Opinions: Do You Think $12.00 An Hour Is A Lousy Hourly Wage For An Experienced Medical Transcripti
Posted By: David on 2007-10-23
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what is a typical QA hourly wage for experienced QA
wondering what a median QA hourly wage for an experienced QA
oops, meant yes, it is a lousy wage
.
What would you consider a fair cpl wage for an experienced MT? I'm not interested in what the
going rate currently is, but more interested in what everyone thinks it should be. I know that it is 7 cpl to 9 cpl, depending on experience, but personally I feel that an experienced and quality MT should make more than 9 cpl especially when the seasoned MTs get stuck with all ESLs and difficult dictators.
And shouldn't editors be making more than MTs? It stands to reason that if you are an editor, someone qualified to check and make corrections to other people's work, then you should and probably would have more experience and education than the people you are grading. Therefore, you should be paid more than the person you are grading, true?
And why do we put up with all this garbage?!?!? I am so sick of working for peanuts, working 10 hour days or more just to make ends meet. I started looking for in-office MT jobs and they are not out there anymore because the hospitals outsource to the services and the services are outsourcing to India or offering me next to nothing to type the hardest stuff out there.
I guess I just needed a little rant today. 
We do get hourly wage
during down-time and the only approved down-time is meetings and computer malfunction. Lack of work was not approved so if there is lots of work available we have no worries, if not then we will be scrounging around for work. I don't have time for that. 
I will have to ask my supe if that is how it is because that is how I understand it. If so, I maybe putting in my 2 weeks notice.
Even to start with, $14.00 an hour is lousy pay for ANY MT work...NM
?
I wouldn't work as an MT for a lousy $7.50 an hour OR
.
Opinions wanted from experienced MTs, please!
I may have commented on this before, but now my boss wants me to handle it in a different way, and I am not sure if it's the right way to go.
One of my docs makes up his own words. He will often say that the results of a test are "equivocable". We know that's not a word. I can't just substitute in "equivocal" or "unequivocal" because this is a verbatim account. My boss used to tell me to just make a note in my log, which is sent with my work, that the doc had used that word. I liked that, because it provided documentation with the file (of which I retain a copy) that while the doctor may not know that's not a real word, *I* do and I am just typing what he's saying.
Now my boss has asked me to leave that off the log because it is annoying the doctor. I totally understand her point, because we know how snotty docs can be. Lord forbid anyone point out that they're wrong about anything, or the world might spin off its axis. But I am not sure...
Do I need something on my log so that I can prove that it isn't my mistake being made? Is it okay since my boss knows that and the doctor should know his own non-word since he's the one who made it up in the first place?
I am probably worrying about nothing, but just thought I would see what you wiser, more experienced MTs were thinking. 
I need opinions from experienced MTSOs please...sm
My mother-in-law owns her own business and I'm an IC for her along with two other companies. She just lost a pretty good size account to India. In the last two months, she has had two phone calls from offices inquiring about her transcription. They were referred by word of mouth from other doctors. In the past 20 years that my MIL has been doing this accounts have always been dropped into her lap (so to speak) and there was no effort involved on her part. I keep strongly encouraging her to follow up with the doctor or office manager and then drop by with some samples of work and just to introduce herself. I feel that she is not aggressive enough and has lost two accounts due to this. It could be rates too I'm not totally sure.
Let me give you the scenerio from the last couple days. Two days ago the doctor herself called and spoke to my MIL. Unfortunately, her grandson was screaming in the background, but besides that the conversation went well. The doc is very behind and needs someone right away. My MIL called yesterday to fu and the doctor was with a patient but the woman on the phone sounded glad to hear from her. There was no return call yesteray and my MIL feels she should drop it that she didn't get the account. I feel she should go to the office this morning and introduce herself and bring a few samples of her work and even pick up the tapes if it were to go that well.
I need help convincing her to follow through with this. Over the last 20 years things have changed and that MTSOs need to be a little more aggressive or the accounts will go to the next MTSO that is.
