Nickel and dime accounts/misc charges
Posted By: Patti on 2007-09-27
In Reply to: Pricing - Lillybelle
I do not nickel and dime my accounts to death. What I charge per line covers my time of delivery, printing, cutting apart chart notes, reruns when needed, etc. If you hit them with this charge and that charge they very well could look elsewhere that just gives one price for everything, all included. Simplicity. Sure just like now I scanned a tape to do a STAT H&P for surgery but the doctor did it on the hospital line and did not write it down as he usually does, yes it took me 10 to 15 minutes but will I charge them NO. WHY because yesterday I made $130 in less than two hours on their account and I received my checks one day after invoicing. I invoice on the 25th, receive check today and it was due until the 1st. And also they treat me like one of the team and appreciate what I do. But you do what you need to do but if you keep it simple without all the extra charges, they will like you better. You have to figure your nonbillable time into your rate. Good luck. Patti
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1099-MISC
I am an IC and received 2 1099-MISC from the companies I work for, but the amounts were off by $2000 each. Has this ever happened to anyone else?
1099-MISC is what you issue to her (sm)
Also, you cannot download a copy of the form you need to file. You have to use the IRS form because 1099s are OCR'd into the system so the paper has to be the exact correct size. You'll likely have to call and order the forms unless you have an IRS office near you.
what gives on 1099-MISC form?
The MTSO I worked with last year as an IC says they just got their 1099-MISC forms and are in the "process" of mailing them out. I checked on the web and it "seems" that the government has extended the time to mail them out to 02/15...anyone else know of this? I can't do my taxes until I receive that blasted form. GRRRRRR!!!!!
If I had a nickel for every doc I have ever
s
I most certainly never docked an MT a single dime SM
for errors or blanks. That is completely insane (I know companies do it, and my hospital used to do it till I took the helm).
For the nickel allergy, you can paint
the metal with clear nail polish. I do that where my watch sits against my skin - one of my MDs suggested it.
I have very mild eczema, and my skin likes the new Ivory soap that has aloe vera in it.
I presume you reuse your nickel otherwise - sm
many here would need 200+ rolls of nickels a day to do this. I use a timer to increase my speed. I set it for 30 minutes and see how many minutes of work on a particular doctor I can get done in that time. I generally average 8-9 minutes in 30 minutes which for me is a good amount. I am trying to do it all the time now so I work smarter and faster.
Anybody can anonymously 'drop a dime'
on anyone in this type of situation - relatives, nosy (possibly vindictive) neighbors, a nurse in the ER who doesn't think the doc is doing his duty, store security, people in a public parking lot who only get a license plate number. Obviously the more detailed and specific the information, the more seriously the report will be taken.
Doctors are obligated to report if they suspect abuse and if what the doc dictated led you to suspect abuse, the doc probably did as well. There's just no telling if he actually did follow through on this. Generally, when I have transcribed such a report the doc has actually said that a report would be made to the proper agency. It's right in the report.
The doctor's account of the situation would carry far more weight than yours, especially as you would be unable to give many details. If you decide to make the call, don't forget to block caller ID on it. If you don't subscribe to that feature for all your calls, dial *67 before dialing the number. That way nothing should come back to bite you. It's only self-protection.
I hope "sm" got my apology about the nickel.
nm
The reason I don't tip is because I NEVER have a dime on me. I don't carry cash, ever! I don&#
debit card and it's been like that for 4 years. I use a check or credit card for EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!
MTSOs are a dime a dozen, but your kids are not. - sm
I'd have no problem at all postponing the training time with THEM, since they had already done it to ME! The kids are only kids for so long, and I think it would be more important to honor a promise made to them for swimming night, than to be further strung along by the company. The people at your new job are perfect examples of what happens if people grow up not learning to honor their promises & commitments. So in your same shoes, I'd keep my promise to the kids, which will help them to learn to keep theirs, as well. And I'd tell the MTSO what time is convenient for ME to have them train me. They deserve nothing more until they've earned it.
My DH paid every dime of his bachelor's degree working....
