You'll still pay through the nose for benefits
Posted By: these days, whether you are an IC or an on 2008-10-29
In Reply to: I just quit my job as an IC - Emily Ayn
employee. There are no such thing as raises in this industry. It just doesn't happen. Meanwhile, my husband's employer (not MT) told the managers not to expect a bonus this year. So, it is not just this industry.
The American dream is to own your own company; be your own boss. Why let the rates stand in your way? If you are as good as you say you are, then you would find a way to have benefits and also make a decent living. You don't need an employee position to do that. Many people own businesses and still have health insurance. It is out there for the taking. Even as an employee you have to pay for your benefits. No employer is going to give them away.
It is a shame you were underbid, but this happens every day in this profession, i.e., offshoring...
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This doc keeps blowing wind/nose hairs/boogers out his nose - into the microsphone - and
sounds cool, huh?
I am physically nauseated! 3 hours of this.  gag
Add to that he can't say *our* alphabet so even though the hospital THINKS the docs are spelling the names, he wasted his time and mine. and when I get it wrong -- until I get the hospital to listen --- they will think I'm the *blank* one. (the board stopped me from posting/ said stup*d is not allowed here so you know what I'm saying - isn't that odd, I can't refer to my own self as that, hmmm)
He can't say NUMBERS. Getting the drug doses is a joke. Even the names of the drugs is like mystery science.
He says wrong months, days of the week. If he's meaning to say May, he may say April.
If he's meaning to say 17 he may say 15.
You can hear the disdain in his voice when he dictates on women - I guess in his world there truly is no respect for women and you can really hear it when he's doing the dictation.
But the constant blowing - and clearing his throat - trying to dislodge that tickling nose hair I guess and slurping that yucky saliva has me just about ready to quit transcribing RIGHT NOW. . 
Today I did make myself a promise. I have been a good girl for 30+ years, held my anger deep in my ugly Wal-Mart pocketbooks. When I retire in January and I know I will never have to turn on another computer or transcribe another medical dictation............I'm gonna go to the hospital ......maybe go sit in on GRAND ROUNDS FOR THE LAST TIME.......and BLAST THEM. I'll do it or bust a gasket. Just watch me. 
 
ICs don't have benefits, so you'll have to get
outside insurance. I don't know of any insurance that will cover pre-existing conditions or if they do your premium will triple. Go to e-insurance.com and you get rate quotes there. You can also call insurance companies in your yellow pages that write health insurance policies. BC/BS is one of the cheaper ones. You might want to look into just a major medical policy, very high deductible, lower premiums, basically only good in the even of a catastrophic event. You can also look into a medical savings account to see if you qualify.
That was with full benefits, which are the same benefits as an in-office employee for the QA staff..
However, I hear that their current QA staff are being asked to reach numbers that are out of sight and goals are basically impossible.
you hit it right on the nose. I was sm
doing MT when AAMT came to be. I remember at the time, they would "grandfather" you in if you had five years experience (I had only three I think) in any kind of transcription. There were folks being "certified" who had done nothing but radiology or pathology their whole careers. I haven't been in AAMT for years but don't they now have certification for just radiology separately or something? Anyway, these folks were going around with the "certified" stamp and could not do one iota of acute care transcription. I took the test to be certified. Kept the certification for about 12 years and dumped it. All it is, is a money making venture to benefit AAMT. They do nothing for MTs far as I am concerned. As far as hiring a "CMT" I would take a more experienced MT w/o certification before I would take someone with less experience with certification. I think AAMT needs to be buried too!
Don't cut your nose off to spite your
x
BLOW YOUR NOSE....PLEASE!!
I am about to lose my mind. If this dictator could just blow her nose and stop sucking snot. Can't help having a cold, but even my children would BLOW THEIR NOSE. Then maybe she could stop choking on phlegm. A little consideration, PLEASE!
Oh I have one of those too. I just want to say BLOW YOUR NOSE!!!
You have a brown smudge on your nose you
x
I don’t brown nose anyone as I am not in charge
of how to tell physicians to dictate, just handle my end. I only wish, though.
Same here, inside of nose freezes when breathing.nm
x
I hate the ones that suck their snot up through their nose! UGH!...NM
NM
IC positions offer no benefits, employee positions off full benefits, so if you do not need
benefits, then IC would be best.
