One from MQ, and in it a letter addressed from the lawyers
Posted By: to all statutory MTs on 2005-08-01
In Reply to: Who sent you the paperwork? MQ or MQMT attorneys? - MQr
I am just afraid the rug is going to be yanked completely from under us, and I have no plan B. The changing of management, no raises, and losing accounts is nothing new, but my biggest fear is being sold and being at the mercy of a lower pay plan, worse rules, etc., i'm comfy where I am.
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I think presenting a letter addressed to him and/or the office manager to submit to him is very
appropriate. That is exactly how I presented it as I was having a hard time thinking how to say and what to say. It was much easier to "plead my case" on paper. Go for it.
If it's a business letter you use a colon. if it's a personal letter you use a comma. nm
:
lawyers
i'm thinking about doing the same thing as well before I cash the check. I could use the money now, but I want to be assured that they're not doing something underhanded again!!
I have seen so many lawyers who are
supposedly reputable who sit on cases until statutes run out and get it in at the last minute.
Yours sounds like one of that type and so sorry you got him, but you can file a complaint with your state legal society or whatever your state calls it. This is not a new happening with lawyers. I don't know how much he charged you, but I would request some of that money back being as you paid him based on the fact that you were going to be the one filing for divorce and because he sat on it, you became the respondent to that divorce action. As far as your car, that can be amended, but it brings additional attention to this item if he wants to fight it, but you need to get it done. Just take yourself to another attorney, tell him the reason you want to switch, and see if he can request attorney's fees from your husband being as he is the one who filed first and initiated the divorce proceedings.
You might ask him about how to handle the current lawyer situation, but most lawyers do not like to go against other lawyers in their town or city. That is something they really hate to do, so your best bet there is to call your state's disciplinary board for lawyers.
was the post addressed to YOU?....sm
Have you got a life, yourself, by the way? 
All the lawyers I called said
this was not a big case in the sense that a) I didn’t die, b) I was not disfigured in any way and so forth. They said it was not a big enough case and that basically elective surgery and juries would not be sympathetic with me.
Another topic that might be addressed
in this context would be the potential for identity theft. I am sure that if I, without a larcenous bone in my body, could think of the following scenario, others could too.
Suppose an unscrupulous overseas MTSO "contracted" with an ID theft ring in the US to supply names and SS numbers harvested from medical records.
This MIGHT have already happened to me; there's no way to know for certain. But last August, I went to the local GI clinic for "that procedure" that they recommend for everyone over 50. I used my credit card for my copayment, of course.
I happen to know from my local MT contacts that this practice offshored its work to India a few years ago.
Not too long after my procedure, I received several dubious "male enhancement vitamin" products in the mail. Huh? And then my credit card was charged for the products. Since I didn't order them, the credit card company reversed the charges. The identity thief was too stupid to actually change the mailing address, in addition to thinking that the "vitamins" would perform as advertised. (Anybody want 'em? I still have them. I wasn't going to pay to ship them back, no way.)
The timing of this COULD be sheer coincidence... but it's just a little suspicious to me. My credit card number was stolen from SOMEWHERE.
This town is small enough that if my local congress-critter (and his wife) have had "that procedure," they probably had it done at the same practice where I did.... I do believe I shall write him a letter; but I will have to compose it in words of one syllable or less, because he is really, really stupid.
Yup, I addressed this with the company I work for,
and they said they would crack down on it. But did they?
And mom isn't doing such a hot job of picking husbands, either. THAT should be addressed. nm
x
I consulted several lawyers, all told me the same
that in essence, I had brought this on myself as it was elective. I must have called 10 or so, same story. You know, this did not break me financially - hurt me that I felt the pressure not to press forward with recouping my money and then for him to dictate it just like it was all done. I probably more than likely have discarded any materials pertaining to this in years past as I told my present hubby just wanted to let it go. What goes around comes around is the way I look at things. Thanks
I also noticed that they *finally* addressed....sm
the issue of generic versus brand name drugs and state that generics should not be capped. One thing that drove me nuts, but nothing to back me up.
More about phrases as other poster addressed
Since the dictators seem to say the same thing in so many different ways, I have found I often have to add a a bit extra, and it would have been easier if I had thought of that when I first started making Expanders so I would have started right off being very consistent.
For an example CTDW, CSTDW, CDTDW = (respectively) continue to do well, contintues to do well, continued to do well. - It is amazing how many things will overlap or conflict.
Or, they will use a phrase with the word "or" or "and" in it AND without them ...
like, cyanosis, clubbing, edema ... and cyanosis, clubbing, and edema ... Or even worse, they flip the words around to clubbing, cyanosis, and edema.
So many dicators and so many ways of saying the same thing. That is what gets frustrating to me. It's endless.
