You need to know how your company counts lines. It probably is not
Posted By: KT on 2007-12-08
In Reply to: Help - kathy patitsas
counting the same as your line counter.
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- Help - kathy patitsas
- You need to know how your company counts lines. It probably is not - KT
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Our Meditech counts BLANK lines...
we get a sweet line count off our account that uses Meditech.
It counts the lines it ends up with, not what it starts with. nm
nm
Word counts the blank lines between paragraphs unless you change
your paragraph style to double space when you hit enter. You need to change the "after" setting in the spacing section of the paragraph dialog box to the point size of the font you are using and click the Default button. You'll probably want to do this in a separate template unless you want this setting for all new documents.
i agree -- lines counts are correct and include expanders per my checks.
x
7 cpl gross and counts blank lines, IC status-- make a ton of money because it's easy work...nm
x
a company I worked for set its counts down, sm
I only get 40% of what I did this same time last year, same doctors and same work. They changed the platform and that was the result. Seems they are all doing it or anyway most of them. They do NOT CARE about the employee or IC's either. Not even a thank you at Christmas time or an e-card. Times are hard and we need to support each other. I feel for all of you and hope and pray you can make ends meet.
A company I worked for reset its counts down, SM
probably a number gradually, long after the account was well established with EditScript, without telling us, and it was only with time that people monitoring their production realized we were all getting our pay slashed without notice. It's very doable, and in these days of intense competition to hold onto accounts, keep work onshore, and still make a profit, it was being done. As said, it's not necessarily eScription exactly, it's the employer. That said, there seem to be a lot of bewildered and unhappy people working various places with eScription who are struggling and failing to achieve lost production levels.
Depends on how company counts unofficicially, as well as your speed. SM
I did excellently at one company, better than transcription because I'm relatively speaking a crummy typist, continued to do excellently after rates were adjusted as more people became proficient, the same again, but then my production mysteriously dropped, dropped some more, dropped, dropped, until I was making less than straight transcription--all without those official rate adjustment notices. I'm now with another company. It may be you, or your company may be underpaying. You need to figure that one out and act on it, one way or the other. Best wishes, Fellow MT
it does not count gross lines...I count 37 and it counts 67.
x
Depending on how many lines/reports a company
requires a QA person to do, it can be as much as $3.00 or more per report just for the QA portion. That is money I feel should be paid to me if I do high quality work rather than paying me the same or less than other MTs who are careless, sloppy, lazy, or incompetent and send everything to QA to be done.
Sometimes there are things you can't figure out, but at least take the time to try. You might even learn something. This is especially true for new MTs.
60 reports in a QA cue just because someone is too lazy to call the office to get a normal for a doctor who says to "use my normal" is not acceptable and the MT who sent that report should NOT be paid for the report that I had to find and put in for him/her.
Keep this activity up and no one will ever get a raise.
my company 127 lines/hour is minimum
nm
Depends on each company, but usually incentive pay is only on the additional lines. Ask to be sure.
s
Read between the lines. When a company starts saying work more to make more
and you have to work in assembly-line fashion like an automaton, they are having a cash crunch. They held out one salary to you to get you to do the job, then they turn around and cut your pay because you make too much. They don't sound financially stable. If you've only been on the job 2 months, start looking elsewhere for a more financially stable company. Send out your resume and see what other companies have to offer and check out references for those companies. I and a friend in the past have gone part-time with a new company before resigning from the old one in order to make sure the new company is going to be compatible with us. It's hard to do, but it's short-term for only 1 or 2 weeks.
As an IC you invoice the company, count your own lines, and receive a paycheck.
First Choice, JLG, QT Medical, Metro in Atlanta, just to name a few.
Most use SylCount or something similar. I used Abacus - free line counting software.
the least minimum requined lines/hour I found for a company
nm
Bunch of us replied to similar ? on Company board under DSG lines post..nm
s
Aaahhhh, now I get it. Gross lines vs. Character lines. I guess I've just been conditioned to
think in terms of character lines. One of the perils of working as an IC for somebody who defines what a line is versus owning your own company and defining it yourself. After working for someone else for 15 years, maybe it's time to bust out on my own.
That is a lot of work/lines for 2 people. I do 3000 lines per day sm
if you times that by 30 days that only comes to 90K lines a month, that is working 7 days a week including weekends. I don't think 2 people can handle that.
