cheating lines
Posted By: just me on 2009-02-06
In Reply to: just found out our line count is being fudged - totally disgusted
Please tell me how you figured that out. I've been very suspicious about my company as well. I keep track of everything, the number of the report, where the report was sent, status of uploaded or not and number of lines; however, if they are fudging you, it won't show up on your line count that you see. It will mean that they have messed with the counting system on the software. People are very sneaky and cruel. I've been doing this for 25 years and cannot get above 100 lines an hour. Now, tell me how that's possible what with using short cuts, etc. Please let me know so I know what to look for. Thanks
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I did not see it as an Indian country cheating - I saw it as an American cheating - see message
The way I understood that post was an American woman was getting the contract and then sending her work she was supposed to be doing to the Indian to do and then she was not paying them after they did her work for her. I did not see that it was an American masquerading as an Indian or an Indian masquerading for an American - I think the poster was somebody that had been hoenstly cheated of a paycheck that they had earned - I may not agree with our work going to India, but if they do manage to get the work, they should be paid for it after they have done it.
Who is cheating who then?
Not cheating
I didn't mean to sound like I was trying to cheat and you didn't have to be so nasty. I did NOT "choose" to retire. My daughter and son-in-law are on their second tour in the resort community of Baghdad. His mother and I are sharing raising their three girls. My company sent all their work to India and I could not find work at the age of 63 that would pay what I had been making. Now that I am getting my social security, I am only allowed to make $900 a month and I think I will make too much as fast as I type. I am trying to work 20 hours because I want to and need to, but I am not going to throw my granddaughters away while their parents are fighting on their country's orders. I simply cannot work full time while they are over there. My son-in-law's mother cannot quit or retire. She is too young and is single. Don't be so hasty to judge people, lady. My question was how does it work with being an IC, not how to cheat!!! I read somewhere that you can have your husband's taxes withheld at a higher rate and I read it on THIS board. That is not CHEATING. I just wanted to know how it works. If all I can type is $900 a month, obviously I don't want it all going out to taxes and I was trying to see how that other lady did it. I'm glad your life is so perfect that you can sit back and accuse other people of cheating. Are YOUR kids over their facing death every day? I am TRYING to work!
Not cheating but ....
All that has been said on here is that you can have your husband overwhold to pay your tax liability as you file joint at the end of the year. But if you chose to retire and can now make only $900 a month but need more than that to tale care of your grandchildren, sorry but it is your problem. Have your daughter and son-in-law pay you. Not trying ro sound cold or callous but you chose to retire early to do this. I am sure that one of them could have gotten out if the other went. But the guidelines say such and it is such. No way around it unless you work under the table. Good luck.
And there are those who are cheating by
adding lots of extra spaces in the report where there should be blank lines. This adds to the line count and not visible unless formatting is turned on in Word.
There are many ways to cheat the system, but everyone is accountable for their own soul in the end.
Respect is what we should be striving for, and then and only then will our income increase. Doctors have no respect for us because we have sunk to the lowest of the lows.
I'M NOT CHEATING
EXCUSE ME FOR ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION ON A COUPLE OF THINGS. I WAS NOT ASKING FOR THE ANSWERS. I FOUND THIS WEBSITE BECAUSE I WAS RESEARCHING AND SOMEONE CAME ONTO THIS WEBSITE WITH THE EXACT SAME QUESTIONS I HAD ON SOME THINGS OTHER THAN WHAT I NEED NOW AND SHE WAS GIVEN THE ANSWERS. I HAVE BEEN COMPLIMENTED ON MY RESEARCH SKILLS FROM THE INSTRUCTORS AND HAVE STRAIGHT As. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HEARD SOMETHING RIGHT ON THE TAPE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A PLACE TO GET SOME ADVICE. I RESENT THAT ANYONE SAYS I AM CHEATING. I WOULDN'T DO THAT. I CAN RESEARCH. THANKS FOR NOTHING.
Most companies consider that cheating and
the e-mail was very, very misleading by trying to make everyone think this person typed this much. What low class company this must be to resort to this out and out lie by management. Anyone that goes to work for them after reading this gets what they deserve.
check for cheating us
i agree with you completely -- the check is valid for 180 days, so i'm holding off until I get verification on how they got the figures that I'm satisfied with and what the lawyer's come up with. They're so underhanded that if that lawsuit does become a class action lawsuit their lawyers would probably come up with some kind of excuse saying that you're disqualified if you did cash that check indicating that you were okay with their figure.
