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

Honest question about those who are happy with their pay. - Starzzz

Posted: May 19, 2013

I do not work for any service currently, but it seems that the general complaint I hear on this site is about the pay. I just wonder how many of those satisfied with the pay are the sole breadwinner in the family and how many have a significant other's income to help pay the bills. I know I would have difficulty making ends meet on less than $40,000 per year. Is that possible at any of the big companies (the average, not the exception)? Thanks in advance for the honest, civil responses!

Just too many - variables to

[ In Reply To ..]
really know for sure. Assuming you start at the bottom of the pay scale, probably 4 cpl for editing, you might be very fortunate to do 300 lph on a consistent basis assuming you never ran out of work and worked like a machine and even then you are at the mercy of what comes up in your work queue (expect a good percentage of unpaid work). That ends up being about 24K a year, probably less after taxes, benefits, etc.

I manage to squeak by on this with a bare minimum, no frills lifestyle. Eventually I'll probably get fired from this one because my accuracy is not adequate (slightly less than 99%). If you need 40K a year, this is probably the wrong job to be in unless you aspire to eventually become some kind of management.

pay - honest answer

[ In Reply To ..]
I honestly can't see anyone working for one of the bigger companies pulling in 40,000 a year, other than it being an exception. I made about 24,000 each of the past 2 years. This is straight typing, 8 cents per line.

Years ago, I could make much more when there was always work. Just making minimal line counts would get me about 23,000 a year. At 8 cents per line, I would have to be doubling the required line counts EVERY day to make about 46,000 per year. That would mean transcribing 300 lines per hour.

That is a hefty line per hour count, which is not impossible, but depends on the quality of the dictation, how tough the dictator is to understand. But when you have to look up names of doctors, cities, terminology, and all the other extra "clerical" stuff, you aren't getting any lines. And that is if you even have jobs available to do.

If you worked one account and heard the same docs over and over, of course line counts would be higher. Seems like most MTs working for the bigger companies are on multiple accounts, and my personal experience has been that accounts are changed, added, taken away. I end up working whatever accounts need done, not ones even assigned to me.

I'm single, no kids, but 24,000 a year is still scraping by. I'm in school to get out of MT.

I think in-house coding or MT is the way to go. Doing this - from home has no future. NM

[ In Reply To ..]
x

In house MT - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Sorry to say, but in-house MT is practically non-existent any more. The work is outsourced to a great degree. Many MT departments (mine included) have fallen by the wayside because of VR and systems such as Epic. My department is gone and I am still on site because I do quality assessment as well as another HIM job. Our local hospital still has a few MTs but they all work at home. Coding is in house for the most part, but good luck getting a job without experience. I made more than 40K as an MT but took a pay cut when I moved to HIM. It pays the bills, but it is less than I made before.

Honestly... - see msg

[ In Reply To ..]
I haven't made $40,000 in this industry for at least the past 7 years. Prior to 7 years ago, I was pulling in about $43,000 with one of the big MTSOs. That was just in a 40-hour work week.

ASR messed it all up, as did the "easier" stuff going to India. That left us with all the crud. Then the NJA happened because they even started sending the crud over there.

My last W2 was $18,000 for what was supposed to be 40-hour work weeks. And so, I got out of MT completely.

One can make $40,000 if you happen to actually get just easy, easy clinic work and straight typing. But, dream on...

Cutting line counts by over 66% isn't the only cut in income...(sm) - Angie

[ In Reply To ..]
It is the fact that the MTSOs make the editors responsible for correcting all the dictators data input errors, which is required free labor. Doctors are known to not be interested in learning mundane things like how to correctly enter patient demographics any more than they could dictate compatibly with VR requirements. I can honestly say that about 50% of my labor is not compensated. Doctors continue to repeat blatant errors on every dictation, yet no one informs them, rather then blame the MT.

In an effort to survive, we have to cut corners and hope not to be fired for not proving all the free labor the MTSO's demand.

They need to hire one person to do that stuff - Aaron

[ In Reply To ..]
I tell every account manager I meet that one person at the hospital should be responsible for adjusting work type/template, demographics and cc's, and just let the MTs type. Of course they don't listen.

pay - happy

[ In Reply To ..]
I donâ��t work for the Big 2 - did work for one of them and made about $22/hr (8.5 cpl).

I work for two smaller companies now and I'm content (not sure happy would be applicable anymore) with what I make, although the holidays in november and december are sometimes tight.

I'm single, high rent, student loans.

But I can't afford a car :)

Wages - ONaDime

[ In Reply To ..]
If you can find a company to work for who does no VR and pays 10, 11 or 12 cents a line for standard MT and you are a very good MT who never comes up for air, you might be able to make $40K per year. I guess there are a few companies out there that do only straight transcription but they are far and few between these days. If you can find what I described above, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack so the odds are that you will make half of $40K if you are lucky. Most MTs these days babysit the technology at a considerable pay reduction.

