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

Pay rate not keeping up with the times - mag

Posted: Jan 20, 2011

I have been an MT since 1986. I would like to know why the MT industry does not raise pay rates for MTs to keep up with the rising cost of living? Are we expected to just work longer hours in order to raise our pay? I see job openings offering 7 cpl! This is ridiculous! I have never made more than 9.5 cpl. We all know the companies are raising their contract rates for clients and making a killing, so why is our industry becoming such a slave-driving industry and what can we do about it? Years ago, while still working "in" the office, a few of us talked about unionizing, but people were too scared and uninterested, and I believe we made a mistake by not pursuing that avenue. Your thoughts?

I actually have work coming in... - no1joe

[ In Reply To ..]
So I'll make this really short and maybe elaborate later if I get a chance. Three top reasons for low pay/no COL increases:
1. Offshoring.
2. VR.
3. Missed the boat as far as forming an effective MT union years ago (perhaps an opportunity for an ME union still exists but will probably never happen, unfortunately).

That's not to mention the problem of overhiring. I am more than capable of making a decent living based on my speed and experience even with a lousy line rate; however, I am unable to do so if not provided enough work. With that being said, I'm off to get in as many lines as possible before the work dries up. Enjoy the rest of your day!

I beg to differ. MTSOs are not raising rates to - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
clients. In fact, clients are demanding lower rates because of going to VR or threatening to use companies that charge lower rates because of offshoring. Our company a year ago was forced to reduce their rate to their biggest client because the client demanded it or they would leave. Therefore our compensation changed. I am not defending the MTSOs by any means, but if they are taking less money in, then they cannot give raises.

Not increasing rates - rb

[ In Reply To ..]
I'd have to agree. We aren't charging our clients more; in fact, we are charging less in order to keep the accounts from going overseas.

When it comes to over hiring, I've had many instances come up where I've had an MT start and then disappear within a week or two or not uphold his/her end of the contract (24-hr TAT, high quality, etc.) The MTs I work with our IC's so they can take vacation whenever they want, decide last minute not to take work, etc. To avoid being put in a situation where I don't have any MTs to cover work, I make sure I have extra.

"are" not "our" - see, even managers make mistakes

[ In Reply To ..]
xx

Well, you get what you pay for. - And it shows.

[ In Reply To ..]
Xx

hr, not qa - rb

[ In Reply To ..]
So, I give a little feedback from the other side of things and am immediately jumped on for a typo. Wow, such a negative atmosphere. No wonder we have a hard time in HR (yes HR, not QA) finding IC's that we want to work with.

RB, wages for most "ordinary" workers in various industries - have stagnated for 30 years.

[ In Reply To ..]
Those of us who wanted raises should have done what it took to move up out of the shrinking middle class, i.e., follow the money flow upward. And voted our interests, of course.

BTW and FWIW, real unemployment (not adjusted figures) in our country right now is 19%. 19%! 1 in 5.

Actually - ancientMT

[ In Reply To ..]
rates *ARE* keeping up with the times (unless you work on Wall Street).

Clients are demanding lower rates, transcription has ALWAYS been a cost/financial drain on institutions.

So as technological and global economic advances are made, the price has gone down and our rates reflect it.

I do, however, make 10 cpl with one of my jobs so you if you have the skill set you don't have to work for 7 cpl.

I agree. Our office laughed at the notion of unionizing, - -sm- MT Wordz

[ In Reply To ..]
because at the time, we had it really good. Good hourly pay, overtime, XLNT benefits, paid vacations, etc.

One of the really short-sighted aspects of this business is the way they completely ignore the cost of living increases, and the fact that they can only decrease pay so much, before no one will work for it anymore. It's already happening now.

Word is already starting to get out that going to school to become an MT is an exercise in futility. Eventually the schools will start dropping the course, because they can't afford to keep offering it. That's happening already, too.

They might think that 100% offshoring will save their little 'hineys, but not forever. The more work our country sends over to India, the more THEIR cost of living is rising, as well, as they have more money to spend.

The MTSOs are driving most of this because of their greed. As well as the HMOs, the insurance industry, and the health care industry. They all want obscene profits. They all want beaucoup management... upper, middle, lower, ad infinitum. Managers are expensive, and from the looks of things, not too many of them are worth even half of what they're paid.

