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

Nuance is Now Offshoring US MTs QA - LividMT

Posted: Nov 06, 2011

Just wanted everyone out there to know (if you have not already figured it out from your QA reports at Nuance) that Nuance is now sending US MTs QA offshore. If you are working in an account that is done offshore, then your QA could and will be done by offshore QA. I was lied to the first time when I inquired about this, but did finally get a straight answer that we are in fact having our work done by offshore QA. This is completely unacceptable and in my eyes unethical. Never have I seen this happen before in my career. Anyone else know of other companies that offshore US MTs QA?

Lemme get this straight..... - Aghast

[ In Reply To ..]
Indians, Pakistanis, whatever -- who have English as their 2nd language and lack proficiency (as demonstrated here countless times)-- are critiquing work done by Americans?!!

My first reaction would be "unbelievable" if it weren't so consistent with the other things going on.

Aghast... - LividMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, you have it 100% right! They have this privilege because they work the same clients/accounts as US MTs. So far that is the only explanation I have for this craziness.

Nuance QA - Alice

[ In Reply To ..]
That's not so surprising. When I worked at Focus Infomatics (pre-Nuance), my manager/QAs were mostly Indian, amd it was pretty clear that they think that they know our language better than we do. For all I know, maybe they do.

Pull yourself together, Livid. It's not at ALL unethical. - Silly. I realize people who have been

[ In Reply To ..]
comforting themselves with the fallacy that all offshore workers are hopelessly incompetent may be unready to face reality, but in fact is that some do have much better English skills than the average American. Like the very lovely ladies who trained me in this field in California, actually.

How's your Hindi, BTW? Gujarati? Any of those spoken by millions? Mine would stink if they existed at all. I'm not proud of it.

But aren't bonuses determined by QA percentage? - So what is unethical is

[ In Reply To ..]
Nuance paying the Indian QAs by the hour (I am assuming much lower than US MTs?) to pick through our work.

I work for one of the companies that has been subsumed by Nuance but the full impact has not been felt yet. The fact that they can pay these Indian QAs peanuts so that they can ding our line counts and give us crappy QA scores worries me. I am not against full QA per se, but the motives here are suspect. They would never pay QA here in the US to do that as it would be too pricey, so is their objective to make the quality better or to make sure we get deprived of bonuses?

The point is, you aren't editing Hindi or Gujarati work - so why would you be embarrassed?

[ In Reply To ..]
Your rationale makes no sense. My Spanish, for example, is very poor, but I'm not marketing it to correct the Spanish of those who speak it as a first language. There's just something wrong about having an ESL person edit the work of native-speaking Americans. I doubt they would allow that in reverse.

Try not to injure your rotator cuff, patting yourself - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
on the back so hard for your supposed broadmindedness, but your own English skills, in addition to your Twilight-Zone logic, are certainly nothing to write home about. If the lay-offs and ruthless wage-slashing that American QAs have endured so that greedy MTSOs could pad their profits by paying Indians peanuts (for doing a generally substandard job) doesn't qualify as "unethical" in your mind, you need to pick up a dictionary and re-read the definition of the word--try English this time instead of Hindi or Gujarati. ''Silly'' is the operative word in your ridiculous post and it's a perfect description of your hopelessly challenged thinking processes. Try to put your time to better use, like brushing up on your Hindi and Gujarati so you can be ''proud''.

Poor Alice - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
''For all I know, maybe they do''! Seriously? Have you ever spoken to am off-shored tec support person or customer service rep? Have you transcribed Indian physicians? And you aren't sure if their knowledge and use of the English language are equal, let alone superior, to your own?! Do you actually put that much stock in what some manager tells you? How sad.

Response - Alice

[ In Reply To ..]
Actually, my Indian managers WERE quite fluent in English. They told me that they were taught English from a very young age and all through school.

I don't support offshoring, but I will give credit where it is due.

And the Indian physicians that I have transcribed have been actually quite good and respectful, never eating or chewing, very much unlike some non-ESLs that I know. That doesn't mean that my experience is the same as yours, though.

We don't all have the very same, exact experience.

Nuance - offshore QA for US MT - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm sure they're doing this because the contract prohibits offshore transcription and editing. But they then sneakily send the QA offshore to add to their profits. Don't you wish you could get an investigation published on the front page of the NY Times or something about their business ethics--or lack thereof!