Cheating = anything you're doing with
a member of the opposite sex that you are hiding from your spouse because you know he/she will be hurt by it and find it out of bounds.
That includes with a live person over the internet, on the phone, or in person.
If you don't want DH to know about it, you're cheating.
cheating/infidelity
It would be hard to forgive.... however, there are various reasons people cheat. Perhaps the couple have lost touch with each other, perhaps the other person withholds intimacy. In my estimation there is a reason people cheat. I think most women do because they are lacking or neglected in their marriage by the husband.. ie. he is never around, he ignores his wife like she isn't there, has priorities that are not healthy for the marriage. I am not saying all this stuff makes it right. But when a person's heart is not tended to, just plants are not taken care, they wither and die a little bit everyday, thus leaving a person empty, lonely, and afraid. When the heart is not taken care of, a little bit of life is gone from a person until the begin to feel cheated and neglected. A man can take care of things at home for his wife, do dishes, fix this, fix that, but in the end is that enough to keep you heart nurtured?
Is using a timer cheating?
I work on production only. I do have a set schedule, but the company I work for is fairly flexible. I have started using a timer where I set it for 60 minutes and stop it if I am interrupted, have to get up, etc. This gives me a more accurate picture of exactly how much I can type in an hour. Is this cheating not to just go by clock hour?
Not so. That's not cheating you in any fashion.
However the MTSO chooses to contract with dictation providers is up to them.
The MT's only concern is the contract between their own services and the MTSO.
If she wants to charge the client by the page and pay the MT by the character, that's fine.
MTs have GOT to get over this idea that they are the end-all/be-all ... that every decision should be made around them and include them. Not true.
The big companies are cheating themselves, as well.
The pay big money for all the equipment & software to speed up TAT, and then sell themselves cheaply to the hospitals by allowing themselves to be dragged into a price-war. Hiring offshore MTs just compounds the problem. If they had stuck with US MT's, kept the work onshore, and kept their prices at US levels instead of Third-World levels, they'd be rolling in $$. Unfortunately, just because one is in a CEO or management position, doesn't necessarily mean their IQ matches their overstuffed pay envelopes. And in most cases, it doesn't even come close.
The big companies are cheating you?
and have never met you? They have maybe talked with you on the phone. They give you vacation time. I just don't get it. An IC might gain an account for 14 cpl with an office. The national is only charging say 10 or 11 because they can afford to since they have platforms and the ease to take on high volume. They pay you 7, 8, or maybe 9, provide benefits, yet the MT feels cheated?
I totally agree that quality matters, but when you are an hourly employee you don't feel that pressure of TAT. Also, the raises aren't there either. So, you wind up working making the same paycheck even though you are still typing an 8-hour day and just as tired. Production makes you more $$$ no matter how you slice it. I've done both, and production is better believe me. 
Read again, I'm not the one who actually said you were CHEATING....
However, you did say, and I quote:
**I need a few more answers on some of the dictation for the final. If you are out there reading this and can help me, please let me know. It is just a few clarifications on things I have researched and just can't find. I need to do great on this final.**
Now, I am not the one who called you a cheater, but you might have wanted to word the above differently, as you did say you needed ANSWERS and needed to do great on this final. I'm just saying.......
Good luck to you I really hope you do well.
YOUR lying, cheating snake....
lied us into a war with over 3500 American SOLDIERS dead, and going on a trillion dollar cost. No wonder bridges are falling down - the U.S. has been neglecting infrastructure needs in favor of militarism for MANY decades.
That said, give the "sex lie" diatribe a rest: Nobody died when bush's predecessor lied...
Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11. Even Bush admits that now.
They used the fear and outrage from 9/11 to lie about WMD in Iraq - and to then JUSTIFY invading Iraq in order to steal it's resources. Deal with it.
BOTH PARTIES are corrupt - but its the evil in office now whose lying should concern *all* patriots the most - because OUR country is in crisis - regardless of party we all should step up and demand our policies change.
As to you flip comment about knowing what's going to happen with the weather? Give that a rest, too. there is all KIND of documentation showing THIS admnistration prefers to fund FAKE wars instead of take care of the people at home. He was warned about 9/11, failing levees in New Orleans BEFORE Katrina, AND crumbling infrastructure like the BRIDGE in MN.