They're all out to get rich off the backs of their workers. Yes, of course that's the essence of how business works. But there is a right way to do it, and a wrong way to do it, both from a financial perspective and a moral one. And we all know which road the health care industry as a whole chose to take - it was the low road.

I just have to sit back and laugh sometimes, because these companies are alienating and losing their most valuable assets - experienced, knowledgeable, native-English-speaking, American workers.

When someone is lucky enough to be doing well financially, the right thing to do is to pay it forward and help others become successful, too. These people that want to keep it all for themselves, and squash workers under their heels as they do so, will ultimately get what they deserve in the long run, it's only a matter of time.

Putting this post here... - no1joe

[ In Reply To ..]
but it's out there for everyone. Yes, I absolutely agree about how we missed out on forming an MT union and how the thought of it years ago was laughable because we had it very good. Some people even thought that it would do nothing but stir up trouble. I really wish we had a crystal ball back then. Today, the thought of an MT union is pointless, as there is a workforce more than ready to take our positions at a fraction of the cost overseas and newbies jumping at the chance to work for peanuts to get their foot in the door. However, it makes me wonder whether forming an ME union should be considered.

Let's face facts... they can have an overseas MT, inexperienced American MT, or VR transcribe the reports, but there is going to be a demand for fluent English speaking editors with knowledge of medical terminology to fix the junk. That's us. We may have been "tricked" into the slash in pay when VR came around with the spiel about being able to greatly increase our productivity to make up the difference... sometimes even being convinced that we would be making more than straight typing. Sounded good, right? So we all took that nice cut in line rate with high hopes. But it was a load of bull... we all know that. A union at this point might make it possible to actually make a living - or at least be treated fairly - as an editor. Think about it... if all MEs were to call in sick at once (or strike), what would they do? Have India fix the junk? Have VR fix the junk? Or how about a newbie? I think the newbies might have the best shot at it, but would take much, much longer and likely not be able to meet TAT.

I don't know. Either there is a another ship here that we're going to miss or I'm just daydreaming (or I'm just plain nuts).

ME union? ABSOLUTELY! It's the best opportunity - we"ve had in years, and it could be powerful. (nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

I disagree. Unionizing will likely drive ALL of the work overseas. - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

That could be the best thing. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
QUALIFIED, experienced MTs are already getting fed up and leaving the field. If they send ALL the work overseas, who is going to correct all the garbage? Maybe then they'll see that it was the American MTs that were fixing the OS garbage to be acceptable. Without the American MTs and QA, they'll see what their money bought them.

Excellent post by MTwordz - vtmt47

[ In Reply To ..]
Very well-stated. You are absolutely correct about the implications of driving away/losing their most valuable asset--the qualified, experienced American MT. If the MT industry folds in this country due to corporate greed and mismanagement, good luck to the ancillary administrative/management/clerical staff should this happen. Let's see how well they fare working (or even gaining a position) at Indian-owned companies. (Had to laugh at the previous: ''See, 'even' managers make mistakes, oh ha,ha,ha!'' Now, that's hardly a surprise.)

Want to fix: important to stop blaming THIS industry - alone. It is one little part of a huge problem.

[ In Reply To ..]
The wealthy classes have hired the best of the best in all fields, who work constantly to pass laws, buy and install legislators and judges, run the companies, etc., to increase the amount of the national pie that flows into their employers' pockets. After the past 3+ decades of particularly successful endeavor, the entire economy is rigged more and more against us, not just our one industry--ALL of them. Of course wages have stagnated. This should not be a surprise.

Don't like it, vote your own economic interests.

That's a joke. Wealthy control the political system as well. - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

In 1986 the MT business was straight-forward... - see message

[ In Reply To ..]
We typed, got paid a good line rate or hourly. Usually in house. The whole "pie" was ours.

Then MTs started moving home. MTSOs began cropping up and they took a cut of the line count. We started rerecording & downloading dictation files. We had a piece of pie, the MTSO took another piece.

Look at the industry today. If you work for a large national company, the company also has to pay for a sales department, development team, administrative staff, management, training, overhead (building, office equipment, computers for their MTs, servers, software), travel expenses for their developers and salespeople, insurance premiums, HR staff, benefits staff, payroll staff, and don't forget that the companies that use VR also pay the voice recognition company (like MModal)per line for their speech rec reports. The company also has to stay solvent and profitable.

