There is a reason they are called variables.
Posted By: -sm on 2008-01-25
In Reply to: Aside from - Tinkerbell
The most lucrative setting is where you get paid a better than average line rate to produce reports dictated by clear-speaking doctors who say the exact same thing for each work type and never backtrack while you work on a platform that has no headers, footers, or demographic entry that you don't get compensated for.
However, that is hard to come by so you will have to decide for yourself what suits you best from the options available to you.
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The so-called "reality show" is the lowest form of so-called entertainment in recent years
I hate them. They've ruined TV.
Variables. sm
It probably varies. In my situation, she gets a sufficient retirement check, not rich by a long shot, just barely adequate enough to get by. We get no aid what so ever. She has been on a waiting list for over 3 years to have house cleaning help. There is transportation to and from doctors available almost anywhere, but they essentially "dump" them out with no help. My parent cannot see, she just cannot be dumped out and left to do on her own.
Too many variables
Basically because there are too many variables and can only give you a range of cpl. Depends on your experience, what type of service you will provide -- digital or tapes with pick up, printing and delivery, etc. Are you talking gross, or 65 character per line, font, margins, spaces, headers, footers. Without all the information it is hard to answer a question. But I would figure a guess in the range of 12 to 14 cpl for clinic notes. But that is a range only, your area could be higher.
Variables
There are so many variables that it is hard to "point you in the right direction". Each of my account works somewhat different. You have to decide how to count your lines for your accounts and what you will charge, will it be gross or cpl? As for software that also depends on each account. Know the HIPPA guidelines. Also if you are just starting out -- at least I felt this way and still do -- you have to be ready to accept any and all accounts if you want your foot in the door - so that means having the capability of doing tapes, picking up and delivering, digital, etc. If you limit yourself your chance of failure goes up. Again my opinion. As for contracts a lot do not agree with me but after so many years with the same accounts I do not work with one. But when I did, I simply wrote up stating what I would provide and what the client would provide, outling turn around time, rate per line, etc. But even with a contract they can quit your service at anytime stating "poor quality" or something like that. There are no big secrets of getting your own accounts and no book to go by, you simple go out and hand out or mail out brochures/flyers, etc. letting people know that you are available and what service you will provide. But if you want someone to hold your hand step by step you will have to go out and hire a consulting marketing firm to do that for you. You do need to see if your city needs you to have a business license, see if you need to file your name with the State, etc. I keep mine as simple and uncomplicated as possible and all my clients seem to appareciate that. They give me the tapes, I type and return back in an agreed upon TAT at a agreed upon price. Good luck.
There are a lot of variables to consider
I would say 500 lines on an account you know and in Word (I do not work on MT platforms) would take say 4 hours tops, but it all depends on how much experience you have as an MT and also how well you know your accounts.
many variables
Farther on down there are some comments/replies to this question. It depends on whether or not you are doing digital, picking up tapes and delivering back hard copies, etc. Also your experience. As much as everyone thinks that we MTSO's rake in the big bucks by subcontracting our work -- we are lucky to make 10% after the cost of gas, if we deliver and pick-up, the non-billable hours of invoicing, QA the account, the marketing, the customer service to the account, etc. Also be prepared that you will be the one to cover when that IC decides not to work -- as an IC they have that choice, call in sick, or whatever and if that happens with 2 out of 4 you are up all night typing. That is why I have cut back to have enough for mainly myself and one I/C that works a very small account and if something happens I can cover easily. Also think about who will cover for you and the administrative part of the job when you go on vacation or get sick. But all that aside, start small with one account for yourself and charge what you feel you need to make a decent hourly rate, .11 to .13 cpl either gross or character count seems to be a good starting point if that is what the going price is in your area. Pay your IC's .08 to .09 cpl so that they can make a "decent living" that they want. I am not trying to tell you not to just pointing out some of the pittfalls and to start off smaller with just one account for yourself, get used to the "business" aspect of it as well as the medical and then in a while if all goes well grow. Also remember that just as easily you get that new account, you can lose one and then you will have to lay off your IC's as you yourself will need the work. Also remember that when those docs are on vacation, around holidays or the summer the workload goes down and that is usually when the IC is clammering for more work and wondering where is the work. Remember to keep enough money is reserve to pay your IC's on time so that when the clinic runs 30 to 45 days late in payment, you can pay them and not yourself or your bills. Even though they are a business also, they want their money whether or not the account pays. Have enough work on hand to keep the accounts happy with 24 TAT and those "emergencies" of being one person short but not too many so that your help runs out of work and especially when the account decides not to dictate for 3 days and then you get it all at once. There are accounts out there but you have to probably send out 100 to 200 flyers/contacts made to land one and if you are willing to put in the time -- go for it. It is not as easy as everything thinks but for those with the determination and drive it is there for you. Good luck. Patti
Too many variables
Depends on what rate per line they pay. This is gross line which is good but if itis 5 to 6 cpl per gross line versus 9 cpl for 65 characater probably not. Also is it clinic notes, same docs, Basic 4 or what. too many variables here, not enough information. Only you can tell by what your paycheck shows.
