To Lisa - Going Rate in Area
Posted By: luv2type on 2007-02-19
In Reply to: patti or luv2type or anyone - me
I would try Career Builders and look for on-site MT jobs in your area and see what the hourly rate is and try to figure how many lines you would do in an hour for this account. I'm no expert, but that is probably what I would do. It seems strange to me though that the Nationals pay pretty much the same line rate to their MT's, yet they are all over the US. Will you have to pick-up/drop-off tapes? Do you have to print? If yes to these two questions, bid in the middle to higher range. If it is all digital and you only have to e-mail the reports back to the office, then maybe consider the low to mid range. I'm on the East Coast, and the cpl ranges from 10-15 cpl (65 characters with spaces) or anywhere from $13-17 per hour. I hear though in some other states such as Texas, the going hourly rate is $9-12 per hour, so this would reduce the cpl rate. I guess it would depend on the type of program you are using. I only use Word and the line count built in. I do not have a separate line counter. I hope Patti has ideas, and she very well may. I think she said she's in Oregon, so that would be considered West coast, so I'd be anxious to hear what her opinions are on the average rate. She's pretty knowledgable and from her posts "plays fair". With all that being said, I think either 13 cpl or 15 cpl depending on the program and method of retrieving dictation and sending back reports once they are transcribed. Hope this helps! I tend to get real chatty! Sorry! 
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Here's how I do it. I start at a reasonable rate for my area. SM
I take of a penny a line for each of these things:
1. Digital. 2. No printing.
Or you can start at your bottom line and add a penny for 1. Pickup 2. Printing. 3. Delivery.
That's just how I do it.
Line Rate for Indianapolis area
I can't seem to get anyone to reveal what the line rate is for this area. I want to get an account or 2 of my own with local doctors. If anyone has any info on this it would be appreciated.
Thanks
Anyone CURRENTLY working inhouse in the Atlanta area that can tell me the going rate of pay? SM
I'm really just interested in people who are actually working NOW and what they're making NOW - not speculation from service managers as to what they think they might be making.
I am considering going back in house for the benefits but if there is just absolutely no comparison to what I make now as far as pay, I don't even want to start wasting my time. Thanks to those who can help!!
PA - Pittsburgh area is one locale, Philadelphia area also.
TriState area - PA, NJ, DE.
Thanks, Lisa! (sm)
I was pretty sure it wasn't illegal, since I signed all this paperwork and they did a credit check and everything to issue me the overdraft protection insurance, but it's nice to hear it from someone "in the know". Thanks for the reply!
On a Halloween sugar high, back from Trick or Treating with the kiddos, back to work and hoping I actually get paid for it....
(Sending out about 12 resumes tomorrow....)
Yes, you can Lisa if you look :o]
For instance if you have applied to a smaller company and they've filled the spots, you can offer assistance in the future with a backlog or to cover vacations. Keeps ya' networked, plus gives you some extra cash. If I had anything that I needed help with that is what I would do. I don't see anything wrong with advertising for temp/vacation help. Why not? Sounds like a way to meet quality transcriptionists that you can count on. The other ideas posted here are good, too, but if you need a vacation then you just need a vacation. Taking work on vacation just doesn't seem like much fun to me. I wish more people would network in this fashion, but I think there are people out there that might try to steal your accounts, so you might want to be very careful. JMO. Thankfully, I have not had that happen. 
Hi Lisa
I do not think that this is the trend, but have seen a few companies who are doing this. In a way, it makes sense because then you are getting paid for airtime and all the BS like conversations with staff, etc. that you would normally have to listen to and not get paid for. Most folks that I've seen post here on the subject would not do it for less than $1.00 per minute, but it really is about how long it takes you to type it (obviously) and how much your time is worth to you. Since a general figure of how long it takes to type 60 minutes of dictation, from what I've heard and experienced, is about 3-4 hours, at 0.67 cpm that would work out to about 10.05 to 13.40 per hour of typing time. Of course, I've had work that I could fly through, and then I've had work that would take longer than the norm, so like everything in this biz, it all depends. Hope that wasn't TMI, since you asked only about the trend thing :)
I also hope you are not talking about losing the account with the flashdrives, as I know that would be really disappointing after what you have done for them.
Have a great night, and a Happy New Year!