This is not new. - Maggie May

[ In Reply To ..]
When I worked there several years ago, the people QA'ing my work were Indian. I don't know which shore they were on, but they were Indian. Occasionally they made mistakes, but when I pointed out that I was correct and they were wrong (and was able to back it up) they were much more likely to apologize and take note than most American QAs I have dealt with. So many Americans are either stubbornly stupid and/or just don't care. (Of course, considering what we're being paid ...)

Ask yourself why you work there - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm not saying you should or shouldn't work there, but ask yourself why you work there. I think I would take the best position I was qualified to take. Is this the best you can do?

Similar Messages:

Oct 27, 2012

In my humble opinion: I have no use for AHDI, an ineffectual and overblown organization, but I stumbled on their website while surfing. Under FAQs, they state that offshoring of MT exists because of the shortage of qualified MTs in the US as well as escalating healthcare costs. "However, " they state, "only a very small percentage...is being sent offshore." A shortage? According to whom? Another excuse I've heard in the past was that MTSOs only sought&nbs ...

Mar 01, 2015

Some savvy techie type person disabled the link to the petition, so I just wrote to my local congresswoman on line. It's real easy, and I've heard some pretty good things going on! ...

May 26, 2015

For those of you who experienced the work you were doing being sent to India, can you describe for me the events that led up to that point? I'm experiencing a severe reduction in work available, new management (some of our quit and some moved to a different account), and the story that "we are working with the optimization team to keep you busy." ...

Oct 20, 2009

I could be wrong, but it appears to me that the VR came about as an answer to the problem of offshoring. I am sure many clients prefer to keep their dictation/transcription right here in the USA and request that from the companies they use. Maybe we should not be so adverse to it, as it could be the only means of keeping the work here affordably. ...

Oct 31, 2009

This is my theory - VR is actually foreigners typing the reports for 1-2 cpl. When then get it to correct all the mistakes for 3-4 cpl. This brings the total average of 8 cpl down to around 6 cpl. They say the programs "learn the physician," which I think means the Indian girl is getting better. I think it is all a BIG conspiracy! Sometimes I make me laugh and other times I'm scared I could be right! ...

May 27, 2010

What is the attraction about India, that so much of the transcription is being sent there? It seems to me that someone for whom English is a second language would not do very well in transcribing reports from the U.S. I would expect that a lot of those reports would have be heavily eited or completely re-done. So why offshore it in the first place? Am I missing some information here? It can't be all about salary, because from the postings here, it doesn't seem like transcriptionists i ...

Jun 26, 2011

It does not matter if you choose a service that does not offshore. Most of the hospitals are using 2 services anyway and they do NOT want to pay for transcription. This is big business and it keeps the money flowing to the people who demand high salaries and who have direct patient contact. It is no big deal that the reports come back horrible. The hospitals have wanted for years to rid any of the jobs that were not of 'direct patient contact' and we were t ...

Oct 11, 2010

I was so glad to see this information posted regarding the American Transcription Association (ATA)… and offshoring medical transcription. All of the points made are totallly valid. I agree with every bit of it. However, what they failed to mention is the fact that many medical transcription companies lie to their cuistomers about using outsourcing for their work. They save money by not having to pay them as much for the transcription, but most of their wor ...

Sep 14, 2011

First off, I am truly disgusted with our government for allowing offshoring to such a degree that it has taken most of our jobs away. We have written and complained to no avail. We do need to do some things on our own too. I recently went shopping for my son's school supplies. I read the labels to make sure things were made in America. Ink pens: The only ink pens I found made in America were Pilot pens, BIC were made in China. I bought the Pilot pe ...

Oct 23, 2011

Is coding really being offshored? I was planning on going to Andrews School next year after I get my taxes back for coding. I would appreciate any information. I think coding will be a good filed to go into because I do not see all coding going overseas. Any responses would be greatly appreciated. ...

Jun 08, 2012

Last year my relatives started getting calls from a collection agency saying I owed a Payday loan and would go to jail, etc. if I did not pay up. Needless to say this was quite disturbing as I had no idea what was going on and these people had all my info. I talked to a lawyer who said it was a scam from India. A link is below. Of course Americans can rip you off too but sending confidential info overseas is just asking for trouble. This is probably just the tip of the iceberg http://w ...

Jul 10, 2012

I don't know if it'll make a difference, but when I saw an ad on TV stating that Obama supports "insourcing" and not "outsourcing," I almost lost it! In his ad, he actually used the term "insourcing." What a crock!barackobama.com/forward ...