variables
With all due respect, there are many more variables from the side of the MT than you have mentioned. I admire you for giving the information in your ad that you say you give, and I am sure you have had more than your fair share of MTs with little to no work ethic or those desperate for a job who will say they can do it just to get their foot in the door and be given an opportunity to try hoping it will work out--and for some of them, it doesn't. I can appreciate the bind this places you in.
But if you are dealing with ICs, then maybe they are not necessarily hiding from your calls and e-mails but just working the hours they choose to work. ICs are not employees as you know. I am an IC and the company I work for expects "employee" status from me in many ways and they are wrong to treat me as an employee and not give me the benefits of being one. This has me thinking more and more of going elsewhere. Perhaps, just perhaps some MTs perceive your company as being like this and they get frustrated and quit. Just perhaps.
Also, no MT knows what a job is going to be like until they actually do it for a while. Listening to some voice files and seeing templates helps, but there is so much more. Until you work the platform, until you see how many lines you can do for a particular dictator per hour, until you have done this for a few days, you cannot judge whether this particular employer is for you or not. In my present job, I get feast or famine with the same TAT expected. Feast can burn out an MT. Famine can scare one off. And when I get good speed on an account, they take me off of it and give me a new client because they say I am good and they want me to do the client's work so the client will stay. Very flatering to me, but not necessarily financially the best thing for me. Constant change slows production--more variables from which an MT must decide to stay or not. This may not be your situation, but this another variable we MTs must consider.
I've done other types of secretarial work and it is much like MTing -- you don't know the job until you've been there and tried it. All either side can do -- you and the MT -- is try to find the best fit and see if it works out to the advantage of you both. I don't think either side wants to waste their own or the other's time.
What you may consider is a good account may be horrible to the MT after he/she has done it for a week or so. You may think your platform is top of the line but maybe the MT finds it cumbersome, slow, a time-waster. He/she moves on because there are bills to pay. Even your line rate, good as it sounds, cannot salvage a bad fit. I'd rather work at a lesser rate and speed right along and produce tons of lines than struggle every day for a high rate. Now I'm not suggesting you lower your rates LOL!!! Goodness, we NEED rates like that!! I'm just saying if the MT for whatever reason decides he/she cannot make good money with you--a good hourly rate of production, good lines--they will move on.
They might have been totally honest with you on their resume but when confronted with all the variables of the job, they found it just did not work for them. And you, as an MTSO, have no way of knowing whether someone is being truthful or not, or of knowing if they will be pleased once they begin to work for you, or if you have someone who is careless and misrepresenting themselves and just biding their time until something else comes along at which point they abandon your ship.
You sound like a fair, honest person who has been burned too many times. But MTs get burned too and I guess at this point in our profession we are suspicious of one another and the low wages overall makes the MTs quick to move on if it looks like the job won't give them what they need. We can't afford to wait it out and see if it gets better with this or that company. If it does not work from the beginning, we have to move on because our time is precious too.
Some of the actions from MTs which you describe are NOT right and those MTs pull this profession down to a lower level of respect. But this, for many, is today's work ethic unfortunately no matter what business you are in. I've seen it in corporations and in healthcare settings. It's like people just don't care anymore about their job. And for that, I have no answer to give you as it leaves me amazed too.
Everybody is different and every day is different. Too many variables. SM
What I earn depends on work type, staying focused, concentration, etc. I have been through 5 jobs this year due to lack of work. I currently have 2 but my motivation is lacking, trying to get my mojo back. Good luck. Don't judge yourself on what other people earn. I personally know a lot of MTs who make fantastic money. I made in the mid 30s.
variables
There's a lot of variables involved - your typing speed, your Expander software, the platform you will be typing on, etc. When I first started out as a brand new MT, I was lucky to do 100 lph. Now that I've been doing this a little bit more, and have good Expanders and shortcuts set up, I can do 250 lph. My goal is to get up to 350 lph - I've talked to a lot of people who say it can be done.
If you're just getting back into it, I would say figure 150 lph as a good base, and then once you get back into the swing of things, you'll increase from there. Don't plan on that right off the bat, though. I just started a new job on Monday and I'm working very closely with QA. I'll be lucky to make $100 by the end of the pay period, but that's the way it works at the very beginning sometimes.