900 lines is below 1100 lines, where the bonus starts.
x
Gross lines include all lines containing
printable characters, so a full line and a line with one word on it are charged equally. Straight lines are basically the same as gross lines, but with this method of counting the blank lines are counted as well (again, equally). I have only had one company pay this way, and they are a middle man. I would think the charge would be about the same as for gross lines, and that not too many offices will want their lines counted this way (the one I worked on was probably inherited from someone who had counted the lines that way, so just continued).
The norm is 1 minute = 10 lines; 10 min = 100 lines - sm
granted this varies per dictator. More lines if a fast talker, less if a slow talker.
I went from 2400 lines to 1800 lines
a day when I switched from clinic (through an MTSO) to hospital work. Not only was the clinic work easier with more macros (and less providers to learn, 12 vs 300+), but I was typing in straight Word (as opposed to Softmed/Chart Script). So you see, it really varies depending upon the type of work as well as the platform used. That said, I am so much happier typing the 1800 lines per day (I make over $15 per hour plus an incentive for any lines in excess of 1200 per day) plus a great health package/benefits, AND approximately 5 weeks of paid time off per year. In my opinion, hospitals really are the best employers WHEN they appreciate the work we do.
My advice for you is not to judge a job by any one criterion but rather the entire picture. The 'extra's can really add up.
Good luck in your job!
Which is the one where they are sc*&ing us the standard lines or the qualified lines? SM
Mine show up as STD when I pull up my transcription log. But I see now there is STD/QT.... So which is the one where they are ripping us off, standard or qualified? Need to know. I am about to switch companies and I will not do if they are actually taking lines from me. Thanks guys.
LIne counts
Per discussion below about 16,000 per pay period, is that one week or two weeks? I am a small MTSO, IC or whatever and have 4 accounts (6 docs) plus I work in a clinic to "get out of the house" after an ugly divorce. I work there 20 to 25 hours plus bring home tapes. (hourly rate) On my IC accounts, though this is per month, I do 32,000 to 34,000 lines per month and put in about 22 hours per week with pick up and delivery, printing, cutting apart chart notes, etc. So if that 16,000 per two weeks, that could be considered part time but if it is one week, she is a whiz if she does that part-time which I consider under 24 hours a week.
Just my 2 cents worth.
line counts
If I work the eight hour shift with the two 15 minute breaks and 30 minute break I usually do 1500-1700 lines per day, depending on the dictators, quality, etc. I rarely do 2000 and it takes 9-10 hours a day with NO problems when I do (and no breaks). Oddly, it seems that when I push myself to do more I have less problems with my hands than when I don't....... go figure !!
Line counts
To all transcriptionists:
I am new to MTStars. I am so glad to see a place where transcriptionists of every kind can blow off steam. I am a well seasoned profession medical transcriptionist and like so many of you, take pride in my work and profession. The rash of recent sweeping changes and concerns in our industry have me very concerne as with all of you. We can no longer afford to sit back and say nothing. For too long the personality profile of the medical transcriptionist was that of a meek, never-talk-back mouse in the corner who did what she was told. After all, and I may be dating myself here, many transcription departments began in the basement of hospitals - you gals remember that? We were stuffed in corners where storage boxes made their homes!!!
For too long this industry has gone largely unregulated and for too long we did not unionize or gather forces to protect ourselves and our profession as other allied health fields have done. Because we are a nonrevenue-producing department in the chain of our healthcare system we are always the first to get cut in budgets. Yet that medical record is most vital to reimbursements and to the patient. We now find ourselves wondering if the powers that be care at all. We are concerned about offshore outsourcing, the shady practices of national transcription companies, and an array of legitimate concerns.
The medical transcription industry is a multi-billion dollar business. You bet competition is stiff. Is it any wonder there are so many scandals right now?
