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

Pay for VR editing ... DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT - OhioCMT

Posted: Apr 10, 2010

I haven't visited MT Stars in quite a while, but I noticed tonight some postings asking whether $10 or $11 per hour for editing VR transcription is reasonable. NO! IT IS NOT REASONABLE! Any seasoned, experienced medical transcriptionist who lowers themselves to edit for half of what they should be making as MTs is insane. We are destroying our own profession by not standing up for ourselves, our expertise, our experience, our professionalism. Not me. I'll work at McDonalds for $10/hour first. Seriously, my friend got a job answering phones at an insurance agency for $11/hour. C'mon! Think about it. We should be paid hourly, we should be unionized, we should make sure that the medical/healthcare system in this country recognizes our worth; and the only way to do it is to stand tall. Let them get exactly what they pay for .... but not from me.

I agree with you. However, as long as - Tired and weary

[ In Reply To ..]
there are MTs lining up at the door to take your place if you take a stand, it won't work. Even if there was a shortage of MTs here in the US, they have India to fall back on. We really have no power as I see it. Sad state of affairs.

Not necessarily ... hang in there. - Ohio CMT

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Your fear is the fear shared by most of us. I look at it this way though. Would you tell your electrician you're only going to pay him so much, your dentist, your doctor for that matter? I truly think that we should call their bluff, those who have seriously done some damage in this profession by their greed and total ignorance, i.e., those who manage the global services, hospital administrators, etc. They truly have no idea what we do, and it's high time we let them know. Don't give up. This profession should be categorized as a skilled trade, it is a skilled trade. Not anyone can do this. They can't just say, well we'll get the gal who answers the phones to transcribe or edit if you won't. My comment would be ... good luck with that. Think of how much we are expected to know, the hoops we are expected to jump through, the skills that we have to have to be proficient. As far as India goes, and I have worked for a global outsourcing company (for which I apologize), the quality is horrible. It is horrible. The thing we should be concentrating on in this country, we MTs, is contacting every politician we can find an address or phone number for and express our concerns about medical information, personal information, etc. leaving this country. Talk about HIPAA! If we really worked hard at that, I think somebody in Washington would have to listen. The populace needs to know where their medical information and demographic/personal information is going. I personally think that AHDI should run ads on TV and tell people. I guess I won't get started on AHDI and what they don't do for us. As far as editing goes, same deal. If they want it right, we'll do it .... for the same pay. It's still our knowledge and expertise that they want from us. Show me the money .... or have "Trixie" at the phones do it for ya. Keep your chin up. Be proud, be confident. You have a "skill" .... something that many others do not have.

ASR - Joni

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It is sad what our industry has fallen to, really sad. Our job is mentally and physically challenging, can't miss a comma, all the while our necks, shoulders, hands and feet are killing us and people just don't get it. And QA jumps down your throat if you miss a comma, but yet pay us less than McDonald's? I hope they get what they pay for. There are a few good companies out there, but very few.

Call Whose Bluff? - sm

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Is it YOUR livelihood on the line? You and the other MT who pulls down $20 an HOUR (not production) are very gung ho on posting rhetoric. Your situations are atypical.

Most of us work for those large MTSO that gobble up small to medium sized mom n pop MTSOs. They have marketing staff that convince the hospitals to dump their pricey in-house MTs.

I'm not complaining about what I make. I'm very happy. I feel I'm treated very well overall. So, if you truly feel you can make more than $20 an hour, (again, NOT production but hourly, no less)then go for it. Just remember, those big MTSO are just waiting to gobble up even more hospitals, and speech rec and EMR software is looming around the corner to take over for you with your home-town Dr. Welbys. ENJOY.

Yes production - OhioCMT

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Production ... yes, production, yes quality checked weekly, has to be 98% or better, yes, again, production, line count, the whole 9 yards; I DO PRODUCTION WORK. We have to make the line count to get the hourly wage. Miss it once, what's the deal. Miss it twice, be concerned. Miss it a third time, maybe you'll get a reference. Are we on the same page now?