In fact, he CUT FUNDING FOR THE LEVEES in New Orleans THREE YEARS RUNNING before Katrina.
Please do your homework before you defend *any* administration. Don't rely on PAID radio or TV personalities to tell you what YOU need to know in order to protect YOUR country from bad administrations. They have an agenda and trust me PROPERLY informing you is not part of that agenda.
And yes, I know this thread is turning into a topic for the other board...
That's called cheating and scamming and
Talk about unethical and criminal.
Falsifying payroll records, etc.
Hopefully you're not cheating on an employment test, right?
shame on you
Wealth/Shrinks/SATs/Cheating
This has been occurring forever in another way - hiring a shrink to get your child an appropriate score to be placed in the ADVANCED classes and keeping others out who bust their butts to make honest A's. Went thru this with my own children...who were gifted in some areas, not as great in others, but certainly not slow, and working hard to make the A's and B's. You can pay a shrink to give them that IQ score they need that puts them in the "click" in this area. It's okay though. My kids have done great regardless and don't give a @#$ about clicks and who owns what!
If your child was caught cheating at school,
x
I needed to divorce cheating DH of 27 years. This was
xx
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.
Question versus gross lines versus 65-character lines....
I have always charged or been paid by 65 or 60 character lines or per letter or space typed, but have never been paid or charged per gross line.
What is the advantage of this? If I were to charge 11 cents per 65-character line including spaces, what does this figure out to for an average line rate and how do you do this calculation?
I'm wondering if it is financially beneficial for me to bill by gross line or to keep it the way I have it. I do know some accounts will only pay per 65-character line, as this was the deal my first own account I recently acquired. They were adamant on a 65-character line, but didn't specify with or without spaces and I personally would never not charge for spaces.
Thanks for explaining this. I appreciate it and hope everyone has a speedy day.
Word count: 824 lines. DocuCount count: 897 lines.
I just counted the same file in Word and then in DocuCount, and DocuCount was higher than Word.
Just as an aside.
lines
I always say a good average is around 250-300 lines an hour.
Lines
I have been flamed many times about my production, rate and how much I make. I think it is great for you. But there are those 10 hour days sometimes but I like the fact that I have my own business, and get paid for the hard work. One account that I have is surgeons and with their consults have hit close to 600 lines per hour but with my IM's, and their chart notes can only get up to 350 to 400 or so. It is hard when I switch to my clinic account where I sometimes go in and get paid hourly as I feel like I am not working fast enough on their electronic charts. Again, I have said it many times, it may take a while but if you want to work hard the money is there to be made in this field.
How many lines??
Everyone just wondering how many lines did you do a day when you first started MT? And, how many hours a day?
SS lines, pay,
They are a total rip off. E-mails are plain rude. Cherrypickers like one could not believe. Management does not exist. QA a total joke. Roaming payday. Anyone else who states other is not an MT with the company.
lines...whatever it was.
Well you see, you stated right in your post that you can't possibly cherry pick...so what do you know about what is going on with the rest of us out here who DO have to deal with cherry pickers.
Ma'am, I have 25 years in this business, 15 of it in a nest of the worst cherrypickers you have ever seen, at the largest hospital in my state. I was the supervisor for 5 years and I would have fired somebody on the spot if they'd done that, but they all knew it. Had no problems.
Don't know what you make per line but getting about 666 lines per hour is quite astounding. I'm sure you must be quite happy where you are and with no cherry pickers!
I work for 3 hospitals, doing operative notes. They are assigned to me by someone 6 states away. I go down the list. There's no way to get anything other than what I get. And yes, I am completely happy where I am.
Good for you. I've been an acute care MT for over 30 years and am rated as one of the best as far as QA and quantity and have NEVER, EVER in my life been able to come close to your line count. Maybe you are from another planet and have powers beyond us or maybe you have some special secret you could share. Or maybe, we should just ignore your statement of getting that kind of line count, especially when you are not dealing with cherry pickers. 
I don't deal with cherrypickers because I won't work where there are any. I get that kind of line count every single day, because that is what is assigned to me and I have to do it and turn it in on a deadline.
It is all in where you work and what you are able to put up with. I happen to have the freedom to work where I please and working there pleases me.
It's unfortunate that you have 30 years' experience and you are stuck where you are.
lines
Well it took me a little longer 5 typing and 1.0 delivering but I did 2295 at 0.12 cents a line. So guess I will quit until later this evening. Two surgeons and two IM' and 1 plastic surgeon. Lots of consults, auto corrects but pays off. 13 consults at 3 to 4 pages each.
