A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

We all know better now, when it comes to mergers! - sm - Rocky Raccoon

Posted: Jun 06, 2010

We now know all too well, either from our own experience, or from the experiences of other MTs we've been reading about here, that mergers DO NOT benefit the MT.

They promise us we will still have our jobs. WE WON'T.

They promise us we'll make more money on their spiffy new software. WE WON'T.

They promise us our cpl will not go down. IT WILL.

They promise us the MTs of the purchased company will more work. WE WILL MOST LIKELY HAVE LESS. (Or at most, it'll be bottom-of-the-barrel unintelligible gibberish).

They promise us transparency in corporate communications with MTs. YEAH, RIGHT.

So, what have we all learned? We now know that if we even THINK there might be a merger between the company we work for and another MTSO, we should jump ship IMMEDIATELY. I made the mistake of sticking around for a few years, believing what the purchasing company had told all of us that were bought, and it was nothing but a pack of lies. And every single post on this board by an MT about their merger experience has been exactly like ours has been. All the company wanted was our ACCOUNTS. They didn't want US. They only kept us around long enough to get their VR, their Indians, and their other bargain-basement transcription modalities up to speed, and now we're being shown the door. By staying and hoping things would get better, we made it possible for them to do their dirtywork. We were ENABLERS. And now, what do we get for all our hard work? We're either being fired outright, or are being starved out. Or, we're being harrssed and nitpicked to death in order to force us to quit.

So NO, next time I'm working for some other company, even if it's not in the MT field, if I even get the faintest whiff of a merger in the future, I'm GONE.

The MDI people going into Transcend were warned SM - another MT

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very thoroughly by others before the actual merger took place and the MDI people were actually quite rude and didn't listen.

That is just not true! - ex-transcend MT

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I don't know why you would think that MDI people were rude and didn't listen. We trusted those who initiated the merger to be honest with us, and since we were happy with MDI, we did not think that something like this would happen, so why would you even say something like that? When you speak about "the MDI people", are you talking in general, and mean each and everyone of us? I never thought any of us were mean or rude. Just stop for a minute and think about our situation..we were going into unknown territory, trusting others that what they told us was true, and hoping that all would be well, plus why shouldn't we go along with this plan, and another thing is why should we have listened to negative people at that time. Now, we know better, but we didn't at that time, so give us a break.

What else do you call it when well-meaning people SM - another MT

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from Transcend attempt to say what's likely to happen and the MDI people INSIST that nothing is going to change for THEM? They told the Transcend people they were exaggerating, were crazy, sour grapes, the whole thing.

Over and over I see people attempting to warn others about a company and they are dismissed as being disgruntled or jealous. It's not so. People don't spend time posting on this board for no reason. There are almost no lies here, no matter what some people say.

Also, I am not and have never been with Transcend or MDI, I am merely reporting what I remember when this story started.

I wasnt talking about Transcend in my post, I was - talking about ALL MTSOs. (Rocky R).

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The bigger ones are swallowing up the smaller ones, and when the dust has settled, they all stick it to the MTs who worked so hard to make the accounts they bought DESIRABLE.

I just don't understand this at all - ex-transcend MT

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I don't understand how you can get so upset with people from MDI, when you have never worked for either MDI or Transcend? Don't group us all together and then say something that accuses all of us. Who are you affiliated with? The only reason someone would post this statement is either that had a bad experience somewhere down the line, or they just like to cause trouble.

Shes talking about the entire profession, dear. Hate to - tell ya, but the world doesnt revolve around Trans

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nmsg

To Another MT - Just me

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How can you make such a generalization as "the MDI people were actually quite rude and didn't listen?" It would seem to me that you are painting many people with such a broad brush. I am sure that there are SOME ex-MDI who are rude, just as they are some who are very kind. Basic logic would tell you that you cannot infer the behavior of all from the behavior of one. You must get a great deal of exercise jumping to such illogical conclusions.

You seem stuck in the broad brush concept SM - another MT

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and aren't seeing the point. Your prior post pretty much says it - the people at MDI were heavily invested in what the owner told them (false information) and seemed to be living in a dream world when confronted with the truths the people at Transcend were telling them. The responses to the helpful information were 90% negative toward the true information about what was going to happen to them, all insisting the Transcend people were lying, exaggerating and just jealous that the MDI people would not experience any changes in their work situation.

So who turned out to be telling the truth? Certainly not the ex-owner, who is now comfortably sitting at home without a care for all the people she sold down the river.

MDI had about 500 MTs, certainly.sm - anon

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they all did not reply here, only a handful. I would think there were about 300 or so that only read, did not reply. You are making a very generalized statement. Furthermore, the former owner of MDI is not sitting at home, she is actually working for Transcend. Wow, imagine that??

Possibly they arent aware this site exists. And any - MT who doesnt know about this site - sm

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most likely also doesn't know that he or she is earning peanut pay.

