Some accounts are picky and
Posted By: me on 2005-11-09
In Reply to: is this the norm ? - MT-NY
some are not so, just depends. It sounds to me like you are frustrated and are not feeling appreciated. Do they also give you positive feedback? I personally would love to get some QA back, especially on correct style. If you are unhappy with them, there are a a lot of job openings. I would try looking around with someone you might be happier with. Better yet, get your own accounts.
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Picky
What kind of pickiness? Was it for style-related issues or things like type-o's? Do they give you account guidelines to follow?
Same here too. They are VERY VERY picky...
that every single word of radiology is done just so. Even if WE mess up a word, they rads catch it and bring it to our attention. They'd never be happy with VR.
Nit picky
I was doing some subcontracting when business was a little slow about 3-4 years ago and the gal would send me back little corrections circled in red and on the margin was the correction -- it was like a teacher but she would get me for not putting punctuation in the address, (which the post office wanted no punctuation) abbreviations for Ave or street or really pickly things that did not make sense and did not change the meaning of the sentence. But to her defense I also noticed that I had been getting sloppy, like driving a care for 20 years and then taking a driving test, and some things that she brought to my attention I did appreciate but some were just ridiculous. So after a while when business picked back up I could give her up. A learning lession for me.
If you are so picky about the pay, then
As long as there is work and you do it, 8 cpl adds up quickly.
I was always picky about what I ate
but I have learned to eat a better variety than I did as a child. Chitlins haven't made it to my list though. Used to hate, hate, hate cabbage too but I love them now! Who knows, maybe I'll be brave and try chitlins one day. Umm, probably not. What made you finally give in and give them a try?
Picky, picky, picky, picky, picky, picky!
I have a picky little kid who doesn't like
it when the bread gets soggy from the PB&J. I make sandwiches ahead of time and use hamburger buns, which are inexpensive at the thrift bread store. The buns are more dense than bread, so they don't get soggy. You can also make the PB&Js ahead of time on bread and freeze them, although I've never tried it. Or put a light layer of peanut butter on both pieces of bread, then spread the jelly. The jelly won't soak into the bread through the peanut butter.
I do like the other Mom's advice about prebagging things like cookies and chips. I prebag carrot sticks and celery in the fridge. We use a lot of yogurt and applesauce cups, granola bars, fruit bars, juice boxes, and that type of thing. It does add up and costs as much as a hot lunch, but the kids don't like hot lunch. It takes me maybe two minutes to do a lunchbox.
Picky eaters
Dealing with picky eaters is really hard. I have 2 kids, and their dad is really picky, and my kids inherited his pickiness. My daughter is 10, and she has never, ever had any type of beef before. She only likes cheese and bread and can't stand anything wet, such as salad dressings, or ketsup. She hates any type of fruit, vegetable, pizza or meat but will eat tofu and soybeans.
The way that I deal with it is this. I make a normal dinner, but I make sure there is 1 side dish that my kids will eat. They have to try at least one bite of everything if they want desert, but I never force them to eat anything.
I also have my kids each pick out 3 TV dinners each week. (Even that is hard, since they frequently have a hard time finding a TV dinner that they will eat). If they absolutely cannot stomach what I've made, they are allowed to make themselves a TV dinner instead. They know that if they ask for more that they have exceeded their "pickiness allowance" and that they have to eat what I make or starve.
picky eaters
My daughter is 9 and fairly picky. I agree with M, I always try to make sure there is a side dish that my daughter will eat, and if there is something in the main course (i.e. onions, tomatoes,) she is allowed to pick them out and eat the rest of the meal. However, if I make something new she has to try one bite of it. Many times she ends up liking them, although since your boyfriends kids are older that may not be easy for you.
My husband thinks the kids should eat whatever I make, regardless of if they like it, but I disagree somewhat. I think that we should all be allowed our taste buds, and that it is normal for one person to like what another doesn't. He has learned to come around to my way of thinking. LOL
Good luck to you!
I'm gonna seem picky here...
Anybody have any ideas for appetizers that are simple, quick, and relatively cheap? I know I'm particular, but I'm not a good cook, don't have much time or money!! This is just for a card game, so I don't want anything extravagant anyway. Thanks bunches!
It's a very picky platform
That's an issue they need to address big time. However, they do have adapters for that kind of stuff. I had to get a USB-to-Serial adapter for my food pedal when I used EditScript.