Maybe you should both get your nose out of the bible and live the life He gave you...
I just opened the post regarding Jen having an ugly nose and there was the OSi ad. No hunt here. I
the post about Jen's ugly nose lol
I guess they are enjoying their ad campaign on here though trying to drive the moderators nuts
Blowing nose, sniffing, hacking, spitting,,yuk!
I transcribed a doc and I swear he was sick all the time. Really gross.
under HEENT: Nose - moderatly DEMONSTIMINATES more on the right than on the left, no erythema, sm
GARA discharge.
I cant make out these words at all. I sloooooowed him all the way down. Sped him up. Took my earphones off.
I'm ready to take the bridge over here. Any clues? THANKS
I've had a sniffler - blow your nose for heaven's sake!
ENT=Ears, nose and throat. HEENT=Head, eyes,
x
It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get! No point in joining. nm
s
I'll go! I'll go!! I won't take hormones and will be ready to defend your honor :) n/m
.
No. It'll be the most expensive magazine subscription you'll ever get, and it's unnecessary
s
You'll get used to it. It is keeping the right leg propped up at the same time that'll be the
When I broke my ankle, I was just grateful it wasn't the hands. Without our hands we'd be totally screwed.
I broke my right ankle slipping on ice and was lucky to have gloves on because the palm of the glove was totally torn up and my hand was okay.
Good luck and be sure to do your exercises when it is time.
It'll happen. You'll find your fit.
You might have to kiss a few frogs first, though.
Oh she'll spice it up alright, she'll be
placing hidden cameras in the other ladies' dressing rooms! LOL!
continue your goal; he'll/they'll get used to it/over it
nm
I'll vent and I'll sign my name sm
I have two IC contracts right now. I recently went back to a job I had quit earlier in the year to work for the other company I am still working for.
The newer job has 80% ESLs. I transcribe OP notes primarily and I can fill in other work types as the opportunity arises. I am frustrated with this particular situation. After 6 months, I am making less money and working longer hours. I am past the learning curve and I should be doing better, at least in the number of hours I am spending doing the job. We have run out of work for 24 hrs at a time at least 5 or 6 times since December 1, and in November it was more than that. I have a friend who worked for this company as well and she was having similar difficulties. The only thing that we can figure is that they are shorting us line count some way, because after 6 months at it, it should be easier/faster/more money, but it is less and less every single pay period. It is not a nice thing to accuse a company of doing, but it SEEMS that way to us. I am fed up with being expected to type every single OP note that comes in 24/7 and meeting the 6 hr TAT for them on weekends, evenings, holidays, wee hours of the morning...
I took back a job I held for 2-1/2 yrs. The team leader has changed and this gal thinks that I should be on call 24/7 for whenever she has work. I might have some at 7 a.m., or perhaps not until 6 p.m. or later. I can't plan my personal life and between these two IC situations, I find that I am not eating on a daily basis, not showering on a daily basis and not sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours at a time. I have lost weight and I don't feel very well. I woke up today with a rip roaring head cold (my first in nearly 8 yrs) and it has already moved to bronchitis and I am expecting pneumonia by the weekend because I develop it very easily. I already have deep pain in my back.
Yes, I should call in sick tomorrow, but I really can't take the fallout. The job I took back I am covering for another gal who wanted vacation over the holidays and if I have to call in sick, the team leader will call me and pitch a fit about how this is my responsibility. It IS my responsibility, I did say I would do it, and I will do it, despite being quite ill. In the past, when I worked for this company, they would not allow me to call in sick for a "cold" without a doctor's note. I worked through many illnesses with them and only called in sick when I developed West Nile Fever and while I was sick for over a month, I only called for my last 12 reports one day when I could no longer see the computer screen because my head hurt.
The problem is that yes, many MTs lack work ethic. They don't take their responsibility seriously. This is not a work as you please career, not even for an IC. I can see the MTSO's point of view, I truly can. Like finding experienced, reliable and capable MTs, for the MTs who are these things, finding a company will treat you like a human being is equally difficult. I sit here, feeling lousy and like I am an utter slave labor with no consideration whatsoever. I know that my work needs to be done, but when I am this sick it is better that someone else do it for the sake of the work, for accuracy and for speed of getting it out. I know that I am needed, but to be the MT these companies need me to be, I also need to look after my own health.
