Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Me thinks you are way off base.

Posted By: see message on 2008-02-25
In Reply to: MTs have been responsible for their own DEMISE. (sm) - chrissy

You may want to find a new career.  When you refer to drop in for an hour or two, you are speaking about ICs who in no way are any less professional than you are working from your home as an employee.  Some MTs work from a typing pool meaning they can take a job at a time and make money in that fashion as a contribution to the household (paying bills I might add).  Many professions offer at home employment.  We are not the only ones.  I think you have a bad attitude and should probably find somewhere else to drone in your sorrows.  Many of us here are professionals even at home with a husband and children.  It kind of sounds like you are jealous about husbands that make money and have insurance.  You may want to re-think what you are saying in regards to MTs working from home and not being considered a professional.  In my experience, my friends and relatives are envious of my being able to make a living from my home office, so I'm not sure who you have that talks about you to where you cannot defend yourself, but that is usually a psyhiatric entity called paranoia.  Sorry to say, but you make as much as you'd like as long as you can "hang with the big dogs".  If you are not making enough money, then that is for you to either take some courses in typing and anatomy or just go with the flow.  To blame at home MTs is way off base.   


Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

You are WAY off base ...
WE don't have any control over any such thing at all.

The MAIN focus is patient care. We're part of the team that helps document that care but that's it.

I do NOT want such politics playing in my healthcare as a patient, I can tell you that.

Those physicians are very intelligent and educated and we need them. I know US physicians that are far worse dictators. The US is a melting pot (I believe Eyetype has already stated this all so eloquently); that is what we are made up of and will continue to be.

Get over it. We just don't have that much power...NOR SHOULD WE.
We have 500 at a base already SM

As early as today, the Ft. Custer Training Center, a fenced-in military base just west of Battle Creek, will become home to 500 Hurricane Katrina evacuees.


I don't think you could be any more off base

Just getting my power back and being able to access the internet after Wilma, I know exactly what it's like.  We're in an area that had to ride out the whole eyewall front, side, and back.  At least with the eye going overhead you get a 2 to 3-hour break.  We didn't.  Our power went out in the early morning hours before the storm even hit and we JUST got it back.   The east coast of FL where I am was told to expect a cat. 1 storm by the time it reached us.   Usually that means limited power outages with restoration of power within 24 to 48 hours.   The eye made landfall over the Everglades and it was moving so quickly that by the time it got to us it was still a cat. 3, and with the forward motion of the storm at 25-30 mph, it intensified the wind gusts to a cat. 4 in some areas.   This was much different than the storm we were expecting.


We've got more than enough water and canned goods to last us, and DS joked that we had enough batteries to power a third-world country.  But, we were on the verge of being out of fuel for the grill, camp stove, and lantern, out of batteries for the flashlights and radios, NO ice whatsoever because there is no way that ice will last for 3 days.  Think about preparing for the storm.  If you buy or make ice and your power goes out before the storm even hits, that means day 1 is over before the storm is even over.  By the end of day 2 (which is considered storm day 1 by FEMA) your ice is already starting to melt.  By FEMA day 3, you're already ending your 4th day and beginning your 5th.  Any perishables you had are long gone. 


In Broward County we were promised that ice would be delivered by 2 p.m. on the day after the storm (which had already been almost 48 hours since preparations were completed and the power went out).  People had been waiting in line since 6 a.m. that morning.   By 8:00 that evening the lines were already 1000s of people long and the ice hadn't arrived yet.  Some people's medications had already gone 24 hours without refrigeration by that point.  It was at that point that the announcement was made that ice wouldn't even be delivered to our area by FEMA until the next day. 


So while it may seem to you that all those people are just standing there with their hands out, it isn't quite the picture you paint it.  Ice was more importance than the water and the MREs, but FEMA doesn't let you take 1 without the other.  So while it looks to you that all those people were waiting for meals because they didn't prepare, the majority of them were waiting for ice because what we had was long gone. 


Coming originally from an area that was well known for blizzards in the winter time, the preparation for hurricanes is a lot different.  In the blizzards when the power went out there were blankets for warmth and indoor natural gas stoves for cooking.  Perishables could be placed outside and ice would keep for days.  Frozen goods would stay frozen.  Not so in Florida.  Until you've actually gone through it you don't really appreciate the difference.  And until you've actually gone through it, you're in no position to judge "all those people" waiting for handouts.


Way off base

Hopefully you answered to the wrong poster as she said nothing about investing in anything to help her KEEP the account she doesn't have it.  If not, you are way off base and rude.    Most of us charge by the line normally and it depends where you live and what you will be providing, printing, is it pick up and delivery, etc.   What kind of doctor, etc.  But most of the time between 12 and 15 cpl, I am at the lower end but that is me.    


Wow someone who thinks outside the box
call the media!

