line count and pay

I switched companies, and used to be paid by line including blanks, such as lines between headings.  At this new company, it is by 65-character line. Is this the industry standard? Am I spoiled? 

• line count and pay - meg
  • Yes, 65-character line is standard. You - sm

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is there a way to include the headers/footers on reports in the line count program free download here in MT? 

I am only a year into MT and have been wondering something for a while.  Do most MT's relisten to the dictation to edit it once they are very familiar with the dictators?  I have been tracking my errors when editing and have almost none and I thought how much that would improve my line count if I did not have to relisten to every one.  I'm thinking about cutting that back to just the difficult dictators.  The QA people are happy with my work.  Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks. 

I don't know how to figure this out so...which is better- .085 per line at 55 characters without spaces or .08 per line at 65 characters with spaces?

Thanks

I have worked for some with that program and they had it set not to count spaces and not to count headers. 

Other places I have worked they had it set differently. 

When a company buys the Dictaphone system they are trained to set it up to count lines, spaces, characters, etc. 

What exactly does 500 lines per day equal out to (how many hours per day, reports, etc)? I have worked for one clinic and I get paid a nice monthly salary. 

Thanks 

I have worked in Meditech for Rad / Pathology / and Medical Records.  I have helped write transcription specifics for Meditech........ 

As far as the line count in Meditech, it has no reason to it really.  However, it does count higher than any other programs I have compared it to.  I am sure I knew at one time how the line count was programmed, but it has been  27 years since I knew that information.  Now, I just type and take the line count it gives.  If you are paid through Meditech line count, count yourself lucky.  I do. 

As far as initials, yes if someone edits your report, as long as they do not go and manually change your initials to theirs after editing a report (and this does happen when they want to print the report, some transcriptionists do not know to leave the identifer alone and just print under the typist ID instead of changing to theirs) they will get credit for the report.  We use to require the report be given back to the original Transcriptionist . IF that was not possible, the second transcription would document to the Supervisor the report data, job #, patient, etc. and there would be an adjustment made to the line count at PPE.  The lines would be split.  OR, the supervisor would make the changes, additions, corrections to the report, and the original trans would get the credit. 

 Maybe this will help a little.

I recently took a job where you do your line count in Word.  I am supposed to count with spaces, which is really easy, and then I divide that by 65, but if you are also supposed to count headers, footers, how do you do that.  When I put a checkmark in the box to count headers and footers, the count is no different than if I didn't check it.  I must be missing a step.  Help!  Thanks.

Are they giving you top rate of pay?  I only proof for them (even my own reports) if I am getting paid for it.  If everyone does this they are crazy because you are either typing or proofing if you are having to fulfill a high line count because to do both is close to impossible or, if you do that you for a low rate you are cheating yourselves and someone else is taking advantage of you.  If you are making top rate of pay (which means if you are qualified,  no one else has to proof because the report is in finished form and is 99% correct and it had better be correct and as close to perfect as is humanly possible.  To me, this is best and it does not compromise quality over quantity and makes us accountable for our own work.  If there are newer people doing the reports who are more apt to leave blanks, or make mistakes or typos, then the pay should reflect that because someone has to go through all the reports and put them in finished form.  If we all "give ourselves away" they will keep taking and taking and we will keep giving and giving until we burn out.  So, if they have you on a high line count and line pay then they need to proof your reports and all they can expect from you is a quick "eyeballing" of the reports, a spellcheck, a check of the demographics to make sure it is the right patient and doctor and that it is in the proper template and form.  That is all they can expect. If that is not happening you need to let them know that this is not acceptable and they need to face the music.  

I was reading the posts about line counts.  I am relatively new at this and still trying to gain speed.  With all the varying line counts (600 - 3000 per day) people mentioned, I am wondering what your earnings are.  - If I type 850 in a shift, I am barely above minimum wage and nowhere near enough to live on.

I am also wondering what the average number of reports for those line counts would be.  I know they vary in length, etc. and are different from day to day, but a rough average would be helpful.

I am trying to see where I am in the scheme of things and where I need to be to survive.  Often when I think I am really cranking, my line count turns out lower than days I feel I spent lots of time looking things up, etc.  This is also very frustrating.

I use SlyCount. It is great.  I was an IC and it worked great.  You tell it what you want it to count, bold, etc. how much each Dr. charges, etc.

Hello,

From my experience, I did clinics for five years and then went to acute care, let me tell you I never thought I would make line count.  It was so hard.  I use to type so fast doing the clinic notes but when I did the acute care, I was always looking stuff up and the OP notes, wow those were really taking away from my line count.  I cried everyday thinking I will never get to 1200.  How does one do it? However, I started at about 500 and each week I would go up 50-100.  After about 3-4 months, I finally made it to 1200 but I never took a lunch break or even a bathroom break sometimes.  It takes a while to learn a new dictator and here I had learned about 45 new Docs at this hospital.  It was very frustrating and I just kept telling myself I could do it.  There was a blind woman that worked with us and I thought if she could do it and being blind at that, then I was going to do it also.  You have to give yourself time to learn.  I was hired with them knowing I had not one bit of acute experience so they were just going to have to deal with it.  They pushed and complained all the time because I did not meet the line count, but I kept telling me that you knew when you hired me that I did not have the experience and that I was doing to best I could and that is all one can do. 

I worked as an IC for 5 years. I was paid 12 cents a line, but that was their price.  I had to pick up tapes and print.  I also did two accounts, one I charged 10 cents because the girl that had the account before me charged them that.  I did tell them I was raising it to 11 cents and it was fine with them.  I lost the account though because the Doc was hired by the hospital and he had to use their transcriptionist, as they were a union.  You have to factor in if you are picking up tapes and printing or doing digital, you can charge a little less as there is no printing and gas involved.  You can write the gas mileage off though at the end of the year when counting in all your expenses. You also have to factor in that you are paying you share of SS tax. I lived in WV, a smaller city, so if you live in a big city you could charge more.  This is more of a smaller community.  Anything is better than 8-9 cents what the MTSO(national companies) pays that is why I am going back to medical billing. 

This business is the most inconsistent and unpredictable job that I have done.  I need security and this is not where it is.  I had my own accounts for 5 years and lost all of them to either India, Docs being hired by hospitals and being laid off at a major hospital or Docs moving out of the area.  You never know when you wake up if you have work or not.  I cannot depend on that any longer.