my concern with VOIP with a C-phone is
Posted By: anon on 2007-06-05
In Reply to: No, you'll keep running into the same (sm) - MT
how is the voice quality? I would be interested in something like Vonage as I can take that with me and travel.
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Anyone using VoIP (internet phone) with a
DVI or C-phone to transcribe, and does it work well? If so, what company do you use? Are those companies cracking down on transcription like the regular LD carriers?
Anyone use VoIP phone system
and are you having problems with connectivity? We switched to internet-based phone service a few weeks ago and recently I started having problems with downloading the voice. I get the report but without any voice. If you have had this problem, how did you remedy it? I'm about at my wit's end. Thanks!
VOIP as second phone line
Is it possible to use VOIP as an extra phone line instead of investing in a second land phone line? I'm going to be working at my mom's a couple days a week. She has one phone line and DSL. At my house I only have dial-up. I have an account that requires two phone lines with no DSL, one for dictaphone, one for Meditech. I really hate to ask her to pay for another land phone line and was wondering if I could use VOIP. Thanks for any input.
I've heard C-phone with VOIP works well (sm)
and a lot cheaper, too. Forget the costly unlimited long distance and business plans! It may be a good idea to have another phone-line as a backup for your C-phone in case DSL/cable goes down.
cable phone and VoIP are the only TRUE unlimited
I can't find a single phone company that has TRUE unlimited. I've used VOiP in the past through Vonage with no problems. I got rid of it only because I didn't need ULD anymore, and they when I started needing ULD again I decided to switch to cable phone and internet. I bundle my cable, internet, and phone all together at a pretty reasonable price. Cable phone works great and no problems with heavy daily use.
VOIP - If I am not mistaken VOIP requires a high speed connection.
:(
VOIP
I think I'm going to try Vonage/VOIP, too, as I'm paranoid about getting back charged by a regular company. I already have used Qwest ULD before and got a letter after a few months threatening to terminate (there was no 5000 minute limit when I originally signed on), but fortunately I just cancelled it and there were no back charges. I don't see any minute limit with Vonage, but I have noticed that both the residential and small business plans have the same limitations which say things like continuous call forwarding (not sure that that is). I know a lot of transcriptionists use it and seem to not have problems, so I'm going to give it a try. I don't really know what else to do unless pay by the minute, but it'd cost me a fortune, even with a low rate plan.
VOIP
I have been using Vonage and yes it is true that if your internet goes out you have no phone service but you can set it up quite easily to automatically forward any calls to a cell phone or any number you want if your internet or electricity goes out. My internet rarely goes out and I have had no problems with my Vonage service. It did require some tweaking at first but I love it and I am saving so much money over Bellsouth that I had previously.
VOIP and 911
If you are switching to VOIP for telephone service, whether it is Vonage or another company, please make sure your 911 dispatch center can find you should you need them. The location of a land line phone and more and more cell phones (eventually all because they will all have GPS) will come up on computer-aided dispatch systems. This is not always the case with VOIP. When you choose your provider, give 911 a call in the late evening/early morning when they are not so busy, tell them you have a new phone system and inquire if a location comes up for you on their computer. Actually, anyone who moves or otherwise changes their phone number can (and probably should) do this. The middle of an emergency is not the time to find that 911 thinks you are somewhere you aren't.
VoIP
I use Vonage and I have that same problem. Sometimes it depends on the time of day. Let me know if it gets any better and with what company. I was told that AT&T does not like to help with that.
I have VOIP s/m
And yes, if the power goes out, so does your phone. Power does not go out that often. I do have a cell that is a prepay phone for when I'm on the road, etc., so in case of power outage, I can use that as well if I need to. Just think about it, if the power is out, your not working anyways...
Now I do have a generator as well, so if and when the power does go out, I can get that set up and use that as well.
Voice quality is just like the regular landline for me although I know some people that have had problems with different services. It is normally because of a setting that you need to adjust on your end.
Thanks for your concern - sm
All of these possibilities have run through my mind too.
In truth, I think the dad was trying to protect her, given the tragedy they have faced in the last year. At least that is the one possibility that I am hoping. That one can be forgiven as compared to other possibilities.
I can't even imagine what must be going through her head. As a mother, I would want to protect my kids too if they had been hurt as she has.
I did a little internet searching on the story he gave me and did find that the accident and deaths really did happen so I don't doubt that at all. I think it's dad trying to do his best and trying to protect her from further hurting but also trying to do the right thing too.
On my steps this morning I found a little bouquet of flowers. I think they may have been from her. Sure, they were picked from my flower beds but... hey, it's a gesture and looks like a little kid put them together.
Again, I'm holding out for putting the best foot forward and try to be a good neighbor.
Everyone deserves a second chance.