Picky vets
You're right, landroverlady, the vets are incredibly picky about their reports, yet they are far from perfect themselves. It is a relatively new trend that the veterinarian offices are turning to "professional" transcription services to have their reports typed, so they have no clue what the "norm" is in transcription. If they weren't so darned picky, it would make my job a lot easier in hiring and training. Any time someone makes even the smallest mistake, I am sure to get a phone call or email from an unhappy doctor! Life would be sooo much easier if they read their reports in the same manner that they dictated! 
Depends on how picky they are (verbatim)....
I personally would prefer to type "cillin"-type medications or something like that. Maybe check with your QA point person. If you have never been told who he/she is (would not surprise me), his/her e-mail should be listed near the top of the client profile.
It's kind of like with picky little kids.
You have to serve them certain things at least 10 times before they get used to them enough to eat them. And always serve the vegetables first so you eat them when you're the most hungry. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to make at least half my plate at each meal vegetables or fruit. There are some veggies I won't eat cooked, but they're great raw. There are some veggies that taste better fresh and steamed than canned and reheated. I finally like onions and red peppers but it took forever to adjust my tastes.
I'm waiting for hubby to make some Italian veggie omelettes right now. Spinach, tomatoes, onions, peppers, fresh garlic with eggs, Italian seasoning, low fat mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan. 12-grain toast, cantaloupe and Italian dark roast coffee on the side.
My picky eaters were all told sm
as soon as they were 15 and working that if they didn't like what I put on the table, they could cook their own or order out. My oldest boy, 29, always ate anything and everything. He still does. My second boy, 22, only liked pizza (minus the cheese, go figure),chicken nuggets, popcorn, tomato soup with bacon bits, apples with peanut butter, and cereal. He has a girfriend now and eats more of a variety, like Chinese food. My third boy, 20, eats only freshly cooked food. He hates leftovers. Would rather go hungry than eat leftovers. He gets a lot at Subway or Burger King or he orders from the restaurant. My hubby was picky at one time, too, but not after 26 years of marriage. I always tried to keep whatever they liked on hand but that is as far as it went. I cooked the main meal. If they didn't like it, oh well. I told them I was not a chef in a restaurant. That solved a lot of problems. Sounds mean but I came from a family of 7 that had only 1 income and we ate what was put on the table and if we complained too much then we had liver and spinach the next night. We learned in a big hurry. 
Picky is the name of the game IMHO. Either it's right or it's not.
nm
AND they are trying to throw in more nit-picky things about what this doc wants...
and this doctor always needs to go to QA and this resident needs an extra signature line and make sure the visit you selected was at the right place and be sure to change this worktype for this doctor because we cannot teach him to do it and we can't tell this doctor that worktype 800 is really not an EEG because we don't think he'll get it and no we can't get the software to recognize a visit ID when its entered and no you cannot start the audio in the document information screen so you can verify the patient and please automatically know when the doctor gives one name at the beginning of the dictation and a different one at the end who he is really typing about and take the following VR sentence and make it a lucid part of a medical report - CT scan guided biopsy performed February refills banding is without mucus brain which is negative.
My VR plan is quickly shaping up like this...take a 20-hour a week job at the local nursing home for full health insurance benefits and find an IC job doing transcription for supplemental income and repeat year after year until ready to be in nursing home.
Any advice for dealing with picky eaters?
OK, I'll try to explain this the best I can. My boyfriend has two children...one is a girl who just turned 18. The other is a boy who is 15. These two children will not eat ANYTHING! The girl is pickier than the boy, but still he is bad enough on his own. I have an 8-year-old son who will eat more of a variety than these two put together.
I am really getting tired of eating the same old thing every week. They will eat chicken, pork chops, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, and steak. It gets very old. My boyfriend and I love italian food, but if we make it we have to cook something separate for the kids (not including mine) to eat!
The girl doesn't like ham. OH, but she will eat ham that you put on a sandwich...but if you cook a ham, she turns her nose up?!?!? She likes baked potatoes, but not mashed?!?!? The boy would live on pizza ANYTHING if you let him.
I know that since they are older there isn't much I can do about it. Plus, they aren't my children, so I feel strange saying much about it. Their dad tries to get them to try new things, but they won't do it. In my opinion, he doesn't really try hard enough. My son has always been made to try at least a bite of something new...if he really doesn't like it he doesn't have to eat it, but most of the time he thinks it's good.