MedQuist - Lisa
With your experience, I would have to say it depends on cpl they are willing to offer you. I know of many companies that are generous in cpl due to the number of years of experience. I agree with earlier posting about it depending on if you get a good supervisor. The raises are not much to be desired, you will have to fight for one in the far, far future. Again, with your experience, don't settle for anything less than what you feel is fair. Worse case scenario, if you don't like the job, move on to another company until you find a job you do like. I don't think anyone can answer this ? for you.
Lisa - subcontractor
There have been people here who would like just a little extra. If you get the account and once you are settled, why don't you put your need on the board. You might find some bites. Some people like to do a little extra. Of course if it is something digital you could even go away from your state. Just a thought. I happen to enjoy helping others when on vacation. It has worked for me in the past as well when I needed a vacation .
I would love to help if I can, Lisa....sm
I love to help newer MTs, because back when I first became an IC, I was so shaky, I had my first two babies at home, my husband was gone most of the time for work, and this ANGEL that I met on another message board happened to see one of my questions and since she lived in my state and my area, and she had been doing MT for many years, we hooked up....she was so wise, and so helpful, and we became really good friends until she had to move to Italy with her husband. Also, if you are doing IC independently, I found so much info from my local SBA (Small Business Administration), they will actually let you know the laws of the state regarding setting up business, tax laws, tips, and they will just mentor you along in growing a business. Anyway, please feel free to e-mail me anytime, I will help if I possibly can! You'll be great!
Lisa - your 1st post was so optimistic....sm
Lisa: Your first post was upbeat and optimistic/positive. Then in walked the panners of MQ.....outside of a few clear realistic posts. Now, this current post of yours saying something to the effect of *now MQ isn't lookin too good* is indicative that you HAVE, indeed, let the panners influence you.
Again, hopefully you'll get a GREAT supervisor....(not a given) - the supervisors can make it or break it for you...hopefully you get one with NO POWER OR EGO problems!! I always said, the day my PS leaves, I'm gone!! *lol* Good luck to you whichever way you choose!
I hope it was okay to e-mail you Lisa.
NM
Lisa/MT Student (see mssg)
I don't think you would have to pay to place an ad. See if there is a "Letters to the Editor" section. If not, it might have to be done the way the doctors do it: Their papers are submitted to JAMA for consideration of publication. Even though we MTs are not doctors, it is their work that we are transcribing. And sometimes (if we're lucky) we even get to transcribe those papers that they are submitting for publication! I don't think there is a single doctor or medical professor out there that would want their JAMA submission, book manuscript, etc. transcribed by an ESL MT.
Lisa, the truth of the matter is ...
that there *are* actually MT's out there who are still happy in their jobs and who make good money still in this profession. In truth, I still love the *type* of work that I do; it's the rest of what's going on that I'm sick of as well as the downward trend in pay. What we're commenting on here is the *overall* mood, feel, and status of the industry right now ... and my personal belief is that it's not going to get better.
I say hold true to your dream. If you really want to be an MT keep looking for that company that's going to be a good fit for you. It's going to be hard with you being a newbie, but it's still possible. Don't put all your eggs in this one basket though as some of us have done. Keep a back-up job in another industry so that as things continue to degrade on the MT side you'll have a soft cushion to fall back on. Keep reading the boards with an open and critical mind and decide for yourself if the common challenges that you see MT's as a whole facing are of an ilk that you can tolerate.
I hope this helps.
Hi, Lisa. Have you added macros to SM
your Expander yet for many of the common VR changes--such as for backspacing over a comma, adding a period, and capping the first word of the new sentence? How do you drop common words like, say, "she" into a sentence on the run? I hit "k" and in it goes, but I'm off scanning the next line by then and don't actually see it. Do you constantly use your program's function for jumping the cursor to the point of dictation and vice versa (assuming it has one)? This is a big speeder-upper.
And a reality that's hard for some to run into: Editing skills and talents are different than transcribing skills and talents. Reading fast and accurate becomes big. Punctuating fast on the run was always desirable, but it's more significant now as the ability to simply get the letters on paper becomes less so. Are you one of those this work suits or one it doesn't? If yes, keep working on speed. If not, move on sooner rather than later.
Hi, Lisa. Just wondering how the meeting
Hope everything went well!
Hmmm, interesting theory on Lisa. Maybe so, huh?
x
Hey Lisa - I'm from Lyons - give me a shout!