Sep 13, 2013

So, I've pretty much figured out that I'm losing work because it's being offshored. At least, that's what many of the posters on here have lead me to believe. But I realized something today that made me almost spit out my drink! What has been left in the queue since work has dwindled are the "difficult" dictators, whether they are the few that have always been straight transcription or the ones that require the most editing to their SR files. Then I realized a pa ...

Jan 11, 2014

Can someone tell me if there is offshoring at Precyse? ...

Jun 23, 2010

Don't laugh. It could be considered..."free" labor you know. ...

Oct 16, 2010

Google American Transcription Association and go to their website and they have a petition that you can sign that is against offshoring ...

Jun 19, 2011

I've been an MT for over 20 years and am seriously considering switching my focus to coding. I believe that I would be a good fit and am excited about starting a new career in the not-too-distant future. My main worry, though, is that in some of my research, every now and then something will pop up about coding going the way of transcription, and by that I mean all the offshoring/outsourcing that has been done, thereby driving wages down. Can anyone here offer any insight into this? I woul ...

Oct 07, 2012

The url link is a thought about where we are. It doesn't matter if we stop work, type one report a day, call in sick, because they have already overhired and they keep sending more and more work to India. They won't even notice that we have not logged on to work. Do it anyways, for yourself. It will be a statement about ourselves, for ourselves. We matter. I care that I have lost my income from a job I once really enjoyed. I care that you cannot pay your ...

Jan 01, 2014

Straight from AHIMA-just like AHDI, supports offshoring. Wonder how long before they take the "American" out their name too. Article link below. ...

Jan 17, 2014

I'm fairly certain there is an MTSO that was/is doing this. I have been told that VA contracts prohibit offshoring, but I have never seen a contract to verify the terms, and I have been unable to reference any federal law that specifically addresses it. I would appreciate any information from anyone in the know. ...

Feb 21, 2011

I am speaking with a counselor at a community college about a medical insurance coding certificate. I am more interested in outpatient coding in an outpatient setting and earning the CPC credential for professional coders. I really do not want to work in a hospital again. From a current medical coder's perspective, is outpatient coding and CPC a good option as compared to inpatient coding? What about the job market? Is the job marketing pretty stable for outpatient coders, who are not worki ...

Oct 12, 2011

I am thinking about becoming a CPC and starting my own business. After 14 years of transcribing...want to do something else. do you think this work is safe from India? ...

Nov 16, 2010

I sent the moderator's very well written post on this topic (see sticky note above) to all my legislators a few weeks ago. I got this response (probably canned, but still) from Dianne Feinstein today: Thank you for writing to me regarding H.R. 427, the "Notify Americans Before Outsourcing Personal Information Act." I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond. I am deeply concerned about identity theft and am strongly committed to protecting ...

Dec 12, 2011

According to a poster below which has apparently already attended one of the payroll meetings (as the poster posted) for nuance they have decided to keep the incentive part of all of our pay going with an exception that now you have to have over the industry standard of 98% to get a production based incentive. In addition (if this poster is accurate) they have again cut the overall pay from 8 and 4 to 3 3/4 AND 7 1/2. This is nothing but a bunch of crapploa...an MT who is now getting ...

Mar 09, 2012

that fall during the shift. For example, if half of your hours fall in 3rd shift and half fall in 1st shift, do the 3rd shift hours pay more cpl? Or, do all hours have to fall within the shift to qualify? Thanks, Yet another sad Transcend employee... ...

May 01, 2012

I thought they were 2 different services. Everyone is buying out everyone, so who knows. All the small companies have been merged I guess. I thought Nuance was out of New York and were the primary with VR. Maybe one has to keep up with the changes and be a member and pay the dues and go to the meetings with AAMT and be a CMT to keep up with the changes, even though you still get 4 cents. ...

Jun 27, 2014

Wow. Posted this on company board but wanted to post here as well - some of you may feel vindicated. LPn ...

Apr 14, 2011

Any thoughts on this merger???? ...

Sep 15, 2011

Does anyone know why the ad says "No inquiries from overseas" when they obviously offshore the work? Anyone reading that would incorrectly assume they do not offshore. I was reading an article in the newspaper that a journalist was talking about a few days ago regarding the hospital outsourcing to the Web/Nuance, and the spokesperson for the hospital said in the article that the company only employs US MTs. ...

Oct 08, 2011

xx ...