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

Can this be true? - anon

Posted: Nov 11, 2010

I think full-time MT/ME's with benefits are required to do 150 lines per hour or 1200 for an 8-hour shift, right? Full-time without benefits and part-time need 100 lines per hour.

If the poster below is correct about newbies getting 4-cents per line ASR (no mention of how much for transcription), that means full-time with benefits will get $6 per hour = $48 per day = $240 per week = $12,480 per year, NOT including fed and state taxes, Medicare and Social Security. This isn't even close to minimum wage.

Did I miscalculate?

It is 125 for PT and FT without bennies. sm - ExMgr

[ In Reply To ..]

They won't keep you if you do the min production.

If doing the minimum production keeps you on the minimum wage report each payperiod, they will terminate you.

They will not tolerate that for an extended period of time.

Minimum wage is the higher between state and federal. Federal currently is $7.25 an hour.

You'll be looking for a job soon if you don't get off that minimum wage report each payperiod.

Does this mean - minimum lines

[ In Reply To ..]
will actually have to be higher than 125 PT and 150 full-time then?

Disagree - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I've never heard of the line rate being increased from 100 to 125 for PT and FT w/o bennies.

You can't be fired if you make your required line count. It wouldn't make sense to set line requirements and then fire you if you meet them. If they only want to pay 4-cents a line, almost everybody would be getting minimum wage, since it's higher than you can earn even making your line count.

You are very, very wrong. You can be fired for it. sm - ExMgr

[ In Reply To ..]
It is a catch-22 of sorts. You may well meet the minimum production standard. However, if you are still on the minimum wage report you will not last. They are losing money on you each payperiod as long as you are on that report. Being on the minimum wage report means that you did not produce enough work to cover your own cost to employ. They WILL let you go if you do not get off that report. It is strictly monitored every single payperiod.

There are some states that the Q has negotiated their contract with to pay the state's minimum wage instead of the federal. There are also a handful of states that have specific employment guidelines as far as pay and hour regulations.

Let's be very real here for a moment, though. It is important to note that they can terminate you at any time for any reason or for no reason. It is not something they want to go around doing, letting people go without cause or at least without giving them an opportunity to improve, but they can and they DO do it.

I have seen several MTs lose their position because they are on the minimum wage report on a consistent basis, even though they were meeting their minimum production requirements.

You can be fired for it.

On the flip side, I can also tell you that there are many who are doing ASR and making well above minimum wage so the Q knows that it can be done. Even at 4 cents/line, there are some who are consistently producing 400-500 lines/hour and that $16 to $20 hourly is above any minimum wage cost. They have data to back it up.

Your safest approach is to get your production up. Perhaps speak with HR to understand exactly what the negotiation with your state is so you know what you need to at least meet in order to stay off the minimum wage report.

Just don't sit there and think they can't or won't fire you. An attitude like that makes you a sitting duck.

ExMgr

ha.......ha......ha - exasperated

[ In Reply To ..]
hahahah...bwaaaahahahahahaha..snigger....snort...

Thanks for the much-needed laugh with that bull- go-get-em speech!

Just for the record - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I started this thread as a hypothetical situation, not mine. I think if anyone got fired for producing the required lines, we would have heard about it on MTStars loud and clear. You simply will not be fired if you meet your goal line count.

Doubt it. Most don't even know this board - is here.

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Okay, tell me this.. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
If you're running out of work on a daily basis, how are you supposed to meet the minimum (or more)? I, and many, many others, I'm sure, are flexing our lives away trying to make up lost time due to NJA. I'm here 7 days a week, so I can't be any more flexible than that.

The minimum is per hour not per payperiod. sm - ExMgr

[ In Reply To ..]
The hours are not important. It is your line/hour average that puts you on the minimum wage report.

You can still meet your minimum or more lines/hour regardless of how many hours you work.

ExMgr

You don't realize just how often some of us - are running out of work

[ In Reply To ..]
I run out of work on a daily basis. There are days when I've had about 10-15 jobs all day, and a day that I had no work at all. I have read posts from employees here who can go for several days in a row with no work, even when they are set up to work in multiple accounts. How do you meet your production requirements when you are not being sent the work to do in order to meet them?

because you shouldn't be clocked in - when you have NJA

[ In Reply To ..]
Clock in and log into DQS when you have work. Clock out and log out when you don't. Then just log in periodically to see if anything comes in. That's what I was told. If you have only 1 job in an 8-hour scheduled shift that was 200 lines and it took you an hour to type it, you just typed 200 lph, meeting the requirement. If you remain clocked in throughout your whole shift even with no work and only did that 1 report, then you'd be in trouble for not meeting production, but you're in trouble anyway for staying clocked in.

