it all started with the VR software marketing personnel. SM
Posted By: what a joke on 2009-03-25
In Reply to: Why does it seem that VR/SR has just recently taken off - I mean it has been around for years...BUT
This craze started about 10 years ago and kicked into full force within the past five years or less. Someone selling the software convinced the physician practices, hospital personnel that they could save a fortune on their transcription costs. Little did they know it takes a Transcriptionist to pretty much retype the report produced by VR, and then sometimes QA/editor to check it. Now that's what I call a savings people. Now the VR systems are being utilized by our ILPs, who try to correct the errors in VR when they do not have a firm grasp on the English language...We're talking double disaster here. Let the doctors and hospital administrators think they are saving bundles on their transcription costs. How very sad and ignorant on their part.
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Has anyone ever tried those multilevel marketing businesses such as Fortune Hi-Tech marketing...sm
My friend wants me to sign up...she is making about $2000 a month now but working quite hard at it. My husband claims it is like a pyramid. I just don't know. I wondered if any of you have had personal experience with this type venture. TIA
It can also mean that the QA personnel
has more resources available, i.e., old reports and the like, that the MT does not. Not every company makes old reports on a patient available or old dictations by the dictator available to the MT.
This is a plan to cut QA personnel and cut pay for MTs
Even if you tried, you cannot learn ESLs when they come from different specialities and different languages in a big hospital. I am a production typist paid 8 cpl and to take the time to "learn" ESL designates a CUT IN PAY for me. So you may THINK you are making more money but if you factor in listening and listening and listening over and over, making sure you have commas where there should be commas, agonizing over sentence structure, what to type vs whether to cut a run on sentence, that is nothing but a plot to make us THINK we are getting a raise but we are taking a cut on hourly wage.
Non-essential personnel.
You're right about QA. I've been saying this for years. I worked at one of the top hospitals in the country and there was almost no QA or editing after training. You leave a blank and the dictator fills it in and makes other corrections as necessary before signing it. You look it up on the system the next day to find out what it was.
"More suits" are typically found at the national "corporations." So is the high overhead of maintaining a corporate headquarters with lots of padded chairs and air conditioners. I prefer an MTSO working out of their basement but the corporate profiteers devoured most of them or drove them out.
If you are making more and working fewer hours I'd say you are clearly the rare exception to the rule these days. I'm currently making about half what I did a year ago with a smaller company and it's not a bad line rate compared to what most others are advertising.
Between the miserable QA personnel and
physicians who misspell medications, I'm fed up. Not only are we supposed to check the spelling of a medication, even if the physician spells it, but also, if he or she dicates a letter to a patient, we are supposed to confirmt the patient's address; street as well as zip code. This is an absolute waste of my time, as the patient's addresses are not listed in any part of the demographics, but on the patient's CHART, from which the physician is looking at while dictating! I get even more inflamed when I receive an email from QA that ALWAYS include an explanation mark (!) in the opening sentence. I mean, who in the heck do these people think they are? I find them rude, demeaning, not to mention totally unprofessional when they care corresponding. Talk about forgetting one's roots, and how it was for them when they started. The tone of their emails speaks volumes that they are miserable doing their job, but get their jollies off by writing to you like you were a little kid. So if you love pulling rank and demeaning people all day, join the QA Department and be miserable like the rest ofl them.
I am slamming the attitude of QA personnel who obviously
hate their job as it is and obviously have verylittle respect for the people they do need to deal with. Your attitude alone is enough to make me not like you and I don't have to deal with you. Thank Gawd!
That's Civilian Personnel Office (CPO)...Sorry.. NM
x
The surgery center personnel are just as guilty, IMO. sm
Doctors are not untouchable. Any nurse or tech or secretary who has direct knowledge of a doctor using illegal substances and going into surgery is contributing to the problem.
Yeah, but medical personnel who actually work directly with
patients are a bit "different" like that. They think nothing of taking a look or having a touch here and there. And the morbid senses of humor many of them have. My friends from high school are both RNs now, but they're like that.
Sounds like a wartime military POW personnel training manual..nm
Marketing
I do brochures, flyers and postcards. I mail out using a list I have. I also have accounts in several of the large medical buildings by hospitals and I will often go from floor to floor giving out my information. I have gotten a 20 to 25% reply so it works. Since I have been in this for 15 to 20 years now a lot more comes from word of mouth but when I started out I just sent out information about my service.
E-mail me if you want more specifics. Patti![](https://forum.mtstars.com/smileys/smirlove2.gif)
Health information personnel, medical records, clerical..sigh...nm
s
It is all about marketing and sales. Looks like they have your $$
x
Marketing Ideas
Hi, I am in the process of searching for my own accounts as well. may I ask what sort of information you put into your brochure? Also, I have built a website and have it being hosted by my ISP, but how do you go about having it searchable through Yahoo and Google? I am just curious, as I need to expand my searchability. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks. Kathy
Need advice on marketing.
