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

Line counts - What am I doing wrong? - Is it just me?

Posted: Mar 15, 2011

I have been an MT for over 10 years doing hospital work. I have never been able to do much over 200 lines an hour straight typing except for the rare occasions I get several eye surgeries in a row that are canned. Usually I fall below this. My account is not difficult, but I do have a couple of different hospitals and of course many dictators. I have put a lot of their ROS and PE in my shortcuts, but of course they make a lot of changes sometimes. There are those that take forever to spit it out and those who cause you to struggle for every word. I just cannot believe there are people consistent getting over 300 lines an hour straight typing working for hospitals. What am I doing wrong?

I'm in the same boat. I get very few canned reports. - I truly believe that - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
These people claiming to get 300 lph counts are:
A- Doing mostly canned reports, or ASR of canned reports, or ASR of exceptionally accurate dictators, and have the good fortune of that being the majority of their work.

B- Working for just a couple, good dictators that are very clear and predictable, for which that MT can build a lot of macros.

C- The person claiming that line count is exaggerating.

My vote? "C"!

OR, we're typing "a15bkwut" for "a 15-blade knife was used to" and - "katb" for "characterized by."

[ In Reply To ..]
Try counting the keystrokes in those examples to see what kind of increase in productivity they make. It's a lot more impressive than it looks on the screen. Don't forget to include the spaces.

ANSWERS
a. 8 keystrokes expand to 26 (x3+)
b. 4 keystrokes expand to 16 (x4)

IsItJustMe and TrulyBelieve, you might want to examine your "belief" systems to see if they could be costing you big time. On my best, "bread and butter" account, my expander types on average 2+ characters for each one I type. That turns 200 LPH into 400 LPH BEFORE I start using any templates I've made to boost my speed even more. It's also how I make good money working on stinky accounts with mediocre to lousy dictators, and with, on most of them, not nearly as much opportunity as I'd like to make and use-use-use good templates.

line counts - julie

[ In Reply To ..]
Agree that macros (i still call it that) are a life-saver! I also know, working in a hospital (from which I am soon to be unemployed) of someone who "knocks out" reports like crazy. However, she just complained that at her last review she was found to have an 80% accuracy rate (probably actually lower from what I've seen). Then she brags about how 'productive' she is! It takes all kinds (of course, we're getting paid by the hour, so . . .).

Oh, good grief. First liars, now implied we're slobs? I HAVE - to get 98% minimum, and

[ In Reply To ..]
I not infrequently QA at 100%, although 99% is more like it normally. My expander helps with that, too. "a15bkwut" rolls out correctly every single time.

I'll tell you guys, for more than a decade I've been passing on the only reliable information I have to people who say they're doing poorly--what I am doing myself because it's working for me. Literally.

Truth is, those of us trying to help are often called liars (right then!) a whole lot more often than anyone bothers to say thank you. But now and then people do come back to say they've tried things others shared here and are seeing improvement, so we know not everyone out there is too dumb to take a tip.

Julie, I'm alarmed that you settled in with the previous posters and fear you may be the classic hourly-pay person heading for a production-pay fall. You'd certainly have a lot of company here in that group, but I strongly recommend instead committing yourself to getting faster--quick--before your income takes a permanent nosedive. Sit up straight in your chair, time yourself, then set a goal of 10% faster in a week, then 3-5% each week thereafter until you've finally doubled your speed. Good news is that, as an hourly paid person, you can probably gain that 10% in a day just by...working faster than you usually do. No special tips or technology needed.

And DEFINITELY lose the comfy self-deception that you can be fast OR you can be good. Most employers require 98% or more quality--you have to be fast on top of THAT.

No idea what you're talking about - julie

[ In Reply To ..]
I think you misread my post. I have no trouble w/speed. I was talking about a coworker w/80% accuracy. What good is 'production' if the report is worthless? You may want to re-read my post. You seem to have missed the point.

Julie is also my daughter's name, but I've now read some of - your other posts and will understand

[ In Reply To ..]
if you choose to miss my point too. Bye bye.

I already do that. Still doesn't help when I have - to waste time wading thru demographics. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
X

amen - cc

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't know what company you're working for, but I know exactly what you mean. And it is wayyyyy too suspicious that everytime anyone here dares to say so, a million little corporate apologists pop up and say how untrue it is.

working smarter and better, not harder - ICManiac

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm about as far removed from a corporate apologist as one can be. It is true that making full use of an expansion program or macros as they used to be called can be the difference between making it and not making it in the MT world. Statistics don't lie. Some of these posts tell you specifically how to improve your work habits.

