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It depends on whether you are working for someone as an IC or you have your own clients. I live in

Posted By: Theresa on 2006-03-31
In Reply to: I live in VA too and have to have a license - sm

Hampton Roads and was told that I would need a one if I was going to solicit my own business.  I was told by the local office where I got my license that I could not send out brochures or advertise in any way until I got it.  I do know of a local company here that requires their ICs to have one as well.  I think it is because he had a problem with an IC who did not report her income to the IRS and he was audited because of this.  I am not sure how this protects him, but he requires all of his ICs to have their own business licenses.


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It depends on what your clients or account wants. sm
BOS sometimes does not matter. The only thing that matters is what the people who sign your paycheck want on their reports.

Each state has different laws. Where I live, if I have clients in the same state I live in, yes I ne
have clients from another state, no I do not need a license. Every state is different. I checked with my attorney and the State Business offices.
CPL definitely depends on where you live
I live in Arkansas and the most you get here for locals is 10 cents if you are lucky.  The rate here is usually between 7-10 cents and that is with printing, pickup and delivery.  There are not many MTs around here but these docs here are tightwads. 
depends on where you live
Why would u drive 50 minutes for a pt job though? Can't they email it to you?
Depends on where you live
Do you have to pick up and deliver? Print reports? There is time and $$ involved there.

If you receive files electronically and deliver electronically, then I would guess 13 cents per 65 character line is reasonable. More is always nice. Also depends on how badly you want the job.

Even if you pick up and deliver, depends on how many miles you have to drive, but still 13 seems like a nice mid range. You don't want to get piggy and ask 15 or cut yourself off and ask for 10 cpl....
It depends on the state. In NC where I live,
you must be legally separated for a year before you can get a divorce. The legal separation is treated like a divorce though, so anything accrued by either party after the separation papers are signed are not considered marital property. I think she may want to obtain a second opinion just to be on the safe side.
Depends on where you live I guess. sm

My cats have been outdoor cats all of their lives.  One is 13 and the other is 10.  Where we live, they sleep in the street.  They're both neutered and up-to-date on shots.  They don't wander too far from home anymore as they get older.


We moved here from a farm on a dead end road and I tried to make them stay indoors at first, but they wouldn't have any part of it.


Like I said, it depends. 


Everyone in our tiny neighborhood knows them by name and dogs fear them. :)


(They're 15 lbs. each).


Guess it depends where you live. sm
Clerk didn't care if I would lose day(s) pay and also said I wouldn't get the $50 a day reimbursement as I was self-employed and had to pay myself. 
No, I guess it depends on where you live (sm)
Like I said above, I have heard it used in a derogatory way many times. I am definitely not the prejudiced one. Anyone can look at the term "ebonics" and see where the root word comes from.
I guess it depends where you live...
Some employers require or "prefer" certification, but I don't know whether that earns you any extra money or not. Most do not require certification, at least where I live, and do not come out and offer extra pay to be certified or encourage you to be certified. My opinion is that it is a waste of your time and money.
I agree... it depends on where in the country you live....
I usually figure what they are paying per person for dinner and then give that as a gift times the number of people in my family who are attending.  I also think it depends on how well you know the person.   A gift should be a personal decision.  The bride and groom should have invited you b/c they want you there not b/c of the gift they are expecting from you.
I guess it depends where you live. Grocery
I don't know of anyone who shops at Walmart for groceries.  Not one.  No way I'd buy perishable stuff from Walmart.  I was desperate one night a few years ago and bought milk at Walmart and BLECH!  It wasn't past the expiration date but it tasted like it was nearing expiration and the coolers were lukewarm.
Sorry, this absolutely depends on the county you live in. Going through
She was just told they won't even look at expunging her felony drug conviction until she has a clean record for 10 years. In the meantime, she has had to fess up in a couple of interviews and hope for compassion. She finally got a job she lives but she's always afraid what will happen if she loses it.
Depends where you live? Small town big city? sm
Hospital billing?  Clinic billing?
I guess it all depends on what part of the country you live.
I could not live on $2000 a month.  Our house payment is more than that, not including electric, cable, car, etc.  One day we will retire down south!!
It all depends on what state you live in and what their laws and requirements are. Check with your
x
I think it depends where you live. My parents threw a huge party sm
for me when I graduated with about 150 people. The gifts weren't in the $100 range but it was 23 years ago. I received over $5000 in gifts and that was used to help buy the things I needed to go away to college such as bed linens, dorm furnishings, etc. The rest was used over the 4 years to subsidize when I needed extra for something. Yes, my parents paid for college, to the tune of $25k per year. They were happy to do it and proud when I graduated with honors and got a good job afterwards.

