I think it probably depends on the dictators and type of reports.
Posted By: Could go either way on 2007-12-01
In Reply to: This this good? - curious MT
Personally, I think it depends on the dictator, how familiar you are with the specialty, and if there are expansions/normals that can be used.
For argument sake, lets compare $1.15 per minute to 9 cents a line, if it takes someone 1 hour to transcribe 10 minutes of dictation.
If you have a slow dictator who reads the chart, changes their mind every other sentence, or uses terms/equipment that you have to constantly research, and at the end of the hour, you only have 100 lines typed, then you are ahead of the game. You earned $11.50 that hour.
10 minutes x $1.15 (typed in 1 hour) = $11.50 per hour.
100 lines x 9 cents per line (typed in 1 hour) = $9.00 per hour.
BUT, if you have a great dictator who knows what they want to say, are organized, normals or a great set of expansions are used, you never have to stop to look anything up, and in the end, you have typed 200 lines, that is a whole different story. You could have made $18.00 an hour.
10 minutes x $1.15 (typed in 1 hour) = $11.50 per hour.
200 lines x 9 cents per line (typed in 1 hour) = $18.00 per hour.
So in my opinion, unless you can talk to other MTs with the company doing the same work, there is no way to know in advance if you will be making more or less by being paid by the minute as opposed to by the line.
Please update us after you have worked for awhile and let us know how things are going. GOOD LUCK.
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- This this good? - curious MT
- I think it probably depends on the dictators and type of reports. - Could go either way
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depends on what type of reports.....
130-160 per 8 hours, if typing combinations of everything; i.e. MRI, CT, nuclear medicine, fluoro, x-rays, angiograms, etc.
depends on type of reports sm
do not sign on to do MRIs, CTs paid by the report, you'll lose money big time.
Depends 90% on dictators...sm
You can be the most productive, skilled, knowledgeable MT out there... but if you get crappy dictators, you are not going to produce. Period. Having said that, a good account with dictators that don't have mush in their mouth or are either wasting your time with ..uh, ...ah ... go back to ... or conversely train-catchers who can't wait to run through their dictation and don't care if you understand them or not... these dictations practically type themselves. It's the time-wasting dictators, albeit pulling down 6-figure salaries, who slow everyone down.
The same way we're held to that 98-99% (BS) QA standard, so should they be. I wonder if that's the way they talk to their own superiors or when they're at a job interview for a hospital or residency position? I'll be the clear English comes real easy then, doesn't it?
Depends 90% on dictators...sm
You can be the most productive, skilled, knowledgeable MT out there... but if you get crappy dictators, you are not going to produce. Period. Having said that, a good account with dictators that don't have mush in their mouth or are either wasting your time with ..uh, ...ah ... go back to ... or conversely train-catchers who can't wait to run through their dictation and don't care if you understand them or not... these dictations practically type themselves. It's the time-wasting dictators, albeit pulling down 6-figure salaries, who slow everyone down.
The same way we're held to that 98-99% (BS) QA standard, so should they be. I wonder if that's the way they talk to their own superiors or when they're at a job interview for a hospital or residency position? I'll be the clear English comes real easy then, doesn't it?
Most all my reports have all names listed by dictators.
NM
Me, too! Type in silence...shhhh...the droning of dictators is more than enough! nm
s
To not have to type ER reports any more. Want
more of anything except ER notes. Yuk!
Can any of you MTs who type operative reports tell me
what are some good websites to look for spellings of surgical terminology, instruments, equipment, etc.? Much appreciated!!!
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  .
I consider myself a pretty fast Mt, and I am lucky to hit 100 reports a day...depends upon account.
I tend to proof my reports as I type,
during pauses in dictation I read the paragraphs above and also while spellchecking. Unless it is a difficult report, I do not relisten.