Got a call from a doctor. I have a questionnaire that I use to ask questions. Then I gave him the rate over the phone and included a proposal and brochure which I faxed to his office.
I did this before and nothing happened. I'm worried I gave out information prematurely. Am I doing this right?
Running out of marketing ideas. sm
I've sent letters and brochures. Is there any other way to market this business? Don't have a lot of time for cold calls. If I send the same stuff over and over, I'm afraid they'll throw it in the trash and I will not have gotten their attention. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Writer and PT marketing consultant
z
See message - marketing own accounts
Make up a brochure/flyer -- very simple stating what you will offer and for what price and send out or take around. Be prepared to do tapes or digital. Lots of info on here about that. Be acceptable to pick up and deiver or send via FTP. Do mass mailings to MD's, DO's chiropractors, oral surgeons, vet's, etc. or concentrate in the area where you want the account and do it every 4-6 weeks. Network via local chapters of MT's, MA's what you have available. But be prepared to know it can take several months to get a bite and sometimes longer. You need to be in the right place at the right time. If hospitals have their employee newspaper see if you can place an ad. But it sometimes takes mass marketing to get that first account. Good luck.
multi-level marketing nm
fff
Isn't network marketing another name for Amway?
xx
Any MTSO's out there willing to give marketing advice?
I have been transcribing for 6 years and want to get my own accounts. What is the best way to do this? Any info would be great! Thanks ![](https://forum.mtstars.com/smileys/smirlove2.gif)
Amway, Quixstar & Network Marketing
First let me tell you that there is nothing wrong with Network Marketing and that it's a wonderful business to be in. The best advice I can give is first of all, research several companies and see what their compensation plans are. I would NOT sign up based on someone feeding me a bunch of hype. Also, look for a product that you can believe in. Next, check out the company. Just as it is done here, everyone is checking out all the companies before they get in. Make sure that the company is founded and operated on sound ethics and business practices. As for spending a lot of money on books, tapes and seminars.....ALL of us should be doing that on a DAILY basis. It's called personal development and that is the best thing in the world you can do for yourself. So to sum it up and because of limited space to write here....tell them to GO FOR IT!!! If you have any questions go ahead and email me and I can go into much more detail to help. Take care and have a blessed day!
I wasn't putting down Network Marketing...sm
Simply stating where the money in Quixtar comes from. Sure, you get a bonus check every month if you sell products, but the majority of the money comes from the tools. Tapes that are made from Quixtar seminars are sold and pushed on people. If you don't get on the tool program, they don't want to help you - because they won't make money if you don't buy the tools.
Harika - marketing/converting clients
is a numbers game. You just have to keep promoting your business over and over and over again. Work on promotion for 1-2 hours per day so you don't get burned out on it.
There are many tasps out there. I see them on the banners on this board all the time. Some are basically pay as you go. The one I have is less than $100 per month with unlimited uploading and downloading. All the doc needs is a recorder or you can use a tasp with a call in system. I think the call in systems are high $ though. Nobody answer my post last week why the call in rates were so high! If you go to affiliates on the left there are tasps on there.
To me the tasps really remove the need for a middle man taking a 60% cut like the big nationals.
Yeah, you're right. Who cares who licenses your software? Heck, I use all pirated software anyw
why pay for anything, right?
Except that is AGAINST THE LAW!!!
Send letters to local offices marketing yourself. sm
Watch the want ads, and offer yourself as IC backup instead of FTs. It works!
As you pick up your accounts and back-up accounts, just do a good job and meet expectations or better.
The only drawback about your own accounts, it leaves little time to clock out and have your own life. If you can find someone else to work the accounts while you rake in the money, that is all the better.
A friend of mine got one and she is finding that some of her software, specifically her ISP software
x
The whole notion of a liver detoxification is just a marketing ploy and a myth.
Myth
I agree, and O'Reilly marketing his books and novelty times
a joke and sad that old folks down in fla watch it and get brainwashed, much like old people get tricked by contractors and other things. I hope I don't lose my marbles when I get old.
Nice marketing too..a bogus statement about US MTs to discredit the competition nm
nm
If u need server software, try guild ftp. If just user software
then try cuteftp, coffeecupftp, or wsftp. They don't charge a line rate and I believe guildftp server software is still free.
Another big factor is software. If the software isn't
transcription friendly, it can really hurt your bottom line.
Otherwise, $1.20 per report is a pretty decent rate for radiology.
Good luck - hope it works out for you.
getting started
If you live in southern CA, on the job seeker board Chronicle Transcripts is hiring newbies. I used to be a lead transcriptionist for them when they were located in my town. Nice people and you will get very good training from them. What I have found is the smaller trans companies usually are willing to take in trainees or medical trans school graduates. Also, the federal govt and state govt have medical transcriptionists..You can check about testing with the govt. Good luck!