I'm going to do the same for my 2 kids that my parents did for my sister and I. There is nothing wrong with working hard to give your kids the best in life and nothing wrong with celebrating their milestones. If you don't agree with graduation parties, don't go to them, but if you don't celebrate your kids' milestones and make them special occasions, who will?

Unless you are working locally, where you live
has nothing to do with what you make. National MTSOs have their own pay scales, everyone is different.
I would say it depends on who you are working for. If they sm

expect you to put in 8 full hours, and not just stop working when your primary runs out, then you need to train on another account, and go to that when there is no work on your primary.  Of course, there is always the day when, lo and behold, there is no work at all for you on your primary. 


If they let you get away with this, then it isn't a problem.  Personally, I would train on the backup account.


It all depends on the company you are working for. sm
If you are the only recruiter for a company, you are not competing with anyone in the same company, but you are competing with the other companies out there.  You have to know the way to sell your company hopefully that your company has something to sell, you have to have strong people skills, be able to administer whatever kind of test is appropriate, and I think it is imperative that you have experience as a medical Transcriptionist as well as a QA specialist.  I think both of those positions go along with making a strong recruiter. 
I live in FL, too, and if I have to evacuate, working is the last thing I'm worried about. nm
x
It depends on your version of Word. Which one are you working in
and which version of Windows? Later versions no longer include the WP5.1 filter but you can use the old one if you still have old installation CDs. You can also download the filter from the link below.
why no, i don't live in snobville. did you think you knew me? i live in heritage hills a suburb
it takes a little longer to get to work and shopping but thank god i have some privacy and am away from the congestion.  lovely trees and lakes all around.  maybe about 20 minutes to a large shopping mall.  but no, i don't even know where snobville is.
why yes the quality of air where i live is quite different than where the city people live.
Lots of pollution.  That's why everyone is moving away from the city and areas zoned for multiple housing units and low income housing and trailer parks.  Population is dense and near manufacturing.  So yes, the air is different but millions of people pay a little extra for the quality, the space and privacy afforded to those who move out of polluted crowded areas such as you defend.  There is always a reason why some areas and housing is cheaper than others.  Maybe it is the air and maybe it's something you can't quite put your finger on but you know you would prefer not to live in certain areas.  You know what I mean or are you living in one of those areas?  They tell after awhile you block out the sounds, the smells and get used to the pollution.  I don't know.  I didn't stay long enough to test the theory.  My mental and physical health is way too important to me. 
I know they live a long time, so if there is a chance they will out live you - sm
make sure you make provisions for them in your will. I have only had cockatiels and some finches, so don't really know anything about the bigger birds. I love African Grey's but they are very expensive.
Live and let live. Don't force your lifestyle on me.
x
I used to live in MN now I live in MS and they were both cold last night!
Will take MS cold over MN cold any day, and I don't miss the snow. I miss the Mall of America, though!
I live in PA, can I help? If they are close to where I live, I would go check them out for ya!
Where in PA is this company?
To get own clients or not....
I have thought about getting my own clients, but working for a company, if I want time off, I can easily arrange that and know there will be co-workers to cover the accts.  If I get sick, the company will find someone to cover the accts.  I don't have to worry about the billing, tech support, trouble-shooting, complaints.  Maybe someday I will chose to give up what life I have and get my own clients, but for now I like being an IC for a company.  This way, I am a great employee and an even better boss. 
My clients...
Consist of clinics.  They all get 48-hour turnaround time guaranteed, and anything STAT (a TRUE emergent STAT) they need, it's done at no extra charge.  Radiology gets four to eight-hour turnaround for obvious reasons.  The rest of the clinics don't need a 24-hour turnaround time because let's face it, their staff basically sit on it, and I'm not going to break my neck so they can just sit on it....