Here's mine concern, for now. LINE COUNTS!!!! WE MUST UNIFY OUR EFFORTS FOR ACCURATE LINE COUNTS THAT REFLECT WHAT A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST ACTUALLY PRODUCES AND WHAT A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION COMPANY COUNTS. For too long, way too long, I hear (and have experienced it myself) so many transcriptionists complain and voice their concerns and doubts on what their actual line count may be when they work for a national transcription company. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO CLEAR THIS ISSUE AND BRING IT INTO COMPLIANCE FOR ALL INVOLVED - TRANSCRIPTIONIST, TRANSCRIPTION COMPANY AND CLIENT. We are the only industry I know of that puts blinders on its workers when it comes to piecemeal work. The cable man, the UPS guy, the plumber, salesman - all know up front what the client gets charged, what their cut is, and what the company charges - Hell, even the farmer workers know up front what they get per basket of strawberries they pick!!! - CLEAR, UP FRONT. WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE THE LINE COUNT UTILITY PROGRAM THAT CHARGES THE CLIENT?
If we are losing our work to overseas sweat shops, let's address the sweat shops here in the UNITED STATES making the money. I believe a forum like this is valuable and long over due - we should list companies that are shady and treat their employees with unfair practices. There must be a way to address the line count issue on a national level so that it changes, changes to the benefit of all - the transcriptionist, the transcription company and the client. I say we start by dialogue among ourselves at this site and take it to all transcription companies in a format that engages the dialogue among all concerned. I'm willing to invest some time on this issue of importance to all.
By the way, I don't currently work for a national company - I have been an independent contractor who has just lost 2 hospital accounts to, yeah, you guessed it - INDIA!!! Hospitals CFO's got a boner when they heard this company can do the work for $2.00 an hour.
RE: Line counts
There is already an advocate for what you are proposing. It is called The American Association for Medical Transcription focuses on directing the evolution of medical transcription and to advance and represent the profession ...
Line counts
No, I'm not in a union, never have been, don't belong to any group, but did belong to AAMT a long time ago.
Line counts in MTS.....sm
My MQ account is still on MT Shell. Over the past couple days, I've noticed that when I check my line counts under "Work Summary," they seem much less than what I was expecting. Have been doing this for over three years, so I have a good feel for the approximate number of lines I've transcribed. Of course, in MTs there is no way to see the gross number of lines you've typed, as far as I know. You can see the "gross" lines for each report under "Edit Transcriptions" but that doesn't allow for empty lines. I wish it would give the actual line count you are being credited for. Again, my line counts seem pretty anemic for the amount of typing I've been doing.
Everything is so underhanded with this company. With all the crap going on, I am nearly ready to jump ship.
low line counts
Hey fellow MQMT
Do you realize you're not being paid for spaces.
I just figured that out... Starting to work for the night.
Consideringtypingwithnospacesjusttoseehowtheylikeit.
about low line counts
My line counts are always low and it is mostly MY fault. I HATE leaving blanks so will listen and relisten, trying hard to get it, slowing it down, speeding it up, etc. Also, I always proofread my work before sending it. When I worked in the hospital I used to ask the high producers just HOW they got so many lines and they would always say, "don't proofread, the spell check is good enough," and also they didn't care if they left a lot of blanks for QA. The one thing I HAVE discovered is to listen to the whole report, leave blanks right away and then go back after the report is done. I used to struggle and waste time, but now find that once I get used to the dictator's voice, when I go back sometimes it sounds much better! I hate to admit this (and sorry QA people), but I do think I am going to start leaving more blanks because I do have to make more $$$ and it aint happenin this way!
line counts
Said 5 errors in 10,973 lines. I have done more than 2500 in an 8 hour day. Like to average 300 to 400 per hour but my accounts now only take me 25 hours per week now. (including printing, delivery, cutting chart notes, etc.) I have two I/C's that do my psych accounts now. Cut back this year after ugly three year divorce but my small MTSO sill grosses 55 to 60K of which 80% is mine from typing. Will be picking up another account or two after the first of the year. People can accurately do 250 to 300 lines per hour, believe me they can. I pick up the small accounts that the large ones do not want and give them personal service and little extras. Have been doing this for over 20 years.
Only 10 more to go before retirement.
Line counts
I would guess as a newbie you would probably average about 100 lines per hour starting out (yes, that's only about $7 or $8 an hour). This should increase within a few months, but this depends a lot on what kind of work you are doing. Most company requirements are around 150 lines per hour. I have 10+ years experience and average about 300 per hour.