I just am sick and tired of the dinner menu choices being so limited. My boyfriend is a great cook (I am a good cook too, but he loves to cook, so he does most of the cooking). I'll ask what's for dinner and then almost feel sick to my stomach when it's chicken AGAIN!!
If anyone has any advice I would appreciate it. I think I needed to vent about it more than anything.
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.
QA that is so picky it makes you go back and relisten to the whole thing.
when it causes people to live in fear of losing their jobs because they get a major error from doing a new specialty, you wish you weren't helping out on the new specialty, and tend to turn off the computer.
I hate to be picky but it is "advice" not "advise". Come on now, we are supposed to be
.
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?
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.
When you have a QA person that is picky and another QA person that is very lenient where does that
leave the MTs because some are getting a lenient reviewer and others are getting one that picks at everything. How do you reconcile that issue with the difference in QA mentality. Some people make out well and the other people could be just as good but dont. I wonder about that.
I think when work gets low, QA just gets picky so they have work too! nm
x
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.
Own accounts
Have had several contacts to me regarding own accounts. I don't mind sharing general information, etc.but please do not ask me for samples of my brochures, flyers, business cards, etc. and ask for a step by step procedure to go through for obtaining your own accounts. I am not a consultant you pay for those fees. If you have been in the business even working for someone else for many years, then you should have a basic idea what is needed with regards to equipment, etc. No one can know you have a service unless you go out and advertise it. Get your name out there and let them know you are available. I am not being mean but I had to do a lot of learning along the as well as time spent in research and development and if you want to do this there is no easy way. Guess I could write a book and sell it. As for rates, if you are working for a small MTSO in your area add on 25 to 35% of what your rate is currently. To me, I would rather start out low and raise in a year or so to get the account, the experience of doing my own clients, etc. Patti
Getting new accounts
Talk to your hospital medical staff coordinator and ask if you can sponsor doughnuts for the doctors lounge on a certain day. You get an estimate of how many dozens you need, pick them up, deliver them to the lounge and then the hospital puts up a board saying the doughnuts are compliments of "XYZ Transcription Service." You leave a stack of brochures and business cards on the table so they get into the hands of the doctors and not the office managers. You'll get business quicker by impressing a doctor than you ever will by impressing an office manager.
The accounts I currently have are *sm*
small and I use a call-in system for them. This account would be quite large. My first thought was to get the account and use a call-in system and switch to something less expensive later on. I find it strange also that they expect the vendor to provide the paper but that is what it says. In regards to what someone else posted, am I allowed to request a copy of the prior bid?
getting accounts
I work as an employee, but have a friend in another state who developed her business by going in person to Dr.'s offices, introducing herself as someone who will do overflow work when their regular Transcriptionist gets behind or goes on vacation, and leaving a business card/flyer. That way she is nice, polite, and doesn't come off as cutthroat. When she does get the call, her work is so professional that many switch to her permanently.
My own accounts
Surgical oncology -- 28 minutes = 568 lines -- 65 minutes with proofing and printing.
Internal Medicine -- 64 minutes - 2 docs -- 950 lines - 2.5 hours
3 Psych consults -- each is over 30 minutes, 400 to 450 lines per consult, 1 to 1.5 hours for each report. Depends on how may tests are done.
With pick up and delivery I put in 8 hours today.
Maybe she has other accounts you know nothing -sm
about and she would have given you one of them. You cannot ask her that is for sure. As for telling her where you went, not sure that is a good idea since it was her client. I hope you are an employee for them and not an IC. She may think your filched her account if she finds out. Also read the find print in your contract with her if you have one, there ususally is a clause about taking work from one of her clients directly yourself (non-compete clause), if so you may have a big can of worms on your hands; I don't think it matters that they approached you when it comes to a non-compete clause. Good luck.
Own accounts
Own accounts have been doing them for 5+years. Lots of saved phrases. Will be doing psych this afternoon and will do probably 1000 to 1200 in 2 to 2 1/2 hours if the reports are 10 to 12 pages each. Just gotta go out there and get your own small office accounts.
Just on my accounts alone
I have TNR 12, TNR bold 12, Arial 12 and Arial 14, and Tahoma 12.
There's no standard as far as I am concerned. The oft-quoted 65-character line is based on Courier 12 point, so if anything were the standard, that would be it, IMO.
What do ICs with own accounts do...sm
When they need a day off? I know my hospital has another girl that works when I can't but I am running into times when she can't and I have something where I can't work. Is it the hospital's responsibility or is it mine?
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