Pay - Leaving MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I am paid hourly but only if the work is there. If there were enough work for me to work 40 hours a week minus a week or two for vacation, I would make about $28,000 a year. I am not an employee, so fortunately I do not have to sit at the computer if there is no work. I can come and go as I please if that is the case. When we were paid straight production, however, the most I was able to make was about $24,000. That was when work was available most of the time, too. This is because we have a lot of demographic info to fill in for each report, lots of residents, lots of specialties, lots of different dictators.

I am doing better on hourly, but not even close to $40,000, especially with the drop off in hour work volume in recent years. I am back in school now training for something else. I can't imagine being the sole provider for a family or even oneself on MT.

Similar Messages:

Aug 25, 2011

I've read so many messages from people who are working in jobs which they have said they are working long hours and barely making minimum wage.If that's the case, then why do you continue working from home? Why not get an office job where you'll make more and actually have benefits? ...

Mar 09, 2013

For the last couple of weeks, I've been sending out resumes and also frequently checking job sites such as indeed.com and simplyhired.com. So much of what's out there is really looking for recent experience, although it's not actually stated in the ad. Okay, that's the story, now here's the question ... If so many are unhappy doing MT, most importantly because of the lousy pay, why not work at temporary jobs? The pay has to be much better than what you're current ...

Jul 29, 2010

It is amazing that more people are not committing suicide. I guess that goes to the underlying optimism that human beings are inherently born with. We always think there is good in all people and that we will be protected from evil. But, what happened to an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay? Every day there are posts about people working hard for their paltry wages, only to be paid late or not paid at all. We cannot even apply for a job ...

May 23, 2012

How do you guys like working for Nuance? Do they offer flexibility with schedules? Thank you for any information you can provide :) ...

Jun 24, 2013

. . . some of this Nuance work is just god-awful; and yet they wonder why it's out of TAT even when they offer extra hours? Really? The quality of this dictation is so bad that no one wants to do it . . . at least not willingly. One dictator even whispers his dictation no one will suspect that he hasn't yet mastered English. I suppose if we cannot hear him then the MT can be blamed. UGH. Horrible.I think anything would be better than this job, e ...

Dec 16, 2009

Long story short, I had an accident and lost all but 3 fingers. I had 15 years experience as an MT before that and have been trying to enhance my typing skills so I can get back into it. Is there anything someone could suggest to help me? I really need my jobs back am really lacking the speed with my limited fingers. ...

Jan 07, 2010

I am new to VR and was wondering something.....How many of you actually go through and listen to the whole report and how many of you fix the errors you see, sign it off and go on? I am just looking at the high lines counts that you guys are getting per hour and am wondering if some of you are not listening to the whole report as that may take more time? I know that doesn't sound good, but just looking for honest answers here. Also, advice on how to get such high line counts wo ...

Mar 08, 2010

Tomorrow is my last day at Medquist. In order to work my shift today and tomorrow I have to take a 45-minute HIPAA on-line training in order to be able to log into DQS. I asked if I could be reinstated on DQS through tomorrow evening but apparently that is not an option. I should just do the training but somehow the inflexibility is irritating to me. ...

Feb 04, 2013

I have a part-time IC job, because I recently lost my employee job that I have. I haven't been able to find another job and was considering trying Nuance and was wondering if really anyone really enjoys it there. I hear LOTS of negativity, but can you please tell me specifically what it is about. I don't mind running out of work, because as I said I have my part-time IC job. I would really like to make maybe $250-300 per week, is that hard to do there? Thanks ...

Feb 16, 2014

Every morning starts with a FIESA Email of some ridiculous mistake like: MEDICATIONS: (Oh my God, you left off "Include") 1. Blah 2. Blah 3. Half the medications are wrong, numbers are wrong, etc. Then if you contest it, they say you were endangering the patient. (Really, leaving off the word "includes" is endangering the patient?) ANYWAY, IF THEY WERE TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE PATIENT'S LIVES THEY WOULD NOT LEAVE IT IN THE HANDS OF A HORRID, INCAPABLE, PIECE OF ...

Feb 12, 2015

Is 50 too old to start nursing school (RN)? I know it is not supposed to happen, but will my age prevent me from getting a job besides in a nursing home? I keep going back and forth between RN and MA because of this. Or maybe just CNA at this point. Does anyone have any experience or know anyone who went through this? Thanks! ...

May 15, 2015

I really want opinions about this. There is a dictator where I am constantly having to put a QA note that says to "copy and paste from previous report, or copy and paste from such and such". I think it takes away from my editing , especially if I have to go in and do several of them back to back during a shift. My QC says it only takes a few seconds, but I wanted to know if we get paid for leaving these QA notes when the doctor asks for one. Do you think I am wrong to wa ...