Now that we have that settled, I guess my remark to you would be .... you are preaching to the choir, the janitor, and even to the preacher. I've been around a long time, worked for a global outsourcing company, had my own service, have worked in and out of hospitals (PRODUCTION), and, yes, we do need to believe in our skills and not cave in. You can't really think you're enlightening me about services gobbling up hospitals, etc. I live that every day; we have a new outfit doing our radiology reading where I am, and the big talk is VR. I spoke with one of the docs today who said to me, "I won't agree to voice recognition unless they keep transcriptionists to verify its accuracy." Exhibit A. There are people, doctors, out there who understand very well what the risks are for junk going into medical records with their names on reports. Sooooo, I'm glad you're happy where you are. I love what I'm doing, but I still say I will not do it for peanuts. Other skilled tradesmen and women wouldn't think of it .... and we shouldn't either. Oh, I work tomorrow too; yep rotate weekends, PRODUCTION YA KNOW; and yes, we have to keep track of downtime, etc. Got it?

Agree, my company is now the worst of all. 5.2 cpl would not be bad if - transcender

[ In Reply To ..]
you could make a decent line rate, but the editor is so bad you have to retype most of the reports that it puts out. Transcend is making sure that no one can live on what they make there. It used to be a half way decent company, now it is the bottom of the barrel. They need to clean house from the top down and get rid of the expensive "mis-management" people, hire at least 1 person who has people-skills (I know, they have no idea what people-skills are), hire at least 2 people who will answer e-mails, and a whole lot of people who are willing to put in some effort so that this editing will work right. But instead they spin their wheels revising the same old broken program that just ends up being worse than the one before it. You can rest assured if Transcend starts something they say will be the greatest or the best, it is broken before it ever starts.

Hang in there! - Ohio CMT

[ In Reply To ..]
You know what? You hit the nail on the head, right on the head! They don't have a clue. The people who run most of the services in this country don't have the slightest idea what medical transcription entails. I give so much credit to gals/guys who are MTs and have started their own services and who only employ American MTs. Maybe that's the magic bullet. Seriously. Perhaps we should only work for American based, MT owner/operator transcription services. I know exactly what you're saying. They pay the high dollar to sales personnel to sell, sell, sell. They make ridiculous promises to doctors and institutions, promise 3-minute turnaround time, have outrageous company budgets, and want the MTs to take pay cuts, flex time, etc. All the while they use systems that are counterproductive to what we do and institute idiotic policies to keep themselves busy and justify their big salaries. Our only hope is that there is still a chance that this profession can do a 180 ... even with VR, we need to stick to our guns and MAKE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND that what we know and what we do is a skilled trade. We aren't typists, secretaries, clerical help. We're skilled professional medical transcriptionists who are expected to know whatever medical word is uttered from a doctor's mouth and transcribe it in an accurate, grammatically correct format .... and do it STAT. Don't cave in. Stick to your guns and keep doing a good job. Remember, not just any schmuck off the street can do what we do. Gob bless you.

Seriously, now... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
why waste your time posting here. Get going and start your own revolution! If you're looking for $24/hr you will never find it editing VR. Go find a union craft job(electrician, plumber, etc.)or government job that pays that after you've put in your time.

Another running scared comment. - Ohio CMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Well, first off .... don't know what you do or where in this profession, but I get paid hourly, and it's over $20.00. I've been doing this for a very long time, not everyone can do this job, just like any schmuck can't come into your house and wire it for electricity or run your gas lines, you can't just take a few ideas to your neighbor and have him draw up a patent for you ... get what I'm saying? If you know you're worth something, don't be a whimp. I've worked in all phases of this profession, and yes I've told a doctor when I was freelancing with my own service, that I wouldn't work for less and I would not show him how to make macros. Walked out the door and didn't look back. I've worked for a "global" service, a joke of an outsourcing company; but most of my time has been spent trancribing in hospital settings. Now VR is the issue, and I feel just as strongly about editing VR. Sure, I'll do it ... but not for any less money. Why? What a ridiculous way of thinking? The reason being, if they want it right we can transcribe it. If they want it right, we can edit it. It's us, our knowledge and expertise that is our currency, our strength, our bargaining tool. You really should rethink what you're doing and why. If you're mediocre, then I understand. If you're skilled ... act like it.

