Without starting a war, how much time is reasonable to spend on reasearch (sm)
Posted By: CuriousMT on 2009-01-15
In Reply to:
when paid by the minute?
I have access to the patient's electronic chart and often use this as a tool to look up doctor names, diagnoses, etc. Often, these charts go back for years. Documents are both scanned into the patient's chart by the physician's office(a 5-page stress test would be 5 separate scanned entries) and typed directly into the patient's chart (a 5-page document would be 1 entry).
We are paid by the minute, no matter how fast or slow the doctor talks. So, if they manage to speed talk, not take a breath, and slur an entire H&P into a 1-minute report, we get paid for a minute's worth of work regardless of typing time.
Having given the above information, what would you consider a reasonable amount of time to spend on research,i.e., looking up "Dr. Smith" with no first name and no specialty or indication why the patient saw "Dr. Smith", or things of that nature.
(I've got my fingers crossed that this does NOT start any type of MT versus QA argument!!!)
Thanks.
CuriousMT
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And should you not receive your final paycheck in a reasonable amount of time,
notify them that you will be filing complaints with the Department of Labor, the BBB, the FTC, the state attorney general's office, and small claims court.
Don't spend a lot of time initially trying to get
a blank. After you complete the dictation go back and relisten to see if you can fill in the blanks. When I get a new ESL dictator it sometimes takes me a while to get his accent so I don't spend a lot of time trying to fill in the blanks initially. Usually by the end of the report I have gotten the accent and can fill in most blanks. I also have the experience to know what the blank should be in most cases, and that also helps me fill in. If you get QA files back make copies of them and start your a notebook. If you have the ability to relisten to files after they have been signed off when you get QA back relisten to the dictation and see if you can hear the blanks then. When I first started doing ESLs I was so stressed because they were hard and I left a lot of blanks and I just don't normally leave blanks. After getting QA back and relistening it seemed so clear what they were saying and I couldn't believe I had struggled so much.
I spend more time out of my chair than in
nm
lol, don't blame you...I used to spend so much time
searching for sample reports, listening over and over, trying to make sense of some speedy English-speaking (incoherent, actually speaking half words and tripping over their words and stuttering because they go so fast) docs. This is a legal medical document, doc, treat it like one! And in my opinion, too many MTs and QA that try to interpret the gibberish often make more of a mess because you just can't be 100% sure in cases like these and better off leaving it blank so as to avoid the lawsuits. Don't ya think? ;)
So how much do you make for the time you spend
*Enquiring minds*, and all....
How much time are you willing to spend testing?
I'm not willing to spend more than 30 minutes or so testing for a company. I've seen a few that are well over an hour.
try to convince DH that now is not the time to spend...I think he's in denial...nm
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Maybe if you spend more time honing your skills and
x
ADHD is bull. Just maybe try to spend some time
working with her (not pushing her but just introducing new things). I am sick to death of the ADD/ADHD diagnosis of kids. I do not believe in it. Some kids DO have a little harder time adjusting to school and again there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just talk to them every day, help them in any way you can but most importantly be there for them no matter what. It will all work itself out but DO NOT stress yourself out over what some teacher says. Most of the time they are wrong and can be proven wrong. I am a teacher, although I teach adults/teenagers in college and really..... I truly believe elementary teachers try to make it easier on themselves rather than try to work with a child that needs it.
Yeah I used to spend time carefully (sm)
crafting tactful feedback only to realize later that the MT had apparently not read it, deleted it, tossed it, whatever. You get to where you hear the same old excuses time and again and you realize that some people just don't care.
Another poster made the comment on how she didn't want someone to mother her; well, a lot of the MTs I worked with apparently did. They wanted me to be like a longsuffering mother and overlook their mistakes, take their excuses over and over and over again and offer tea and sympathy. They would repeatedly not write down what I told them, not look in reference books ("oh, I forgot you said to look there") ad nauseam.
So you get to the point where you're just sending to-the-point messages and you quit handholding. And then some people get angry because you're not "nice." Can't win for losing.
RAMS football, spend time with 10-mo old grandson
Yes, it is opening day for football in St. Louis, fall is right around the corner.
My grandson is at that handful stage, hard to get anything done with him around but I volunteered to babysit while his parents are out Saturday night. Hope to squeeze in a few hours Sat and Sun for work as well.
If you will spend some time reading the company board
you'll see that the industry is more volitile than ever. Work is being offshored to India and other countries and the garbage is left for the US MT. Companies are going to VR. Pay is low, you can expect to make 9 to 10 cpl average as an employee, maybe up to 11 cpl as an independent contractor. A lot of companies cannot provide steady work and insurance is very expensive.