X
Lisa B - my rates and a long message
Again, I am from the old school, old way of counting and have had my accounts for many, many years - some 18 years. I do the simplest and easiest for me which is just doing gross lines per Word -- which I know counts the spaces but that is how these accounts were started and when I inherited some of them was told to count top to bottom -- but with that in mind -- I keep my rates a little lower. I am from .11 to 12.5 cpl. The lowest is for my Psych accounts as they give me 3-5 days turn around and we insert a lot of templates. The others are internal medicine, surgery, surgical oncology, Plastic/Hand surgery and Dermatology. I do pick up delivery, print, envelopes, cut apart chart notes but I average $35 to $45 and sometimes over $50 an hour (depends on how many Op's and consults that I have) and cannot see raising my prices. So I am happy and content. My pick up and deliveries take me an hour each day (depending on how much I visit with the office staff and docs) and I usually stop at the store or something but it gets me out of the house and I really do not mind that at all. I figure this into my work day to get my average hourly rate and am still happy with it. I will probably raise my rates at the end of 2007 but it has been two years. So with all of that said -- again it depends on your variables -- pick up and delivery, printing, etc. But for a ballpark figure I would go for 12 cpl for digital and 12.5 to 13 for pick up and delivery knowing that it will take 3 to 6 months to get your average up there while getting to know your docs, etc. I have used Sylcount for another account and to me that was too cumbersome. I tell my accounts the simpler, less time consuming we keep it the more savings I can pass onto you. And yes, they do appreciate me, pay on time, Birthday cards are received, Christmas bonuses received, included in staff parties if I want and the doctors actually talk to me and treat me as a person with a name and joke with me. Nobody can really answer this question for you as only you know what the account entails, your experience and what you want to make. You can always raise in a year or after doing it for a while. Good luck, e-mail me if you need any other additional info. Patti
That's why this is a great Site! Congrats Lisa!
Way to go Lisa
The 1st giveaway had 92 entries with Lisa I. of CA as the winner.
Directly after announcing the first winner, the second hunt began. There is indeed an I FOUND IT message posted and will be awarded over the weekend.
GOOD LUCK!
Lisa, you make a very good point. sm
I guess I should have been a little more specific. If ALL MTs were to go on "strike" and not accept the low wages these MTSO's are offering, they eventually would HAVE to offer a decent wage we can live on. But, the other side of the coin is, if the MTS WOULD STRIKE, then the MTSO's would no doubt just hire those non-U.S. MTs anyway, because that is the reason in the first place they are paying so little. The U.S. MTs have no support, that's for sure. (and I apologize for the misspelling of a word in my previous post.)
N-n-noooooooooooo!!! Not Kev! Did you see how crushed Lisa Tucker looked
because she didn't get the boot? As she walked over to the host, she looked very unhappy. Then as soon as she went by Ryan she put on a weak smile to walk back over to the other contestants. She wants to go home.
Congratulations! Lisa I. of California on winning the first dinner!
Email to admin@mtstars.com with your full mailing address and your choice of restaurant and we will send out your gift card immediately.
Thank you for playing MTStars Fall Scavenger Hunt!
Administrator
MTStars
CONGRATS to Lisa R. of Wolcott, NY on winning the $10 gift certificate
/
Charge him an hourly rate. The current rate is
between $15-21/hr. according to your location. If he had to use an independent secretarial service, he would be charged much more. You can look in the Yellow Pages in your area under Secretarial Service and ask them what they charge, then charge accordingly knowing you can back it up.
ME rate 80% of baseline MT rate
are you happy with the 20% cut to do ME work or are you going to just do MT work (which will be those dictators that ASR can't do) at your baseline rate?
Cross off old rate, put in your new rate, (nt)
Employee rate/IC rate......
I work at home for a hospital account that I make .11 cpl on 60-character line. I also do IC work for a clinic where I make .14 cpl. I am from Missouri.
Is DSL not available in your area?
It's worth it to have it. It's tax deductible as a business/work expense. It's only about $35 a month here total, compared to $20 a month for dial-up. It's so much faster, more reliable and easier to use than dial-up. It also doesn't tie up your phone line like dial-up does, so no need for a second phone line and no getting bounced off the Internet when someone calls while you're trying to work. I'd still have it even if I couldn't write it off on my taxes.