There are lots of variables there....
It took me approximately two weeks to really get the specifics down on the account I am currently working on. That is just the account specs. The DO's and DONT'S. It is about 75 pages long. I still am not used to all of the doctors yet because I have not had the opportunity to transcribe for all of them enough to be able to get used to them. I work for a national, but my account is for a large hospital, so there are doctors there that I have not even come across yet. I have been on this particular account now for 3 months. I have the specifics down cold, and like I said, that only took a couple of weeks to get.
I have had other accounts that only took a few days to get used to because they were smaller and didn't have that many specifics.
The bottom line is that it depends on the account itself. The client is going to be the one that will determine how long it will take you to get used to an account based on how many instructions, etc. they dish out for their accounts. Each and every account will be different. You may notice a pattern at some point, but you can't really count on a set amount of time or categorize it into a specific time frame.
Just my opinion.
There are too many variables. It depends
on how many lines you can produce, how company counts lines and if it is hard to get lines due to their system, do you have lots of bad dictators that slow you down, how hard you are willing to work, how smart you work (macros, expanders), what shift you work and if there is a shift differential, etc.
There are many MTs that make $20,000.00 or less and many that make $40,000.00+ based on past postings to that same question.
Agree with you -too many variables.
I pay my IC's 8 cpl for my psych work as it has a long Turn Around Time and all they do is type, I pick up, print, QA, deliver, etc. to the psychologists. But even at that, they can average one report of 400 to 500 lines in 60 minutes, depending on the tests, done, etc. but I made so many templates when I was doing the account that it is very easy to do and very good money. But then if you compare that with one of my clinics that has a very nice doctor but talks 220 words per minute and it slows down to only 200 to 250 lines per hour. So there is a difference there. You can only assume the lines you would be typing in a day and times it by 8 cents and then times how many days you are working a week, etc. Too many variables -- what if there is no work?
Patti
Because of all the variables involved, sm
I think it's ridiculous that your team leader would post such a thing. Every MT's situation is different--different accounts, shifts, work types, hours, etc.--and a team leader should know that. As far as working for a national goes, I feel less "communication" is better. Why stir things up? These companies ought to just let us transcribe and keep their silly emails to themselves. Don't they know the old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt?" Maybe your team leader needs more real work to do. Don't let it bother you. Just do your part and forget about it.
One time I told a national bigwig (because my opinion was requested) that if I were asked to draw a cartoon which described this company's relationship with its MTs, I would draw the MT in a cage, sitting at her computer, with a (particular) "suit" poking the MT with a big stick, saying "They produce more when they're angry."
Fortunately now I am a happy IC with a very nice company that treats its MTs with respect. Ya have to kiss a lot of toads in this life, ya know?
Probably would depend on a lot of variables.
what I would do. I would have to be in the situation, I guess.
There are so many variables involved that you
really can't compare things. A lot of the people making that money have their own accounts or are working many hours. You don't know if the person making 60,000 is an IC and has to pay their own taxes. IC positions generally pay better than an employee position. One acccount may not pay for spaces or headers. You might actually be doing the same amount of lines, but they aren't being counted.
At one time it wasn't that difficult for someone to make that amount of money if all the variables were favorable. These days it is harder because line rates are overall lower and companies are always reconfiguring how to count lines in their favor.
If you are pleased with the amount of $$ you are making that is all that really matters and I would not feel that you are inadequate.
Lots of variables
There are a lot of variables to what you are asking. It also depends on what your definition of good money is. I have a FT job and a PT job, both of which pay 8.75 cpl. I average about 200 to 220 lph, so it's a good living for me. I don't have any credit cards, my car is paid off and my mortgage is fairly low. I also don't have a family - just lots of cats. I should qualify that the FT job doesn't start until January. I had a FT job in-house at an Oncology practice up to about a week ago making $14 an hour.
I work for Landmark part time (and I've been VERY pleased with my association with them so far) and the new FT job is with Probity. I've read mixed reviews of them so far on this board, but my dealings with them so far have been very good and extremely professional.
Lots of variables
There's a lot of variables that go along with that, primarily on how good your Expander is and how much you have in it. I happen to know from the last couple of days that I am more than twice as fast with an expander. I've been typing without it because of a software glitch. The company I work for wants every abbreviation expanded and I do mean everything. I had to type percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy tube out at least 6 times for a 25 minute discharge summary.
The problem is they are trying to standardize that which has too many variables.
Important details in documentation are going to be left out. Patient care is going to suffer. Forget about our jobs, we should worry about the medical treatment we will receive from doctors who do not have our full and complete histories.
