Long lines . . . better to charge
Posted By: by the page or hourly. nm on 2009-01-22
In Reply to: Typing IME's - Wondering
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Long lines . . . better to charge - by the page or hourly. nm
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Yes, you should charge for all lines.
It would be unusual to not do so, I would think.
You charge for blank lines? WOW! That's a first!
charge for blank lines
not my idea, but I'll take it!
As long as the MTSO does not charge the client I don't have a problem with it - sm
its those that don't pay, but then charge the client (which I am sure most do in that scenario) that is not right.
You get accts and charge them 19 cpl. Hire and pay us 12-15 cpl and see how long you stay in
:+
correction: charge by PAGE, and keep track of long-distance of local numbers, as well as fax supplie
.
How long to get consistency in lines?
I have been trying to use an Expander for 2 years. My speed is between 150-200 lines per hour, 1100 to 1500 per shift, depending on the docs and type of report. None of the docs seem to say the same thing every time so I've been having a hard time. I have a slew of normals but must change them all the time.
I have hundreds of words and phrases in my expander, but I can't remember half of them or how they are abbreviated. The advisory gives me enough suggestions but I have to stop and chose one if I don't remember the number immediately.
I have the book Saving Keystrokes but part of my problem is that I'm not consistent on using abbreviations. My goal is 250-300 lph consistently. How can I achieve this without jepordizing the quality of my reports?
Don't say use macros. I have no idea how. I've been reading up on everything I can find about them, but it goes in one ear and out the other. I just can't figure them out anymore (used to a decade ago).![](https://forum.mtstars.com/smileys/sowhat.gif)
Any ideas or help here?
lines at the pumps, 2-3 cars long.
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'll bet she meant that's how long the lines are before it returns. nm
x
Sleeping all day long while my little fantasy slave does my lines LOL :-)
Wow... you vacuum every day? Dang, I'd never even get 50 lines done a day if I did that. I maintain and clean seriously on my one day off, but... hats off to you, sister!
Charge what the credit card companies charge when they don't get paid on time!!!!
Audio hour charge - what is fair rate to charge company?
Doubt you can charge 15 cpl for VR work to the docs - you can't even charge them 12 for straight
x
you don't have to charge $60/HR - all you have to do is charge a good rate and then..
work smart, not hard. If you have a great dictator, charge him 14 cpl on a 65 char gross line, then set up your templates and word expanders, you can make $80/hr. But you need all three to work together, otherwise you might only be making $60/hr. Some people are just really good at what they do - shouldn't they make more if they are more productive?
I'd still charge by line, just charge a lower
rate, like maybe 8 cpl. Do you have to pickup and deliver work? You could also setup a one-month contract until you see how it goes and then you can figure out the best way to charge and go from there. You could also charge a flat rate per page and keep it fairly low.
One office I charge .12, another I charge $2.25 page--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.
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 hate Instant Text. It is expensive, long long learning
curve, and too much distraction for me.
How long should I wait after applying for a position before I follow-up. It has been as long as two
without hearing from some. Just wondering if I should send an e-mail to follow-up to see if they received my resume or not. I don't want to offend anyone but feel two weeks should be long enough for someone to at least acknowledge my resume and that I have applied for a position. Right now I would accept anything even a note saying no thanks. Any advice would be appreciated. I haven't had to apply for a job for the past 10 years so I am a bit rusty at this. Thanks again for any advice.
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.
Congrats! How long have you been a MLS and how long did you study for the test!
Please see message. I have three daughters with long, long hair.
I also have long hair down to my waist and my three girls have hair that long too. My daughter brought them home from school last year. I was devestated and grossed out!!!! I have never had to deal with lice. Anyway, we did the treatments and two of my girls broke out in a severe rash with the OTC stuff. Their little heads were so sore!! I thought I was being meticulous with eggs, only to find them hatching again down the road. A nurse at the pediatricians office suggested I try oil to suffocate them since my girls were allergic to the lice solution. I bought a huge bottle of veggie oil and dumped it on all three heads, plus my own. I then wrapped the heads in platic wrap and then a towel. I left this on for 30 minutes. It takes a while to wash out the oil, but we never, ever had the lice or eggs again!!! If you try this, make sure you put on an old shirt and put a towel around your shoulders. Obviously we were desperate, but we all have such long hair and very thick hair so I was willing to try anything. And I figured there was no chemicals involved so that was pretty safe. And it sure did help my littles ones since their scalps were pretty raw from the solution. Hope this helps and Good luck!
It's been a long, long time since I've used a C-phone, sm
but I do think jobs can be paused.
I had a problem with this for a long, long time sm
I have always worked days, like from 6-3. Over the last few years, it didn't matter how much sleep I got, I became real groggy between 7 and 11. Really shoots the day. Talked to my doctor and he said my blood pressure pills were the culprit but he refused to change me to another brand or dosage since I have multiple aneurysms (2 in the brain). My BP has been stable for a long time and he wants to "keep it on the low side". I tried taking them before I went to bed instead of early in the morning, but then I had headaches all day. So, I am changing to a night shift for a few months so I can sleep when those pills kick in and so far it is working pretty good. I stay mostly awake during my shift and die when I hit the bed from 6 am to 10 am, then I lay down again later in the afternoon for 2-3 hours. I still get 6-7 hours of sleep, it's just split up during the day, plus I am mostly awake now when I sit down to type. I don't have to deal with the heat in my office, either. It tends to warm up real fast in here with the south sun on the house and 2 pc's running all day, even with the air conditioner on.