I type fire claims/investigation reports
It's really easy work and pays pretty good. It's also nice to have a break from medical, but some of the reports are really sad to type. I do the work for a local fire chief that has a side business and he investigates a lot of car accidents when the car catches on fire. A lot of times there are fatalities involved, and they usually involve children too. They can get pretty gruesome when they go into detail though. I get paid by the page and most of the time I type depo summaries, which are just highlighted parts of the deposition that I type into a summarized report. I actually put an ad in the local paper for transcription work and got this account. It's only about $400/month, but I do MT part time too.
VR reports get paid VR rate whether I straight type or not.
I have just gotten to the point where on certain docs I know their VR sucks, so I straight type because it ends up being faster. It sucks, but that is the way the business is now a days, so I don't have much of a choice. I need a job, and I like where I am at, so don't like to speak up too much because the are really pushing the VR.
depends on type of work
Recent experience shows that working for a service with radiology accounts pays anywhere from $1.25 to $2.25 or so for a page or report (depends on how computer program / system counts a page) with diagnostic x-ray being short and quick and longer MRI/CT reports paying more. I've heard of psych reports - IMEs which are longer with very dense line count per page - being paid higher page rates but many years since I have done this work, no idea of average $ amount now.
That depends on the type of work
Basically, harder dictators and harder reports with a lot of formatting with tables, etc. SM
give you extra lines because of the time involved in doing those particular reports. Not so much you get paid more per line, you just get extra line credit. For example:
You have a 100 line report, but it is weighted because of a table that you have to input. Then you would maybe get credit for 130 lines for that report.
I seriously doubt that type of work is as complex as medical reports.
nm
I'd think 8 hours; depends how fast you type - sm
and how good the quality is of the dictation. If you have to break down multiple people talking I expect it will take you longer than 8 hours.
depends on what type of clinic you were transcribing
if they were basic SOAP notes, then i would guess the basic 4 hospital reports will be quite a bit harder.
if you had an intense multispecialty clinic, then you could probably do H&Ps and consults.
but I would suggest you give it a try. being able to do hospital acute care can only help your resume, and possibly up your income after a learning curve.
JMO
It depends what type of surgery, I guess. sm
Some are very easy and fast money, others are very detailed and long, nothing "normal" about them.
It all depends....Personally, they are my favorite and I specialize in doing only op reports, all specialties.
Depends on type of prepaid card sm
I have a Visa debit card through ADP. They are the payroll processing company used by Medquist (which is where I got the card initially) and many other companies, not just MTSOs. The only fee involved is $1.50 per month to have the card and fees for using it at an ATM, which is the same as if it were through a traditional banking account. I can also transfer the funds to my saving account if I want or set it up to have a certain percentage put on the card and the rest in the bank. I have had this card for about 3 years now and love it. However, if the card they are wanting you to use is like the ones you can get at grocery stores, Wal-Mart, etc, stay clear. They require fees for almost everything from getting your money loaded onto it to using it for each and every purchase.
As far as not wanting to give out routing information for direct deposit, why is there such a worry? So long as the information is given only to your employer, there shouldn't be a problem. Unless this is only a short-term job, I don't see the big deal.
too vague; depends on type of dictation and the dictator
n/m
Thanks for your input. We type regular medical reports in Meditech and radiology in Cerner. SM
I am really considering presenting the idea that we measure productivity on minutes transcribed instead of lines. I don't know if management will go for it, but it seems like the best scenario considering all the trouble we've had.
Thanks again!
Generally 200 lph, but depends on work type, I can do more with OP notes, has to do with motivation
I hate HP, consults, and DS, but that is the majority of what I do. I always, always do better with OP notes.
Acute care work is operative reports, consultations, H&Ps, emergency room, DS basically the type of
dictation found in a hospital setting as opposed to a clinic setting in which you just type office notes and minor procedures.
lines produced also depends on type of account, doctors, specifics, platforms.
nm
Not always. Tongue stumblers. New dictators. Speedy and lazy dictators.
D
Radiology transcription, what type of reports are considered radiology
I have lot of experience with everything and I would like to know what exactly is considered radiology so I know if I qualify for that type of work? I've had many types that I think qualify for radiology.
?? Bad dictators are bad dictators regardless of their mother language.
wonder when people will just get over it and do what they can and move on.