36 hours a week and going to school. How did he do it? He didn't get involved in serious relationships because knee he would get sidetracked and wouldn't have the time to devote to school. It also helped that he lived in California where state college tuition is reasonable. For his master's degree, he borrowed the money from his father (only about 4,000) and paid every cent back right away (this was after we were married and had 2 kids).
Glad it works for you... but I think you need to raise your rate and at least do a dime! nm
nm
Given their track record, I woudn't give them a dime
They had their chance, and all they did was take advantage of the people they claim to 'represent'.
Sure could. It was a nickel and a penny. Then they made King Size Cokes that you SM
had to pay a dime for. Cigarettes were 28 cents. You put in a quarter and a nickel (the machine) and you got a pack of cigarettes with two pennies in the cellophane. Ugh. I'm really telling on myself here.
If allergic to nickel, then avoid green beans, broccoli, peas, etc.
I have that same allergy, had problems with the old metal zippers, snaps, etc.
This is a link for metal/nickel allergy
http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/nickel-allergy.html
How about zillions of accounts. MQ has these accounts so overloaded even the new hires dont have any
work. I would love to read some of these reports and then they expect perfect QA and no blanks. Did they lose their minds completely.
Charges
I would really like to see the opinion of some of those who are so upset to see what they would do if they were running a MTSO and what they would charge to the client, pay the transcriptionist, pay for overhead, pay for QA and see what kind of a profit they would make. I have only a small company and still have to take 30% plus type myself to make it worth while to cover the "non billable" hours that I put it. So if you are upset at getting only 9 cents per line what would you do if you ran the company?
charges
 Tapes just switching to digital, depending on their volume 11.5 to 12.5 gross line. I pick up and deliver, cut chart notes apart. But great accounts and would not charge more as don't want to lose them. Gross 55K per year with 6 docs. Put in about 24 - 26 hours per week with delivery, printing, etc. Pay on time, Christmas bonus, and have been with me for 5 to 15 years.
Charges
At least this company is being up front and telling you what they are charging the company and you do not have to wonder what they make off the account. If you are making .975 per line that is pretty good pay for a sub/IC especially if you have the same account/docs, etc and can get down your shortcuts. I am upfront with most of my subs/IC and tell them what portion I take for myself if they ask. Don't hide anything. You do not get rich off of having subs working for you when you pay a fair wage and that is why I expect good quality work.
Patti
Charges
I have done seminars, interviews, and court proceedings as they use a tape recorder or a CD recorder now. I charge a little more than my regular accounts as it is a one time shot but still charge 11 to 13 cents per gross line depending on the difficulty of the tapes/digital file.s
Patti
charges
Even though they pay most of your expenses, our cost of living has gone up. It was hard for me to raise mine but I did and they did not say anything. I try to figure out what I am making an hour and see how that goes. But I hate raising 0.05 per line and so I usually do 1 cent every 2-3 years. I have more expenses that you but still like I said the cost of living still goes up and I am sure that they have raised their rates in the past two years. But again, it all boils down to what you are making per hour and if that is okay with you then keep it and raise it if you are happy. I still charge pretty low according the standards on this board but I make good money per hour and just cannot justify raising it to the 15 to 16 cpl if I am comfortable with what I am making per hour. I am the one that I have to live with.
Patti
PA charges ..
I cannot tell you who might have the information, but I do know that the State of PA charges a tax for MT services. You might want to call their Dept. of Revenue and inquire .. it would not be pleasant to get hit with it down the road and you know that you are then guilty without recourse save for paying!
charges
Lots of time with a speciality you will be able to set up a lot of templates, normals or wharevery you call them as they do the same thing or say the same thing over and over. So with that in mind, I try to figure out what I need to make hourly and figure that out into a cpl. It will be slower at first but as you get going you will make more since you will be used to the docs, etc. I keep my charges lower than a lot but I make enough per hour to cover all my cost. Out here in Oregon there are people charging .15 to .18 cpl but I am still at .115 to .12 cpl and I make good money and have good accounts. But I am also gross line. That is how I started out 18 years ago and have kept it that way and since two of my accounts have been with me for those 18 years they know no difference. Again, look at the big picture and see what you need to make. With all of the Expanders that we have now and the normals, etc. especially for clinic notes and repetitive docs, you can make good money at 11 to 12 cpl. Slower at first but it will get better. Good luck.
