One of my accounts is a PT department...
Posted By: MT on 2006-05-06
In Reply to: Anyone else have this experience? - Lilly
they invite me to their Christmas party every year. One year they had a huge bouquet delivered to me at home on Medical Transcription week! That was a nice surprise.
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How big is the rad department?
I wonder if that makes a difference. My rad account is going to beta test VR and I am wondering if I should get out now.
You could try the Department
of Labor. There are many of us on this board who at one time or another have gotten the shaft by being an IC. Just wait.. you will get many suggestions. My case- there are at least nine of us owed close to $25,000.
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.
Can you go over both of their heads to the department
supervisor? Tell her that you're getting conflicting reports on your job performance. Do you have emails saying that you're doing great? Keep them, print them. Explain to the department head that you simply can't afford to pay for gas or daycare to work in-house. (Yeah, I've told my supervisors this before and their reply was that my daycare and gas expenses weren't their problem. I told them it was their problem and quit.) What is your production level? Eleven minutes or 130 lines per hour are about the average for direct hospital work. It's usually less than that in-house with all the interruptions and other tasks.
As far as the online company, can you work part-time or as-needed for them for a while? Is there any way you could do both jobs until after you get the bonus? You applied Friday and got called back Monday. That tells me that they're interested and you're a decent MT. How much research have you done into this company? Are you sure it's the best company for you? Honestly, if you're good, you'll get more offers. Sometimes it's nice to have the security net of a hospital job and a regular paycheck, especially with Christmas and bonuses coming up. Your production will probably drop by starting a new account, and it's not the best time of year to be taking a pay cut.
police department right behind us
Funny thing is the police department is right behind us--they probably hear her--just kidding. Her ex-husband workes on the volunteer fire department housed in the same building as police. He has probably already told them all she is crazy!
Can your company's IT department not
I bet they have all the information necessary and even suggestions.
Our QA department is much too busy
to give us feedback like that. They are very complimentary of my work ... probably because I do take the time to look up other reports to make sure I fill in all the tough spots I possibly can. I've done acute care before, but got away from it for a few years. I only had one ESL at my last job. I sure got good at Korean though! With this job it's pretty typical, with many different dictators and accents, but it's just heavy on certain "Asian" (happy now?) dictators instead of Indian. At least there aren't many of the certain Spanish ones I have trouble with. What the ones I have trouble with have in common is that their language uses more percussive sounds and fewer vowel tones. It doesn't matter if the vowel tones are different; I can adapt. But when it records as whispery percussive sounds, I struggle.
Department outsourced
After going through this 2 years ago I feel your pain. Though there are some positives to working at home it is a whole different ballgame. Personally I miss my coworkers and just the general atmosphere of the hospital. I keep hoping more hospitals will realize they still need some in-house staff, at the very least to do QA on what a lot of the services are turning out. It seems to me it has become nothing more than churn and burn with the emphasize on turn-around time, not quality. When I look up old reports in our system I am appalled at some of the stuff that goes out, and I am on accounts that require American MTs. It is really sad what this "profession" has become.
Department of Labor
Were you awarded a judgment in your favor and how long it takes?
Department of health
According to my doctor, Hillary Clinton was the main one involved in the HIPPA. Don't know if it is true or not, just what he said.
Try the Department of Labor and Industry.
You can turn them into the State Attorney General's office, BBB, FTC, as well. And small claims court. I would send a certified letter demanding payment first with the threat that if they do not pay by XX date, you will pursue further legal action against them.
Turn them in to the BBB and the Department of Labor.
They're scamming people. Somebody needs to stop them before they hose over any other new MTs. Parents magazine even had an article about TranScam.
Call the MR department at the hospital and ask sm
simply "who does your transcription". May not work every time, but they gave me the name of the service, and the phone number. I called the service and asked if they were hiring. She said, "we are always hiring", and I was working for them 3 days later.
With our QA department, blanks count against us..sm
If we have more than 1 blank per report, other than for dictation that is cut off or something like that, it counts against our percentage, which isn't very high given the difficulty factor associated with a lot of the dictators. Once the percentage reaches a certain point (and again it don't take much to reach that point) we start losing bonuses that we would otherwise be entitled to and even getting deductions from our pay. So, to say the MT doesn't get blamed is not true for everyone. We shouldn't get blamed, but a lot of us do.