The MR reports were being filed. Referring physicians/medical care providers reports were not.
This is a hospital radiology department with in-house MTs and a clerk who is in charge of the report distribution.
The two sentence normal reports will balance out the 3 page reports.
I am Wendy too
don't type double spaces. Type single. Then no one will be cheated.
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
Your English teacher does not do medical reports. This is for medical reports.
.
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?????
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
how are they going to get used to all the dictators
if your source says they cherry pick and only do American dictators? Sounds like never. But you knew that.
PS: Are you absolutely sure your source has your best interest in mind with this detailed ratting on another person regarding Indian cherry picking doing non-Indian work?
Dictators who keep....
  
I'm having a bad day with dictators and got this in my
email. It cracked me up. It's a typo in a medical brief that a lawyer filed for a continuance. The typo is on the 2nd page.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0916051disk1.html
I have had dictators like that!
when most dictators were from the USA. nm
x
bad dictators sm
I can take an ESL more than I can take an American who speaks fast just to show off to his buddies or because he has a hot date and is dictating from his car or worse yet, if you can't understand him, he has an excuse why his report is incorrect, he can blame you for it. They do it, believe me, and they are the ones who should be shot down. Give me an ESL any day who says thank you very much and is trying hard to learn the language. Some of these fast-talking big shots could care less about us. I had one guy who could fit 15 discharge summaries on one side of a 15 minute tape and everyone would send him to me because I was the outside service. When he was spoken to, he just threw his head back and laughed. Ignorant!
dictators
don't you just love it when you have to turn up the volume to hear what the doctor is saying and then in the middle of the dictation he finally puts his mouth to the mic/phone, blasting your ears; so you turn it down then by the end of the report you have to turn it back up.......no wonder I have ringing in my ears sometime 
Bad dictators
Chewing gum very loudly, blowing bubbles while dictating, drinking something and then chewing on the ice....all in the average day lately. Don't these people stop to think that someone has to listen to this? That they are chomping incessantly into someone's ears. No common sense. Maybe once, someone in authority should remind them that these are legal documents and need to be transcribed as accurately as possible, so no chewing, drinking, talking while yawning, etc.
Bad dictators
I have got to one-up y'all... there is a woman doctor in our group who actually takes her dictaphone INTO THE BATHROOM with her and, yes, that's right, uses the potty right while she's dictating...
ESL dictators
Maybe the ESL docs, knowing that the Transcriptionist must be having a difficult time with the language barrier, should hire an English speaking person to do their dictations. It would free up their time for being a doctor and seeing patient's, give a more accurate transcription, and a better quality report. Wha'cha think???
ESL dictators
Seems many MTs have this complaint. We should be told the correct percentage of ESL dictators BEFORE accepting a job. Imagine all the money a company would save by going over details with each new applicant honestly and thoroughly in the beginning instead of making the job sound good and then have a disappointed new employee, who will quit and the company will have to advertise and hire again. Advertising and training on a computer system is costly, including the time involved etc. The more a company can do to retain its employees, the more money it will save in the long run. Also, pay based on production, not quality of work, is counter productive. Imagine if each Transcriptionist was paid a salary and did quality work and no QA people were needed, except to pull random reports of new employees during the first 30-60 days or so. I feel there is too much QA and not enough emphasis put on quality reports from the beginning. Many transcriptionists feel, the QA people will fill in my blanks, yet they may be able to find the word/words themselves if production was not such a huge factor. But too many employees are trying to meet a line count. With a salary, you can establish a budget and know what to expect in your paycheck. I've transcribed for 25 years. I love my work. Since outsourcing and pay by production have been instituted, I feel pride in transcribing has suffered. Give an employee a job they can feel great about, benefits, and treat them with honesty, fairness, and respect and they will be glad to work for that kind of company. Hopefully, there are companies out there like this It's up to us to find the good companies.
Of note, 10 years ago transcriptionists were being paid around 10-11 cpl and $3.50-$4.00 a page. What happened, outsourcing!! We used to get a higher salary than coders, but not now. We need to keep our work in the USA.
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