I keep up with my lines as I type them ...
Posted By: MT'd out on 2005-07-13
In Reply to: Line Counting Software DOWN for 5+ days! - Disgruntled1
I have a document open at all times and keep up with the WT and the lines for each report. I stop to count when I take a break or after every 25-30 reports or so.
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How many hrs (on avg) does it take to type 6,000 lines/wk?
And is this what most companies consider FT (6,000 lines/wk)? Just trying to see if I will be able to do this...Thanks!
Wow, how do you type 1000 lines in
I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I don't type anywhere near that. How do you do this?
Need to type 1200 lines on new
I just started new job about a week ago. I need to type 1200 lines/ day to reach my income goal. How long does it usually take to reach this amount of lines? I can't seem to find a comfortable routine. I want to work nights but no luck with that. I am straining too much to see the work because the eyes are just too tired by the end of the day and day time is full of interruptions. Thought about splitting it up with 4 hours in the day and 4 hours at night. Anyone heard of doing this? Any other suggestions? I have an Expander but I haven't put all of the shortcuts in yet.
thanks for input.
What type of reports do you get the most lines on?...
I was wondering if you had to choose, which type of reports would you want to do exclusively that would net you the most lines, of course other than a wonderful account with normals on every report  .
How many lines per hour do you type? (sm)
I am curious how many lines per hour my fellow transcriptionists are able to accomplish? I used to be able to do 250-300 or so per hour, but the last company I worked for I could never break 200.
What about the pages where you only type a few lines?
You're still making out better getting paid per page. I know I am.
So, if I were to type 10,000 lines in a pay period (sm)
for that company, would an incentive be given or is that amount expected for a full-time employee? Curious!
I type 1000 lines in about 2.5 hours (sm)
I type on a gross line and I can type 1000 lines in 2.5 hours +/-. When things were good at MQ on the Cottage program, I could type 450-500 lph. Everybody's situation is different. Sure some people stretch the true, but it is still possible, but you have to take into account all the different variables. I utilize my word Expander to the fullest. Any little thing I can think of to save me Keystrokes I use. I checked my stats for my shortcuts the other day and in 3 hours I had actually saved 56% of my keystrokes. Can speak for anyone else, but on most days, I can type 900-1000 lines in 2-2.5 hours.
How long does it take you to type 1200 lines?
On a normal good day it takes me about 5 hours, somedays I just can't stay focused so it takes longer. I'm still debating about getting an Expander so just wanted to see how long it took people on average.
I type no less than 1500 lines in 7 hours
On my slowest day, I will not allow myself to get less than 200 lines an hour. Depending on the worktype, I can type up to 400 lines an hour. It is hard for me to consistently stay at that speed as I have orthopedic issues!!! I also can type extremely fast, (120 wpm). I also use a lot of Expanders and shortcuts.
Can YOU really type 3000 lines an hour?!
That right there is an incredible feat of fingerin'!
Meditech didn't work with my particular short cut program and the lag time was absolutely unbearable, not to mention all the demographic screens to wade through before getting to actually type the report. I absolutely hate using "F" keys, which leads to more finger fatigue, and the Meditech I used was full of them. Honestly though, I can't remember if it was "Magic" or the other version of Meditech, as it's been at least a couple of years now.
I do know, however, that I was able to produce 1500/lines per 8-hour day as a matter of course with one word-based program and with Meditech, it dropped down into the 900 range. It was financially and mentally devastating for me, but again, my experience.
A person who can type 200 lines/hr. is worth
nm
i have 19 years experience and still type 220+ lines/hour
without having to cherrypick. That's just what we do when we get into a backlog. That way, we never have to outsource ... thank God ... and we won't lose our jobs to India ... even BETTER!
I just type 250-275 lines per hour and transcribe about 6 to 6.5 hours a day.
I am a seasoned MT who back in the day 2000 lines was nothing to achieve. I sat for 8 straight hours, barring potty breaks and 30-minute lunch. But now that I am pushing 50, I can hardly stay in the chair 2 hours at a time. I have set my goal at 1600 lines per day as that is what my employer pays 9.5 cpl for. If I drop below that, my cpl drops also. In addition, I have a backup up IC position with another company (to compensate when I run out of work on my FT job) that pays 10 cpl. I type 2 hours on that account (usually at night) and get 600 lines per day. Fabulous account, fabulous "internet software" everything is right at your fingertips, and they count spaces, headers and footers. Actually both jobs count spaces.
My advice to anyone wanting to get more lines- first and foremost priorty is check out the software the company uses. If it is not user-friendly... forget it. There was this one company who paid 10 cpl, and I could hardly get 500 lines in a 2-hour period. They said they counted spaces, but it was hard to tell, and they surely did not count footers or headers.
Welcome to my world...I would type a whole page and ended up with 35 lines max. No thanks.
I had to bag it. I couldnt afford to do that. I was averaging $6 an hour. I can make more at McDonalds. So there is obviously a problem.
I routinely type over 300 lines an hour, so even if I could do 300 LPH in VR, I would be taking a hu
x
I type around 2300-2600 lines a day, 5 days a week.