Our piece of the pie just got smaller in order to keep the rest of the business afloat. Gone are the days of an MT wiht a selectric, a tape transcriber or a simple word processor and a high line rate.

Combine all of that with the rising cost of healthcare, hospitals looking to cut costs (and outsorce their transcription), the companies in India underbidding US companies for contracts - and therein is the reason for dwindling pay. The gravy days are over. The industry has totally changed.

I am weary of MTs chalking our pay up to corporate greed or greedy "suits." It's much more involved than most MTs realize.

If you long for days gone by and think things will return to that status quo, you'd best look elsewhere.

And with regards to all the talk of unionizing? All that would do is finally drive all of the work completly out of the U.S. where it can be done cheaply and quickly.

Agree, or drive it to front-end. We are a plus factor - and a minus in various possibilities they have.

[ In Reply To ..]
the important point is: It is now possible to do without us, even if still undesirable. But if we worked really hard at it, we could make doing without us look downright good.

Good comments... - mag

[ In Reply To ..]
All good comments and ideas above. However, I strongly disagree with the 2 posters stating MTSO's have not raised their contract rates. MT base pay has not seen an across-the-board increase in the last 10 years. They are paying the same cpl rates in 2011 as they were paying in 2001. You expect us to believe MTSO's have not increased contract rates in 10 years!? I'm not buying it! AND... maybe the lack of "dedicated" MTs is a direct result of poor compensation.

Similar Messages:

Jan 20, 2011

Good news! A while back I posted how the company I work for was sold to an Indian group. I was concerned if that meant my coding job was going the way of my MT work. i work for a company that is coding's equivalent to an MTSO. Well, the hospital to which I am contracted has decided to not renew the contract with the company as they demand that their coding be done in the US by US coders. The hospital will hire the coders directly a ...

Sep 11, 2013

Keep everything, I would love to know if the TSMs are sending out generic explanations of the new policies that are given to them by the company or if they are their own interpretations. It just doesn't make sense to me that I am supposed to be availabe around the clock for when there is work. I also don't understand how they FORCED me to take a shift and now are threatening to change my shift to when work is available. Something stinks and we need to stand together on this or we wi ...

Oct 25, 2009

There is good reason that these ladies sound a little negative. It is not about you, your initiative, or your dedictation. They do know what they are talking about, but they did not even begin to explain to you why, probably not enough room or time! This industry has changed drastically. You can not believe the ads you read about being an MT, great money, work your own hours, train in 2-4 months, blah, blah, blah. None of that is true. This has become a low in ...

Aug 08, 2010

Anyone noticed these tests are asking some of the same questoins? My little answers keep popping up when I start typing in the answer. The transcription portions are way too long though. Some are super easy and others are the scum at the bottom of the barrel. I'm beginning to think we're doing somebody's work for them! Now I'm thinking about all the money I could have made by transcribing these stupid test reports. I think one company test ...

Sep 19, 2012

Does anyone know how to forward emails from Nuance's company email program to your personal email for documentation?? I've tried to forward them to mine and it refuses to recognize my personal email and address and won't forward them. It's obvious I need to keep track of them and I'm afraid if something happens I will be blocked from the company email. TIA ...

Sep 26, 2012

I'm delighted to be going back to straight transcription after 9 months of VR editing!! I'm getting nervous about my hands cramping up when I return to straight typing though -- suggestions on how to keep them limber??? ...

Jan 15, 2014

I gave notice last week. I hate everything about this company EXCEPT I love their computer and monitor. Does anyone know if keeping it rather than returning it is an option?...and if so, if they ask a ridiculous amount of $$ to do so? ...

Oct 30, 2014

Rates are a pleasant surprise. ...

Nov 18, 2009

The only jobs that were actualy transcription for me today were the worst 4 doctors on the planet! I am pulling my hair out today over the 10 reports that had to be sent to the MMEs with all of the holes! Also, to the MME who corrected 1 of my reports: I know that numbers are not spelled out, however, the doctor said "325 one or two a day" He did not say milligram, therefore, you are not supposed to leave 2 numbers next to eachother, so I spelled it out. If I knew we w ...