I'm in the D/FW area and we have taken in several ...
and Dallas is making sure the children are in school, there are special job fairs to make sure the adults get jobs, even though our economy was terrible to start with, companies are making jobs for them, and every one that is interviewed says they are never going home and making their home here in Dallas/Fort Worth. I know they need places to say, what happened to them is terrible, but this area really did not need the strain of all the added people. Several of the people have been offered new housing back in their state or such, but they say they do not want to move again. I just think everyone needs to be looking at the big picture as to what is going to happen in the long run, as New Orleans is going to need some of their residents to come back and help rebuild. I have a son that has been looking for a job for over a year in the field he went to school for and has had no luck and now he has to compete against 1000s more people. I just don't get it.
If you have one in your area, may I
They are a corporation who apparently does give a rat's a** about its employees. They don't give their top people big bonuses, etc. and instead pay their employees a living wage...a REAL living wage and have one of the best reputations for treating their employees like real human beings from all I've read about them.
See if this is in your area
http://www.wildblue.com/
bay area MT
Since you mentioned you were also from CA, I was wondering if you have seen much about relocalization and eating local? I have read a lot about this and try to only purchase goods that are produced within 100 miles of my home in the South Bay or if not available within that radius, only from our state. I have also started my own vegetable garden growing different types of squash, lettuce, spinach as well as others in addition to fruit. Everything I am growing is either from seed that is not genetically modified and is organic or I purchased from the nursery from organic growers. My housemate is suprised at how much variety we have with our container gardening. She was just saying this morning that she never realized how easy it was to grow things yourself.
Another thing to support your local farmer is to sign up for a CSA. They had an article not too long ago about how organic goods really wanted by consumers, but even though these goods are organic, they are being brought from different parts of the world, which kind of kills the organic goodness considering you are expending oil to deliver it.
As for offshoring of our work, I have found since I moved to CA getting close to a year ago that there seem to be a lot of companies who do not offshore and will not consider it a consideration. I think there is hope:)
bay area MT . . . sm
You see, I am right!!! They also had an article not too long ago about what the true savings from offshoring work has come out to. Instead of getting the 50% to 60% or more most places advertise to cut costs, the only real savings has been around 20%. They had an article about that in our local paper as well as I think I saw it on Yahoo News if anyone wants to search for it.
What area are you in because....
I had to fight to get $1.35 per minute IC directly from a hospital and was told that was the average. I recently did some math and figured I was being paid between 8-9 cents per line. I get 10 for a PT IC position. Trying to figure if I should ask for more again, especially since I get several different doctors now that they use hospitalists.
Is this in the KC area?
I'm from a town just north of KCMO and plan on moving back in a few months and was just wondering if you worked for one of the hospitals there? I currently work for a national, but am hoping to get a local job when I move back.
None in my area.
Many are mad at this organization because of their stand on things. I am not happy with them at all.
if it's available in your area
This may be getting off topic here but there are some states which have monetary assistance (moolah to you and me) for small small businesses (SSBs). It is the same as first-time homebuyer money, which is aimed to get people into homes who otherwise wouldn't have the downpayment money. But you take classes, come up with a business plan, and I don't know what all else. I was in the homebuyers program for 1-1/2 years, taking classes, working on perfecting credit, etc, and eventually got 10K. In some of my monthly classes there were small small business people participating for state money for starting a business. You will, of course, have to check in your area. Just a thought!
In our area .. Cingular has that
Check cingular.com
Are their any IC in the Tampa, FL area?
Just wondering if there were any other IC in the Tampa/Brandon area, and do you think line rates are cheap around here?? 
not sure of the prices in your area
..but gas here is $2.73 (cheap stuff)
Home prices have gone through the roof here. We sold our home last year for 250, and we bought it 2 yrs prior for 170. In our area, homes sell before they even make it to the MLS listings.
I am an IC and have no problem finding work. I have actually turned away 2 offices last week.
Oh, health insurance, may not want to hear this one--we pay 200. per week for a family of four.
I live in the Tampa area.
Best of luck,
Sunny!
I can REALLY relate to you in one area...
My DH is a high school principal, however, we purposely and specifically moved to a different town so that our children would not have to go to school where their Dad works. Our oldest (a senior this year) did her freshman year at the same high school, and then we moved. Some kids were very rude, saying mean things about her dad within ear shot so that she would hear, and kids telling her that some senior was "looking for her" because he was mad at her dad. As far as lying... I think you might try teaching her a lesson about lying. Tell her you're going to get her a car and then when the day comes to go get it, you can say "oops, I was lying, we're not getting a car." In other words, show her what being lied to make a person feel like. She can know that you're doing it in order to teach her a lesson, and that she just might never know when you're lying or telling the truth. She will soon realize what she is doing to you and what it's like to live with a liar. My DD is very honest and we havn't had any troubles with her, but I've got 2 more coming up so who knows what's in store for me there. There but for the Grace of God go I, so I will not boast about the one well-behaved teenager that I have raised. Sometimes in spite of everything we do, and the best upbringing, some kids just make poor choices. Hang in there. I now know why God invented menopause. Can you imagine what these people having babies at 45 have in store for them in their 60s? They're NUTS!