Thanks for your concern - sm
I don't think she's going to be a problem.
When my husband and I divorced, my little angels turned into monsters. They were angry, confused, and scared. This little girl lost her mother and her baby brother. They aren't coming back and it's still pretty fresh.
My kids see their dad every other weekend so they know he's still around.
Just try to put yourself in her shoes at that age. Wow, that's a big thing for such a little girl to handle.
I think her dad is doing his best, has her in counseling, has his sister helping him learn to be Mr. Mom, and just trying to be everything to his daughter.
From what I gathered from my conversation with him the day after the puppy incident, he was absent from the home a lot on business before the accident. Said he had no clue what to do after his wife and son were gone. Said he thought he was a dad before but this whole thing opened his eyes to what he was missing.
The guy has moved across state, lost his wife and son, trying to learn all over again to parent his remaining child, and starting a new career so he can spend more time with his daughter.
I think I'm safe with a 10 year old. I'll be more aware of what is going on when she is around but, she's 10. Still a baby to me.
By the way, they have accepted my invitation to dinner Friday night, all three of them.
It's going to be okay.
After my not so nice divorce (husband is now living with the reason for our divorce) I have learned that I really do have more patience than I thought myself capable of. Dealing with the nasty GF of the husband, the husband's betrayal, the kids anger for the separation and then the divorce, and my inital feeling of failure... I could list a million things but, I'm happy now, my kids are happy, I get along well enough with the ex, civil with his girlfriend, heck, this little bump over the puppy is small taters next to the past few years I have had.
I don't plan on saving the girl. I just feel bad for her and I know that her healing is just beginning. Doesn't help if I encourage my kids to alienate her. Not very nice of me as an adult either. Just because of one incident out of 6 months. No, I think she deserves a little understanding, forgiveness, and patience.
Thanks for your concern. sm
I have been in this business 25+ years and have had my own hospital clients for years. I know what happens when administration changes. I appreciate your concern, but believe me, I will be fine.
Why would some be so worried about another's line rate? If it is true concern, it is quite refreshing to see such caring fellow MTs rather than the bitter bunch usually here.
Thanks again, and best of luck to you.
Good luck to you.
no, I do not. thanks for your concern.--nm
nm
Yes, this is a concern.
Can you say which region of the country you are in? I have a feeling when this EMR stuff gets rolling, it's really going to impact MT quickly. My personal physician's group (in Michigan) uses it now for their office notes and has absolutely no need for transcription services.
AT&T VOIP has been great! (nm)
nm
Lanier and VOIP
I use digital phone with Time Warner for my Lanier account. I also kept my unlimited LD with Verizon as a back up, but use the digital phone service for my Lanier because I'm afraid that Verizon will catch up with me. Therefore, I have TWO lines, one land one (Verizon), and one VOIP (Time Warner). Both are unlimited LD, but if the cable goes out, I still have my land line. Hope this helps.
VOIP and internet - sm
Yes, the Lanier is plugged into the phone line just like your C-phone. The phone line is connected to the cable modem, so the phone line and your internet connection come through the same modem (I think...not sure of the technicalities). The VOIP is half the price of my land line with Verizon, and VOIP is truly unlimited, while Verizon watches the minutes.
I would go AT&T or Vonage VoIP instead
of hassling with unlimited long distance since ULD becomes an issue for MTs.
VoIP problems
I have had three different VoIP companies over the years, all at the request of my employer. I never lasted more than a week with any one of them and now I absolutely refuse to do that again. Had the same issues you have with the foot pedal and I was not using a C-phone nor a wave pedal. The audio quality would be choppy, there would be gaps where multiple words were missing, etc.
Out of those three different companies, not one could fix the problem, though they all acknowledged that the choppiness could be an issue "for some people". Lucky me!
Hope you fare better!
There is no way I would use any VOIP company
for dictation. I used Skype, and I used Packet 8 for home service. I have known people who have used Vonage. They are entirely too unpredictable and the sound most times is horrid. It might be okay for home use if you didn't call much, but there is no way I would use VOIP for something as important as dictation.
What was the concern regarding Transform??
\
Overhiring is becoming a big concern.
Frequently, we are asked to get off the account we are working on as there is not enough work to go around, but this is sporadic, yet has been happening a lot lately so I suspect overhiring. If this continues, I may have to find another job, which is a shame because they are good person there but that will not pay my bills.
I think your concern is well founded. sm
I am looking to start re-schooling in the next year to get into a profession that cannot be offshored. Globalism is here to stay, and all jobs that can be used to extend corporation control into the global society will do just that. No sense not paying attention to the handwriting on the wall.
If benefits are a concern...