I will also mention that when I have asked for vacation, I have been approved for the time, but the MTSO queues up my work and calls me then I am not on the system getting it done. I have told them I had been approved for time off, but the MTSO didn't schedule anyone to cover for me and I am told to get on work, vacation or no, if I want to keep my job.
Thus, I work 24/7/365 and have for years. I work sick, I work when I am in pain (I have an AI disorder), I work exhausted from staying up all night covering for others who are allowed to call in sick and have vacations when I can't have either. I work having no health insurance and not being able to afford the $125 a month to buy some with a high copay so I can see a doctor. I work without breaks for breakfast, lunch or dinner and I sometimes come close to having an accident because if I leave my desk to go to the little girls' room I get nasty calls about where I am at and what I am doing.
Many MTs are mistreated, and I am one of them.
Right Now, we do get benefits
but MQ is trying to change that, of course. They are trying to get our hospital to outsource everything to them, which would then mean i can work for MQ or leave. I hate MQ. I want to see them exposed for what they really are and I want to see everybody that have hurt, be compensated.
You can do that with benefits too, ya know.
:)
As long as you're happy, it pays your bills, and you can make ends meet at tax time, that's all that counts. :)
Is that with or without benefits
Do they have Editor positions as SE?
If you don't need benefits, look into
doing house cleaning for individuals on a weekly basis. Lots of under-the-table money to be made from what I used to see when I worked at a bank (and saw deposits of gals doing housekeeping). Weekly house cleaning is no longer limited to the well off professionals.
I was in QuickLube, or whatever it's called this week, and a 70-something lady was talking about her work as a home aide - light housekeeping and cooking and companionship - no medical stuff. She got her referrals through her church and was charging $10/hour.
Unfortunately, some of us need benefits.
Not even in the salad days did I make anywhere near that. In fact, most of the services I know don't charge that.
It's all about the benefits
Hospitals don't want to pay the benes. The hospital where I used to work was sold and the new owners threw us all out plus the service we used. My benefits alone costed the hospital roughly $5000 per year x that by 15 transcriptionists. Plus they provided everything for us, equip, desk, computer, etc.
Apparently they contracted a service for X amount of dollars per month/year to do it for them. No messing around with line counts and they always know what it will cost them.
Can you name some benefits for
the American MT to become certified? Please tell me how AAMT has changed the average MT's job security, satisfaction, etc. All I see is that they have given up on us and moved overseas to start programs and gain overseas members.
well, there are some benefits to having your own
was asking you to go away. A blog serves a similar purpose and in fact you may find a wider range of readers, interactions and help than what you may get on this web site. Yes, I have seen others here say they would start their own blog and have seen a couple of them, so it wasn't an only you thing (at least I didn't see it that way).
Benefits can add up to $10,000 though. (nt)
Tax benefits
I guess I just like knowing I own my own business and I made it what it is today. I like getting out and delivering. Talking to the people in the office making personal contact. Working as much as I want. I also like the write offs and paying less than $1,000 taxes per year. To each their own. To me this is the answer. Most on this board all they do is say that there is no way to make 50K a year and I simply gave an example of how you can do it. I am not knocking you, you seem to have done it I just like doing it "my way" as Frank Sinatra would say. Best of luck to you.
If you do not need benefits then you would
there is more leg work involved especially when first landing an account. The other problem is that even when you have a contract with them they can break it any time for someone who charges less. So you must remain humble with your pricing. When you have your own accounts, you have cut out the middle man, BUT, you must chase down your money. In my experience, the Transcriptionist must get paid LAST because most weeks, I have to ask nicely or do without. Have a safety net, an account to borrow from until you get paid because a lot of the time they pull OOPS, forgot your write your check, or OOPS doc needs to sign it or you just wonder when you'll get it. Just SOME things to consider, but good luck on whatever you decide. 
IC - No benefits with this doc
I was total IC before. I dropped my other accounts and went the employee route for the bennies and so taxes are taken out. Now I get days and holidays off, too. That's a first. Worked 9 years 7/7, 12-14 hours a day, 3 days off a year for family.
What no one seems to realize that in my area, money is tight and so I can't charge the same as someone in a city or heavily populated area can charge. Jobs just aren't here.
Benefits
They cannot give you benefits if you are an IC. If they did they would have to turn you into employees. This is not just my opinion they are IRS rules.
