thing. My husband and I recently had our first child and all of a sudden I find myself at home ALL THE TIME. She's a great baby, and I have quite a bit of free time on my hands at home and thought maybe I could fill it with this after a co-worked suggested it.

After sifting through all the available information online I couldn't make a clear deduction on whether I wanted to invest money in training, and if I did invest what kind of training is best.

I love having an office and getting out of the house to work every day and am not looking to change that. I am on a computer pretty much all the time and wondered if I could turn that into some cash - nothing else was intended from my initial post!
Are Ops hard to do?

It seems some MTs love to do them, but why do they seem so ominous? Are some harder than others? I've heard of MTs making normals out of them, thus, good money. They've just always scared me for some reason.


Thanks!