But there would be variables at ANY line rate. (nm)
s
Wow. I don't know that there is "an average". So many variables here.
Depends on if it is known accounts or new accounts/dictators; familiar specialties, etc.
My overall average line count in transcription is about 275 lph. This would include HPs, Ops, Dis, Cons, ERs, clinic notes sometimes and anything else that might pop up here and there like a procedure note, etc.
I know as many MTs (or are we considered MLS's now? lol) who average much more and those who cannot make that.
Guess I didn't help much, huh?!
I agree with Patti . . . too many variables
Here's a link to an article I found some time ago, which suggests multiplying gross line count by .70 to attain an estimation of an equivalent 65-character count line (or 30% less, as Patti also suggested). It really just depends on too many factors though.
http://www.mtworld.com/tools_resources/line_counts.html
There are lots of variables. How fast you
type, do you use an expander, do you have good dictators or lots of ESLs and crappy dictators, is the platform user friendly, are you doing acute care of clinic, do you have lots of normal/templates, do you get paid/counted for spaces, gross line versus 65 character line.
You really can't compare yourself to anyone else. A lot of people (not all) care about producing lines and don't care about quality of the product. They refuse to proof reports, say that is what QA is for. Some people just seem to have a talent for MT, have lots and lots of expansions/templates, have an extensive knowledge base so they don't have to look up much. If you do clinic you tend to have one speciality and only a handful of dictators so you can make lots of normals so you can produce more lines.
I can do 2000 lines/day on occasion, but can't do it every day. I've done 3000 lines before, but that is rare.
Line rates can also be regional. Too many variables to
give somebody else hope that they might someday get the same rate. If you don't like the rate an employer offers, don't take it -- that's the only way to make them listen. It's not the baloney you seem to think it is.
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?"
There are so many variables at play that it's dangerous to compare to others along these lines. s
I know that there have been occasions when I've had a run of one of my more familiar docs -- one for whom I have a lot of canned text and who tends to dictate with a great deal of regularity, and quickly -- and I've been able to break the 500 lph barrier, but only briefly. Otherwise, working a large hospital account as I do, with dozens of regular docs and a hundred or so others who just crop up now and then, I can't conceive of anyone averaging anything close to that ... I'm luckly to average above 250-275 lph on a typical day, and some days -- when it's resident and ESL heavy -- that can go down to 150-200.
But, again, it's really pretty silly to compare lph between different MTs unless the variables are the same.
variables: clinic v. acute, employee (benefits) v. IC (pay taxes);
nm
It's time we all called NJ. I called
They can't provide anything in writing.
Nobody knows anything - keep telling you to call your supervisor.
I smell something worse than New Orleans coming from NJ.
the reason you (and I) don't get it is sm
probably cause it is a gross exaggeration of their production. No one could produce that much, unless they kept their fingers glued to the keyboard. I'm sorry, it's just not possible. Don't beat yourself up because of other people. Be proud of who you are and what you do! 
For some reason if you have a different
opinion than the people reading your post, they tend to grow fangs and sharp fingernails and tear you up. I don't understand this as we all have the right to our opinion. We need to work on a solution to resolve this issue not attack one another. We don't know what kind of situation the other posters are in and they don't know what position we are in. Just because one person has a wonderful experience with MQ and DQS does not make the person posting a bad experience with MQ and DQS a liar. It simply means that you are in different situations.
Reason
The reason for that is straightforward: the owner of the other website is very pro-offshore MT transcription and apparently is in cahouts with the MQ execs up to her eyeballs. Nothing wrong with, nothing illegal, all very straight up, but all very you scratch my back and i'll scratch yours. They LIKE each other, and the other website simply will not tolerate any negative MQ comments. And here? Well, the truth is allowed to be aired out. Thank you MT Stars for having the cahoonas!
The reason is for ME's 20% pay cut
They underbid on jobs, telling the client if they use the ASR system they will pay 2 cents less per line, telling them it is such a fast system they can do this. That is not the way it worked out. We are not producing more with it. Expansions were just as good, if not better is some cases and now they have to take the money out of our pockets. (It is on the archives here if you read back through as well.)
There was a reason behind this
As was mentioned, they are not actively seeking offshore. However, in order to keep this very large account (and it is large), they had to use some offshore labor. You know, I don't love it either. However, all of the MTs on this account could have just been out of work. So, now a little of it goes offshore, and the US MTs still have their account and their work. It's not great. It's not the ideal. But, at least we are still working.