Charges
Again more info is needed when asking this question. Need to know gross or character per line, margins, font used,tTAT, etc. Are you contracting with a MTSO company or the insurance company? Sometimes they let you know what they will be paying you. What type of reports? Tapes or voice files? Do you print or send back E-mail or what? Are they interviews or finished reports? You need to get samples of the work, ask a few more questions unless you know the above answers already. But BALLPARK figure would be 0.12 to 0.14 per line but again depends on gross versus cpl and what type of reports. I never quote a price without seeing what I will be typing. Do a search as this subject has come up many, many times. Patti
charges, TAT
Charge for pick up and delivery is in my cpl charge. I do 24 hour TAT. I have a locked briefcase I put the tapes in, in the trunk of the car if I stop anywhere. Not many allow 48 TAT at least to my knowledge. You pick up Friday's tape on Monday and return on Tues.
Charges
I do daily pick up and delivery, print, cut apart chart notes on sticky paper, envelopes, and charge .125 cpl. But this is Oregon and might be a little lower. But I look more at what I am making per hour and I can average 400 to 500 lines per hour depending on how many consults, OPs, that I have. If I suddenly went to .16 cpl I think that they would be looking for someone else. Perhaps not. But I make good money and cannot justify raising it right now. But go for it all they can say is "no, we will look elsewhere". But again figure out what you make per hour and see how that goes. Never did like charging by the page. Good luck, let us know what they say.
Charges
Can you get copies of the templates or a report to see how many lines there are or an approximate time to do a report. Also will you have to retype the templates or will he give them to you? Also you don't know how many he will make minor changes so that could be time consuming. But I would probably do per page or report making sure that you equal out to $20 to $25 per hour. When doing hourly they are always questioning if that time was spent and with page or report, there is no question. But again without actually doing one, you are shooting in the dark for a price and be sure that he knows that the price could change if you find it is more work that it sounds. Like I said, many templates are changed and sometimes that takes time and can screw up an entire report. Good luck.
Charges....sm
Be careful, when you go over bytes that they allow you, they usually charge a per byte used to connect to the internet......and it can get VERY expensive if you use the net a lot.
Line charges
I had this done to me as well. From experience 1) be aware she will dump you. 2) Look for another account. 3) Be the dumper instead of the dumpee. Just go along to get along and get rid of them.
How are other MTs doing phone charges?..sm
With AT&T/SBC telling some of us it will now be 3 or 5 cents per minute because we are a business, how are MTs being able to afford paying anywhere from 400 to 600 per month in phone charges?
How are others doing this? I know i would literally have to take on more work just to pay that bill.
Any feedback on what others do....
Dot
Phone charges
I don't know what anyone else is doing, but I'm contacting Lisa Madigan, Dick Durbin, and Barack Obama. I was told by SBC's business office that I am not a business.
phone charges
But you are using it to generate an income and they will consider that a business. Sorry that is the way that they think -- you are not conducting personal matters but matters to generate an income. Do you deduct your phone charges on your income tax form? This is not the way I think but they way that they think. I do not use my phone anymore than a residential but because I am an independent contractor, I must register as a business and my Comcast cable Internet Provider, my phone line is double that of a residential person -- have been paying double for almost 20 years. They will get every and any penny that they can.
They were federal charges
go to a halfway house first, but I thought surely that the prison could tell me something, if that was the case?! They just said he was out of custody and that's all they could tell me. Thanks for the encouragement...it's appreciated!
AT&T/C-phone charges
My advice, get rid of AT&T, they suddenly, after taking over SBC, wanted to charge me 10 cents per telephone use while using my C-phone, said it was not considered a telephone call, but that data was being sent over line, so, another one bites the dust with them..am now with "WOW" for a 1/3 the cost and is great service.