Please give me some ideas that I can share with her. Thanks so much!
That's a great hourly wage!!
s
seriously, do not compare an hourly wage job with
nm
At this point, not much! An hourly wage and
Hourly wage for Med Rec Reviews in Cali
It's been many years since I've charged for med record reviews and have no clue what the going rate may be. They are for QME reports. Anyone have any idea on what would be fair to both parties? Thank yew!!!
I work for an agency, type for a major hospital - no hourly wage - just production. nm
x
Oh, and $10 an hour is considered a "good" wage here.
Not...
Doesn't matter, IF you are not paid an hourly wage, i.e. a set amount no matter - sm
how much or how little you type, say $12.00/hour, you do not get OT. As someone mentioned here, certain jobs are exempt, and as most of us are paid a flat rate of .08 cpl or .09 or .10, whatever it is, that is all we get regardless of how many hours under or over 40 hours we go. If you want OT then go get an in-house job or get a job doing something else.
Opinions needed on medical spellcheckers.. sm
Are there any free ones to download? If not, I would like opinions on the best one to purchase. TIA!
hourly rate for non-medical transcription
Hi,
You asked about rates...I charge 125.00 per recorded hour of audio and have no problems getting work.
Is $15 an hour a good hourly rate for an in-house office position?
nm
I will not put up with lousy
accounts solely to profit the MTSO and doctors. The bottom line is if they can't provide me with profitable accounts, I'm outta there. I am so tired of being given the ESL and rambling dictators just because "nobody else can do them." TOUGH! Why should I make peanut wages doing the tough work because other people can't hack it?
Ever think that maybe 15% is going to QA because of LOUSY DICTATION? nm
x
I must have a really lousy account.
I can do anywhere from 100-150 lines per hour at my job WITH an expander. I rarely have to look anything up, except for patient information and addresses, which is time consuming and really annoying. The work is not difficult at all, but needs to be "cleaned up". However, I felt completely inadequate seeing my crummy production rate. That is, until I figured out my lines per hour with my small IC account. 210 lines per hour WITHOUT an expander. And this guy pays me by the gross page. Imagine what I could do for him WITH my expander. Hmmm.... Gonna have to think about what I'm going to do here to even out this production disparity. I wish I could find another job like this guy.
Not a lousy reason!!!!
since it only takes a course that you can take on-line!!! 
I can't believe what a lousy attitude this MT has
That certainly isn't the way to get a better raise next time. If I were in your position, I would start training someone else for this job. When that person is up to speed, sayonara, Ms. Bad Attitude.
Lousy dictators
Hospitals and clinics have no policy or rules against speaking to a physician about his lousy dictating habits; however, they just dread the situation. I've been there and done that.
For those working within the hospital, you usually know which docs you can and can't speak to about this. Seems their egos are so fragile they might bruise, but really, who cares? We are talking patient care, which is what all of this is supposed to be about, right?
MR directors are usually the ones put in charge of "talking" to them or transcription supervisors but it all depends on the doc. Some are open to suggestions and really don't realize they sound so pathetic. Others know and just simply don't care...like I said before; they think they are gods and no one should dare approach them and even if you do, they then make snide comments while dictating and I have seen them get even lousier with their dictation....which says what about them? They DO NOT care about the patients, just themselves....
How about fine for lousy .... SM
dictations? It costs us time and money with every ..uh ... aah ... ug..."The patient ..(shuffles paper) ... is a ... no, this is the wrong chart" .  ... zzzzzzzzzzz .. 
"Okay, let's start again", please go back up to the top .... "Please delete that first paragraph " ... hiccough ..... aaaach .... Uh ..... ...hmmm ... let's see...
lousy accounts/dictators
I also lost my best & longest account because the hospital did not renew their contract...so ok, took the bait about a new account with great dictators, their biggest unbreakable rule is it is VERBATIM all the way, don't clean up the doc, etc.