Any Denver-area MTs??
She needs a neuroophthalmologist and I cannot find one in Denver for her. Any insight appreciated! Thanks.
I can REALLY relate to you in one area...
Dear Lisa,
My ex's latest bimbo (who is now his wife) badmouthed me in front of my then 12 yr. old daughter. This trash even went as far as to discuss their intimate relationship in detail in front of my child.
Although my daughter lives with me, she has no respect for this trashy woman.
Your daughter will eventually see through this woman's lieing and manipulation. From 15 to 17 is a tough age for girls and your daughter is right smack in the middle.
I would be firm with my daughter and tell her that calling you names and being rude to your fiancee and his family is unacceptable and you just won't tolerate it.
Further, tell her that respect is earned and she'll have to clean up her act if she wants your respect.
Your daughter knows how to "push your buttons" but don't let her get to you. Ask her, "How would you like it if I called you names all the time?" When the shoe is on the other foot, teens have a tendency to think about things more than we realize.
A real job doesn't have to bring in a paycheck. The most important jobs that we women have is being a Mom. If we are able to juggle motherhood and still bring in a paycheck then all the better. It doesn't matter if your office is in the living room, or in an office downtown.
If that paycheck helps buy your daughter things that she wants, I would simply say next time she asks for something, "Sorry, I don't have a real job, so there's no real cash to get you what you want."
Sometimes you have to stop being the "nice parent" and put your foot on the brake. In the long run, your daughter will come around and respect you for it.
It's a tricky area (sm)
Let's get real--in the vast majority of these companies, they're using you as an employee yet calling you an IC. That's the reality.
Therefore, I think you should let them know that you want to raise your line rate. Though technically another poster here is correct in saying that you can give them a notice that "effective x date, my line rate will be x" I think that's risky. That's assuming MT companies are functioning legally and ethically and actually treating you like an IC, which again they're not.
What I did when I was an IC (very recently) was call the company and said I would like to negotiate a higher line rate. I cited that I could do all work types, accents, worked weekends, and therefore was valuable to them (it takes a little practice aloud first and some chutzpuh to make that call). I gave a rate higher than I expected, and they came back with something in the middle, which was just fine to me.
Yes, it's wrong that it works this way, but the reality is you are probably in an employee position yet called an IC. Therefore, unless you have other accounts and don't really depend on this company, better to take an approach that is somewhere in between employee and IC.
Good luck!
Walmart in our area.
I live out in the sticks, but we have Walmart in several small towns close by. My friends who work at Walmart have an income comparable to other retail jobs in our area. A close friend's son is in management at Walmart and makes a very good living for this area. I do not like some of their business practices, but a lot of the smaller businesses around here have shady business practices as well. I am willing to pay a little more and support local business owners, but I had just as soon buy a few groceries as go down the road to Ingles, Kroger or Bi-Lo and pay twice as much, as these are big chains too.
Come when the area is not so congested? What does that mean?
Not sure I'm following, but I sure don't blame you for being upset. I think I would delve into this a little further once you are less mad.
I don't know what rates are like in your area.
Only the hospital knows if it's a better deal for them. Some companies provide equipment, dictation systems, tech support, supervisors, transcriptionists, etc., so if the only thing you are doing is transcribing and you are relying on the hospital for all the rest, then the hospital has to absorb all those costs.
I'm in the Nashville area.
Tampa Bay area
I have been here for 15 years and still love to drive over the causeway into Tampa it is just so neat having the water all around! I will say that things are more affordable in Tampa but the county taxes are high because you are paying for the Bucs and for many social programs as there is a price to pay to fix a city and make it a place anyone would want to live. Pinellas County (over the Bay and more beach like) is a bit pricier, but there are still affordable places to live. SW Pasco county is also affordable and taxes are lower but so are services. It all depends on what you want/need. Jobs are available. Many hospitals still have inhouse and there are services always looking for good help. I love it here and there is a substantial community of MTs if you need a shoulder to cry/grouse on!!
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