I will also mention that working part time may also hinder the process of speeding up just from the fact that you won't be working as much. Keep with it though, the speed will come. l
line counts
Really decent...in fact, that rate might give you a slight edge over 65 w/space counts. Is that for IC or FT employee status? What about headers and footers, benefits, etc.
line counts
Headers and footers are patient demo, report type information, ccs and the like. Even though some of that info is already entered for you, some companies pay for that because it accounts for the time you spend looking up doctor and patient information...and some don't pay it. It typically varies by account profile. In any case, for parttime, it sounds pretty good to me. Good luck with it.
Line counts: How do you do it?
Do you work really fast in short spurts. Do you sit your butt down and stay planted there till you get all your lines done? Do you set a goal for yourself each day and not stop till your get it? Or do you just type for however long you are going to type and are happy with whatever you come out with for that day? Do you have a goal each day/each pay period, what? Do you use an expander? Do you use Smartype or something similar where it finishes words for you?
I seem to have a hard time keeping my happy @ss in my chair! 
Line counts
I'm in the same boat. If you make a template for each dictator, you can add 200 or 300 extra lines a night, which adds up over the pay period. It takes 1-2 minutes to do it each time you have a new dictator, but it pays off. Each of them has their own style with their own order of headings (at least at my hospital)and if you make a template with jump codes, it works wonders - plus it saves Keystrokes and is easier on the fingers.
Hang in there!
As long as everyone is together, that's what counts.
nm
Well, obviously your opinion is all that counts
LOL
Maybe it's what you're NOT seeing that counts.
s
why do u need it explained. Everyone counts different.
what do u need to know?
Line Counts
For those of you who responded, are these edited lines, standard transcription or a combination of the two?
Line counts
AT the present job i work at, this line counting situation is wierd. We are to take 26 x the number of reports we type in a day to get our line count. Has anyone ever heard of this and i am coming up short from what my employer says i have and what I actually get on my paystub. I am told the company uses DocuCount for their line counting progam. Now.. why is it we cannot see what the manager comes up with lines and what we have to compare. The only way we know what our actual line count is ...is when we get our paystub. I downloaded a free line counting program to compare but I am confused on Custom line count and just Line count. What is the difference. Can anyone help me here? TIA
Line Counts
I can't even try to do the math with those numbers, I can't add 2+2. I have to say that this does sound really fishy to me. We also used ExText where I used to work and we had access to our line counts at any time. The fact that they basically took away the transcriptionist's clearance definitely makes it look suspicious. If they were treating you fairly why would they care if you could look at your line count -- it is your line count! With so many different line counting programs out there I think that a company that doesn't use one is foolish -- or -- being dishonest with their transcriptionists.
I still haven't recovered my money from the Medquist mess of about four or five years ago, and I have a copy of all of my line counts!
Good luck
LINE COUNTS
i finally found out they use DocuCount and was told that was in the contract with the client...but when I read up on DocuCount it is for Windows 97 or Word 97..i am using Windows XP.. with Word 2005...somethins is wrong with this picture but I don't know what I can do about it
line counts
Very encouraging to read the high counts MTs can achieve! Inspiring also. Thanks to all who posted.
I think your experience counts more than the
I worked in a hospital for 10 to 11 years. I have done acute care for 26 years. It is my experience that gets my foot in the door. That and word of mouth. When you are a good MT, the word gets around and the doors open. I don't think any of my clients would care whether I had a CMT behind my name or not. All they care is what kind of job I do.
At least our line counts would be up for that day. nm
nm
line counts
How does this work...you trust a company who "autopopulates" your line count, you in return use "microsoft word" to populate your line count. The company, meaning the payer, populates your line count 10 lines lower per report than what your microsoft word count populated it?????
As for line counts,
a manager once showed how they could manipulate a dozen different things about the way the system counted. I believe lots of systems are like that. In that job, they used it to reward us for difficult dictators and work types, but it could just as easily be used to benefit the company.
The Chartscript I used had its flaws and its great points, but I think the one I used was WP based instead of Word based, and that's what I liked about it.
Is it possible to pad line counts?
Is there a way to pad line counts and actually get more than a person has actually typed? I have been with the same hospital account for 15 years and we have two girls that make just an ungodly amount of lines per day. The rest of us transcriptionists can't understand how they do it and why no one in management has questioned it. One of my coworkers said she thinks they pad their line count, but I don't see how they could. What do you all think?
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