My pay is okay - just no more benefits
It has become a matter of taking a higher cpl w/o benefits or lower cpl with benefits in this industry...as well as those employers who want (example) 7 years of experience for 5-6 cpl. Anyone accepting that should be ashamed to call themselves an MT. I make only slightly less than I did 5 years ago. Now I make 11 cpl on a 65 line count versus 11-12 cpl on a gross line - the difference though, is that I had paid benefits then which I don't have now. The other difference is that when I could work in DOS and create all reports into one file to send at the end of the day, I could routinely produced over 350 lph (and never, ever work more than 6 hours a day, 5 days a week!). Now that I have to work on a platform that requires individual reports being submitted, I've really taken a hit in how many lph I can produce. I still work less than 40 hr/wk, though.
I truly believe in working smarter than harder. If a company offers a platform or dictators that prevent me from making a minimum of 200 lph or more, then I don't work for them. If I can't use my abbreviations that I've built over the past 10 years, then I won't work for that company. If I can't have benefits paid by the company AND the cpl I want, then yes, I will be an independent contractor and take all the tax benefits I can. Last year, I only paid $268 in federal taxes for the entire year.
I have to work around my child as well (I am single) and I am fortunate that my training days are well behind me. I still have a good life and good income, but I am choosy about the company I will work for. When I am older and things change significantly that I make less than $40k/yr, then I will go back into coding and have a job with good pay and benefits. I can't see staying in a profession if it doesn't benefit me the way I need it to.
About benefits
After I wrote my last post I was just thinking about the benefits. I was with Keystrokes for a while and you can be an employee with them and still get the flexibility of 24 hour TAT and therefore you can get the benefits. So it's not impossible to get benefits and flexibility. I know the Keystrokes ortho accounts offer 24 hour TAT, not sure if it's all of the ortho accounts, but I know some of them do. I'm not sure if they have other specialties that have the 24 hour TAT. Good luck.
Benefits
The only "benefits" an IC gets is being able to make their own schedule. We do not get any medical, dental, retirement. We furnish our own equipment, do our own taxes, and do not get paid vacation or holidays.
benefits?
I know people who would change bedpans, just to get a hospital job because of the great benefits package. No judgement on types of jobs some of us would or wouldn't actually consider doing, but bottom line for some people is a steady paycheck and health insurance.
benefits
They do have good benefits and I did look into the kitchen job a bit more. I have not called HR yet. I guess my main point is I am surprised that the HR person did not follow through and let me know there is not an MT job. She did not indicate that when I met with her. I am also surprised that the application went to another department but if that is the way it is done, ok, fine. I do not feel I am a prima dona. I would have understood them passing the application on to perhaps the business office or something else in the medical record department. The job asked for an experienced MT so I was just responding to that particular job.
No Benefits
I'm an independent contractor and so I don't receive any benefits. The reason I stay as an IC is because it allowed me to obtain one degree, and now I'm going back to obtain my nursing degree, and so I like the fact that as an IC, I can set my own hours and that kind of thing...so unfortunately, the penalty for that is not having insurance, paid time off, etc., but I hope it will all be worth it in the end when I'm a nurse! And, I don't mind answering any questions at all...so feel free to ask.
Have a good day!
CMT benefits
Company I work for pays 1 cent per line more for CMT, also provides gift certificates for several webinars a year so does not cost me much.
Benefits
Just found out benefit premiums are going up over $100 more a month. I am hardly getting by as is, let alone when benefits go up. I have to carry the insurance for my entire family (husband is self employed). If someone works for a company that offers good coverage (deductible $1000 or less and copays $30 or less) and cheap premiums (i.e. less than $500/mo for family coverage), could you please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Benefits (sm)
115V AC
3-prong grounded plugs
dust cover provided
I have benefits.
I am an employee though, so make less per line than an IC, and don't get to choose my schedule. Worth it to get benefits though. You just have to find a company willing to hire you as an employee.
do we get benefits?
What's a benefit????
No more benefits, either
I didn't either think about benefits when I posted. I got two weeks paid vacation a year plus paid health insurance and matching taxes deducted through paycheck. Now as an IC, I don't get any of those things. The one thing I have now that I did not have even in 2002 was cable internet, but didn't really need it as much then.
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