I wonder why when a department is outsourced/offshored sm
the physicians never have a say in it even though most of them don't like it? They are the ones who bring in the revenue, after all, so why shouldn't they have a say in what goes on as regards patient care?
If it were me I'd do some house cleaning in the friendship department.
Make some new friends. It's time.
Report them to the Department of Labor and Industry and the BBB, too.
I can't stand it when pay is not received in a timely manner. It shows a complete lack of professionalism and inability to manage a business.
Health department here said straight mayo. SM
Slathered it on, put on a shower cap and left it for hours. Not only were the lice gone, but our hair was so soft and shiny and conditioned!
Turn them in immediately to the Department of Labor and
Industry, the BBB, the FTC, small claims court and anybody else that will listen. Contract or no contract, they CANNOT withhold pay due to giving no notice. ICs do not have to give notice. It was even on Judge Judy that you can't stiff somebody their pay for walking off the job.
Or maybe check with your state's labor department?
?
Frederick Police Department - 580-335-7503 (sm)
Tell them Kristen is at it again - they know all about her.
It took the fire department to get her out of the house! My GAWD!!!!
Department of Labor worked for me in my state
Also contact the Attorney General in your state; but the final result for some was to file a complaint with the magistrate in that company's district. Good luck
I hear they the Education Department Needs 2M teachers by 2015
I think thats a great idea. English teacher... Hmmm.. What are the requirements?
you need to contact the police Department in Frederick, Oklahoma sm
If you call them and make a complaint against her, they will help you take care of it. She's afraid to go to jail, if she's not there already
Our department does 1200+ reports a day. They average 11 lines. nm
This is for 2-3 line normal chests to MRIs. They look longer, but if you take 65 characters with spaces, you will be surpised. Here's an example:
CHEST:
INDICATION: Chest pain.
FINDINGS: Heart size within normal limits. Lungs are clear.
IMPRESSION: Normal chest.
This is 116 characters with spaces, which is 3 lines (if you round up - actually 2.55 lines). If by the line, you would make $0.30.
Something to think about.
Do the same with an MRI of the knee. Copy and paste it into word and count it. A very long one I had was only 15 lines.
simply ask HR if it's common practice to hire for a department -
nm
Are you kidding? After reading the health department's annual review, I NEVER eat out.
Especially at a fast food place. They always have long lists of violations, plus, after a look at the fingernails and hair on some of those people, I wouldn't feed my dog there.
They do list restaurants that maintain high standards of cleanliness with no violations, so if I'm in the mood for a long drive, I'll go to one of those.
I do miss eating out.
Here is part of the email my husband received from his IT department at work..sm
It has been widely reported that a newly discovered Windows flaw will result in several new computer viruses over the next few days.
This new virus is launched by visiting web sites that are infected with this virus or by receiving infected e-mails. You will not be able to know if the web site is infected.
The anti-virus software vendors are working on a system update to fix this issue, but as of now, it has not been provided. Also, Microsoft is working on a patch that will fix the root cause of this problem.
Makes me very nervous also!
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?
I live in Washington state and the health department posted it on the internet.
Here is the link to the information for this state, but every state probably has the same thing.
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/food/restaurant-inspections.htm
Started in-house at a hospital, medical records department, on a typewriter in
1983, earning $6.00/hour, eventually moving up after 7 years to $10.00/hour. All hospital work was then outsourced to a national service in 1986 (beginning of our downfall), went to work for the service and made $2.10/page. Service was bought out by another service, rate changed to $1.90/page. Rates changed again to $0.08/cpl. After many years of experience in all services, found my first account in 1992, charged $.09/cpl/gross lines but blank lines not counted. Business has grown steadily through the years through word of mouth. Now charging $.16/cpl or $25.00/hour or $6.00/page, and having to turn down work at this point. If you have the experience and are detail-oriented, you can find your own accounts eventually like I did. But you have to pay your dues first and be able to transcribe all ESLs accurately. If you learn how to transcribe ESLs well, those doctors are the ones to target for work. I do work an ungodly number of hours, only because I am trying to save at a faster pace for retirement because of all the uncertainty in this line of work.