Have the nicest sounding, very polite, all american dictator who can not keep his concentration or needs to go to MT school, I swear. I actually typed the report verbatim...then counted all the Patient's, patient...both billaterally...15, count them,15 times throughout the report!!! If I could have put in the ummms, and ugh's, I would have made my line count just on his dictation alone
Are you a bad MT with lousy quality work?
My calls are answered immediately, i've been on the same account for years, i'm praised for my work, receive emails thanking me. Maybe its YOU and not THEM?
No...not Mass....but QA is pretty lousy
this isn't the first time I've had trouble with them.
If you're lousy at speaking up for yourself,
It sounds awful, I know. But you've just got to TRY to get past that uncomfortableness! If you don't speak up for yourself, no one else will. Don't sign that contract. Call them up and tell them you need to raise your line rate. Raise it a reasonable amount, and stick to your guns! I know it's scary, but there are a lot of places out there hiring if your current place is going to walk all over you. Good luck!
a good post, NOT; lousy focus you have
first you sling insults at MQ as a 'nonbusiness' -- do NOT back up your accuations with anything whatsoever substantial and then drift into 'mumbo-jumbo' about how the profession has degenerated --
MQ is the giant because they are VERY good at business -- and they give me and lots of other MTs a fabulous job and are always improving as a company...as far as the profession, yes it is changing, as everything else in our world. So we either adapt, or get left behind and whine. If you are all that unhappy, it looks like time for you to move on to greener pastures in another line of work.
Depends on the pay and account. My lowest average is $15.52 an hour (roughly 182.6 lines an hour) w
;'
1850 lines per 8 hour shift. 15.00 hour - no real requirement
x
if it is feasable, split that 6-hour shift into two 3-hour shifts. sm
i work a split shift and find that i am much better able to stay focused and get more work done that way. also, being 3 months pregnant you have gone through the very tiring time of pregnancy and you should start seeing an energy perk before long.
I start an hour or 2 early and then take an hour or 2 for dinner -nm
x
At 200 lines a day for 6 cents, you are making $1.20 a day or 0.15 hour for an 8 hour day!!!--cm
Did you mean 2,000? Even then you would only be making $1.50 if you work 8 hours a day.
$32/hour? You said $36/hour on an earlier post. Either way would be great. n/m
xx
I would buy new a Dorland's Medical Dictionary, Stedmans Medical and Surgical Equipment...SM
and Tessier's The Surgical Word Book, 3rd edition. Books you could buy used I would say would be Stedman's Pathology and Lab Medicine and Cardiology/Pulmonary word book. These are all the books I use the most during my day. You could buy other speciality word books as you need them and could probably go used with those.
I wouldn't bother with buying a drug book, new editions come out every year and I just stick to the FDA website and RXList as my drug references.
Also FYI, not a book, but I use my Stedman's Electronic Medical Dictationary a lot. It's easier to open the program than it is to pick up a huge 30-pound dictionary.
Medical Transcription In The Era Of Electronic Medical Records
EMR has revolutionized the healthcare industry in recent times. Many experts felt that EMR & Voice Recognition would totally replace Medical Transcription - however; the industry soon realized that transcription has certain advantages over point & click charting and many physicians preferred to dictate notes rather than document the data at the point of care themselves.
10 reports/hour or 25 markers/hour
NM
Low wage
that seems awfully low. For instance if you were making even 9 cpl you would be working for 11.25/hr. Who can exist on this? My current supervisor tells me it takes about 30 or more charts to equal 1000 lines. That would take an entire 8 hours and then some maybe. This is very discouraging. I don't like this platform so far.
WAGE
Of course it is lousy. Illegal aliens in my city make more than that flipping burgers. What an insult to us that someone would offer that amount.
Wage vs Need/Wants
At first glance, yes, $12.00 seems low. However, I live in the northeast and I know I cannot survive on that rate of pay. Maybe in other parts of the country $12.00/hr is very survivable. It all depends on your needs/wants.