I would not recommend leaving your job to pursue MT full-time. Most companies want the experience to be current, within the last 2 years, so you could potentially have some issues with being 3 years out.
I would suggest trying it part-time to get a feel for how things are before you decide.
Best battery backup with a reasonable amount of time - just lost report when elec blinked Grrrr
nm
I personally will NOT spend too much time looking for a word. I listen 3-5 times if I still don'
it goes to the QA. I am getting paid 5-8cpl, depending upon the account, as an IC and don't have the time to spend too long looking. If I can't find something in 15 minutes I'm done. If I got paid more I might take more time to look, but at these line rates no WAY!
I also get no feedback from QA, or very rarely. We have one QA who is rude and puts down the MTs at every turn. It isn't easy for the MT either. If you aren't even listening to the dictation how do you even know WHY the MT didn't get the word, maybe the doctor is a total mush mouth and our ears are bleeding by the time we got to that word.
You're right, i spend way too much time on this board when should be working, I am just so burned
NM
I spend a good deal of time tweaking the ones in there so ummm, may give it a shot lol
dd
First of all do a little reasearch ..
Just so you can talk the lingo a little go onto Transcription Gear.com and they show what a digital system is and how it works in case that is what they have. If they have tapes you will pick up deliver, transcribe on a transcriber, print, etc. IF they have a call in system you will need some sort of device to connect to their system, C-phone or Lanier which acts like a transcriber after you call in and connect to their server. But first, ask what type of sytem they are using, what you would need to do their work, etc. They might just want someone for overflow but it is a foot in the door, I would not let is slide because I did not know much about systems. Again, do a little research. If it is in-house you will go there.
Starting off part time with little experience?
I've got one year of experience working with a national after going through an MT certificate program with a local college. Had trouble with speed and production. Want to go back into transcription and considering part time as not sure I could do the 40 hours a week with everything else going on right now. Wondering if it is possible to learn the tools of the trade, account specifics and get used to the docs with a national when only working part time.
Thanks.
Just a matter of time...wouldn't want to just be starting out...nm
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I think $15/hr reasonable!!....sm
I cannot figure out the hourly because I get paid by the line and that varies from hour to hour. DocQScribe is the platform. I just did 180 LPH for my first hour of the day which comes to $16.40 for that hour but again, that varies from hour to hour. 
Yes, probably reasonable
Radiology often has a lot of normal reports, so with normal macros from each doc its quite doable. Also there are many repetitive phrases they all use so you can make your own macros and speed production that way. As a newbie I'm not sure you could get up to speed that fast, it really depends on how many normals are already in place and how easy the docs are. A seasoned MT would try to bring her macros with her, but as she already knows their lingo and can anticipate what's going to be said, its pretty much the same stuff on each type of report.
that sounds reasonable
That sounds like a fair assessment, what confuses me are the ones that say they can get 500 lines an hour...... In 15 years the best I ever did was around 325 per hour.
Her tone was not reasonable.
Believe me, she couldn't afford me anyway if all she's getting is newbies applying.
Another reasonable post!! Thanks!
x
sounds reasonable to me
but as an employee the company can dictate your hours. As an IC I work a split usually and do better this way. However, as an IC, the company cannot dictate your hours according to the IRS. Companies now days promise too short of a TAT for the MT, IMO. What happened to the 24-hour TAT for H&Ps, consults, etc. and longer for discharge summaries? Not to mention the # of reports at the end of the month when doctors who haven't dictated decide they should dictate rather than be put on suspension or not allowed in the OR until they get their act together.
What is the best reasonable VR program available?
I am an IC and considering buying a VR program, but I would like to know which is the most accurate, and also cost is a factor too. Does anyone have any recommendations, good or bad? I hear a lot about Dragon, but I am hesitant because I have heard it takes a long time to train it to your voice.
Thanks for any and all advice.
Define reasonable
I've gotten all of my equipment from Transcriptiongear.com and have never had problems with the quality. Reasonable depends on your definition, though. I never thought their prices were outrageous.
HE** YEAH IT SOUNDS REASONABLE!!! sm
do the math. Supposedly we are supposed to be able to complete 12-14 minutes of voice in one hour. But realistically, we complete more than that an hour. So for instance, take 14 minutes and multiply by $1.14. That is almost $16/hour.
Her instructions are perfectly reasonable
If she doesn't want resumes submitted as attachments, that's her business and the applicants should just follow the instructions. Whether you think she should ask for pasted resumes instead of attachments is irrelevant. If you don't want to apply, then don't. But if you're going to apply, just follow the instructions. If you cannot or will not follow the instructions, that tells her pretty much everything she needs to know about you.
Reasonable cpl to expect for newbie MT?
