You're likely to make more money on the lower rate because easier to understand and can probably
Posted By: MTSO on 2006-05-25
In Reply to: which would you choose? - poll
faster and need less time to look things up, etc. Just my 2 cents.
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- which would you choose? - poll
- You're likely to make more money on the lower rate because easier to understand and can probably - MTSO
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it does get easier and eventually things make sense to you even when you can't understand -
I was doing a Irish doctor, I could understand the medical terms pretty well, it was the easier, more normal words, I had trouble with. Because of the lilting and very fast way he said it "three arteries and a vein" nearly drove me insane.
You're working to make money, not to spend money.
These people should be ashamed of themselves taking advantage of people this way!
I would not lower the rate. They know how
much they are paying you and have accepted it.
Never lower your rate
I would never, ever lower my rates. Is the one doctor in the group that is complaining a constant whiner? He may just be a tightwad that still has the first .01 he ever earned. Think about it - we complain about the cost of gas increasing and the cost of groceries increasing, but those businesses sure aren't going to drop the price of their product due to our complaining just to keep our business. You run a business and the point of that is to earn money. If you or a family member had to see this particular doctor, would he drop his office visit rate because you complained about his bill? Never!
Not only that, these are cardiologists - one of the elite money makers in the medical profession.
Write a note stating that you understand his concerns about the cost, but state that in spite of your expenses increasing along with everything else recently, you will agree not to go up on your rate for a year instead. Tell him while there is less expensive out there, it comes back to the old saying of, "you get what you pay for."
I do not give a lower rate for any templates--I still--sm
have to pull them up and there are usually changes that I have to do. I charge my rate x 3 for envelopes and they supply the envelope. I also charge for cc's--if the name and address are provided. If not, I do not print an envelope for them, the office does.
Your other option would be to have his office print the envelope. My ink cartridge runs about 25-30$ depending on where I get them, and can get very expensive depending on the amount you will be printing each week.
I also do not take anything off my rate. I have figured how much I have to charge in order to make a profit and do not vary from that. If he gets you to drop your rate below your profit margin, guess how long it will take for him to spread the word to his friends that you will come down on your rates??
Well....he asked me to lower my line rate for him (sm)
which I did....then he asked that I make copies of everything he cc's and copies of the letters he dictates....then asked me to subtract off the templates he uses, even though I am using my ink to print these templates and making changes where he wants....it seems that I am spending more time doing these things than I am making any money. Just don't know what to do. I am not complaining, just need some helpful advice. Thanks
Client interested but wants to lower rate. sm
He said he wants to hire me to do his work, but at 8 cpl and give a week's turnaround time. I worked as an SC at that rate, but not as IC.
Is there anything I can say or show him to convince him this rate is incorrect?
Have you forgotten we have not gotten the new pay plan yet which will lower the base rate I am sure
and be incentive tiered according to production which is next to impossible on so many accounts anymore. This is only the beginning of the pay decrease.
I agree - easier to read and understand, looks more professional to me
nm
Call the credit card companies and ask them to lower your rate. sm
Tell them you are having trouble and you need a lower rate. I would try that first on your own. I have done it and went from 14.9% to 4.9% on my credit cards. I can now pay them more monthly than they ask for and I am on my way out of credit card debt.
Consolidation companies, some, charge a fee and it goes on your credit report as "write off or bad creditor". If you have no success with the cc companies yourself, than try a consumer company to help you.
Good luck to you!
Make money? I'm not making any money because of my decision. You read my reasoning
You can agree with me or not, but don't make false assumptions please.
Big mistake to every go lower than what you currently make. Don't do it.
MTs like you cause lower rates for us. Co's have to make
After all the time and money spent in getting you hired and equipment ordered and sent to you and then you pull that.
It costs the companies considerably. This is passed onto the rest of us as restricted line rates.
Thanks a lot. We appreciate it.
Gawd.
I also blew some money signing up with Quixtar... The only way to make any money is to bug everyone
you know into signing up. I felt like a snake oil huckster. I hated it. I was flushing money down the toilet from the moment I handed over my money.
RUN, do not walk away! I do an entirely different side business now that I really love (in addition to my MTing, which I also love!) Find something you're good at and that you truly love doing. Then make a business out of it. That's the best way to have a side business. Selling discount toilet paper through Amway/Quixtar? Not so much.
I make my own candles - easier that way, and fun!
nm
Much easier to make lines, but the pay sucks
...
Easier if you're in a bigger city
I went to an open "cattle call" sponsored by one of the big modeling agencies at a Holiday Inn once some years ago with my DD. Didn't cost any money but did involve several hours of standing around.