I totally agree, it reminds me of lawyers. nm
x
You're in such close contact with the lawyers - ask them what many of us did. I owe you no
explanation. The rest of us MTs who went above and beyond "giving our name and email", well, they know what I'm referring to, and that's all that matters to me. Obviously, you're just naively into looking at MQ as the "big bad monster". Believe me, I thought the same way back when, but really jump into the pool and you'll see that things are not quite always as they seem! The suit by the 3 employees - nothing to do with DEP platforms, etc, whole different story than all would have us believe - as in the lawyers. Most of us who were very involved months ago are now just sitting back, seeing where the ride takes us. Very simple really. And if you had been more involved than even you acknowledge, you wouldn't be the LONE poster here, cheering on the lawyers against MQ. Have you noticed per chance you're like the lone voice? As opposed to months ago when there were TONS of voices on your side? Have you begun to wonder WHY we're all silent now? There is so much more to this story than what you are reading. But, I have 100% faith that you'll get where the rest of us are eventually...
I think the best of MQ is over. With the horrendous amount of money going to lawyers and what it
will cost to pay these hospitals that they bilked will be millions and millions. There is no way there is going to be money made with MQ anymore without a tremendous amount of aggravation. I think they will sell out or merge. My office is closing and they told the clients either get on DQS or find another MT company so they are moving on rapidly to something and not sure what. I think they are getting their ducks in a row.
You might try cleaning for MDs or lawyers, might make more money :)
x
It means I saw an email stating this, but it was not addressed to me.
nm
I justed attended a meeting and this was addressed
There are now computers that will be performing surgery. The medical field is changing in ways that are not good, according to the speaker, in that the younger physicians coming into the field are not comparable to physicians of yesterday, generally speaking. He thought it was a good direction, this computerized physician. He also did state that insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have much to say about what goes on in the medical field (they have power/money).
Need to hook up a USB pedal to RealPlayer. I'm sure this has been addressed before. sm
I have a test wave file I need to play. It runs fine from my desktop, but I can't get the pedal to work. I have an Infinity In-USB-1 I just plugged into the hard drive, but it will not play the file. Will this work wtih RealPlayer? TIA.
Were STAT reports addressed in contract? sm
I had a doctor that did this same exact thing. He would procrastinate on doing reports, or just overbook himself so he never had time to dictate, and then when someone called wanting a report, he'd call me to see if I could do it ASAP. Of course, he didn't want to pay extra for this service, though. He would also call me night or day and expect me to drop whatever I was doing for other (better-paying) clients and do his "urgent" report. I go by the old saying that poor planning on his part does not make it an emergency on my part. I will do it for them IF I have the time and IF they pay a higher rate. Otherwise, I will not cater to this behavior because the poster above is right - they will continue to do it as long as you oblige. You have to be the one to set the boundaries. Get voice mail and caller ID if you don't already have and screen your calls. I found that sometimes just waiting a few hours before calling them back allowed them to calm down and realize it's not the end of the world, and they'd then say it was okay to get in by the next day or whatever. Sometimes it's not so much that it's a stat report in terms of the patient's need but that they need it to get paid, in which case they'll sometimes back down if you quote a higher rate or tell them you simply cannot fit it in right then. Same doc would pile me up with a week's worth of dictation and expect it all back in 12 hours, too, so it was an overall mentality with him that he wanted everything done NOW. It wasn't even humanly possible most of the time but try getting them to see that. You should have no social life, after all, and live to work! LOL
Good luck with that. I got rid of the client that did it to me. He felt I should be at his beck and call but argued the rate at every turn, and it wasn't that much to begin with so it wasn't worth the aggravation! Seems like the most demanding ones are usually the biggest cheapskates, too.
neither slow, nor stupid, but I think there are lots of variables that need to be addressed..
such as all the crap some companies want you to put into headers, cc's, etc., and make sure you know every word in the client's profile and check every day to see if anything changed - (of course, they don't PAY for time spent researching client profiles) - it's like "who's on first?"
Personally, I think lawsuits only give lawyers more money
nm
DH and I used to clean lawyers' offices for supplemental income. sm
Made good money. They were very appreciative folks and even gave us a $100 tip at XMAS time. Mind you, we were working for a contractor. Would have made more if we were the contractor. No shame here.
Good things take time. (this is addressed to OP, BTW) My first 15 years or sm
so of MT was without the benefit of using an expander. When Expanders became the norm, I was reluctant to try, thinking that it would be more cumbersome than by not using it at all. Was I surprised and pleased I had ventured into the Expander world.
Since you're at home you can add entries on your free time, even if you do 5 or 10 at a time, when there is no pressure on you. Start out with expanders for "the patient," "-year-old," the names of your doctors, anything that is repetitious. You will be surprised how much time this will save you. My initial expander, PRD, actually calculated saved Keystrokes and productivity. Back then I was saving 30%!