I don't stay clocked in.. - after the 15 minutes..nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Seems to me MQ would be saving money if they paid everyone minimum wage... nm - oldMQMT

[ In Reply To ..]
just my opinion......

100 for PT and FT without benefits - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
MQ could not terminate you if you were working according to their own standards. That's absurd. Minimum wage or not, if the MT is making the minimum lines per hour (100), they cannot terminate.

They can. They do. They have. I thought it was unfair, too. - ExMgr

[ In Reply To ..]
It was pushed down from the executive team. We didn't even have a choice. After an MT had been on that report consistently, they were terminated.

I agree that it really seems absurd.

Again, they can fire you without any cause at all but certainly if you do not make enough money so they have to pay you outside of your production value, they most certainly can and (more importantly) will do it.

Yes, I am a former manager with the Q for more than 5 years. It became too much, especially with the near 100 MTs I had to manage and more than $2M in business.

Even more absurd was the fact that when I had MTs who wouldn't show up to work or consistently failed audits, I had to performance manage those employees. I had to give them chances to improve. But those who were on the MWR did not have that option.

ExMgr

Can and do - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm sorry, but MQ is still making millions off MTs being paid minimum wage. Our wages have dropped dramatically and MQ is, in fact, pushing and shoving our wages in that direction specifically because they want a wider profit margin (oh, and because they want us to run so they can send ALL the work to India). If someone is/was fired for achieving the line count but making minimum wage, MQ would be a lawsuit waiting to happen. You cannot fire or PM an employee for working according to the company's own written guidelines. BTW, what is absurd anyway about PM'ing and firing an employee who did not show up for work or for failing audits?

Not on US MT work, they are not. I'm just telling you what is happening. - ExMgr

[ In Reply To ..]
Obviously the corporate spear-head does not reason out all of their practices with all first and second-line management.

Yes, you can fire someone for any reason and for NO reason. It's just pure naivity to think otherwise.

You cannot sue them successfully over being fired because your employment with them is at-will. You can leave at any time and they can let you go at any given time.

Sorry, but whether you like what I'm saying or not doesn't change the facts of what is happening.

ExMgr

No need to say sorry to me - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
Just because a company can do something does not mean they will or are. That's a weak argument for what you are saying, especially since you are making a point about MedQuist. Much as I dislike MQ, they are not in the habit of arbitrarily firing MTs without a legitimate reason (they have, however, had lay-offs and cutbacks, as well as perfomance management - but even PM has phases and they do give the MT a chance). As far as your blanket statement, please read: Most workers in the United States are employed at will, a term that essentially means they can quit -- or be fired -- without reason. But does that mean employees have no protection from their employers' whims?

That's what this worker wonders:

I work in Virginia, which is an "at-will" state. Does that mean if you are fired or laid off there's no recourse at all?

MOST states and the District of Columbia are considered at-will states, says Bill Bethune, a Washington lawyer who handles corporate cases. This means that employers can fire an employee just as freely as a worker can quit for another opportunity. (Different states have varied exceptions to that general rule, notes Bethune, such as probationary periods after which firings must be for cause.)

So does that mean workers employed at will have no options if they are let go? It does not, says Bethune. The right to dismiss workers at will is not absolute.

At-Will - Jax

[ In Reply To ..]
I live in a Right To Work State. You can be fired here for NO reason and you have absolutely no recourse for it regardless of why they fired you (and they don't have to give a reason either). It may fly that way in your state, but it doesn't in all of them.

100 for PT and FT wo Benefits - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
Any MQ MT can go to MQCentral, Departments, Human Resources, Policies, and find the handbook was updated in October 2010. In the rewards section for MTs, it plainly states the minimum lines per hour is 150 for FT with benefits and 100 per hour for PT and full time without benefits. It also plainly states that after February of this year, ASR is paid at 4 cents per line. I'm not sure who the person posting who is a "manager" is, but it's not an MQ manager.

Can't find anything about 4 cents - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks, Wendi. I thought the 150 FT with bennies and 100 PT and FT w/o bennies was right, but now I read it in the official handbook. I maneuvered all around in MQCentral and didn't see anything about the 4-cents, although a lot of things that looked like a likely spot wouldn't open. I wonder if it will be 4-cents for everybody or just newbies? No way can I afford that drastic a cut in pay - my pay's crappy enough as it is.

I saw it in there last night when I checked - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I can't remember exactly where, I think it was on the code of conduct page. I checked a box, clicked view documents and then clicked on the MT Rewards Plan link. It was in there somewhere.

It is 125for PT and FT without bennies - junquequeen

[ In Reply To ..]
PT is 100 lph unless they changed it recently. some people have been on minimum wage for quite sometime and are still working.

