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

You know what just crossed my mind regarding that email from - the Transcend manager

Posted: Apr 22, 2010

If some people are going so far above and beyond what is expected of them that they are giving 250%, how in the world are they not working more than the regular shift? Every day it is drummed into our heads that we have to watch our schedules so as not to go over. If we're already working full time and giving 100% or more, how can we give 250% without going over? Is she saying what I think she is saying? Give 250%, but only put down 100% on your time card?

E-mail from Transcend manager - The shadow knows

[ In Reply To ..]
It is a very serious legal matter to falsify one's time card, yet that it appears that may be the message going out. Or at least it could be interpreted that way. MDI routinely had people work more than 40 hours a week but we never saw a penny on OT. I remember memos pushing us to do more, do more, do more with nary a mention of overtime. Although we did not have time cards, I did keep a record of my time in my notebook. And then the work suddenly dried up. Toward the end of MDI I would sometimes spend seven hours a day sitting waiting for work. What I want to know is, why do these companies think they are so special that they can circumvent the rules? Just asking.

working hours - ?

[ In Reply To ..]
I've wondered this many times. I get emails to my groups most days in the last couple months saying to stretch, or to get back on and get old reports, we need more people working, etc. That's just the old MDI mentality with SE's but it doesn't mesh well with the 40-hour work week. Do they expect people to work 12 hours today and just hope that things are slow tomorrow and they only have to do 4 tomorrow instead of the 8 they were scheduled? Or is it the wink-wink 40-hour work week?

Interesting point you bring up. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
You said, "Do they expect people to work 12 hours today and just hope that things are slow tomorrow and they only have to do 4 tomorrow instead of the 8 they were scheduled?" The ROM wrote about that very thing in her email.

She wrote something to the effect that when we are scheduled for an 8 hour shift and during that we're able to transcribe 150 reports and/or 2,000 lines on average that is great for your account. She said if your accounts generate 450 reports and/or 6,000 lines a day and we have 3 full-time MLS scheduled, the account is maintained, and is within turn around.

But then she gave the example of 3 different MTs. Something like if transcriptionist "A" decides today that she is going to run errands, volunteer to chaperone the school dance, walk the neighbor's four dogs, etc., and instead of transcribing the usual average of 150 reports/2000 lines. She only transcribes 80 reports and 1,000 lines thinking oh well, I will just make up the time tomorrow or later on in the week. Transcriptionist B works as scheduled even though she is not feeling well but keeps on going and does her usual 150 reports and/or 2,000 lines a day (bravo!!!). Then transcriptionist C decides today she can only transcribe 100 reports and/or 1500 lines today because transcriptionist A did not do what she was supposed to do today so why should I work myself to death. Then we only have 330 reports/4,500 lines transcribed and the account is in a backlog situation and everything falls a part because reports are not turned around in the usual time that the dictators have enjoyed, the patient suffers, blah, blah, blah.

So she is saying herself that we should give 250% but yet, if we do shorten our hours the next day or later on during the week because we gave 250% on the days that they were out of TAT, we could cause the accounts to potentially go out of TAT on the day we work less. I dunno, is that the wink-wink 40-hour work week or is it just my imagination?

P.S./ We have no idea whatsoever when Transcriptionist A takes off, let alone WHY she took off. What makes her think that Transcriptionist C only produces 1500 lines because she she wants to do the same as Transcriptionist A? That makes no sense at all. Furthermore if Transcriptionist A still produces 1000 lines instead of 2000, isn't that what Transcend requires for full-time anyway (providing MT A is making 9 cpl)? What makes the ROM think that MT A should HAVE to produce 2000 lines on a daily basis anyway????

My 2 cents on that email and 40 hour week - Just wanna do my job.

[ In Reply To ..]
One point about that email by the ROM is that it (to me) bordered on rambling and seldom made sense.

And to start out by saying she is angry that SHE had to work at 1 a.m. made it really hard to keep from just hitting delete before even reading it.

BTW, this ROM was something like a TL for the radiology side for one of MDIs accounts - so, those numbers she gives are referring to RADIOLOGY not HIM. When's the last time any of us typed 150 reports in a day (let alone 2000 lines - don't I wish). So the ROM neglected to mention that all of this was referring to radiology, and not everyone was informed that this new ROM was from radiology. Lots of confusion on this, I'm sure.

Anyway, so absolutely, IMO, it is ALL about the wink-wink 40-hour week.