The expander is especially helpful for those crazy terms that are hyphenated or have camel caps, those that I always had to look up to check myself. Create your brief form by just using straight lowercase, for instance, duoneb for Duo-Neb (or d-n).
Speed will come, don't worry. Good luck to you!
(Posted in the wrong place--I always do that!) This is in response to OP.
There is NOTHING to post! The boards were trolled for a long time by the lawyers AGAINST MQ, looking
for any lame info in a very unprofessional (not to mention unethical) manner. They used us and left. Now the law suits are in the "discovery process", where both sides are gathering info, where they can then decide whether to proceed forward or not. No news at all for us MTs. Again, the $$-hungry lawyer(s)? were all over this board months back, stirring up the pot, begging us for info, and then VANISHED!
You're welcome! Start dealing with some lawyers, and they make MQ look nice!
I talked to the MQ MT lawyers. They promised it would take time to gather evidence.
As any professional deserves to be paid for their time, so do lawyers. They spent years in college while you probably were doing MT work typing someone else's words and ideas. Lawyers go to school to develop knowledge of the law and ideas of their own. Now on the other hand, you seem to have no problems with the CEO(s) of MQ jeopordizing your job by illegal billing of clients all the while bonusing himself and his cronies at your expense.
With all due respect you are full of it.
What letter
Did only certain offices get a letter. I work in the southeast and have not received a letter.
No letter here either (sm)
I am a SE, were these mailed to employees and SEs?
Also, have a question. Signed up for Qnet - activated I-mail account, on the Q-net I don't get any memos or even show an icon or heading to click on. Can someone enlighten me. I know I can call 1800dictate, just thought I would do better asking here.
TIA
Letter
Is the letter you are talking about the one talking about preserving documents and telling us not to throw anything away, or is this a different letter? 
Here's the letter...
medquist has always prided itself in doing business ethically. As part of our
continuing efforts to ensure that we maintain very high standards, we have
enrolled you and many of your associates in an Internet-based Ethics training
course in the area of Code of Conduct.
All MedQuist employees will be paid for the time spent taking the training. All
Transcription Operations Hourly/Production Employees (Medical Transcriptionists,
Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Customer Service Representatives, Clerical)
should schedule time in advance to take their Ethics Training with their
Supervisor. All hourly/production employees will be paid for the time spent
taking the Ethics Training, which is expected to take 45 minutes. MT employees
will be paid the equivalent of their "benefit rate" for the time spent
completing the training, up to a maximum of one hour.
To begin the training, click the link at the bottom of this e-mail. Please write
down and keep your User ID/Access Code, also found at the bottom of this e-mail,
since you will need it to enter the training. If you need any technical
assistance please send an e-mail to: mailto:support@integrityatwork.net.
The course will take you about 45 minutes. It is important that you finish this
course within the next several weeks. Please contact the human resources or
legal department if you have any questions about this or any other compliance
issues.
Thank you and enjoy the training.
About letter -- don't have it -- was that
the ENTIRE contents of the letter? What else did it say, please?
rec'd letter
yes i rec'd the same letter as the posts below. they are paying 2 different rates; the rate you are currently rec'g for typing will remain the same, the ASR or edited reports will be paid at 20% less than your current typed rate
MQ LETTER
The letter also states that in a few weeks we will get information about a new MT/ME Rewards Plan that will go into effect in early 2006. Why don't they just tell us what it is now. Is this supposed to be a dangling carrot strategy. It had better be a big carrot. Oh well, it's probably not anything that will improve our checks, just theirs.
Letter from MQ
Yes, would you PLEASE post the letter you received from MQ? I have to drive 8 miles one way into town to get my mail and with the gas prices, I only plan on doing that once a week. I would like to know what that letter said as well.
letter
I got mine today, and I am really upset. My production has gone down or stayed the same since doing ASR reports. I have to practically retype the entire report. I often delete everything and type from scratch. I'm gonna quit. If I decline ASR reports, they will give me a really crappy acount, I just know it. My base rate was 0.875 (after 9 years with no raise excempt when I made CMT) and now it will be 0.700. That is so pathetic. I'm finished with these greedy Bastards!
MQ Letter
I got my letter last fri, my last name is at the front of the alphabet. My base rate is being reduced by 0.175 cpl for ASR reports. So now on top of my already reduced pay when starting DQS, it will be reduced further. I figure I will lose about $200-250 per month. I am going to reply to the corporate heads who sent the letter, and give them my 2 cents. I challenge all MQ MTs to reply to the letter and give your input on their unfair pratices. I will soon be an ex-MQ'r. I won't allow them to reduce my pay once again. I don't make 25% more in production on ASR reports. I have to re-type almost the entire report except for the occasional dictator, where I only proofread and make minimal changes. I had a contract once upon a time that stated what my pay would be. I never gave anybody permission to change that. Isn't this illegal? I am going to get legal advice and see what my options are. I am not going to take this lying down. I'm tired of being kicked around. Thanks CM for enlightening me about the F9 feature, what an eye-opener. Now I have proof that they are cheating us out of our pay.