It really really really is 100 lines per hour, not 125 - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
This can easily be found in the MQ handbook. I have worked for MQ for 15 years and it has been 100 lines per hour for FT without benefits and PT sinc I've worked here. It is in the handbook - which I am not allowed to copy and paste here.

I wonder how many MTs would jump ship - Just imagine

[ In Reply To ..]
if for Christmas, MQ decided to give us all 4 cents a line for ASR and ST. Not trying to stir the pot, just wouldn't put it past them with the Q's history.

I'd be soooo gone. - Shipwrecked

[ In Reply To ..]
I seem to remember that they always drop these bombs on us right around Christmas. I think that's when they told us that ASR was going from a 20% reduction to 40%.

Similar Messages:

Mar 31, 2012

Ok I've been here like 3 months. Got my new manager's rules like 2 days ago. It said if you are scheduled to work holiday, you will (well obviously) but it also said you can request it off and will NOT be told yes or no until 3 days prior to the day. Three days? I mean I wasn't planning on taking major holidays off for a year since I'm new, but I can't plan my life around 3 days notice for Christmas and Easter. Second during a meeting she told people that all the ...

Jan 18, 2013

Everything that's been posted on here about the Softscript recruiter is absolutely true. I accepted a job with them, then thought it over because of the lack of PTO, and wrote in to tell the person handling my paperwork that I had reconsidered due to the lack of PTO. My email was forwarded back to the recruiter and she sent me a snarky email that said basically, you get 3.5 days the first year and 5 the second, and said, "please explain." I told her that I had reconsidered ...

Apr 04, 2013

http://forum.mtstars.com/468952.html ...

Sep 24, 2013

you don't have to be laid off or run out of work to file a TAA for school?? thanks! ...

Nov 14, 2009

that MQ sent out that stupid letter stating not to worry, we will still need MTs, and that off-shoring will remain one of many solutions (including VR). I really have no idea whether we will still be here after the first of the year or not (although that's what a lot of people on this board thought LAST year and it didn't happen....but WHY would they waste their precious money sending that letter to everyone if they planned on nixing us all soon? Doesn't make sense.&nb ...

Mar 02, 2011

TWO job offers today. One is for my old hospital. I never thought it would happen again. I tried for 3 years to get my old hospital job back but never heard a peep. Thanks to still networking with my old cohorts, I got a call today. I might be a FT EMPLOYEE this time, not I.C. I had the choice of I.C., PT, or FT. I chose FT because of the insurance, but left it up to the HIM director "whatever she needed". HaHa! Was so excited, I forgot to ask the pay rate. I hope I sounded cool as a cuc ...

Oct 25, 2012

The MTSO I will be starting with requires Word AutoCorrect as an abbreviation expander as we cannot download anything on their computer. I have never used AutoCorrect and do not know how to access it nor do I know what the keyboard shortcut keys to use. Is there any info anywhere on how to effectively utilize AutoCorrect as a word expander? I have Word 2010 ...

Jul 22, 2013

I am looking for a true IC position where I can work when I am available due to being handicapped. I sometimes have some very bad days and can't get out of bed as a result of it and I keep losing jobs. I am also wondering if there are any companies that pay MTs what they're worth on VR. I feel like we do twice the work for less pay. It's a lot harder if you ask me, especially if you have an account full of doc's who suck at dictation and sound more like auctioneers than a do ...

Mar 08, 2014

That if a company files bankruptcy, it could also protect them from paying unemployment benefits to employees? If that's true, what's to stop them from letting most of us go without punity? You've GOT to be kidding ... this has GOT to be someone's idea of a sick joke ... ...

May 20, 2014

the most difficult dictators, while the less difficult work is being offshored? Honestly, I'm not sure I'll make it through the night with my job intact. Nothing for my primary account, and just unfamiliar really difficult dictators for my secondary and third accounts, just one after another. ...

Feb 02, 2015

So Mmodal decided to eliminate my position and I was without work for quite some time. I took my 401K distribution to survive on. Just figured out my taxes and low and behold I owe what my 401 K distribution was. This country needs to get with it. My family would not have survived without that 401K distribution to live on, yet the government feels that I am overpaid or something. So sad. I am so disgusted. I put my heart in my job, lost it, and did what ...

Jun 05, 2010

make the most per line - then isn't it ironic that they were offering pay increases to those who went through the (expensive) certification process? That was a great way for ADHI to make $$ and then they would cut any MT who was making more! Catch-22! ...

Aug 13, 2010

Anyone see the ad on this and another job board about needing an MT who speaks FRENCH? What the heck has our industry come to that MTSOs will suck up to any foreigner and do ANYTHING whether it's right or not just to make a fast buck. The medical record is supposed to be on the chart in English in this country for legal reasons. I hope if anyone here speaks French they DON'T apply. Let's keep to American values! <<Parody over.>> Actually, I am d ...