Not all accounts are good accounts. One
That should not be the case. Sounds like you need new accountant with strong knowledge of IC deduction. We save a several thousand on what we pay in taxes based on what I can deduct as at home IC, $2000 off the top for what I pay my child to help with office chores, as an example. The measly 7.xx% I pay that an employer would pay is well worth my independence in being my own boss.
RTA DropShip Department
Stacy will set you up.
How many accounts?
My national employer has 19 accounts in my queue, though I rarely work in all of them in a week or a month. Still its too many. I'll often work 5 or 6 accounts in a single shift, despite the promise of a limit of 2 or 3.
This is a terrible business practice. If you are a dedicated MT, it requires extensive time to review account-specific instructions, not to mention being unfamiliar with place and people names associated with the different regions. It is unfair to "quality patient care" to bounce MTs into unfamiliar territory. After all, how quickly and accurately can one transcribe a record when you are overwhelmed with studying your fifth or sixth different set of instructions in less than 4 hours? I believe the substantial amount of MT shuffling is to slow us down--they have overstaffed and its to their benefit to force familiarity with odd accounts so they can do it again next time. They do phase people out of primaries and secondaries and even tertiary accounts once they become proficient. We hear the work is low due to summer slow down, yet they keep sending their "please welcome our newest recruits" memos.
And, yes, I will definitely be searching for a new company very soon.
I have 8 accounts and seriously,
they do run out of work, but I change my work hours. I know if I get on at 6:30 a.m., I will get a decent amount of lines done in about 2 hours time with the normal interruptions of kids. I usually do get back on in the afternoon to try to finish up and there usually is work for me at that time too. I was transferred to Amherst when our office closed. I have been with MQ for 4 years. It just stresses me out that people complain so much about Medquist and it is always the same people. Why not get another job????? Why do they continue to come here and complain about the same thing over and over and over again????? It is the most annoying thing I have ever seen. I agree that we all need to vent, I do too. But why remain at MQ if you are all so unhappy? Maybe finding another job with a different company will make you happy, although it seems like people from every other company are complaining, as well.
15 accounts......
Yes, but it is important that we post this information. I believe, or at least I hope, that the people at the top need to hear this.
The people at the top management levels read this board regularly. They are concerned about the bottom line. Three things affect the bottom line: production, TAT, and quality.
If you have 2-3 accounts, you will have much higher production, much better quality and TAT will be better controlled. You will make more money because you are not wasting time jumping from account to account.
I believe the problem is in middle management. They are the ones putting us on 15 accounts at a time. (I actually had a supervisor who told me she had asked the manager while she was throwing me at every problem account and her answer was...."Tough S---" Unbelievable.
These are only for MT's/accounts that are on DQS
If your account has never been switched to DQS, I don't believe you would receive a check. This somehow pertains to DQS. It appears that the longer your account has been on DQS, the larger your check would be. But this is all a mystery to us MT's. It may also pertain to certain accounts/clients that MQ had misbilled, per the law suits against them. At this point, MQ upper mgmt is keeping very quiet about this check, so can't help but think that it pertains to the overbilling that they had done to some MQ clients -- possibly we were the MT's who were worked on those accounts. BUT YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE about the purpose of the check, other than they had to pay back some monies FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. Will we MT's ever know ????
TOO TOO MANY ON ACCOUNTS
Don't forget to call Human Resources and follow up with a written Employee Complaint with ALL these complaints. They think the complaining is only from an isolated few and won't even take things seriously until the written complaints start to mount up.
Try for your own accounts - How did
xx
Those of you that have your own accounts, what's the
best way of getting your own accounts? I have one small local account that I got from a newspaper services ad eight years ago. If I had two or three more like this one, I'd be a happy camper. I've mailed postcards and made cold calls with no luck whatsoever. I've even done intro letters with business cards to new providers on the city business license list and in response to help wanted ads. No nibbles there either.
It doesn't even necessarily have to be a local account. It could even be Internet based or via mail/UPS. One guy used to priority mail tapes to me from New York back when I had my virtual assistant/secretarial business.