ANOTHER MQ letter,
 this one about new pay plan............ "Pay rates based upon experience, skill, and work difficulty" is the first 'highlight'....... I have been asking for a raise since MAY and I am level 3 typist, highest level MQ has.... Supposed to be contacted personaly by someone in the future. Hmmmmm, wonder what they will offer.
will I get a letter?? probably not
Well, I have 36 years experience and can transcribe anything..gee, wonder if they will contact me..They cut back my pay when I went to DQS by one half penny..Mmmm..hope I get that letter..Sure havent gotten the letter for DQS line count discrepancy and a check for that..
One more letter
A lot of good that CMT classification did for you. You would think the company, which claims to be short on able-bodied transcriptionists, and with all the new technology they are developing to make our job easier, that they would want to increase our pay to do ASR reports. Totally makes no sense. I sense a massive exodus.
Letter
That's the way I understood it also.
I got the same letter from SBC (which is AT&T LD)
using onesuite.com. I called when I got their letter and canceled my LD immediately. LD is only 2.5 cents a minute at onesuite.com. You have to pay in advance and then you dial an access number and then the number you want to reach. I liked unlimited better because I could dial direct, but for now I guess I'll use onesuite.
I got the same letter. sm
last year from SBC so I switched to MCI. I was completely honest with MCI and told them what I needed it for becuase I did not want them coming back at me telling me I was not using it according to their guidelines. MCI is expensive though. By the time you pay for taxes and everything else my bill is around $80. I wish I could find a job that is totally internet based. I started to check into Vonage but I could not understand how that worked when they kept telling me I had to pick a phone number or a different area code than the one I have and you can't speak to someone who speaks good English to get an accurate explanation. I also would like to know what everyone else does or how they get away with it. I wish the hospital that I work for through the company that I work for would have a 1-800 number for the transcription. I would even be willing to pay my employer a $10 long distance fee or something just so I do not have to pay out $80 every month.
need letter help
Okay, it's been a long time since business english 101, can anyone tell me where "return receipt requested" goes on the body of the letter, and isn't it in all caps? I am thinking it goes just below the address to whom the letter is being addressed, but just not positive about it. Thank you!!!
SPi letter
Yes, I got the letter this weekend. Disturbing sign of the times.
First letter only!
Thats how I have always done SOAP notes.
MQ lawsuit letter
Yes, I received the letter yesterday. Sounded like this investigation is going to take quite some time if they have to subpoena transcriptionist's records. I just threw it in the round file :)
why it will be good for MTs. you can see from letter below from CEO
the impact the lawsuit has had simply to start change within the MQ organization.
Here's pertinent part of letter that shows changes coming.
From Frank Lavelle, President
To all statutory medical transcriptionists
July 14, 2005
VIA Electronic and U.S. Mail
Dear Statutory Medical Transcriptionists:
W e would like to thank you for your continued service and support. We know that the key to our success is the people who work so hard for our customers everyday.
At MedQuist, we are determined to become the medical transcription provider of choice for statutory employees. Over the past several months, with your help and input, we have been working on developing a pay plan and comprehensive benefit program that will enable us to set the standard in the industry. We recently announced significant changes to our benefits program for full time employee transcriptionists and within the next few months, MedQuist will be announcing a new pay plan that will address the feedback we received from medical transcriptionists in response to our survey on pay issues.
As you may also know, MedQuist is currently responding to a lawsuit brought by three medical transcriptionists that was filed in response to certain publicity surrounding MedQuist's billing practices involving the AAMT billing unit of measure. MedQuist takes all allegations concerning its pay practices very seriously and will seek to address any concerns raised by the lawsuit. While we believe that the claims raised by the three transcriptionists appear to lack merit, we are diligently working on addressing this matter in order to best serve all of our valued medical transcriptionists.
To enable us to fully and appropriately respond to this, as well as other lawsuits currently pending against the company and governmental investigations, our lawyers from Winston & Strawn are required to collect documents. To ensure that you are completely informed about the materials they are seeking, we have attached a memorandum below regarding MedQuist's document retention and collections policy. Please review this document as soon as possible.
Once again, we would like to express our deep appreciation for your continued patience, cooperation and service to the company.
Very truly yours,
Frank Lavelle
President
Enclosure
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
introductory letter
Kkay, what exactly do you include in your introductory letter? Have the business cards already.
Thanks a mil!
Maybe just a letter that tells her how much you
appreciate her and everything she's done for you, how much you love her, et cetera. I would much rather have something like that from my children than a gift. Gifts are nice, too, but sometimes something from the heart just means so much more.
Haven't gotten the letter yet
 MQ is run by a bunch of jerks.
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