What would be a reasonable cpl to expect as full-time employee (not IC) with a national if you have no experience but do have MT education from one of the AAMT-approved schools?
Mac she asked reasonable questions
For once can you ditch the negativity, try having a positive attitude and be a little gracious??
One blank is not reasonable, what if it is a horrible ESL - sm
that you can only understand 1 word in 10? I have had those. Years ago worked for a company that only allowed about 1 blank every 10 reports or so, which was crazy especially since it was acute care and nothing but ESLs. If you went over your daily allotment you would be reamed via email. I understand trying to keep the blanks down but some are just unavoidable.
Hi, any IC's that are paid on salary? or is this a reasonable pay I should ask for?
My docs have now switched to a new platform, which does not utilize counting lines, which is how I am paid now. They suggested paying by time, but that would be irritating for me to have to keep track and multiply and do all sorts of other stuff by hand (rather than having software to do it).
I have thought about asking them to pay me on salary. I have been with them for 7 years with no raise. NO RAISE EVER. Seven years this September, and I have made between 25 and 28 thousand dollars each year with them.
I am thinking of asking for $36,000 a year and was wondering how reasonable that is. I get absolutely no benefits from them and in turn, have to pay my own health insurance, retirement, taxes, etc. (so really it would be about 24K a year).
Any advice? thanks so much
15 sounds reasonable for a large
15 is too high unless you are on the west coast. Here on the east, 14 is about as high as anyone can get on a clinic account. Acute care goes for about 15-16.
15 sounds reasonable for a large
The doctor I transcribe for said the company charges 15. Of course we do not make anywhere near that, so I think that is reasonable.
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.
I think 12 cpl is reasonable...plus they're desperate, that helps...sm
try to get the work into a digital format though. Don't do the tape running around thing. It will kill your profit. Look at Bytescribe's web site and see about using an Olympus recorder and transferring files via Bytescribe. Many advantages including tracking files, duplicate file posting (files never get lost!), flagging to indicate status of files, digital files have superior audio quality, STAT capability, on and on and on
I just bought a Bissel bagless - reasonable @ $129. It gets the job done
I have a golden retriever - it picks up every hair and hair ball. So far, so good.
I use MPCount, which is free and easy to use,,,can't get more reasonable than that!
boo
That's ridiculous. $1/minute is more reasonable for beginner.
I make $75 to $100 per audio hour.
That's ridiculous. $1/minute is more reasonable for beginner.
You will be working for less than $5/hour.
I make $75 to $100 per audio hour.
Any suggestions on a good Vacuum at a reasonable price?
I would love to have a Dyson but they are a little over my budget. Thanks!
I'd be tempted to think he meant SP02. That would be a reasonable air sat value, and sounds simi
nm
RE: Anyone know of a real light touch keyboard that is a reasonable price?
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A good place to get reasonable, objective info regarding ADHD is CHADD
just keep it in mind for the future. www.chad.org. Also there are some informative videos at coolnurse.com. About 10 videos regarding ADHD. you will have do a search on the site but it's worth it. If it's in her father's family it could be possible that she has it, and if so, you needed to get educated about it and be her advocate. School systems respond very well to confident, well prepared parents who come in to meet for a plan that allows for reasonable accomodations. I've been doing it for years.
Flexible schedule and reasonable line rate, at least 11 cpl for acute care!
I am not real "needy". No benefits as IC, just need flexible schedule due to very active family, and expect a good line rate. In return, I will go above and beyond what is expected to meet TAT and quality!
Dell will finance at a very reasonable rate, just bought one and my payment is $50 a month with no i
just start charging interest. I am using my IC job to pay it off. Medquist does furnish computer, Amphion furnishes but with a monthly fee that is refunded at the end of a year's employment, I think.
I don't spend more than $25-30, regardless of who it is...sm
people should remember that it's the thought behind the gift, not the actual gift itself, that matters.
Can't help but wonder if he would rather spend...sm
time in jail in the US versus a Thailand prison. That's supposed to be pretty horrible as prisons go. Maybe he thought if he had to go to jail, he would confess to this knowing it would get him back in the states. I just hope they have more evidence on him than the confession. Surely, they do because they were apparently on to him before he confessed. It is pretty strange...
I'm not sure you really need to spend the $$ to do this.
You are a sole proprietor and can use your SSN as your TIN. You home office expenses as well as percentages of your utilities, vehicle, etc., are tax-deductible. You don't specify what your "other" interests, though.
Well, first of all I would *never* spend 20
minutes trying to decipher a 1-minute report *unless* they were paying me by the hour regardless of production. I don't like to leave blanks either, but you seem to be taking that to the extreme (of course your choice to do so).
I am not sure what the pay off is for you to stress yourself like this...
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