I transcribe many specialities for a half dozen hospitals. My expansion program works for every facility and every dictator.

To show you how Shorthand can save me keystrokes, these are my statistics for the last 15 days for this computer:

I typed 343981 characters.
Shorthand typed 265543 (43% of the total).

These numbers don't include my templated work that I keep in another program (easily another 4000 lines). This doesn't include spaces. The expansions are 100% accurate 100% of the time, so quality didn't suffer. This is just for this one computer and doesn't include work done on my second computer.

You can get there with straight typing by working smarter. I encourage you to go to the post talking about setting a goal for increased speed and challenge yourself. I bet your see results that you like.

LOL - they think they're hiding behind an MT guise, - but we KNOW what they are! n/m

[ In Reply To ..]
X

KNOW, how about trying "ftpfd" for "for the past few days" - and "ftpsd" for

[ In Reply To ..]
"for the past several days"? Come on. Just try a little bite. Just for a couple of days ("js f acood")?

Trade typing
f-o-r(space)t-h-e(space)p-a-s-t(space)-f-e-w(space)d-a-y-s
for "f-t-p-f-d."

Just maybe it'll work for you too. You won't just get more money, you'll be happier.

As stated above, I already do that, and have even - developed an expander "language".

[ In Reply To ..]
What you're describing above is exactly what I'm doing for my accounts. But when it takes over a minute for each job to load, longer to load account specific info. or doctor lists, it all adds up to slowed-down production. Not to mention far too many other nitpicky little minutia associated with each job being typed that can't be handled with expanders.

Gee, a decent income sounds hopeless...unless! Hmm, - What if you worked on fixing those problems?

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, new job if necessary. If you've developed your own skills but a lousy system's dragging you down, costing you what--$20K a year?, wouldn't you say that was in order?

I have been doing this for 25+ years. I can - average about 200 lph also.

[ In Reply To ..]
I have done over 2000 lines in an 8-hour day, but only a couple of times. I hear the stories about the people that are running 300-400 lph (MedQuist even says 600 lph is feasible). I cannot do anywhere close to that, not with shortcuts, canned reports, standards, or anything else.

Similar Messages:

Jan 01, 2013

Can you tell me what the required line counts are for Nuance please ? ...

Oct 24, 2011

I would like opinions about the IT (Instant Text) line count program? Do you find it user friendly? Are there other programs preferred/easier? Any suggestions or opinions? TIA. ...

Aug 14, 2012

I was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of an accurate line counter. I currently use Word, but am not sure if it's accurate. ...

Aug 05, 2010

I was wondering if anyone knows exactly what OSI cuts out of their line counts? Seeing as they use a remote website for line counts, it is pretty obvious they cut corners with what MTs get paid on. I was just wondering WHAT are the cutting? Do they only pay 1 space? Do they not pay if you copy and paste? Do they only pay on a % per page - meaning if you have little on 1 page you aren't going to get any credit for those lines, etc? Just curio ...

Sep 07, 2010

Is it me, or does it seem that since 6.1 went into effect, my counts are a lot lower than usual when I check them under statistics. ...

Nov 12, 2011

I know this has been discussed before, but what is up with these line counts? I used to have no problem doing 200+ lph. Now, I work at the same pace on an account with less ESL speakers and I struggle to get my required 150 lph. I won't even comment on the fact that my straight typing has dwindled away to maybe 10 lines a day...on a good day. Thanks for listening...this is just all so very frustrating. I try to keep a positive attitude and be very diligent about my work and ...

Feb 03, 2012

For MTs with this company, are any of you having trouble meeting the line count required with VBC within a 40-hour timeframe? I even have expander program. ...

Jul 12, 2012

I posted yesterday and had lots of views, but no one replied. Every time I check a line count in different online "character counters", it is about 10% over my MM count. What is the most accurate way? ...

Apr 19, 2013

I was wondering if any of you could tell me your average LPH. Is the ASR at Nuance pretty accurate or are you constantly making corrections? How many lines per day are you able to do? I was offered a job here and I know I can trust you more than the recruiter to tell me the truth. Are the top producers really able to make a decent paycheck? Are you kept on your primary accounts for the most part? TIA. ...

Mar 10, 2014

Is anyone's line count for today WAY OFF?? I've been working all morning and it seems to be waaaaaaaay too low! ...

May 18, 2015

Anyone out there finding that their lines are dropping for no apparent reason? Have been struggling for 2 weeks to get minimum 150 lph, doing nothing different than I've ever done, same amount of work, same clients, same hours but lines suck. What are the chances they are messing with our bean counter?? ...