At $12/hr you are grossing $480/week, $960 bimonthly. Around here, health insurance coverage for one ROUGHLY averages $50/week. Now you are netting $430/week before taxes. Dental plan? Deduct another $10 or so per week. Down to $420/week before taxes. Figure out your monthly expenses and don't forget that ever present anvil-over-your-head factor for unexpected bills. Also, don't forget you need to save some $$ too - after you buy food and pay the monthly bills! Hmmmm...I am getting this image of a rat on a treadmill.
The question you ask is not simple. You have to figure out if $12/hour is good for YOU. It is just not a survivable wage in this part of the country, especially if you have dependents that eat like horses, go to colleges far away, and you live in a state that taxes you up the wazoopie and only has two seasons: winter and 4th of July.
wage
Oh yeah and the wages being offered are even insulting for a newbie. Can I say how disgraceful this is for "trained professionals" to be offered this. The newbie wages run around 8 cpl...but why at 5, 10 or 15+ years is it fair to still be offered that?? Employers please show us some respect and pay us what we are worth. Remember everything in life is "you get what you pay for." These companies wonder why they have such a HIGH turnover rate, HELLO pay us decent wages!!!! Just think if you broke a typist wage, proofreader wage, English major wage, and everything else we are considered and added it all up it is WAY MORE than we get!
min. wage
Oh yeah it is possible to make minimum wage on some accounts especially when you are a newbie. Start out as a newbie and have one of those hard learning hospitals with a lot of ESLs who you hardly ever type the same one twice and add in many residents. Also add in more than just the basic 4 work types on that account such as psych. discharge summ., echo labs, holter monitor reports, treadmills, etc. that you only do every once in a while and aren't familiar with. With all those factors which I have on one of my accounts it is possible to make min. wage. But I have gotten better it seems. I know some people will say why do an account that is so difficult for you? If I can conquer this I can say I have done something I think. It is just a job and as a newbie I can't pick and choose without much exp. so I put on my big girl pants and do it. Just explaining how you could make min. wage with the right factors.
I think $.07, $.075, $.08, or $.085 are all way too low for experienced MTs.
I truly love interviewing with these companies, then trying not to spew coffee out my nose at the line rates offered. Some of those rates were even for IC with no benefits or tax withholding. I'm about ready to quit MT and let them offshore because rates have dropped so much since I started. It's wonderful being offered the same rate to do ESLs and upper level work as what I made 10 years ago as a newbie. It's getting to the point where you can't make a decent, honest living anywhere any more.
Well, that's what MQ does. If are not an experienced MT,
nm
If you are experienced and don't have to SM
look a lot of things up, then the answer is macroing the daylights out of you machine. Macro just not large words, but medium and small words, such as "n" for "and" and "w" for "was", and so on. Try not to type anything out, if you don't have to.
I have also experienced that.
Did tell her that she might not have realized it but I felt there it sounded condescending and as our goal was to put out as perfect a product as possible, it was not helpful. Also told her that I appreciated constructive criticism as that would help us both.
Things did change. Sometimes I don't think they realize the importance of the way they phrase a sentence.
new MTs vs. experienced MTs
Dear MT Pundit,
Thank you for taking the time to write your thoughts about experienced vs. new MTs. I think you're right-on. I see myself in the set-in-my-ways attitude sometimes. I'm not speaking for anyone else, of course. I can only speak for myself. Change isn't easy for me, but I've tried very hard to adapt and think I'm doing okay. This industry is changing fast and furiously, and if I want to stay in it, then I need to be able to go with the flow. Otherwise, my job may well end up in India. 
Too experienced? sm
Looking for a little advice. While applying for MT jobs recently I have been told I am too experienced to "just transcribe" because they see that I have held supervisory and other positions in the industry - along with many years of actual transcribing experience. I realize these days about 8 cpl is the going rate and although I wish it were higher, I wouldn't apply to these postings if I wasn't willing to work for that rate. Just looking to supplement my income. I would hate to leave all this experience off my resume, but maybe I should? Any ideas for a different way to spin this?
If you are experienced, you don't need to
look at the keys, whether characters are there or not.
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