I would just find an job working from home that offers benefits. My job allows me to make money by the line, and also as long as I work full time, I get benefits. As the other poster, I too like being able to work from home and not deal with traffic getting to work, gas, work clothes, eating out, putting children in childcare, etc. It saves me so much money this way.
Also, I have been doing this for six years, and I haven't known any of the doctors personally.
Benefits are a concern. I am currently
working as an IC, and I am sick of the tax stuff - really wondering if I come out ahead to be honest working that way. I definitely want benefits and have a prospective company interested in hiring me that offers benefits. I have always known the doctors I have worked for. I guess it's sort of a new working situation for me not to know the person I am typing for. I don't know if I would miss that. Do you find it hard to deal with a company who is across country that you can't just drive to at a moment's notice if you have a problem and can't communicate by phone or email with anyone?
Please take this as intended; as concern
Hair colorants can be quite toxic; you may want to research here. I have no affiliation with this site other than I wish to be an educated consumer and I am concerned about what I put in and on my body. Not trying to be preachy. Good luck to you.
http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/index.php
I understand your concern....
Sheri would like you guys to know this: When the site goes down and is replaced with old posts, then you will know it has been taken over. Please know she is working to get a new site at mtstars.net and it will be working as soon as possible. I do not work for MTStars and am just a poster but know what cybersquatting is. This is real. Be aware that a person has taken hostage the *domain name* for money (extortion) and if she doesn't comply in 12-24 hours, he will take over the site. This is real!
My concern about newbies getting a job -
In response to a previous post on newbies finding a job - I've been typing for almost 15 years and was lucky enough to "learn the right way" from a great mentor, learning all specialties. Editing speech rec jobs is relatively easy when you have the background in all specialties like "us old folks".
At least for right now, I believe speech rec is only as good as the experienced Editor behind it to eyeball and correct any errors. I hate to admit it, but speech rec has made dramatic improvements in its accuracy over the last few years. It's here to stay, it's improving - and surprisingly, the people I work with really enjoy editing.
My concern though is when the old folks like me in the field retire, and many of us are getting close. Newbies need the opportunity to get in the door and gain their experience in all specialties to take over as the older folks leave the field. There needs to be mentors to continue to be available to these newbies to guide them along the way. There are good schools out there, but to "learn it all" you really need to be actively working in the field on a job that gives the opportunity to learn all specialties.
This is my concern as speech recognition becomes more and more successful. We will continue to need quality, seasoned transcriptionists to become quality, well rounded editors in the future.
I've taught completely green people transcription, and I've taken newbies in and guided them along the way. It is satisfying for me because someone took me green 15 years ago and gave me this opportunity, and for that I am eternally grateful. Putting 3 kids through college was a lot easier thanks to my full time job and another part time job I had.
Best of luck to all you newbies out there - if you can get your foot in the door at a local hospital, even working in house to start, its a good place to begin. Gain all the experience you can. I'm not sure working for these big shlock houses, the nationwide transcription companies, is the best place to start - it can be frustrating when you're given all the ESL docs and junk work and try to plug through it.
Good luck newbies - keep on pluggin.
Hear your concern about
the line situation. I use ShortHand and have shortcuts up the kazoo. The only thing Shorthand does for me is save my fingers and hands as I don't see a huge difference in my lines.
In fact since I have gotten really proficient with my macros, my lines in fact have gone down or stayed the same. I thought it was supposed to be a line booster. One can only go so fast and still maintain accuracy and fill in blanks along the way.
Makes ya wonder what is going on with that?
My employers forbids us to have VoIP because...
it fouls up lots of things. Also, I have a friend with Vonage and we are constantly cut off, or it sounds like she is talking from the bottom of a fish tank. She hates it.
VoIP plans are the only ones without restrictions
x
VOIP and internet connection - sm
I have VOIP with my cable provider, Roadrunner, and I can use my Lanier at the same time as I am on the Internet, no problems. In my area, this is much cheaper than unlimited long distance phone service with my land line provider (which I kept, by the way, as you have NO phone if your cable goes out). I have not had any problems at all. Hope this helps.
voip.com has true unlimited
I called this morning and questioned her extensively on whether it was truly unlimited, and she assured me it was. www.voip.com - not to be confused with the generic voip service like Vonage. She did say that satellite internet users would probably not be happy with the connection, but I have DSL and it works perfectly. One warning - it disconnects at exactly 5 hours, so you have to remember to hang up and re-dial in prior to that.
I can understand that concern. To be honest, I believe
that there will still be lots of opportunity for overtime.
There's going to be a few months of transition and, with any luck, the unhappy MTs will leave and that situation, coupled with constant new accounts coming on board, will generate more work than you're thinking about right now. It will have to be done, period.
There may be some occasions where overtime isn't as readily available but I expect that we will have plenty of times where we have some offer of overtime.