Jun 23, 2015

How many lines are reasonable to expect from QA per hour? Is a flat rate of 0.09/line count a good rate? Any info would be appreciated! Thanks- ...

Dec 28, 2009

Does anyone work for DTS America and have problems with descrepancies on their line count? ...

Feb 05, 2010

I would just like to know who DOES get their line counts in every pay period. It seems I am always a little short due to low volume? I hope I am not in the same boat........Thanks for the input! ...

May 03, 2010

Does anyone who's recently been hired or who have been there a while tell me what the current line counts are for those who want to be full-time employment status at Etransplus? I work on VA accounts and was told it was 10,0001 per pay period, but I've been told by one of the office staff that it was 12,000. I've sent email after email to the supervisors with no response. Does anyone know? I just want to make sure I'm hitting the right target. Th ...

May 12, 2010

According to the Escript, I'm doing an average of 300 lph on VR but usually at the end of 8 hours, I don't top 1100 liines most days. On Dictaphone's ExSpeech, i used to consistently do 1800-2400 a day on a combination. I have noticed with EScript that 1 day a week, my lines will hit 1200-1300, and I even hit 1500 one day, yet the lph were still 300. It doesn't make sense. No, I do not take breaks. Half the time I don't stop ...

Jun 26, 2010

I kind of feel dumb even asking this question but how does one get these 300 lph counts I've read about on here? I have 12 years plus years experience and have only worked in 2 different hospitals. We never had expanders so I don't really know much about them. I average about 180 lph but am realizing now working for an MTSO that I am going to have to increase my line counts. Thanks! ...

Jun 22, 2010

Hi - I have a question regarding counting templates. I have a new doc who wants me to only count what he dictates, and not the templated review of systems, past medical history, social history, etc. which is all unchanged (unless he says to change it). Do you cut and paste your work into a "count" file to get the total, or do you tell the doctor that it has to be included in the count. And what about the times he does make changes to the "templated items". I welcome any suggestions. ...

Jul 17, 2010

extreme trouble being consistent in their line counts? Some days I struggle to get half my lines and some days I can double them. Of course there are factors that influence that like lack of work, which account I am on, if I am having technical difficulty or if I am having an off day personally, but when I look at my timesheets, I look like the most random person on earth. I know many people say they work 7 days a week to get their lines, etc., and I have most certainly been th ...

Jul 19, 2010

My highest line count in a day is 2012.... I am wondering what everyone else's record is and how long it took them to get it ????? ...

Jul 29, 2010

I am just curious as to what line count standards are out there. What are your line count requirements for the day and how much do you use your QA for things like missing encounters, unable to ID patients, incorrect work types? Where I work our standards are relatively lower than other places, however, we also are required to match encounters, determine the work type, send an email for each work type or inrcorrect MRN, create a temporary patient if we cannot find the patient anywhere in the s ...

Nov 08, 2010

Please share highest line in 8 hour day with VR, but no normals. My highest was 2300, but range from 1700 to 2300 usually. I've been at for about 6 months now and need to know where I should be and where I can potentially be. Thanks ...

Nov 15, 2010

Okay, another end of pay period with not enough work to make line count. This is just not right. Is there anybody working for DTS right now, working their scheduled shift and making their line count? What is happening there? ...

Dec 02, 2010

Is anyone else suspicious about how they are calculating our line counts? I have been siltting here VERY diligently and typing like crazy these last few days and my counts seem to be going DOWN!!! I can't imagine how this can be happening. Anyone else notice the same? Is there some way to keep track? But then again, that would take time from typing EVERY SECOND of EVERY HOUR like they want us to, now wouldn't it? ...

Mar 24, 2011

Is there anywhere we can look to verify our line counts? Is this information provided somewhere? ...

Mar 27, 2011

Did Transcend change the lines or something? Seems to take a lot longer to get my lines in the last few months. It happens consistently so I don't think it is just a bad day now and then, or being over tired. Anyone else notice this? ...

Apr 07, 2011

What kind of line counts do you need per week to be full-time? Also, do you have to work set hours or can you stop when your line counts are in for the day? ...

Aug 23, 2011

Can someone please explain to me how I am working the same accounts, the same hours, the same docs, and now coming in approximately 1000 lines short a DAY? I feel it in my heart I am being ripped off. Does anyone know of any software/sites etc to check this? I am financially drowning....Thanks ...

Oct 03, 2011

The line counts don't seem right for the past few days. Cannot figure it out. ...

Oct 06, 2011

Ok so just curious, what is the most lines you have straight typed in an hour...no normals? I do radiology and I just typed 625 lines in 2 hours. I kinda feel like that is pretty good, but wondering what others can do. :) ...