You know the reason--
Because some idiot did it and they got sued. When I worked at a hospital years ago, it was July in Phoenix and the temperature was well over 110. We had a guy bring his daughter into the ER with burns on her legs because she went down an outside metal slide at McDonald's and got burns on her legs. His excuse was-- Well, there was no sign on the slide saying it was hot. People are just plain stupid any more.
The reason you don't see many men
in this profession is because they are unwilling to take _____ and they are also unwilling to work so hard for so little pay. I would not recommend this job to anyone just starting out, because I believe it is a dying industry. We are already seeing that now with VR, etc.
One reason why (sm)
Actually, it depends on how the company connects to the internet. At my company we cannot hire any with satellite because we use an IP Sec VPN with our platform (ExText) and there are latency (slowness) issues. If you found a company that uses SSL VPN you would be okay. Here is an article that explains it in a little more technical terms. http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/127542.html
One I like for some reason
"Don't let the screen door hit ya on the way out!"
Perhaps the reason they are
hospitalized is due to a childhood type illness that is better dealt with by a pediatrician.
Reason I'm asking is
I have a friend who uses EXText and says lines seem harder to get with EXText than with other programs. I just interviewed with a company that uses it, and I'm wondering if anyone else has trouble getting lines with this program.
This is another reason why I'm
exploring other career options. Although I've had some bad office experiences I don't think that the constant isolation is good. I agree with the suggestions to get out of the house and away from the computer.
The reason for this...
Many insurance companies are now requiring owners to sign a statement saying they will not knowingly hire anyone who has been convicted of a felony. That's why I believe we are seeing more background checks. Just the nature of the business.
run! run far away! If there was ever a reason for VR, this is IT.
x
And the reason for that is
not that they believe he is the worst. In fact, if you actually look at the site, you will see they are backing him because their whole goal is to "stick it" to AI, Simon, the producers, etc. They are backing Taylor because he is good, he's different, and he's definitely not the manufactured pop star that AI wants. They so don't know what to do with Taylor, just like they didn't know what to do with Clay. I'm sure they would love to have Kat in there because it's easy to market another California diva with the same kind of voice that you hear on the radio every day. Her attitude isn't exactly "idol" material, but then again, I'm sure it's commonplace out there so she'll fit right in. I would have loved to see two polite southern gentleman in the finals. So VFTW is backing Taylor to give a "take that" to AI, and I hope they are successful. I joined the Soul Patrol way back...right after the auditions...and I would love nothing better than to see Taylor make it all the way and welcome any help we can get.
Here's one reason
I didn't know it meant "no message". I just saw it used a lot, so I used it, thinking it was for anyone who didn't want to make up a nickname.
Would the reason you think he
sounds dumb be because of his accent? He's southern. He can't help it. But he is certainly not dumb.
Oh, the other reason is
when she e-mailed me about losing that account, she asked if I had any experience in another specialty, which I had very little of and told her so, and I have not heard back from her.
They do this for a reason. sm
The reason they give you a test that has bad audio or is otherwise difficult is because they want to see how you will handle the situation. On the job, you WILL encounter reports which have bad audio or spots that you cannot understand. It is just a simple fact of life in this field. They need to know what you will do when confronted with this situation. Will you try to gloss over your blanks and guess, or will you flag appropriately? I have worked in QA, and you would be amazed at the number of "transcriptionists" out there who will fill in whatever nonsense sounds close rather than flagging a spot appropriately. It's actually very scary. These companies just want to see if you know how to correctly handle dictation which is unintelligible. They aren't trying to make a mockery of the profession.
well one reason could be
for example, a heart condition runs in my friend's family (the condition that sometimes causes athletes to suddenly drop dead for no apparent reason) and her doctor told her that all her children should be tested because it was a 50/50 chance they would have it too. So I would imagine if her kids were still in school it might benefit the school to know this, especially if the child was involved with sports. Perhaps knowing this the school might invest in a defibrillator.
I don't know if that is the reason they ask about family history but we don't really know why they ask for it so I would probably find out why they needed that information before I either gave it out or assumed they couldn't possibly need it.
I was a little surprised at this response- It didn't sound to me like Pattie was ignoring other people's opinions, just stating her own. I certainly don't think she was trying to offend anyone. Lighten up a little. :)
reason?
Any particular reason?
The reason
I 'viewed' is because I'm thinking of making the switch over to editor, and wanted more information. Hopefully, more will respond. It's anomymous after all. 
For some reason I think of CSI but that would be
pathology or Medical Examiner transcription.
BTW: Does anyone ever notice that doc who does the autopsies on CSI LV mispronounces when he is dictating? It drives me nuts. Makes me want to apply for a consultant job on the set. LOL.
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