And, remember, for full time, we are required to get 35 minimum hours a week. AND stay within the minimum LPH (lines per hour) of 150. So, at a minimum, that would be, for example, 7 hours a day for 5 days (35 hours) at the minimum LPH would be 7 hours x 150 lph equals 1050 lines.

For the 40 hours, 8 hours a day times 150 lph equals a minimum of 1200 lines, right?

But, where the wink wink comes in is well, how many hours did you ACTUALLY spend typing - because it doesn't matter. What matters is A) getting 35 to 40 hours for FT, and B) making sure you always get the MINIMUM of 150 lines per hour for whatever number of hours you enter on your pay card. You can of course do way more lines per hour - just not under 150.

Then there is the other aspect of meeting the $900 per pay period, and that all depends on what your cpl is.

Hope I didn't confuse the issue here. This is what I have gleaned from conferences, my asking questions of HR/ROM/TL.

So, you are right, we do NOT know why Transcriptionist A took off - and, not that I do no care about my fellow team members, but really, I do not want to know! I think there is a danger of pitting us against each other with too much personal information.

I say keep it professional - the TLs can save time typing those emails, and we can save time reading them - all I need is the backlog information and account instructions. Sure, we may need to know that the team is short X amt of members, but I really don't need to know why.

If we want to get personal, we all can get each others emails or friend each other on Facebook and chat about our flu, our pets, and our dr. appts there.

Just my opinion!

Just Your Opinion - Nick

[ In Reply To ..]
It sounds to me like they are doing fancy footwork to avoid paying OT. I hope some of you gals (and guys) will go to the Labor Board on this one. Nuff said.

Reply to Nick - from Just My Opinion

[ In Reply To ..]
Bingo. Major fancy foot work.

The caveat - the crux? is that it does allow for some relatively (though screwy) leeway and flexibility. For those of us who take 10 hours to type 1200 lines, we still get to put in 8 hours. For those of us who can get 1200 lines in 6 hours, it works to our advantage in however we fill in the time card.

It's to their advantage because many of us are putting in way over 8 hours to get whatever number of lines = and they do NOT have to pay us OT.

You are totally absolutely right.

Sounds so familiar - RLee

[ In Reply To ..]
When I worked for Transcend and on a conference call regarding the new time sheet system - that was basically the message being given. We were told to enter only hours actually spent typing. Good grief - I can see things have not changed since my departure.

Question re: the infamous e-mail - Inquiring mind

[ In Reply To ..]
Please, can someone tell me if the author of the infamous memo's initials are LY? Please do NOT post her name on her, as that is a violation of the rules. I think I know who you mean, though. Wow.

no, not those initials - (no message)

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Not sure, but - RLee

[ In Reply To ..]
I think posting initials is a violation as well - not sure - but thought I read it under the guidelines awhile back.

RLee - Inquiring Mind

[ In Reply To ..]
Oh, sorry. Thank you for telling me. I won't post initials anymore. Anyway, this is obviously not the same person I was thinking of. I hope all is going well with you!

It is M does that help - soc mom

[ In Reply To ..]
No message

This ROM is BRAND new and was on an MDI account - Not a Transcender. NO MESSAGE

[ In Reply To ..]
NM

Isn't it ironic? - LOL

[ In Reply To ..]
That now that the initial dust has settled, everyone can laugh about how ludicrous her behavior was and what a reflection of HER ISSUES that email was, not the MTs? Geez, wish I would have been in on the loop with this one...too many giggles in one bloated email from an emotional basketcase, lol!

ROM is NOT brand new - been around for a long, long time - BELIEVE ME

[ In Reply To ..]
I know, been dealing with ROM's unprofessionalism and unfair tactics forever.

No, there is no way - NOT the same ROM. - See message

[ In Reply To ..]
The only way you could know this ROM is if you had her as a TL for an MDI-MD radiology account. She only became a BRAND NEW ROM about 2 weeks ago, she was announced on a conference call and spoke.

Not a big deal, but the ROM you are mentioning is NOT the one that sent out this email OP posted. Unfortunately, that is a totally separate ROM. Evidently these MTSOs are a vortex for these type of managers.

Uh oh. If those are not the initials and neither is - Mary Grace

[ In Reply To ..]
M, that is not my ROM and she is plenty nasty. She uses the same phrases in her emails to criticize us. So this must be from the ROM handbook of badgering the MT. It is not a coincidence that we all have belligerant ROMs.

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