Too many are too willing to give up the tiny bit of privacy remaining...


The doc who thinks
every new sentence is a new paragraph and/or the one who says 'period, new line' after every sentence.  Is this a really pervasive dictating annoyance? Or is it just me? 
As one who does QA and thinks
the quality of US MTs is POOR, POOR, how do you find the offshoring MTs work to be? I mean this seriously.

I read on and India site that it only took weeks to be a MT.

Sometimes when I am working I think there is no way an Indian MT can do this.

So, how do they measure up? What is our competition really like?
Am I the only one who thinks this odd?

Job post stating they are looking for really good QAs and would be willing to hire newbies for this position............ 


Frankly, I don't think I would care for a newbie, who basically is still learning themselves, to be put in charge of QA of my work, especially if THEY have it all wrong, due to lack of experience, and that counts against me!


 


What company are you currently at, what is your base
pay, and how many years experience do you have?  Me, i'm 10+ years, MQ, 9.5 cpl.  Wondering if i'm at the top of the scale and the only way to go is down?  I hate switching jobs as it is, was back and forth between Edix and MQ, pros and cons of each, but I want BIG BUCKS!!!!!
Does anyone have any idea what my base pay

will end up being on the new payment plan?  I do clinical and ER reports/discharge summaries.  I've been a Transcriptionist for 8 yrs (worked with them for six).   I currently make 8 CPL as it is.  


I really  need to know what I might make with this new plan.  I NEED THE MONEY.  I SURVIVE ON THIS PAYCHECK.  Nervous as all he** right now. 


Obviously not part of the base of
..
I am making 8 cpl base
I average 1800 to 2000 lines per day and gross 40K with just 8 cpl with incentive and that's not including any overtime. Maybe my production is above average, but my pay rate certainly is not.   
Again, you can't base your rates on what
Are you an MTSO yourself, Suzanne? I would say not because if you were, you'd know there are just too many variables. How do they charge? 65-char. line or gross line? Are they paying for spaces or no spaces? What kind of account is it? What supplies will you need to service the account? What equipment will you use and what kind of maintenance does it need? Will you need to hire SCs to work on the account? All of those things will make a HUGE difference. For example, a gross line at 8 cpl is actually more like 10 cpl using a 65 char. count (do the math and you'll see). Saying one MTSO charges 15 cpl and another charges 13 cpl is not comparing oranges to oranges unless their account specs are identical, which you cannot be sure of from an anonymous MB.

You take all of the above into consideration and come up with a line rate for each client on a per-client basis. The only time you need to worry what others are charging is to see whether you are competitive or not. Find out what you need to make and if it happens to be too far above what others in the area charge, you can negotiate a little in order to obtain the business.

I do not undercut myself because I do all of the above and charge what I need to charge for each client in order to turn a profit. I couldn't care less what other MTSOs charge in MI and MO. I know the market in my area and each person needs to consider that when branching out on their own.
Sure, base it off of 1 experience....
that makes a whole lot of sense .  You must be the same person who said Radiology was an "easy specialty," right?
I would certainly base my decision around what
What are your hobbies or activities that you really enjoy? Look for a way to find training/employment in those areas.

It's not too late to go back to school at all. Though it will take some time and investment. You might discover your perfect interest along the way!

I'd open an Internet Cafe that serves gourmet baked goods, sandwiches, etc. :)


No. Someone who thinks they are "cute" is having fun
trying to derail the thread and irritate others.

COokies are done! Pouring the milk!!

Goodnight, the real Laurie and the real Michelle! I've had fun!!!

Curdled milk and burnt cookies to the silly ones trying to upset everyone! LOL
Mig was too pretty for them. Am I the only one who thinks (sm)

that Marty looks like a drug addict?


Anyway, I think they made a good choice.


Me thinks you have burned one too many..
I'm also in agreement with the movement to legalize marijuana, but come on--do you think this group shares your views? Save your passion for the petitions.


she thinks it is "cute"
Ever know one of those women who thinks it is cute to curse? I feel like she probably has not always been this way. She seems to try to use them for dramatic effect. She only knows 5 of them but every time she says a curse word she says it louder than the rest of her sentence. It is about as cute as Grandma cursing. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Thanks for the advice.
Just wondering what everyone thinks about this...

I work in the office.  We are being taken over by a larger hospital.  The larger facility is putting their people in the management positions, which is fine.  At our smaller hospital, we have not had the opportunity to work from home, but with the merger, the plan is to send us all home to work by the end of the year and I think that is fabulous!  What concerns me is this, they watch their at-home people like  hawks.  They actually print out a daily report on each Transcriptionist (40+) that lists every single job they did that day and how long they spent in each report typing.  So, say you have a 5 minute H&P and you took 30 minutes to type it, they basically call you up and want to know why it took you so long to type this report.  Their reasoning is they pay us hourly and they don't want to pay us for sitting at home watching television.  I completely understand that, but I am a very productive MT and really don't like the idea of having to account for every minute of my day if I am producing at least the minimum.  Having said that, they also offer a very nice incentive plan where we get a per line rate for anything above the minimum.  So why the need to micromanage like they do? 