Another MT - Just me

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I think the whole problem comes down to this: Most if not all of the MDI-MTs were honest people seeking to give an honest day's work for an honest wage. We (in retrospect, foolishly) believed what the owner told us, I think based on the fact that had been so honorable and kind all through her career. I myself thought she was above reproach in the way she treated her MTs in the early years when I first signed on at MDI. I blame only myself for not getting suspicious when for months before the merger there suddenly was no work. Had I to do it over again, I would have quit right then about the second time my MDI friends and I compared notes and wondered how we were going to pay our mortgages. This is a classical example of "giving the benefit of the doubt" when we should have been playing CYA instead. And yes, you are right. She is probably now sitting on her yacht or something. I wonder if she ever stops to think that her MTs and their dedication made her company the great company it was? I wonder if she knows how it is to go from eating three meals a day to two to stretch your budget and feed your kid(s)? That is all water under the bridge, but I--and I daresay this is also true for many of my colleague MTs--we will from this point forward have trust issues. Talk is cheap. We found that out the hard way. I bear no animosity and hold no grudges; I just am very disappointed in the way the whole thing was handled, and I have to admit that I am apparently a very poor judge of character. Onward and upward.

It's a hard and horrible way to learn that these SM - websta

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MTSOs can all be bought, every last one of them. Unfortunately, the person who pays is the MT.

There is a perception that a lot of the people who frequent this site are bitter and negative. I look at it as being hardened and wisened by the bad treatment we have received at almost every company we have worked for. What is a good company today can easily turn into an abusive one within months, depending on who's running the show.

mergers - I am just tired of this whole thing

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Oh, how very correct you are. I have been on both sides of mergers 5 times. I have ended up working for the company that I just left TWICE. In my experience, they have all been disasterous and two good companies end up being one lousy monster organization.

BEWARE - MT

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I am now particularly careful to avoid any MTSO that has stockholders, as I have found these to be among the most ruthless of the MTSO companies. Also, I avoid those that are run by "family" members.

I also avoid the MTSOs that have a leg in India; my own experience showed that there were some nice accounts initially available, but these eventually were offshored as soon as the bugs were worked out, leaving only the worst accounts with the worst dictators in the USA.

I am also particularly concerned about company mergers when one of the above scenarios will be an end result.

what's left? - nm

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LUCK - MT

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There really are some good MTSOs out there that do not offshore, do not have a listing in the stock market, and are not run by family members. It took me five years to find one like that and I hope to be able to end up my MT days at my current company, but anything can happen, so I keep my eyes and ears open.. Please do not ask me to name the company. I will tell you that it is NOT FOCUS INFOMATICS, MEDQUIST, or TRANSCEND.

I agree with you - also not giving names of the good MTSOs though - nm

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nm

I get why you don't want to give but - sm

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I'm curious how people such as yourself find these good MTSOs. Was it trial and error? Did someone tell you about your MTSO? How does one find these good MTSOs?

My opinion - and only my opinion

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I think it's a combination of having the right skills at the right time, and having a teachable attitude. Oh yes, and luck. Applying everywhere and taking the best offer helps too.

I suspect that if an MT applies for a job and in the interview starts making demands inappropriately, for instance, they miss out on what might have been a good job. I know we're taught to stand up for ourselves, but I've heard some of the things that people have said in interviews and I wouldn't have hired them. I mean, why hire someone when you already know they will cause you headaches? So one tip to you would be to be professional, businesslike, and not combative in the interview, as if anyone should have to tell people that. From what I've heard though, maybe someone does need to hear it. Not you, of course. You sound like someone who is pleasant and would be a joy to work with. I hope you will find one of the good ones. Good luck to you!

I agree with what you are saying, but - SM - Anonymous

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A person wants to know what they are getting into before taking a job and then find out the hard way that they have made a mistake. When I ask questions about pay, scheduling, benefits, hours and work availability and the recruiter evades answering those questions, it's a big red flag. Sorry, but those things matter to me.

Absolutely! If a recruiter is evasive/lying in an interview, - its a a sure sign of more of that to come. nm

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X

Why did you both assume that any or all employers would be evasive? - You took a big leap to assume the worst

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Nobody above said anything about not asking appropriate questions, but all of a sudden we're talking about an evil employer with a recruiter who 'evades' during the interview. You're starting out with a negative attitude and that really shows when you are interviewing for a job. There is no way to hide it.

Why not assume the best until it has been proven otherwise. Ask the questions that are important to you without assuming that the person answering is evading or lying to you. That may be the best tip you've gotten here all day.

Why? - Anonymous

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It is not an assumption, it happened to me in a recent interview.

To find them you pretty much have to do it the old- - fashioned way: by "pounding the pavement!" nm

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nm

That is true - Agree

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nm

The entire medical industry (including MT) should be - excluded from selling stock. PERIOD!

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HMOs have ruined hospitals, clinics and healthcare, and are big-time stockholder-owned companies. And now MT is being ruined by Wall Street. You're 100% dead-on right about not applying to any company that is driven by the greed of its CEOs, and the greed on Wall Street.

Just a question re: stock - Nick

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Before the merger, was MDI a publicly-held company? Whether it was or not, it must have watched the movie WALL STREET one too many times; you know, the famous line: GREED IS GOOD!

Good Grief! - That does not make sense

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nm

Spheris MQ Merger - sm

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Despite being told on MQ end that things would not change as Spheric had their own accounts and folks to manage them, MQ has started the chopping and both MQ and Spheris folks are being let go. This is from MTs up the chain.

DON'T EVER BELIEVE A MERGER IS BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR ANY SIDE INVOLVED!!

I am now very cautious at work and make sure "dot my I's and cross my T's" to not draw any attention to myself.

I feel saddened by all of us involved in these mergers. All they do is make the biggest bigger and the worker bee less important.

"Better to be a big fish in a little pond, than a - minnow in the ocean!" -nm

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nm

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