Never worked there, but website had some statements that gave me pause; sounds like another company - more interested in their school

I had never heard of them, so I went to their Website. 

Since you have not gotten any replies (it appears that they only have about 80 Independent Contractors working for them), I thought I would add my 2 cents, even though I have no direct knowledge of how it is to work for them.  I am sure you already looked at their website and found them acceptable.  

Hope someone else can give you more encouraging information. 

Having worked as an MT for close to 40 years with several different MTSOs, I just thought I would point these things out.  Their website had 3 things that would be red flags for me.

FIRST:   Companies that make these types of statements scare me.  How much can they be paying their Independent Contractors if the report goes through 4 people (IC, Level 1 QA, Level 2 QA, Production Manager)?  If they have competitive rates (compared to offshore), just how many ways can you slice up 10-15 cents per line?  I hate wasting my time going through the application process - sending in a resume, testing, and maybe an interview - just to be offered 6 or 7 cpl as an IC.  And with that much scrutiny, what hoops does the IC have to jump through with QA?

• “Affordable: We offer competitive rates, even compared to offshore.”


• “Absolutely no work goes directly from the transcriptionist to the client.”


• “APTranscription audits 100% of all transcribed files prior to return to the client.”


• “A Level 1 QA Analyst reviews 100% of the jobs prior to delivery to the client.  Once approved, the report is then reviewed again by a Level 2 QA Analyst.” 


• “The final product does not go to the client without final approval from the production manager.”

SECOND:  They claim affiliation with a particular school.  If they have students who have completed accredited MT courses to chose from, why do they need to advertise for job openings? 

                    From their website: 

Our MT staff consists of Independent Contractors located across the United States and in many different time zones.  All of our ICs hold one of the following:  A Medical Transcription Degree, Medical Transcription Certificate, Registered Medical Transcriptionist (RMT) and/or Certified Medical Transcriptionist (CMT).  We currently have 80+ experienced Medical Transcriptionists on our staff and are affiliated with a local Medical Transcription school, Andrews and Holbrook Training Corporation (Albany, New York).   

When I went to the Andrews and Holbrook Training Corporation website, they show 9 MTSOs who are supposedly affiliated with that school:

1.   AccuScribe Transcription Services LLC – (Now part of InHealth Clinical Documentation Solutions – Atlanta, Georgia)


2.   Focus Infomatics, Inc (Now part of Nuance)


3.   Hypertype, Inc - Lake George, New York   


4.   MedQuist


5.   Oak Transcription, Inc


6.   Precision Transcription


7.   SoftScript, Inc


8.   Sten-Tel (does not state which one)


9.   Webmedx

What I find interesting about these 9 MTSOs is that all but a couple have posts on MTStars almost on a daily basis – low pay, high MT turnover, running out of work, pay cuts, general distrust of management, unhappy MTs, etc.  Plus, doesn’t Wemedx have its own school?  Why do they need to affiliate with another school?  Makes you wonder if these MTSOs even know they are being used on this school’s website as companies who hire their students. 

What is it they say about “Birds of a feather.” 

THIRD:  Their training period really scares me.  They are hiring ICs (supposedly capable of hitting the ground running and working with little or no supervision.  Or, they are hiring students who have just completed accredited MT courses.  So, why does this company put you through a 2-month training period that sounds more like school than the normal “get used to the platform, get used to the account specifics, get used to the dictators” type of training.  Really made me stop when I saw that.  Just strange to me. 

“We also offer our personnel training to ensure they are adequately qualified.  Our medical transcription training period lasts for a period of two months and it is more intensive than most other transcription companies.  We have invested time and resources during this critical stage of our people's growth in the industry.”  This training entails:

• Human anatomy and physiology


• Basic pharmacology


• Medications current in the U.S. and UK


• Medical terminology


• Medical symptoms and diagnoses


• Comprehension of vital records and medical reports


• Grammatical training and common physicians dictation shortcuts


• Overview of report types (H&Ps, SOAPs, Discharge Summaries, Letters, Initial Evals, etc.)


• Basic computer skills, word processing packages

In the end, this MTSO may turn out to be a gem to work for, but I think we should be fully aware of possible pitfalls.  Since we all know that recruiters do not always tell things like they are when you interview with them, full disclosure by asking tough questions is the only way we, as ICs, can protect ourselves from hooking up with a nightmare of a company. 

Good Luck in your job search. 

American Precision Transcription, LLC - blskrswms - blskrswms1