In my opinion, if your people are producing at least the minimum and if you have a very competitive incentive plan in place, then why not just check productivity on everyone at the end of each pay period and counsel anyone not producing at least the minimum and if necessary, take disciplinary action and just leave it at that?  Why check every single report to make sure we aren't taking too long on one report and risk upsetting your productive MTs who maybe got distracted by a phone call or something on that one report, but still produced what they were supposed to produce when the day was done?


I've been looking around at other jobs just to see what is out there and have lined up some very promising prosects, but none that offer an incentive plan comparable to the one at my current job.  I just wonder is the incentive money worth the added stress of having someone virtually looking over my shoulder all day long?  They are definitely sending the message that we are going to be asked to justify every bathroom break, every sinle distraction throughout our day, no matter if we get the job done or we don't. 


Just wondered what insight other MTs might have on this issue.


Just wondering what everyone thinks
Like you said, you are a "very productive MT." I wouldn't worry about it. The ones who should worry are the ones who screw off. This will be a new venture for the hospital and they will watch very carefully for a while to see how it goes. As long as you are meeting the requirements I wouldn't be concerned. Give it a try and see what happens.
Thanks, misha! My DH thinks that

it would help clear up DS's skin if he sat in the sun some every day, or even used a tanning bed as someone below said, although I'd be worried for him to do that because he has light skin, light blue eyes and blond hair - it was so light it was that white-blond when he was a baby/toddler.  So obviously he has very fair skin and features so I worry about the risk of skin cancer.


But your link sounds like something different and I will check that out.  Thanks for taking the time to research for me!


Finally someone who thinks like I do! sm

I never understood how Bucky even got in the top 12!  What drove me nuts the most was was his inability to speak clearly!  I really laughed when Ryan said "I have no idea what you just said" and when Kenny Rogers said he needed to enunciate or the song wasn't going to make any sense.


Bucky just really had a skeevy look to me...like I wouldn't leave a child alone with him.


Base for the ball chairs
I actually bought my exercise ball/chair through ebay and it came with a base which has a small back support as well as wheels.  It works out great.
Thank you your reply. He/she says the client base
is there and I know the funding is there. The plan is in its early stages, but they are ready to go forward and will. I can't decide whether this is something I want to get involved in or not and I appreciate your input!
Don't base your quote on rates

Why are you a better deal than anyone else?  It's not because of rate, it's because you care about your work and you're reliable -- what else?


ASK them what they've been paying -- they won't know because they probably won't understand their invoice.  Ask them to send you a copy of the invoice.  Reply to me privately if you need to, I'll help you figure it out. 


But even if you get that, keep the focus of the discussion off price, keep it on your quality, your caring, your reliability, what you can offer them.  Do you buy EVERYTHING based on price?  If not, think about the things you buy based on quality and base your letter on that. 


If your sole value is because you have the lowest price, you're fighting a losing battle.


Our president has even alienated his own base.

I visit a local political board that is primarily conservative (something I am totally not, but it's still fun to go watch the "fireworks") and even the hardcore Republicans are peeved at him.  Apparently this immigration "amnesty" bill he's pushing has really not settled very well with his "peeps."  I didn't vote for him twice, so my conscience is clear, but I still think he's a tool, president or not.  I never had respect for him and never will.  I know I am not alone either and I'm sorry if that offends you, but I'm exercising one of the primary freedoms that our poor soldiers are dying and getting wounded for--freedom of speech. 


This is my base rate for surgeries sm
I have an incentive program, I can make more, but this is my base rate. I had this rate at another company where I did OPs for 4 yrs and I made really good money at it typing just outpatient surgical notes (6 hours a day, 1500-1700 lines a day average during that shift).

In point of fact, it is much easier to get normals set up for this situation than for OPs in a hospital because you have fewer doctors and fewer different procedures.
maybe spray outside the house around the base? NM
.
not everyone thinks nationals are awful.
i have worked for 4. two were terrible, one was okay, one great.

the one that was okay and the one that was great made you put up a deposit on the computer stuff and if you didn't get it back to them in good shape they kept it. i think that is fair. costs a lot of money to do that.

all 4 of the companies i worked for checked references. i had to test on terms, meds, and then do a transcription test for 3 of the companies.

the 2 that were terrible - i just did not like their software (1 sent me a computer that wouldn't work so they sent another one and it wasn't very fast at all). it wasn't really anything they did. i just didn't care for how their stuff ran.