Yeah, it does come out to $6,000 a year.
Yeah, many of us do it on a regular basis.
Yeah, it is worth it to me.
No, there is no magical single tip that can give you that kind of production.
No, I'm not interested in talking about production with anyone because all I ever get back is all the reasons you can't do it. So, if that's your mindset, you're exactly right - you can't do it.
My experience pays off for me and having the CMT gives me an extra income boost (which I save and makes a tidy nest egg padding) and the CEUs are very, very educational and worthwhile.
how many lines per day and per hour do most companies expect/want you to type for full time? thanks
lll
lines produced also depends on type of account, doctors, specifics, platforms.
nm
Aaahhhh, now I get it. Gross lines vs. Character lines. I guess I've just been conditioned to
think in terms of character lines. One of the perils of working as an IC for somebody who defines what a line is versus owning your own company and defining it yourself. After working for someone else for 15 years, maybe it's time to bust out on my own.
don't type double spaces. Type single. Then no one will be cheated.
x
That is a lot of work/lines for 2 people. I do 3000 lines per day sm
if you times that by 30 days that only comes to 90K lines a month, that is working 7 days a week including weekends. I don't think 2 people can handle that.
900 lines is below 1100 lines, where the bonus starts.
x
I can type with wine, can't type with coffee, though...too jittery.
x
That is, type the code above before and after what you want bolded in the text-to-type box. nm
nm
Gross lines include all lines containing
printable characters, so a full line and a line with one word on it are charged equally. Straight lines are basically the same as gross lines, but with this method of counting the blank lines are counted as well (again, equally). I have only had one company pay this way, and they are a middle man. I would think the charge would be about the same as for gross lines, and that not too many offices will want their lines counted this way (the one I worked on was probably inherited from someone who had counted the lines that way, so just continued).
The norm is 1 minute = 10 lines; 10 min = 100 lines - sm
granted this varies per dictator. More lines if a fast talker, less if a slow talker.
I went from 2400 lines to 1800 lines
a day when I switched from clinic (through an MTSO) to hospital work. Not only was the clinic work easier with more macros (and less providers to learn, 12 vs 300+), but I was typing in straight Word (as opposed to Softmed/Chart Script). So you see, it really varies depending upon the type of work as well as the platform used. That said, I am so much happier typing the 1800 lines per day (I make over $15 per hour plus an incentive for any lines in excess of 1200 per day) plus a great health package/benefits, AND approximately 5 weeks of paid time off per year. In my opinion, hospitals really are the best employers WHEN they appreciate the work we do.
My advice for you is not to judge a job by any one criterion but rather the entire picture. The 'extra's can really add up.
Good luck in your job!
Which is the one where they are sc*&ing us the standard lines or the qualified lines? SM
Mine show up as STD when I pull up my transcription log. But I see now there is STD/QT.... So which is the one where they are ripping us off, standard or qualified? Need to know. I am about to switch companies and I will not do if they are actually taking lines from me. Thanks guys.
For me it isn't an account type but a dictator type ...
and that would be oriental. An oriental dictator (hahaha, that kind of sounds funny...hahaha) is the most challenging for me.
No, you don't type directly into ES. You type in Word -
or whatever their platform is, just like you did with your tapes.
Then you do your line count in Word or the platform.
You should type them. I usually type them in parentheses following the diagnosis.
x
remind me, type what they say, type what they say, type....
"He indicated that at the beginning of the year he complained of health problems recently but has gotten better." C'mon doc, which one is it?????
Question versus gross lines versus 65-character lines....
I have always charged or been paid by 65 or 60 character lines or per letter or space typed, but have never been paid or charged per gross line.
What is the advantage of this? If I were to charge 11 cents per 65-character line including spaces, what does this figure out to for an average line rate and how do you do this calculation?
I'm wondering if it is financially beneficial for me to bill by gross line or to keep it the way I have it. I do know some accounts will only pay per 65-character line, as this was the deal my first own account I recently acquired. They were adamant on a 65-character line, but didn't specify with or without spaces and I personally would never not charge for spaces.
Thanks for explaining this. I appreciate it and hope everyone has a speedy day.
Shorthand users: Is there a way to type a word, use a slash and then type another word..sm
immediately following the slash and have it expand. For example if I needed to transcribe mass/sebaceous cyst, is there a way to use my expanded sebaceous cyst without having to back space after I type the slash mark? TIA
Word count: 824 lines. DocuCount count: 897 lines.
I just counted the same file in Word and then in DocuCount, and DocuCount was higher than Word.
Just as an aside.
lines
I always say a good average is around 250-300 lines an hour.
Lines
I have been flamed many times about my production, rate and how much I make. I think it is great for you. But there are those 10 hour days sometimes but I like the fact that I have my own business, and get paid for the hard work. One account that I have is surgeons and with their consults have hit close to 600 lines per hour but with my IM's, and their chart notes can only get up to 350 to 400 or so. It is hard when I switch to my clinic account where I sometimes go in and get paid hourly as I feel like I am not working fast enough on their electronic charts. Again, I have said it many times, it may take a while but if you want to work hard the money is there to be made in this field.