That's my speculation, at least.
yeah, but since capitation, sorry, but how much concern is there
for the patient? Just big business, like Walmart. Push people in, push them out, cut services...
Hospitals now want everything for nothing, and do not want to pay for it, as evidenced by the complete explosion of outsourcing...
Thanks. That is encouraging. My biggest concern is
visiting family at holidays and other times. Do you bring some of your own food or just pick and choose from what is offered? Or do you go "off the lifestyle" and then make up for the damage later?
Bigger concern is your husband!!
Aside from the fact that your husband's friend is a jerk, what is your husband saying about the fact that he will not give you this female's phone # so you can call her back and let her hear a piece of reality here!! It's as if your hubby is saying this is a game here and it's "okay". Does the fact that this lady called him give him some kind of a charge, a little excitement for him? I would question his ethics first, after all, if he's willing to keep this number from you, what else would he think is none of your business? Sorry, but that's the bigger problem.
Thanks for your concern - no internet newbie here
What personal information? MT Registry only requires an e-mail address to register - no other information is required.
The e-mail address I use for any site can easily be dumped. Anybody buying gmail, hotmail or yahoo addresses is wasting their money.
First we have the conspiracy theorist and now a patronizing man acting like all the little women don't know how to protect themselves on the internet.
Question for Vonage/VoIP users
If you are using Vonage for MT, do you use the residential or small business plan, and how many minutes a month do you use?
Thanks!
VoIP in lieu of landline phones?
I read a little article in one of those free local trade publications which discussed ways of saving money on everyday household costs. VoIP was listed as a way to save a ton of money by using your Net connection for your phone service.
The article didn't explain how it all works. Is anyone doing this? Do you hook up your phone to your cable connection or are you using some speaker system/software on your PC to make calls? I just don't get it. All I know is that they said you can call anywhere in the world and it doesn't matter, it's a fixed inexpensive monthly cost. I also don't know if you trade your landline telephone number for something through thte VoIP service.
So, I'm intrigued but totally in the dark about this concept. TIA!
I had VoIP back in Nov with my cable provider and then went with another IP and just used..sm
my landline because they did not offer VoIP. Now my IP offers it and it works great other than the pedal. Thanks for your help!
VoIP and foot pedal issues
For anyone using VoIP, do you find that your foot pedal does not always respond? IOW, you lift your foot from the foot pedal and the dictation continues along? Or, you have to press the foot pedal twice to get the system to respond. Sometimes, I'll press the rewind pedal for a second and I'm thrown back to the beginning of the report. --- My C-phone and foot pedal are both new, so it's not with my equipment. And AT&T says they don't support my equipment (although they were helpful once before).
Any suggestions to resolve the problem?
I actually am on my way out the door, thanks for your concern! but the situation will not change
x
Satellite is not secure so there may be concern for HIPAA
violation. Also satellite downloads are not dependable, sometimes they can be just as slow as dial-up, depends on the weather and how many others are on the server.
The trees are the main concern in a hurricane (sm)
the lake didn't even get close to the house during that supposed "100-year flood" in 1993 (not allison, the other one). We went to the other side of Houston for Rita, came back the next day. It was a mess with limbs all over but no trees down on our property. Next-door neighbor had 3 down. We've decided for the next one, we will stay in the garage and hope no trees fall on the house.
Take concern/questions to MTSO. Ask how line
you are being paid correctly at a certain line rate but if she cannot SHOW you how those figures are arrived at, I would be very leery that she is being less than honest with me. If she knows exactly how she is figuring lines to pay you, she should be able to demonstrate to you how figures are arrived at.
Maybe because of sincere concern for people who once were dedicated?
You probably support illegal immigrants working within the border.
What do you suppose laid off employees do until they get a job? Welfare and foodstamps? Who pays then? What in the world does a country do for its people then provide jobs when it is a 1st world infrastructure?
No holds barred? The man or woman who goes the extra mile for a company and then is dumped on the street - with every attempt made to block unemployment INSURANCE benefit - is only looking at the bottom line.
Believe me, good MTs still can find work but it may take a few months. So, give them some compensation insurance like the contract states. Otherwise, state: Once an MT is no longer needed, Unemployment Insurance will be denied regardless of the situation at hand. Then, I will not take the darn job.
Give me a break.
Lingo that is who we use...VOiP, $22.95/month, six months already, no probs.
You might want to investigate further the post someone made about 2007 and VOiP. Seems the government is all hot and bothered because they need to tap phones and cannot do so with VOiP. They probably will end up taxing and surcharging eventually, as well, but for a while it can save you a lot of money...
Has anyone used Sun Rocket VOIP? If so, how is the voice quality and service? nm
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