Any positive suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
New accounts
It is like selling a house or anything, it takes a large volume of people to get one buyer. Even if I am not looking hard, I send out flyers every year or so to keep my name out there -- have a lot of people that are willing to subcontract for me. I also hit the smaller ones sometimes and do the rounds in the medical office buildings by the hospitals. Send flyers out to smaller cities/towns if you are set up for digital as those are the ones that are sometimes looking. Do networking with other MTSO's in your area. I know many in mine and we all network together. A lot of it is being at the right place at the right time as they often just throw our flyers out and that is why you have to keep sending them out. Offer something unique -- I cut apart chart notes and that helped with a couple of accounts. Stupid but they love it. Also accounts that use transcription services -- take them a flyer personally with some cookies -- it does work to get it to the manager's/doctor's desk it really does. I have also offered my own accounts a "finder's fee" if I get an account. Anything works. I have gotten a few through the yellow pages. But it takes time and persistence. One mailing does not usually do it as there are a lot that start up and stop so if they see it once or twice, they remember it. Good luck. Keep your prices fair and offer a good service. Patti
Do 7 different accounts in my
job, 2 programs, and another job with another program. different hospital. Once you get used to an account and work on it regularly, I have found it does not slow me uip to switch from account to account, keeps me in work. Also, no problem with doing way over 1000 lines in 8 hours. But that is just me. I have been at this 21 years. I hear others do have problems and sympathize with them.
As far as QA and their accounts, sm
this company has the best I have worked with. I have no idea what the QA rate is, but they do have the best QA IMHO, so I am assuming they are paid well.
Accounts
Ihave 4 clinics -- one with two Internal Medicine, one with two surgical oncologist, one with a plastic surgeon and hand surgeon and then my psych. Total in all accounts is about 25 hours per week and gives me about $3000 per month. I work 12 to 20 hours additional at a clinic as an employee doing EMR work and that pays me per hour with benefits. Going digital I hope within the next 2-3 months. No health problems yet. Have had accounts from 5 to 18 years.
If you have your own accounts and
do you feel obligated to share whatever work there is with them, even if it's really only enough for you? In my case they have other work that can do but they make more from my work, so they are anxious for any work I have available. It's overflow, so sometimes there is work and sometimes there's not. The amount of work available right now I could easily do myself.
Usually I share whatever I have with them, but right now I have so many bills and really need to do the work/keep the money myself. But I feel bad about doing that. Should I feel bad? My husband says no. He thinks of it strictly in a business sense.
I believe it with your own accounts.
most MTs do not have their own accounts and have to deal with the company's line counting system as well as being paid a very low rate.
Then again, I could never work 60 hours a week (my body just wouldn't allow it) even with my own accounts so this income is definitely not the norm, but having your own account I feel can really put you in control of your income potential. You go girl or guy, don't know.:)
Own accounts
Do a search on this as we extensively discussed this about a week ago. You have to be ready to do all types of accounts using all types of equipment. The more money sounds good but there is a lot of work to it, no relief for time off, a lot of non billable time. You have to realize that if it is just you will be be seeking out either a one to two doctor clinic as that is about all you could handle at first. Most of these smaller clinics use tapes, you print, pick up and deliver. But if you are going to limit yourself to digital only then you need to expore setting up your own FTP site, know how to transfer back and forth and it is usually a larger clinic which would be hard for one person to handle. I think you need to do a little more investigation and there is no "book" to buy it is through a lot of hard work, sweat, tears and perservence that you keep doing your own accounts. Like I said you are sick, no one to do your work and often times the office understands the first time but when you are new, a second time and they look elsewhere. They have a hard time understanding sick children, relatives, power outages, disc failures, etc. until you have built a reputation and rapport with them. Has taken me 20 years to so do. Good luck, use your own common sense and brains and do a flyer, brochure, letter introducing yourself and send them out. It can be done but it take a while to get started and keep going.
Own accounts
Well how did this office contact you? I would get this one under your belt and use them as a stepping stone and a reference and go from there. It works the same in this field as in any other field you want business, you go out and advertise, do flyers, make phone calls, etc. Most will not come to you unless you have been established for years or have an ad in the yellow pages, etc. So start with this one since they have contacted you and go from there.
I am an IC with my own accounts -
I get 17 cpl for transcription and 12 cpl for editing VR, all acute care.
Getting Own Accounts
Hi, I would like some info on where to start in getting my own accounts as in what kind of equipment required, where to begin, etc. Also, what do you charge, etc.
I have 17+ years of transcription experience working for others, want to try something different.
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