How many lines??
Everyone just wondering how many lines did you do a day when you first started MT? And, how many hours a day?
SS lines, pay,
They are a total rip off. E-mails are plain rude. Cherrypickers like one could not believe. Management does not exist. QA a total joke. Roaming payday. Anyone else who states other is not an MT with the company.
lines...whatever it was.
Well you see, you stated right in your post that you can't possibly cherry pick...so what do you know about what is going on with the rest of us out here who DO have to deal with cherry pickers.
Ma'am, I have 25 years in this business, 15 of it in a nest of the worst cherrypickers you have ever seen, at the largest hospital in my state. I was the supervisor for 5 years and I would have fired somebody on the spot if they'd done that, but they all knew it. Had no problems.
Don't know what you make per line but getting about 666 lines per hour is quite astounding. I'm sure you must be quite happy where you are and with no cherry pickers!
I work for 3 hospitals, doing operative notes. They are assigned to me by someone 6 states away. I go down the list. There's no way to get anything other than what I get. And yes, I am completely happy where I am.
Good for you. I've been an acute care MT for over 30 years and am rated as one of the best as far as QA and quantity and have NEVER, EVER in my life been able to come close to your line count. Maybe you are from another planet and have powers beyond us or maybe you have some special secret you could share. Or maybe, we should just ignore your statement of getting that kind of line count, especially when you are not dealing with cherry pickers. 
I don't deal with cherrypickers because I won't work where there are any. I get that kind of line count every single day, because that is what is assigned to me and I have to do it and turn it in on a deadline.
It is all in where you work and what you are able to put up with. I happen to have the freedom to work where I please and working there pleases me.
It's unfortunate that you have 30 years' experience and you are stuck where you are.
lines
Well it took me a little longer 5 typing and 1.0 delivering but I did 2295 at 0.12 cents a line. So guess I will quit until later this evening. Two surgeons and two IM' and 1 plastic surgeon. Lots of consults, auto corrects but pays off. 13 consults at 3 to 4 pages each.
LINES
I have gotten 500 lines but I should not count as I do clinical notes for two surgeons that do the same consults for most breast CA, hernias, cysts, etc. I just whipped out between the two almost 700 lines in about 75 minutes but I have been doing them for so long and have so much saved that I type perhaps on a general inguinal hernia consult and letter, 30% of the actual consult. Sometimes more. On regular chart notes, I average around 300 to 350 but again have had the same docs for 5 and 7 years. And when you read closely, you will see that is how we do it. But if you are with a national and new docs all the time, I would be luck to get 200 lines an hour. So it is sometimes like comparing oranges to apples as they say.
lines
Working 2-1/2 hours, all ops, mainly ESL, 308 lines which comes out to about $10 an hour. Am I crazy or what?
lines/pay
I've been transcribing 25 years, only 4 months being production paid with a large national, no incentives, no bonuses, no extras for working holidays. I find it terribly depressing when the check comes and you see your gross lines, divide the number of hours you worked--it has been improving each pay, but still not near what I was making previously. I now have been offered a position (not transcription) at a local hospital (where I lost my transcribing job to outsourcing) at $16/hr. An easy job that I'm seriously considering. No holidays, no logging on all hours to find work, great benefits. But I've been working at home 5 years now..... I never realized how the big companies are underpaying good transcriptionists. Thank heavens I have extra accounts that I've been doing on the side for years or I couldn't survive on what I'm bringing in now. Thanks for listening!
lines/pay
If that is true, many not making $10/hr., then yes, I guess I should consider myself lucky. I had no idea others were being paid such a minimal amount - and I never considered that I was "in the dark" about things!
lines
My max after 4 months with the national came out to $13.42/hr. I have extra accounts that I've been doing for years and make $25-$30 an hour on those - letters by specialists which I breeze though, 15-20 extra hours a week, so when I went to the national, pay by the line, what a shocker. Never been paid by the line, even though I was told not to worry with my experience, etc., I would have no trouble with getting good line counts, doesn't seem to be happening. At least it doesn't seem good to me and at this point the in-house hospital job (not transcription) seems more inviting at $16/hr Mon-Fri, no weekends, no holidays, great bennies...Even though my love is transcription my feeling is I'll still have my fingers in it with the extra accounts I have but will feel more stable. Single parent, need the bennies.
lines
Glad to know it is not just me. New to this at home thing - only 4 months with 25 years experience. I struggle to get 1200 lines a day unless I get lucky and get an ER account - which doesn't happen very often.
$13/hr plus .04 over 150 lines/hr
Just went back to the local hospital I used to work for. I usually can easily type 300 lines per hour, so the hourly rate plus incentive is fairly decent.
Lines
I checked this when I first went on DQS. Do a select all on a completed document in DQS, paste it into MS Word, then go to tools, choose word count, look at the characters with spaces total and divide that number by 65. You will find that it matches with DQS.
lines
It takes me about 8 hours to do 2000 lines
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