i think all of them are decent companies. beats the hospitals i've worked for. beats getting in the car for a drive everyday in pantyhose and heels and listening to coworkers gripe about what they're not getting and having to work when they want you to.
she thinks she is "the mama"
riiiiiggghhht.
Me thinks 5th graders would think it's really dumb. nm
x
I have been doing this for 12 years and still to-this-day my sister thinks she can just come over
to my house any time and visit while I am working !!!!! .  I know they think, Well, she is just typing, she can do that any time.  Taken for granit is right and I have tried and tried to re-educate people on this but get nowhere. I just end up being the bad guy for not offering to baby sit or something.  Well, you will be there, can they just say with you.  I think I should have sent my 6- month -old to my sister's house one night (when he was 6 months-old) after crying all night with colic,  and said well, you will be here, can he just stay with you..  You can't sleep when a six month old is a different house especially if he is sick and you can't work either!! DUH!
Just annoyed that he so smugly thinks I will be - sm
unemployed in the near future! You see, I have been happily married for 8 years and despite great effort on his part, he has not been able to cause many problems. My daughter has next to nothing to do with him because of the way he treats her. He really just wants to see us unhappy and in a bad situation.
Who thinks Mick Jagger is still hot??

she should look at apply for section 8. I thinks its through the
housing development of the city she resides.
my family thinks the same thing...
I even had a friend call me the other day (who I thought understood what it is I do all day) asking if I could get his significant other a job because he does medical billing and can type fast...LOL...I guess no one will understand the working at home aspect except those who actually work at home....
Consulting dr. doesnt say but says he thinks
x
Thank you AllieCat. I'm at home IC. Me thinks
``
me thinks we have all been working alone too long
We gotta get out more. Poor Kiki.
It is a startup company with base in Phillipines. That is all I know! nm
x
I've used it. There are a ton of knowledge base forums out there
where you can research your results.
Thanks, Mardi. My base rate is .085, so the most I am paid . . .
is .095 a line, whether it be 16,000 or 20,000 lines per pay period. I try to get 1800-2000 lines a day, or 9000-10,000 lines a week. This is for employee status, 1st shift, acute care, with 15+ years' experience.

I have seen so many job listings only requiring 5000-6000 lines a week and a line rate of .07-.09, and figured my .095/line was about average. If I can do better than this, please let me know!!!

I just assumed the low line requirements were due to the fact that anything more than that was impossible, whether it be due to ESL dictators, complicated platform, or just the lack of work. I would love to know of any MTSOs that can provide enough work for my production level with a better line rate. Thanks again!!
Is it at the thumb base? I had mine x-rayed, and it
NSAIDs and wearing typing gloves seems to help. Also, after the initial 1-2 yrs. of constant pain, it did settle down considerably, now only hurts if I use my hands for twisting, such as opening jars, wringing out wet washcloths or laundry, or using screwdrives instead of a power drill bit to assemble, dissasemble things. I also have a lot of pain riding a bike. I padded the handlebars as much as possible, and try to ride with the the sorer of the 2 thumbs resting on top of the handle bar with my other fingers, not gripping it.

Anyway, good luck, and hopefully it'll settle down in a few months!
My family probably thinks elves clean up after them - sm
As I try to do all the picking up, etc. after everyone is in bed. Granted I can't vacuum then but most of the junk is picked up and put away, including the laundry. My husband wants to hire someone, I really don't want a stranger in my house though. Also my husband fails to understand that they will not pick up his dirty clothes, or put his stuff away where it belongs, etc., and that you actually have to straighten up a bit before someone comes in to clean for you. What he wants is a maid who will do what I won't!....maybe after we win the Mega Millions, right?
Me thinks so too. Snowman poop is for babies. :)

My hubby thinks he's another Rock Hudson - NM
??
U to be right but me thinks thou doth protest
x
Dolfan you are so far off base you are foolish. I don't troll these boards and don't come her

that often. I am baby-sitting and I can be on the computer on and off today.  Can't work.   I don't know what you are talking about trolling when there is a discussion going on with people's taste in men.   You are LOL with your "wisdom" and "insight" on trolls. 


PS:  Sorry if you like girlie men.  Didn't mean to offend you.  It is what it is and the unisex look is okay for some, male and female.


 


you are soooooo off base, it really is funny. i am a single woman who
runs my own household. i try to surround myself with smart people, or at least as smart as myself. i am not threatened by anything but the dumbing down of america and lots of that can be seen in situation comedy for the masses. i raised four boys, all of whom are doing very well in life and i can do things i can't do and know things i do not. i am not threatened by them. i enjoy them. i am a student of life even at my age and want to learn and be amused not at the expense of someone else, male, minority, blonds, etc.
Mayo Clinic in AZ has an ad for in-house MT in Advance Mag, $19/hr base pay. sm

Plus shift diff and bonus, plus $1000 sign-on bonus, and relocation $. What a great offer if it's true.