I have a BSN and started doing
MT due to the world's most complicated pregnancies - just couldn't be on my feet. At first, the $$ wasn't so great - impossible to transcribe much with a baby in the house. Every year tho I have made more than the year before. My boys are now 8 and 12 - summers are difficult but not impossible. I periodically look into going back into nursing, but the hassles it would entail just aren't worth the $$. I work about 5 hours a day and will end up making around $28 K this year.
I am 33 now and started at age
/
It's already started here.
Gas prices are up, groceries are up, other supplies are up. My brother is in construction and said that materials and wood prices have doubled in the past week. Our income is maybe half what it was just over a year ago because we've both changed jobs or had contracts end on us. We've had a lot of unexpected expenses recently that cleaned out all of our savings. Christmas is coming. School just started so we had to buy clothes and supplies there. I'm half-panicked here trying to find a better paying job than what I have now. I just really can't take a lot of time off for testing or post my resume because my current employer will know I'm looking for another job. Then again, I don't even know if it's possible for me to make more money at MT than I am now. I still don't see how people can do 250+ lph or make $30+ per hour. What do they have that I don't? Length at employment? More word Expander entries? A better account and platform?
when i started doing ASR
mgmt told me that 'down the road' there would be 'adjustments' in the pay for ASR, after people were well-trained and productive on it. I later opted out -- didn't like it at all. HOWEVER, if it is in fact so much quicker (as it was said to be) for the MT to do those reports, then it stands to reason that you would not be paid the same at the same rate as someone transcribing a report from scratch. I don't see what the problem is about the purported pay reduction. Just consider what you've been getting as 'gravy' and what you will be getting as fair. Then again, if you don't want to do ASR, then opt out.
Also just started with them...
:)
You started it now !!
nm
I just started a new job.
I was hoping this would be THE job. I told myself that this is the very last MT company I will try to work for. Unfortunately, I'm experiencing the same things at this company that I quit other nationals for. I don't know what to do. I'm tired of job hunting, learning new platforms, and trying to adjust to multiple account specs. I'm tired of being told that "we're different" or "we are the best" only to find that it's no different or better. I don't know if I should stick this one out in the hopes that it will get better or go get a job as a waitress. This really stinks with Christmas coming and bills to pay. I really wanted this to work. What else is there for me, though? I don't want to go back to the fulltime, nose to the grindstone, kids in daycare garbage. I really enjoy MT, too.
Started at 4:00 a.m.
Delivered newspapers, did MT for 4 hours, went out for a few last minute things, went grocery shopping, finished wrapping presents, finished crocheting my new grandson's baby blanket, cleaned the kitchen did the dishes and looked after my 2-year-old terror twin granddaughters for 2 hours before I finally called my daughter at 6:00 p.m. and said, "COME AND GET THEM."
I love them dearly, but they are 175% wired with the whole Christmas thing and I am just getting over the flu.
I know, I know. . . .I'm TYPE A all the way.
I can't believe I've made it this late. I'm going night night. ![](https://forum.mtstars.com/smileys/shake.gif)
Started out....
I started out with MT on a selectric II. We used carbon paper for copies and no more than 2 corrections were allowed per page (original was corrected with white out, the rest had to be erased with that special little typewriter eraser). I learned very quickly to be accurate and proofread as I transcribed.
We also had no Stedman's word books in those days - just Dorlands, a little red book called Surgical Secretary or something like that, Tessier's, and a couple of others - about 5 or 6 books in total.
We used to call pharmacies to ask for spelling of new drugs, called Surgery and Central Supply for spelling of new equipment, new dressings, etc.
I worked in a large teaching hospital. We had access to the doctors and more than 1 time I had an MD standing behind me looking over my shoulder while I typed his report!
STARTED OUT THE OLD WAY
I also took typing on a manual and one of my first jobs was transcribing in pathology with 5 carbon copies - yikes. I like my computer and so does my wrists.
To get started...
$450 bucks will get you everything you need to get started. Here is the item:
Transcription Kit.
That transcription kit comes with the digital recorder you can give to your client, and for you-all the software, foot pedal and the headset. That will be enough to get you on your feet on your own.
My dog started doing this (sm)
and I took him in for a UA. Two days into the script he stopped!
Sure, it's possible. We all started somewhere. sm
Get hold of some practice dictations, and then dive in! If you have the proper references and good skills to begin with, you'll do fine. Go for it!
Re: Getting started
I am a 12-year claims examiner veteran. I am wanting to cross-over into the home Medical transcriptionists field. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get started; what test to take to be recognized; and how long will it take? please let me know. thank you in advance for your input.
RE: Getting started
Do you have the website address for MT? Thanks
I just started as an IC and get
7.5 cents a gross line for transcription and 4.5 cents a gross line on QA. Can anyone let me know how that compares? I have not done this before so I don't know.
oh please do not get me started....SM
I'm not going to get into it.......that's for sure. Suffice to say he idolizes his dad who emphatically states in his late 80s that the holocaust never happened.
Yeah, right.....don't get me started......I'll hush for now!
![](https://forum.mtstars.com/smileys/sad.gif)
where it started
http://forum.mtstars.com/main/v/1/62435.html
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