LINES
I have gotten 500 lines but I should not count as I do clinical notes for two surgeons that do the same consults for most breast CA, hernias, cysts, etc. I just whipped out between the two almost 700 lines in about 75 minutes but I have been doing them for so long and have so much saved that I type perhaps on a general inguinal hernia consult and letter, 30% of the actual consult. Sometimes more. On regular chart notes, I average around 300 to 350 but again have had the same docs for 5 and 7 years. And when you read closely, you will see that is how we do it. But if you are with a national and new docs all the time, I would be luck to get 200 lines an hour. So it is sometimes like comparing oranges to apples as they say.
lines
Working 2-1/2 hours, all ops, mainly ESL, 308 lines which comes out to about $10 an hour. Am I crazy or what?
lines/pay
I've been transcribing 25 years, only 4 months being production paid with a large national, no incentives, no bonuses, no extras for working holidays. I find it terribly depressing when the check comes and you see your gross lines, divide the number of hours you worked--it has been improving each pay, but still not near what I was making previously. I now have been offered a position (not transcription) at a local hospital (where I lost my transcribing job to outsourcing) at $16/hr. An easy job that I'm seriously considering. No holidays, no logging on all hours to find work, great benefits. But I've been working at home 5 years now..... I never realized how the big companies are underpaying good transcriptionists. Thank heavens I have extra accounts that I've been doing on the side for years or I couldn't survive on what I'm bringing in now. Thanks for listening!
lines/pay
If that is true, many not making $10/hr., then yes, I guess I should consider myself lucky. I had no idea others were being paid such a minimal amount - and I never considered that I was "in the dark" about things!
lines
My max after 4 months with the national came out to $13.42/hr. I have extra accounts that I've been doing for years and make $25-$30 an hour on those - letters by specialists which I breeze though, 15-20 extra hours a week, so when I went to the national, pay by the line, what a shocker. Never been paid by the line, even though I was told not to worry with my experience, etc., I would have no trouble with getting good line counts, doesn't seem to be happening. At least it doesn't seem good to me and at this point the in-house hospital job (not transcription) seems more inviting at $16/hr Mon-Fri, no weekends, no holidays, great bennies...Even though my love is transcription my feeling is I'll still have my fingers in it with the extra accounts I have but will feel more stable. Single parent, need the bennies.
lines
Glad to know it is not just me. New to this at home thing - only 4 months with 25 years experience. I struggle to get 1200 lines a day unless I get lucky and get an ER account - which doesn't happen very often.
$13/hr plus .04 over 150 lines/hr
Just went back to the local hospital I used to work for. I usually can easily type 300 lines per hour, so the hourly rate plus incentive is fairly decent.
Lines
I checked this when I first went on DQS. Do a select all on a completed document in DQS, paste it into MS Word, then go to tools, choose word count, look at the characters with spaces total and divide that number by 65. You will find that it matches with DQS. 
lines
It takes me about 8 hours to do 2000 lines
lines
one day
lines
How? I could only dream of doing that. I started workign as an MT in July, I currently am getting only about 500-700 lines a day. I made $20 my first day. I also have a 2 year old that constantly needs my attention. How did you get so good? Any tips would really be appreciated.
500 to 700 lines isn't bad at all
if you just started in July.
I do right around 1500 a day (more or less) and I've been at it nearly 20 years.
Take the time to add in expansion settings, templates, etc. I did 650 lines today for one doctor I do and he does almost the same exact progress report for each patient. The template runs right around 10 lines and I did 30 patients so there were 300 "free" lines (that I didn't have to actually type) right there. Add the expansion settings of only having to type "pmh" for "past medical history is significant for multiple medical issues, including," etc, etc., I can do 600 lines for him in 2 hours.
However, if I get a new guy, I'm luck if I can do 300 lines in 2 hours.
So it sounds as if you're not doing to badly if you can get 500 to 700 lines done especially with a 2-year-old! If I have my 18 month old twin granddaughters here I get ZERO lines in a day! 
lines/hr
Thank you for responding. I really appreciate it.
Lines/hr
routinely between 7.5 - 8 hours per day with a couple breaks per day.
lines/hr
Ooops! I thought you said PER DAY. Sorry.
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