Clients
Hello!  I'm new to the board but not to MT.  I've been working from home for my own clients for 10 years.  I wondered if others who do the same have ever experienced a situation I just encountered and wondered what your thoughts were.  I had a client whom I transcribed for for two years, then he moved and started back up in his practice and called me and I've worked for him for an additional year in that new practice.  When I noticed recently that I hadn't received his dictation as usual, I questioned it, i.e. was he on vacation, did they lose a tape or what?  The receptionist said he must not have dictated yet.  I found this off as he usually dictates each day he's in the office.  A week had gone by w/o work so I called and asked and the same girl said she'd have his wife (who works in the office) call me because she didn't know why there wasn't work, etc.  At this point I got suspicious and had asked the recep. if there was something going on I should know about. She said they're working on this new software and maybe they just got behind.  New software? I talked to his wife and "I" mentioned this software.  She didn't.  I asked if this affected my workload and she said 'yeah, probably quite a bit.'  I asked if she would please let me know AHEAD of time if they were going to make this transition so I could prepare and plan (she had just made it sound like they were just looking into it and kind of testing it out, NOT that they'd by any means started using it full-time).  She said oh certainly they would let me know ahead of time.  Then I pressed a little more and finally she told me he'd already been using it for his patients and when I asked if I should replace his work, she said yeah, probably because he really seems to like it and will probably use it.  I don't know what the software is but I hate it just because it took a big client from me.  But I"m also wondering if this is common practice for a physician just to outright not tell an MT that they weren't going to use their services any more.  I mean, not only did they not give me notice beforehand, but they hedged on admitting it when I came right out and asked.  I find this incredibly rude and inconsiderate, especially when I've been a faithful MT for them for three years.  I"m just dumbfounded at this behavior.  Has anyone experienced this?  So now that leaves me in the lurch with bills to pay with an already tight budget (hubby in college, two kids, high heat bills, blah, blah, etc.) and me looking for work to fill in the gap.  Sorry I ranted and rambled.  I'm just really upset by this and wondered if anybody experienced being treated this way and/or knows what this software might be and if it poses a threat to any of us.  Thanks so much!
Own clients
This has been discussed many times with many different opinions/ideas.  You might do a search as there was quite a heated debate on this about two months ago.  I have a brochure that I send out with my card.  For those I am very interested in I do stop by in person or if anyone calls inquiring I stop by in person.  You have to be prepared with equipment to do tapes or digital and some may inquire about a call in system.   You may have to pick up and deliver, provide your own paper.  Be prepared to do any type accounts.  Your rate will depend on the area you are in and can be anywhere from 11 to 16 cpl from what people say on this board.  You have to be prepared to have some back up if you get very sick or have an accident and for vacations.   You will not get any benefits, will not getpaid when the doctor takes a month off to go to Spain.  It will be a tough go at first until you esablish a rapport with the office staff.  But I like it and have been doing it for 18 years.  Just did a report and have made 4K more this year than I did last year so things are looking up for me.  Good luck.   Patti 
One of my clients for whom I have done only
tapes for has given me a CD to load onto my computer.  I haven't put it on yet but I'm wondering if you all can help.  It's an Olympus CD and looks like it's for .wav files which is what he intends.  He says I should be able to load this onto my computer and then after that, he can email me voice files.  Now, is this correct and what will I need to have in order to play and transcribe his voice files?  I have a Bytescribe pedal. Please tell me I won't have to buy a different pedal for this! Thanks in advance for any help!
want to get own clients