Wouldn't hurt to call around to the modeling agencies like another poster said, but I do believe you will have to pay for some photographs, at least. The other factor involved is if the kid can go for a long time without crying or throwing fits in a boring environment. That was my DD's problem. I did have to pay for comp cards made out of an existing photograph. Nothing came out of it for us, but it is possible to look into it without getting rooked.
Acute Care or Clinic????? Which is easier? Where can I make more
I have been transcribing clinic reports for the past 3-1/2 years (not for the same clinic). My company does have some acute care accounts and occasionally asks for someone to switch. I was just curious if anyone had any opinions on which is easier. I mean where can I be faster and a better lph.. clinic or acute care? TIA
Also work on eScription. Make more. Easier on wrists. sm
It's editing work, and the reason I personally make more is that I'm a slow typist but a fast reader and "punctuator." The eScription software is very easy to learn.
As already said, expanders make multiple doctors easier. SM
Agree with everything said, including that you'll LOVE your Expander once you start using it. Treat yourself by starting with putting in all the stuff that especially aggravates you to type. That'll be the very last time you every do so. Like hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg p.o. b.i.d. My Keystrokes for that specific one are hyc25mpb and include a wrap code so the "25" always stays with the "mg" without my ever bothering over it again.
But the reason I chimed in was to point out that people who concentrate on building personal expander dictionaries can take their expansions to almost all employers (and woe the employer who can't accommodate the standard expanders) and apply them to thousands of dictators. They are not at the mercy of one particular employer and the availability of one particular pool of dictators, which is not a good position to be in in this very changeable world.
Make your life easier, pick which name to go by and have EVERYTHING match. sm
yes, it's a pain to stand in line at the SS office, adn the DMV, and you have to fill out forms, but avoid all confusion which WILL arise in the future with a little effort now.
replace "should" with "could" - there, doesn't it make it a lot easier now?
x
replace "should" with "could" - there, doesn't it make it a lot easier now?
x
Make off shore work illegal (to send to), lower dues, better pay - nm
s
Wait until we get a lower base rate and incentive and no work for incentive.Should prove interesting
because everyone will probably have a lower base rate than now. As I say, should prove interesting.
I totally understand that money does not fall from the sky....sm
What I was asking was if anyone had any suggestions on how to "make" money not it fall from the sky...Good grief!
Does your program change lower case to upper? If so, type all in lower and
it will change the ones it is supposed to.
I understand... But I will not lose money by doing free work because she chooses to bill (sm)
will a method that requires me to give away free work. I will politely explain my position when we have our meeting. If push comes to shove, I will tell her that I will switch to her method of line counting, but I will need 9 cpl rather than 8 cpl. If she won't do it, I will give my notice.
Thanks for the input! I appreciate your time!
I wouldn't lower my rates. Should I request a lower CPL from my employer
because I use a ton of normals, templates and such to increase my line count?
What i understand, she can only make $900 a
x
I understand- she could make more but
they would just take more. I know how it works. They do not put a limit on what you make but for every 3.00 they take 1 I think.
I only make $50-100 a day on that rate - sm
but thankfully I don't have to live on it. I work more than 8 hours too, but my work day is spread out from 8 am to 11 pm generally, with at least 5 of those non-working hours.
I don't understand what you're saying?
x
You're welcome. I don't understand why some
anyone who even slightly suggests that they aren't 400-line-per-hour 'super-typists'. We could toot our horns all we wanted (like they do) about how skilled and productive we are, and they'll say little or nothing. But suggest that you're having trouble paying bills on our peanut pay, and then they're all over ya, trying to convince you to quit.
I also dislike the way so many people here treat newbies. Yes, newbies are going to ask questions that sound silly. (They're NEWBIES! We all were newbies once, as well.) Instead of just giving them a straight answer, the 'wonder-transcriptionists' go for the jugular, and suggest that they should just quit because they can't cut it.
I also don't understand the devaluation of professional medical language specialists. Not just the medical word aspect of it, but our ability to read, write and spell in the English language. The average person can't spell worth a lick (just look at all the close-to-illiterate posts you see on the internet or in e-mails!) Most people can't even compose a simple business letter. My father was the owner of a business, and he had this incredible secretary that could do everything, and do it well. She got married and moved away, and he tried in vain to find a 'replacement'. He couldn't believe how many people walked in the door who couldn't write or speak properly, and spelling and typing skills were abysmal. He finally lucked out when she moved back into the area about a year later. Even though she was working at a different job, he hired her back at twice her former salary.
I'm appalled at some MTSOs' treatment of their workers. These are the people that produce the product they are selling - the written medical/legal record. And they sell not only their workers short by trying to underbid their competitors' prices in order to land an account, they sell themselves short, as well.
Totally understand what you're going through. Just
yesterday I got this email from a friend of mine who alternates jobs between lawn maintenance and roofing. Yep, that means he is qualified.
His email copy and pasted...lol..hey.....how hard is it to get into medical transcription?
cause I've got the computer for it.....just not the in on how to do it.