Way back when, a long, long time
ago and in a galaxy far, far away, I had my own accounts also and some years cleared $75,000. Yes it can be done, but you need to have your own accounts. Also lots of delivery, and other duties involved. I work for a large national now and make much less, but I got tired of accountants, having to deal with hardware problems, deadlines, driving deliveries, printing, printers, etc. So I decided to simplify my taxes and stay home and just type. Don't have to worry about computers either, because the company will just send me a new one.
Long, long files. Seemed like they'd never end! I'd never go back to VA again. nm
s
I've been doing this a long, long time...
I used to make $70,000 and up a year and did so for most of the late 80s and 90s (one girl used to make six figures a year working 7 days a week!) Because we were making more money than the supervisors and Medical Records Directors in hospitals, they began to switch to transcription services which were sprouting up all over the place. Plus AAMT came into existence and even though in the beginning it claimed it was to fight for transcriptionists (although assured us it was NOT a union), they eventually morphed into an organization that was more management friendly. They developed the "guidelines" and the 65-char line. That was the beginning of the end for those high-end wages. Then all those mickey mouse transcription schools popped up, and now outsourcing overseas. YES, we're complaining.
Been in this biz a long, long time, 30+ years and....sm
I love/loved MTing. However, things have changed so much during these years. The job definitely gets easier; don't have to look up much, can decipher ESLs much easier, in other words, you get pretty comfortable with things and you have confidence in yourself. The more experience you have the easier the job, but....
I actually made more money 10 years ago!! We didn't have speech recognition and you actually got paid for headers/footers, demographics, carbon copies, etc., you got paid for what you did fairly; today, I am not so sure.
You will feel burned out at times, but that passes and you find you like your job again.
Good luck to you!!
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.
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.
Okay well if you are going to charge 10 cpl..what do your MTs get?
Maybe they are looking out for the little people getting paid a little more?? I see a lot of aspects of this you haven't researched. Ask questions, learn from their decisions so you are better prepared next time.
how much do you charge?
What should I charge?
I've never solicited my own accounts before, but my fiance's sister called me yesterday asking if I'd be interested in transcribing some letters for the dermatologist she works for. I said sure, since I'd like to go all independent, and this is a good way to try it out. Only problem is, I'm not sure what to charge. I'll be using the doctor's transcriber (she uses tapes, and I don't have a tape player), and it isn't decided yet whether I'll be emailing the completed letters to her, or printing them myself. What would be an average rate?
Is there a law on this? Don't think there is; not sure. You should be able to charge whatever U w
What I Charge
I also work for an insurance company doing claim tapes. I charge $3.00 a page. My reports can vary anywhere from a few pages up to 25 pages, which I actually did last night (I don't think I've done any longer than that). I'm not sure if this helps or not. I use Tahoma 10 with the margins the same as what you're using.
I get 9 CPL for a nat'l, and charge 12 CPL...nm
I charge
12 cents per line, 65 character line. With HIPAA issues, don't forget better grab yourself a carrier that reports will fit in to take back--one that locks. This is very important in case you are in an accident taking their reports back. It happens.
charge them as much as you can sm
I would charge per gross line, that means every line counts, no matter what. Depends on the reports, but why not start with 12 cents a gross line. Don't under sell yourself. You'll be killing yourself for pennies. good luck.
What to charge for something like this?
I have had this account for 5 years now and they have made a change to the format of their report. The first page is basically a template with check boxes. The other three pages are figured out by 65 character count. Being that there isn't much I'm doing to the first page (checking maybe 5-8 boxes and adding little blurbs once in awhile), but I am printing this page out. Any ideas? I hope I'm making sense! Thanks much in advance.
mt-what to charge?
I work at a mental health clinic as a transcriptionist/records person. A coworker asked if I would be interested in making some extra cash by typing some documents for him and his buddies that are in college. I am interested but have no idea WHAT TO CHARGE? 1 cent per word? i have no idea please help.
-Gina![](https://forum.mtstars.com/smileys/sowhat.gif)
What to charge? Please sm...
I was approached by a family doctor to do some typing for his very small company. He indicated that there are 2 other doctors in his office. I am thinking about taking the offer, but I'm just not sure how much to charge them. I noticed on the job boards that MTs are now being paid on an average of 0.07 cpl. How much more of this would I need to charge in order to actually profit from doing this? I currently get paid 0.12 cpl at a company I am working for, so what would be appropriate for me to charge these doctors then? I'm so confused. ![](https://forum.mtstars.com/smileys/sowhat.gif)
what to charge
no one is going to come out and answer this question for you. It all depends on where you live.. Call a local transcription company, make like you are a doctors office and see what their rates are.. call at least 5 of them and go inbetween.
What to charge for something like this?
I've been contacted about "putting together a training outline, tips and tricks and materials for MTs moving into the Editor role."
I'd charge at least what I would lose in production spending time on this, but any idea of an hourly rate? The company is moving into a VR platform.
I charge
.10 a line but all my work is done over the internet. I open an e-mail and then e-mail the work back so it does not cost me anything extra. I haven't been doing this for very long, so I am probably not the one to be giving advice, but I did want to make sure you are putting all these expenses on your taxes. You can even log your driving time, these are just things I didn't know when I first began.
I charge 12 cpl as well.
I provide 48-hour turnaround. Instead of raising your rate, why not ask if you can pick-up every two days? I believe that some charge up to 14 cpl. It all depends on the practice.
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