Hi Everyone,


 


I have over 2 years’ experience in medical transcription and really want to get my own client(s).  I feel that I am finally ready to take that leap.  The question I have is – how do you go about talking to potential clients?  What is the best way?  Mailings, calling, just going in?  Should I make business cards?  Unfortunately all of my doctors offices (family, ob/gyn) husband's GI doc and daughter's pediatrician are all EMR.  Ugh.  So that's no help. 


 


I’m not really afraid of what to charge or contracts, the rest is what has me stressed the most.  Should I buy a program like DocShuttle or will they basically tell me what they want?  I have been with nationals and small  MTSOs alike and just am not sure how to go about everything myself. 


 


You can feel free to e-mail me with any advice also.


 


I really appreciate the suggestions/help!!!


Getting own clients
I am currently transcribing for GI docs who are using the EMR system, I love it. There is barely any paper for me to handle, I fax everything right from their system to the referring physicians, once in a while I will get a physician who doesn't have a fax and so I need to mail. The final copy goes right into their system. I am currently working from home through my business. They had the equipment installed at my house, fortunately for me, I was with them for four years before I went on maternity leave and have been doing it from home for the past two years.

I also transcribe for ENT docs in my area, before I went on maternity leave I asked them to use my digital phone in system (really didn't expect them to since they were 'set in their ways' but they agreed).

As far as getting new clients, I would get some business cards printed out, and some fliers stating what equipment you will use, i.e. tapes, digital; will you be dropping the finished work off, and also turn-around-time. Then if it were me, I would take these to local doctors, speak with the office manager and offer your services, may be you can start off by offering to cover vacations (I know how hard it is to get coverage for yourself on vacation. You might have to start small and work your way up, but at least it is a start.

Well that is all I can think of, I hope this is helpful to you. Good luck!!
Best way to get clients? sm
I want to market my service in my area. I have gone to offices before in the past, but they sometimes get annoyed. I have also done mailings and get no response. Is there another way to get the OM's attention that maybe I overlooked? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Some clients won't go there
Some doctors have such rotten dictating habits they know running their reports through ASR will result in utter garbage; they have TAT to meet and they know if they take the time to have those reports extensively edited post ASR its just an extra step.  Some clients know for them it will be a time and money waster; it is the MTSOs that are pushing for all ASR, not the clients.  Many hospitals have tried ASR inhouse and end up scrapping it and going back to MTs.  Its a lot like outsourcing in that many people are on the bandwagon, but there'll always be some that refuse to ride it.
Clients have the right to not have an
MT transcribing that reports if that MT continually makes mistakes. Not talking about the ones QA catches, but the reports that are sent straight through without QA and they catch the mistakes on their end and have to send it back. The client I am assigned at my MTSO has said that certain mistakes will not be tolerated and those that make those will not work on their account. They have the right to pull the account from the MTSO if their wishes are not followed by the MTSO.
getting own clients

Does anyone have a sample letter that I can look at to try to get my own accounts?  I would really appreciate the help if there is anyone willing.  I just need something to get an idea of what to cover in a letter just to get my foot in the door.


Thanks in advance.


I don't have any of my own clients...sm
so I have never had this problem. They said you were no longer transcribing his letters. Does that mean you are still transcribing other types of reports for him or is that the only type of report you did for him?
If the secretary called you before and asked questions about "How often ARE you coming to get work" or something to that effect, then it leads me to believe he was not happy with you for some reason. Sounds like he found someone else to do his work. He could have found someone to do it cheaper, who knows? I hate to hear you lost this client. I know money is tight.
Why not just get your own clients?
Just curious why you would rather subcontract when you could just get your own clients and make more money instead of paying a middle man.
You get more working the evening or night shifts and working w/o benefits. And producing like a mad
,
You must live where I live. I ran into the same sort of SM
situation when I was the president-elect of the local chapter and the VP-elect of the state chapter. I bailed out. There was no fighting it.
LOL! Don't live in NH. Live in ConnectiTAX. LOL NM
NM
Can you live on 7.75 cpl or do you need 9.5 cpl. If I could live at the lower, that is what I
:+
I just heard clients are now
very interesting, indeed.
Finding Clients
I had gotten my previous clients when I worked in a hospital Medical Records Department as an MT. The docs just came to me and asked me to do their work at home. I am going to have a professional letter and business cards made up now to send to local doctors, just anyone in the phone book who looks good, but mostly cardiology, neurology, neurosurgery and orthopedic docs. They seem to have the most consultation letters.
Contracting own clients
It's actually two units attached and working together: A Sony BM-890 microcassette dictator/transcriber and a DTI-800 phone interface. I bought the unit (years ago) for about $1,300.00. The top unit (BM-890) is where you put the tapes in and is like a regular Sony transcriber. (I transcribed the tapes on a separate transcriber, though). The unit gives the doctors the option of pausing and backing up to listen to their dictation and make changes if needed.
Contracting own clients
I agree - to make good money, you need to get your own accounts. My long-time cardiology group account just got EMR with VR, however, so I need to find a new account now. This one was really nice in that the doctors dictated over their phones to my Sony answering system, and then I would just e-mail the completed work back at the end of the day for the office to print it all out there; I never had to do any pickups of tapes or delivery of hard copies. Just wondering now, is this very unusual, or do others here have similar arrangements? Thanks.
None of my clients have no idea what a CMT is...
Seems like they should spend more time/money educating doctors about the mere existence of CMTs instead of rolling out another level of certification.
Ditto! What do clients think when they -
It appears as though the majority of this company's managers don't even know how to type! Must look awful if they use emails to communicate with clients!