Feb 14, 2010

In all the conferences, we are told that the work that is being outsourced to India (30% of our work) is 3rd shift and weekends because American MTs don't want to work those times. Can somebody PLEASE explain to me why that seems to be when there is the most work. We are required to work 1 weekend day every week, and I usually have to jump in and work the other weekend day because of the "SOS" e-mails that start coming in Friday. I am really puzzled why there is so much wo ...

Jul 20, 2012

I'm looking for some honest opinions on Amphion. I really need to get away from my current company and I am thinking about applying with Amphion. Can anyone tell me if they run out of work very often? Do they treat their employees well, have a good platform, and pay decently? Are they fairly flexible with schedules? I'm looking for any feedback, good and bad. I would like to know as much as possible about them before I take the time to take their test. Thanks! ...

Aug 20, 2012

I am not asking for charity or a pity party but when there is no work or insufficient work to make quotas I would appreciate the company being honest about what is happening. Don't tell me the docs are all on vacation or it's summertime and no one goes to the doctor in the summertime!!!!!! And if I ask a question I would appreciate an answer and not being ignored. Thank you. ...

Dec 01, 2009

I was recently hired as an IC by a small MTSO. I was told the day I was hired that I would be given work in the morning and it would be my job to transcribe it and print it out for the courier to pick it up the following day at 9:00 a.m. After papers were signed, equipment and supplies were purchased, and I was all set to go, I was informed by the owner that she wanted all of my work emailed to her as an attachment absolutely "NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m." I tried this fo ...

May 10, 2011

x ...

Jan 25, 2012

I am really hoping someone will help me, I have some questions regarding Nuance as I tested and passed. Someone can email for private conversation. I want to leave MQ and just want to see how they compare. Thank you for any help ...

May 02, 2012

Can anyone give me realistic and honest insight as to what effects the Epic electronic record has on employees in the HIM department including transcriptionists, coders, technicians, etc. as well as other employees at doctors' offices. I am contemplating an inside Epic position transferring data from two different electronic record systems into the Epic system. Will this temp position likely be gone after a year or so? I know that a lot of healthcare facilities are moving toward Epic. Epic ...

Aug 02, 2013

Hello Everyone! I would like some honest feedback. Iâ��m a recruiter that works for an MT company about to bring on some behavioral health facilities. We would like to keep most, if not all, of the work onshore. (About 120 jobs) In order to do this we need to be competitive with other MT companies that outsource most of their work. Would you consider working for a company if they offered 5.5 CPL for both transcription and speech recognition, knowing that eventually the account will be 95% sp ...

Aug 19, 2013

Who in their right mind names a company "Happy Transcriptions?" In this day and age, all I see is "sad" MTs and, in my opinion, if "Happy Transcriptions" is still happy, they can only be messing even more with us poor "sad" MTs. All I can say is I am so "happy" I am so close to being on my way out of MT! ...

Nov 10, 2013

Am I the only one who feels that life is not happy at Happy Transcription? I love the work, but the owner is totally unprofessional and needs to revamp the organization. ...

Dec 08, 2009

nm ...

May 03, 2010

I've been at TTS for almost 3 years and I have nothing but positive things to say about TTS. I never have to guess what TTS expects from me, and I do my best to deliver that on a consistent basis. Communication flows freely and efficiently. My team leader and 2 shift leads are EXCELLENT managers in my opinion. Everything I invest in my job comes back to me and then some. I can recommend TTS to anybody unapologetically. ...

Oct 10, 2010

x ...

Oct 30, 2010

I am surprised at just how many or your are miserable with what you do. I am a new MT ans I am also having trouble finding work. It's not easy. I can see that having editing to fall back on would be good. I have read the posts about don't do this just to work from home. I have small children and my only choice would be daycare if I went to work somewhere, which would eat up half my pay check. Sometimes it's not just money, sometimes it's fo ...

Jul 08, 2011

I've read tons and tons of negative complaints about VR, but are there people out there who actually like it? I'm starting training on a new job this weekend and 90% of it is VR, but all clinic notes, no ops or discharge summaries. It seems like it might easy and a nice change from straight typing for me. Any thoughts? ...

Jul 30, 2011

To all of you complainers, and I was one of them. Be happy you have a job and can work at home. I was actually bringing myself down with all the complaining. Hey, things are not what they used to be and complaining just makes it worse. HAVE A GREAT DAY. ...

Nov 28, 2011

Hi, everyone. I was just wondering if there are any MTs out there that are happy with their jobs and are able to make some good money in this profession. I have read lots and lots of posts, and it seems like a huge percentage of the posts are about how bad people's jobs are and how little money they are making. I understand people need to vent, but there have to be some MTs that are happy and making money. I recently graduated from one of the top MT schools and ...

Jan 06, 2012

nm. ...