A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
An open note to MTSO - longtimemt
Posted: Apr 25, 2011
I would like you to understand that I work because I have to, not because I want to. I was hired for a specific shift, yet there is no work on that shift. I have to flex sometimes up to 12 hours a day to get my required line quota or take a chance on not having benefits, please understand that I do have a life other than working for your company. My question I guess is why do you overhire? I know this is a 24/7 business but if you did not hire so many people then the work would be there for those of us who want and need to work, we would not be complaining about your company on these boards all the time and our morale would be much higher, we might actually enjoy being an MT again. I have done this more than 3 decades and have always loved it, until it became more of a time consuming position. You took away my straight typing and gave me the wonderful voice recognition, which pays me less than I made on a typewriter when I started this profession, yet requires just as much work and knowledge. Why do I get hired wtih 30 years experience at the same line rate as someone out of school, is this the only profession that wants the experience when you post jobs but do not pay for that experience. I am a dedicated, conscientious, dependable and loyal employee but am treated as if I am just someone to fill a seat in my home home, cranking out reports. Why am I required to work weekends but can never reach anyone when there is a problem? Do only the MTs work the weekends? I send my TL e-mails with requests or comments and most likely do not even get an acknowledgement of my e-mail, are the TL instructed to completely ignore the MT? This profession used to be a great one, in my opinion, but when I have to flex my hours on a continual basis and spend most of my day checking for work, I am not even making minimum wage. I guess my question really is, does anyone care anymore as long as the work eventually gets completed?
MTSO and open note - Tired MT
[ In Reply To ..]What is has come down to is turn around time. It doesn't matter to them, they make the same amount of money anyway. It looks good for them when they are below turn around time which insures contract renewal. I too work 12-14 hours a day but my paychecks are still 1/2 of what they were. It no longer pays to have loyalty for a company, we are just a number, I have learned the hard way no one will have my best interest at heart but me. It is just a job when the work is there.
Great Note - But Should Go To Health Systems - Bettie_Bgood
[ In Reply To ..]Our working conditions are often awful - yet, who cares? They never hear from us directly; they may be aware we "moan and groan" on message boards, but really, we're just letting off steam, and that's a healthy thing to do, isn't it? It's not like it's going to CHANGE anything...not like a union would - a union that draws its membership from ALL US MTSOs. One voice can be ignored - but many voices all over the US - it gets harder and harder to ignore, the more of us there are, speaking out. I'd send your note to health systems, "Hi, I'm an MT, and this is MT Week. I wanted to share my concerns with you..." I think I'll make up my own note, and send it out. Could be fun! (Just use a "dummy" email to protect yourself, okay) :)
Health Systems - Alice
[ In Reply To ..]What or who are "health systems" and how are they contacted?
How to contact "health systems" - Bettie_Bgood
[ In Reply To ..]You have many choices in contacting a health system. For instance, there are many healh systems called "University of [blank] Medical Center." As MTs, we are all well aware that health care professionals have addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers online...if you dig around a bit, you can find email addresses also...look up medical record departments...transcription departments...We're MTs, that's what we do...we dig around...
Many HMOs: - s/m
[ In Reply To ..]Out West we've got:
Catholic Healthcare West
Kaiser Permanente
Sutter Health
Tenet Healthcare
The U.C. healthcare systems
John Muir Health
and probably more, I just don't remember them all. Check a list of HMOs in your respective state.
I agree, great note - should be passed on
[ In Reply To ..]Could you tell me who Health Systems is as well? Thanks. ;-)
Health Systems...They Hire MTSOs - Bettie_Bgood
[ In Reply To ..]All over the country...in your own area there are health systems. They may even do heavy advertising on TV, trumpeting how wonderful their system is (should a health care system have to advertise like that? When they save money on transcription (YOUR PAY), maybe they're turning around and spending it on advertising). What "accounts" do you work on? Those are health systems, if they are not teeny-weeny independent clinics or doctor's offices. The point is, we can SKIP OVER the MTSOs, and communicate directly with the health systems hiring them. Health system = what account are you working on?
I HEAR YOU!! GOOD NOTE - oaf
[ In Reply To ..]I hear you! The one big change is when we both started 30+ years ago. WE WERE APPRECIATED MEMBERS OF THE HEALTH CARE TEAM! RIGHT UP THERE WITH RNS AND TECHS. WORE WHITES AND LAB COATS AND WORKED ON SELECTRICS. Now we are just means to an end. Their profit margin end. They just don't give a hoot! As I've said before, counting the days until I can draw my humble Social Security!
Those were the "good old days" of MT - Old and Tired MT
[ In Reply To ..]I wish they would return! I made a great living then and was treated as if I was a "real person" instead of just somebody sitting and pounding keys. When I worked in house, we used to help each other if somebody couldn't "get" something and it was a great feeling when somebody finally figured it out. Now, everything is all about the TAT and money for the services. My income has been cut in half and I no longer feel as if the services care. After all, complain and they will send it to India.