Can I write off all my DSL charges
on taxes. I assumed I could, but now somebody is telling me not if I use it for personal stuff that I would have to figure out how much I used it for personal, and how much I used it for work. Of course I wouldn't have DSL if work did not require it, so why should I not be able to write off the whole cost.
And do you know charges different according to where you live?
My rates for landline very high as compared to a person I know in smaller town, same thing, theirs was less than 20 and mine more than 40. Asked person at AT&T about this and waa told yes, it does make a difference in the charges.
MTSO charges
I do not believe that no one on this board knows how much is charged - I believe no one wants to say - I think that MTs, either employees or ICs would leave under great numbers if all was known about any MTSO. I knew of one company that charged the client $25 per hour during the week and $27.50 on the weekends - that was to work in-house - some of the MTs were making $17.50 straight - weekday or weekend while others were making $11.00 - so you see - it varies and the MTSO's main concern is how much they are making - not so much what the MT is making - which is why we no longer make the money we used to - plus the outsourcing - but I know that it takes a lot more time to make any money than it used to.
really, that's what offshore charges?
are you kidding??? I work for a hospital in California and get paid 10 cents per 65 character line... i would hope that I am getting paid more than ESL workers!
Hahaha You mean a wooden nickel -- worthless! Hahaha
:)
Appropriate charges for hospital SR editing? SM
As a service owner providing transcription services (medical records, not pathology or radiology) to a large hospital, I was informed recently that the hospital is moving to speech recognition over the next couple of years. I foresee this to be a giant fiasco in general, but my specific question is this… I am wondering about my charges to the hospital and how they will/should be affected? I know the “powers that be” will expect me to lower my per line rate for SR editing (they currently pay 16 cpl for transcription), but I don’t have any idea what is appropriate. Has anyone had experience with such a scenario? Any input will be greatly appreciated.
My vet charges a $5 Prescription writing fee. (nt)
JLG charges $3.00 per minute of dictation.
I was shocked to see that my hospital was paying $3.00 per dictated minute to JLG. As contractors, we only got $1.50 per minute.
And if there were charges filed and case goes
to court then it would be beneficial to have "rape" documented. I still can't believe that anyone thought it was necessary to change the wording.
data processing...medical charges
okay, so I've been doing medical data processing for a clinic for the past four months and the office lifestyle is NOT for me. Does anyone have information on work at home medical billing? I sure would like a nudge in the right direction. Thanks!
OMG - this company only CHARGES 1/cent a line. WTF?
What is this???/!!!!!!!!
 .....quick, shoot them before they multiply!
_______________
http://usatasp.com/
"At a cost of only 1 cent per line, USA Tasp offers a Secure Web Enabled environment, which allows Medical Transcription Service Owner the ability to manage their dictations, transcription, quality of the medical record, invoicing, and payroll.
So, whether you have 5,000 lines per month or 500,000 lines per month, be assured that your cost per line remains the same."
irrelevant what MTSO charges the customer...
as long as you feel the price they pay you is sufficient for you. nuff said.
I don't believe anyone charges 45 cpl. Why would anyone hire them at that rate? Name names or
:+
Charge what the bank or library charges. nm
The accounts are old and she keeps her accounts TRUSTING she hired the right MTs
who if in doubt will ask questions regarding reports. No one can find all mistakes in all reports and that is human to have a report with perhaps a typo. You think anyone reads through all the reports of a national company before they get to the hospital? Not a chance. Some random QA is supposed to correct all mistakes? Not hardly. Doctors/dictators make mistakes too. We all do. So do QA people. So the thing is this person hires good people who are trustworthy, the hospital likes the way she does their account and life goes on quite nicely w/o hovering editors/QA people. BTW, who QAs the QA people on your accounts. Ever wonder?
You can file mail fraud charges, plus contact her
local police/sheriff department and file a claim. It may take you a while to get your money back, if ever, but she may go to jail.
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