Dec 20, 2010

It is truly appreciated by those in receipt. Even if I am not one of them, I still want to thank the companies and managers who really do express gratitude in one form or another for a job well done. Whether you are an MT or an MTSO: Gratitude goes a long way. Grateful MT ...

Jan 24, 2011

Just wondering if anyone has heard of a new company called True Blue Transcription. I didn't find much when searching for them. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks! ...

Dec 02, 2011

about this as there is strength in numbers... MINIMUM WAGE - IT'S TRUE ! HALLELUJAH ! - WithYouOnThis Posted: Nov 28th, 2011 - 2:45 am I called my parents' lawyer; this post is RIGHT ON! MTSOs have used semantics to rip us off for the past decade. They DO have to pay minimum wage ! We do NOT work "production", as MTSO's claim. The term for compensation method regarding our work type is "tiered incentive"; there is an actual base hourly rate, which is what PTO & ...

Oct 24, 2014

I've been all over the place today, from California to New York and everywhere in between, and not a single report from ANY of my "primaries" ... not even one. There doesn't seem to be ANY rhyme or reason to the type or location of the reports I've gotten ... it's crazy. It's like a switch has been flipped since yesterday, and I also notice my Teamwork timecard has my manager's name changed to the new one. Guess this is what my work flow will look ...

Nov 20, 2014

such as accidentally sending a cc to the wrong doctor? While I know that is a big no-no and I haven't personally done it (yet)...and hope I never will, isn't that an awful lot of responsibility to put upon us? Shouldn't that be on someone else, like the hospitals. I personally think we shouldn't be responsible for sending copies with a click of a key. We should maybe ALERT the facility that a cc needs to be sent and let THEM take the responsibility sin ...

Dec 21, 2009

Can't tell from the archives if only a couple people were having problems with not getting paid or if it was company-wide. Nothing good in the archives though. Anybody have anything to say about this company? Just looking for truth before I apply. ...

Dec 24, 2009

anyone else having trouble focusing??? Though I need to finish because I have a gazillion things to do before bed tonight!! ...

Apr 30, 2011

Out of curiosity I went to the Merrill Lynch site. I was looking around on my personal page; I had NO idea how much I had in there, and it showed me (I was surprised as I thought it was much less) But what do I know about it...never really kept up on it..... However, I always thought MQ didn't contribute a CENT anymore? I clicked on "Learn more about your company's match" and it said it matches 50% of the first 5% you contribute....WTH??? Can anyone confirm or refute ...

Nov 28, 2011

I called my parents' lawyer; this post is RIGHT ON! MTSOs have used semantics to rip us off for the past decade. They DO have to pay minimum wage ! We do NOT work "production", as MTSO's claim. The term for compensation method regarding our work type is "tiered incentive"; there is an actual base hourly rate, which is what PTO 'per hour' time is designated and paid out at (in my case $12.00, almost $4.00 more than minimum wage in my state), and anything over ...

May 08, 2015

I am happy to announce that I just got offered a position with a different transcription company and finally get to leave Nuance! For those of you struggling there, there are other opportunities out there. Hang in there and keep looking. As for Nuance, generally what people have been posting about them is true. They do not value their employees, their new compensation plan is a joke. It is true that while some of their employees are starving and on welfare because they are OOW on a daily basi ...

May 12, 2010

A representative from Allied Medical Schools told me this: Our program is designed to prepare you for not only the career, but also for the AAPC’s CPC-A exam which is the first certification you can obtain as a new medical coder. The AHIMA certification requires a degree program that usually takes about 2 years to complete and to pursue that, you must already have your CPC-A certification. Some employers may ask for a AHIMA cert but there are plenty of employers that do not and th ...

Dec 31, 2010

"Typist will be required to complete 2 hours of unpaid audio as probationary period." Has anyone else ever heard of something like this? ...

Nov 28, 2011

Then all who come here will know the truth about how we should be paid. Thanks. ...

Mar 26, 2012

Got an Escription "upgrade" and now cannot copy text into separate Word document to get line count. Methinks I smell a dirty rat. ...

Feb 13, 2013

pfooey ...

Sep 10, 2013

Just signed into my account to get some extra in because of OOW for the past month, at least. Surprise, surprise. What I have been reading is true! The worst of the worst dictators are on and only them. Gosh, it seems like there is some cherry picking going on, perhaps from overseas? Unbelievable. Hardly worth the frustration. Not one good one out of the bunch. Boy, don't we work for some POS people? ...

Jan 29, 2011

Wow. That stinks. I like to enjoy my summers. I was thinking about applying to them, but I don't know now. I've heard about the same amount of negatives that I've heard positives about this company... Any other opinions out there? ...