Unfortunately - oldmt
[ In Reply To ..]Unfortuntely the companies have forgotten who it is that actually provides the product the client is paying for, the MT, therefore, paying the higher up salaries also, without the MTs, they would not have a job!
Here's my "memo to Corporate": - MT Wordz
[ In Reply To ..]Dear Suits (umm, I mean, MTSO execs):
Wouldn't it be cheaper, and far more of a morale-booster among existing employees, to offer OVERTIME to said employees, rather than continually advertising for, testing, interviewing and training new hires?
If you want rapid TAT, don't you think a current-employee MT who is already familiar with an account would be able to turn that work around faster, more easily (with less involvement of QA and coordinators), and more accurately, if working PAID overtime (not the "free" overtime we put in currently), than constantly playing "Musical Employees" with the hire-lose-hire-lose-hire game you're currently playing?
I think this plays a huge part in the overall dissatisfaction most hospitals have with their MTSOs these days. Why not pay your good, already-knowledgeable MTs overtime for that extra work to keep things in TAT, and then grow a pair and charge the hospitals for STAT work accordingly, instead of doing all that kissing-A by offering STAT and fast TAT work to them at bargain basement prices?
Don't fall for that hospital song-and-dance about "not having enough money". B.S. They're drowning in money. If they whine because you raised your STAT work prices for the first time in 10 years, tell them to sell off some of that privately-commissioned original artwork in their lobbies, then.
If you're too "scairt" to broach this subject the client, then why not have one of your MTs do it for you. Gimme a call. I'd be more than happy to have a little talk with your sacred-cow clients, and tell them how things REALLY are.
Woo-hoo! You tell 'em - Bettie_Bgood
[ In Reply To ..]More inspirational words. I really like it. Of course, we are MTs and work with language all day - we should be able to pen some "fire and brimstone" notes, messages, emails, letters to editors - I could go for an MT Rap right now! Anybody got the chops to write something? Could put it to music.
Memo to corporate - see message - Anonymous
[ In Reply To ..]Two things: First, how do you know that "most hospitals" have overall dissatisfaction with their MTSO? They must be reasonably happy or they would not continue to use them. Second, hospitals are not "drowning in money." Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements are down, and costs (equipment, overhead, etc.) continue to go up. Many of them are struggling to stay within their budgets. Much of that art work in the lobbies was probably donated. Staffing is being cut, not just MTs. Any job that can be done cheaper off site probably is. Overtime? At my facility, we don't get overtime unless we have prior authorization and it has to be for a very good reason. You are way off base in some of your statements and I don't know what you think you are going to accomplish with your e-mail campaign, but best of luck.
Sigh. it's so EZ to sniff out the MTSO plants. - You need more work to do, babe.
[ In Reply To ..]
Plant? I think not - Anonymous
[ In Reply To ..]I am not an MTSO plant. I have a full-time on site MT job. I've been an MT for 35 years and have been at my current job for 16. If you write a memo like that to corporate without doing any research and no facts to back up your statements, it is going to be tossed in the wastebasket. If you're serious about unionizing and bringing about change, use some maturity and do your homework. I understand where you are coming from but it's difficult to take you seriously when you have no real plan. The fact that you are telling people to use a "dummy" e-mail address to protect themselves leads me to believe you are not confident of your cause. Grow up and address this in a professional manner and you might get some respect. I very much resent being accused of being a "plant" because I expressed a different point of view, which you are not even willing to consider, by the way. The first thing you need to learn about negotiation is that it not all about you, there is going to be give and take. Have a wonderful day, I'm off to earn a paycheck.
We don't want to lose our jobs - Bettie_Bgood
[ In Reply To ..]The whole point of "dummy" email addresses is so that we don't get picked off one by one, and then never get an MT job again. There are companies devoted to union-busting - they could be active on these boards - we don't know - skepticism is healthy.
Don't know who yer talkin to, but I'm not telling ya - to do anything. Just sayin yer a suit.
[ In Reply To ..]Your choice of words SO gives you away, a 2nd grader could see it and call you out.
Sorry, but you are a corporate plant if ever there was one. Go pull a quarter out of your overstuffed wallet, and go call someone who at least pretends to care.
Compared to what we make, even the most dismal - hospitals in the country are filthy rich.
[ In Reply To ..]X
MT Week - do something a little different - Bettie_Bgood
[ In Reply To ..]This MT Week, I'm going to Take a Union Break - sit back, contemplate what it would be like if you had a job with great benefits, great pay, for the hard work that we do. And think about ways to get there.
Now, there is more you can do than just *contemplate* this MT Week - depends on what you're ready for.
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