I completely understand what you're saying.
I totally agree that a child should be allowed to stay within the biological family if at all possible. I think it's very sad also when biological fathers might not even know of a child, find out after the birth, then have to jump through hoops to get his own child back after foster/adoptive parents become attached. I've heard of a couple of cases where that's happened. The men immediately went to bat for the children as soon as they found out the moms gave the children up. Yet, you always hear the public outcry for the foster/adoptive parents. Of course, I can empathize with their feelings, but ultimately, the father's rights were taken away. Also, you'd think the potential adoptive parents would want the child with his/her own father if possible.
Thank goodness for grandparents like you. You see so many grands picking up the kids at school, taking them shopping, etc. I often wonder if they're babysitting or actually have custody. It's so prevalent nowadays.
I understand why you're concerned. Its not
so much that you need to mind your own business in that you don't want to end up losing the account because some other dimwit MT is not following the rules. I don't know what I'd do either, but don't blame yourself and think its none of your business. It 100% is your business. Again, I have worked as an IC and lost accounts because of other MTs who just won't follow directions....so I wouldn't want to see that happen to you either. Sorry for your situation.
I understand what you're going through. I work both myself. sm
I have been IC for several years, and thought I might go back to employee for benefits. But I found the insurance was so high, and the pay was not as good, so I work both part time now. The bottom line is, I can't give up the freedom I've had in the last several years. I am given so much work in the morning, and have all day to finish it, and I love this system. I tried to set a schedule for my part-time employee job, thinking I would like to go to full time if it worked out. But I had too much trouble making myself fit a schedule (they have offered to let me work when I can, so I'm still keeping the job, but if I can't do it right, I will quit). Unfortunately, when you get used to IC, it is hard to fit back in a "box." Maybe you could look for a company that would allow you some flexibility in your schedule, say an 8-hour window to work 6 hours. If you have the experience, some companies will work with you that way. I don't think IC is a dead end, it is just a little harder to manage. But the benefits did not pan out. I can get the insurance cheaper individually, the pay was lower so I could actually put a little back as an IC every pay period and take time off "paid." The only thing I miss is what they pay for taxes (I think 7% or so), and having someone else do these things for me. If you like IC as I do, try setting up your own retirement plan, getting your own insurance, and put a little back each pay period for some time off. Good luck with your decision.
I also type ERs and understand what you're saying:-) nm
nm
You're the one who doesn't understand anything. (nm)
xx
Don't understand why you're confused
Unless you're confused about what thread you're in. You replied to my post that I don't believe it is possible to do this on 1 income. You proved my point.
How really do you make money?
I know I'm new but at least I have a job Right???
Anyway editing VR at 3 cents a line and not being quick is frustrating... I have been working for a week and I think I made maybe if I'm lucky 200.00, now I left a job making 500.00 a week after taxes... Boy I am stupid... So much for this great career working at home blah blah... I guess I'm totally frustrated considering no one will hire you new and when you get a job they say here is some chicken feed... I can't live off of this, does anyone have any suggestions... I will there is something to be said for getting paid by the hour
I don't make any money and I am
I am paid an hourly rate based on the number of lines I edit. I'm trying to go back to being an MT. I took a job for this company that pays $12/hr. I am supposed to average 300 lines per hour. I can only get a raise if my average is more than this for 6 months.
I don't know about anybody else, but I don't see that I will ever be able to edit more than 300 lines an hour because it takes time to provide feedback.
You cannot do it well and make money sm
by constantly stopping to work to attend to children, errands, family business. If you want to make money, you have to treat it like what it is, a real job.
i make my money on them.
they are easy and i rarely have to look up words.
you won't make any money
if you cann't understand what they are saying. You will sit twiddling your thumbs, going ARHGGH! 7 cpl is not good either, but at least you could be making something compared to nothing with ESL. Making < $5 an hour typing ESL versus maybe $10 an hour at 7 cpl... Hard choice..
When did you make the most money?
Was your line rate higher when you started, halfway through, or now?
One year and you make decent money? What is decent money to you?
k
Do you have an unusually high line rate to make up for that?
.
You're right......it really is JUST about money
xx
Needing to make some money.....
I just started a new job and really like it when I have work but the problem is that I do 2 or 3 reports and then it's gone for 20 or 30 minutes. I can't make any money doing a report here and there....I've asked for a backup account but they are saying everything is low right now. What do I do? I don't want to switch companies again when I just started this one, but my bills aren't waiting simply because I don't have any work. I didn't get to work Friday or Monday at all. Yesterday, I finally did my minimum (I want to do a lot more than that) but it took me until 11:00 last night to do it because I had to work here and there all day long..........Just wondering if this is the case for a lot of people. Guess I just needed to vent.
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