WOW!!! RIGHT ON!! - tiredallthetime

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I really like this...

what makes you so sure to find a job at McDonalds? - no revolution

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You are swimming against the flow, go with it.
No revolution here.
Zero is worse than 10/11.

To No revolution - Lee

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Okay, A Republic is better than a democracy. A democrdacy is better than socialism. Socialism is better than communism. Communism is better than the alternatives? Nobody should have to degrade themselves by not being paid enough to support themselves with dignity. VR is very intense and the editors should be recompensed. Go with the flow and go down the tubes, if you ask me. Think about it.

Exibit A -- I rest my case. - OhioCMT

[ In Reply To ..]
You are the problem ... you! Do you seriously feel that what you know is worth nothing? That's what you express, that what you know, your job skills, are worth nothing. Not mine! Good luck with that $6.00/hr MT job.

I, for one, agree with you - NJMT

[ In Reply To ..]
but...look at the reaction you get here. I cannot believe how MT's sell each other out. This used to be a good way to make a living.

The union thing will never work. Much too late for that. We should've pushed that one in the early 90's when the big nationals started running and ruining everything. Now all they have to do is ship all the work overseas. Besides we can't even get fellow MT's to agree that we should be paid more....unless some posting here are really sitting on the other side of the fence if you know what I mean.

I agree with everything said by SM - burn out

[ In Reply To ..]
Ohio MT and others. The problem is there are too many MTs willing to accept low pay. Too many. Not only that, I need a job, I can't afford to "stand up for myself" and quit. If there were better companies to go to, I would. I read on here all the time that people apply, apply, apply, and get no response for months, sometimes no response. There are people here to rave about their great jobs, but we never know who they work for. I just have the luxury of looking for a better job for months. I would lose my house among other things. If there was a great company out there who paid better, treated us with respect, etc., advertised that way, accepted applications, got back to people ASAP, and actually wanted to hire experienced, qualified MTs, they would do very well I believe. It's just not there. Competition, overseas, low bidding from outsourcing, VR expenses, all of these things work against any MTSO who would want to value their MTs. It is very discouraging. If I had a "great" job offered to me, I would stand up for myself in 2 seconds to the MTSO I work for now.

MT pay - editing MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Are any of you aware of how much hospitals are willing to pay MTSOs now? Many are down to anywhere from 9 to 12 cents/line. Hate to sound like a company man, but they can't pay us more than hospitals will pay them.

Its not the evil MTSO that's the problem. It's the companies who convince the guys with the checkbooks at hospitals that they don't need transcription, or that the hospital should pay them the big bucks, and then play one MTSO against the other seeing which will do it for the lowest price.

Anyone who thinks they can get higher pay by demanding it is dreaming. They can't pay you more than hospitals are paying them.

The only answer is to learn the skills. I train and edit and I've seen MTs get huge productivity increases by learning to edit well.

Anyone remember the typewriter? Remember how many MTs hated computers when they first came around? See any typewriters now? When technology changes, you either learn to take advantage of it or get left behind.

Amen my man (woman) - I totally agree!

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

standing up for oneself doesn't do any good - anonymous

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Let's be honest: If you refuse to work for the pay offered, someone else who needs the money will come along and take the job. Not just newbies but people with experience who are on their 2nd or 3rd job to make ends meet.

I'm not saying it's right, but to be able to stand on your principles and not work unless you're paid over $11/hour is great... if you don't need the paycheck.

I'm cynical enough to think standing up wouldn't do any good anyway. MT will just get outsourced or replaced anyway.

I agree with this, we cannot turn the clock back, change is inevitable - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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