Aug 16, 2011

Is there such a thing available that keeps track of "at the keyboard" typing time? I am one that gets up and down frequently throughout my work day and its hard to keep track of exactly how many actual hours I am typing. I want something automatic that I don't have to remember to click on/off because if I could remember to do that, I could remember to write it down :) Anyone know of something like this? ...

Jan 25, 2013

Is there any other way to know your line counts besides the metrics?? ...

Jun 12, 2013

A few weeks ago there was talk about people thinking we should keep our work/office under lock and key, that someone was going to be showing up and because of the HIPAA law, we would be in big trouble, prosecuted, arrested, whatever. I have something to run past those that were posting. Ok, so today I take my husband to have a procedure done. I am called back to his room as he is awakening and there are 2 people sharing this room with a drawn curtain between them. The doctor comes in to talk ...

May 18, 2010

I recently quit my hospital MT job and started working for a mid sized MTSO. This was a big change for me, different platforms, different rules, different type of accounts. I have 4 accounts with this job, all with their own little rules and formats and things. On top of that I recently was hired and quit with another large MTSO for weekend work (didn't like the QA or managers; I was constantly being forgotten). Anyway, I quit them after 2 weeks and was just hired as an IC for small MTSO an ...

Oct 26, 2010

that door as an entry way to better things. Go through it to another job, one that fits you and your family better. They are out there but it is not fun or easy to find them. Some, it seems, would rather stay put and whine rather than go after what they want and deserve. If it is worth having, be it a better job, better life, whatever, it is not gonna be handed to you and if it is worth it to you, it is worth working for. ...

Jan 04, 2013

Rarely are they taking 1/2 the time of straight typing. The majority are taking at least as long as it would to straight type and some more time. This is all due to the number of corrections and punctation and formatting I have to do! ...

Feb 01, 2013

.. ...

Dec 05, 2012

Their way of figuring it is so convoluted. I wonder if they keep us all low like that. ...

Mar 18, 2013

Can anyone tell me if line rate pay is comparable to getting paid by the audio minute? Is 0.50 or 1.00 normal? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks! ...

Feb 27, 2010

When they say 4-0 Nylon x 4 interrupted sutures, is it preferred to use "x" or "times"? ...

May 12, 2010

allowed to use the F11 key? Is it once a day or a certain percentage of your lines? ...

Aug 07, 2012

Dictator says "There is a 2 by 4 times 2.7 times 3.3 cm solid mass..." What would be the correct way to transcribe this? 2 x 4 x 2.7 x 3.3 cm is incorrect. Thank you! ...

Dec 12, 2013

Do I have to change this????????????? ASR has 2 +distal pulses. Should it be 2+ distal pulses? You keep correcting and correcting and then it's back to the same errors. My Christmas wish---that the ASR gets BETTER. Ha! Never gonna happen. ...

Jan 13, 2010

Dr. Dictates this about 8 times in the op report each time clear "co cup", ...

Jul 28, 2010

I just started a 22 minute consult from one of my ESL doctors and the next one in line is a 36 minute consult from a Chinese doctor. He stutters and stops and starts and that 36 minutes will probably net me 100 lines or so. Gotta love it! ...

May 08, 2012

Doctor dictated: Start time: 03/21/2012, 091446. What would be the correct way to write the time portion? ...

Jun 12, 2012

I didn't do a ticket, but I'm assuming we do get paid down time if it happened during our scheduled hours, as we have before. ...

Jul 15, 2013

The recent ad onthe Job Wanted Board for Oncology scribes prompted me to check a couple of employment search sites. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were many ads for, not just "Scribes" but now for "Scribe/Medical Transcriptionist." There are facilities looking for people they can hire directly to input in real time to their EMS. There were several for Oncology and Emergency Medicine. Have they finally seen the light?? MTSOs are trying to sell us ...

Aug 02, 2013

Temp Opportunity for Pathology Transcriptionist Medical facility is moving towards a voice recognition system ultimately eliminating the need for transcription. This candidate would continue to work until the new system is in place and fully functional. Hours: Mon. â�� Fri. 8:30 â�� 5:00 Rate of Pay: $16 hour CANDIDATE MUST HAVE PATHOLOGY TRANSCRIPTION EXPERIENCE TO BE CONSIDERED ...

Dec 06, 2014

and I will say it again. Get out of Nuance! Stop being negative about this profession, describing it as obsolete and going to machines, etc. It is that attitude that will push this profession into just that, for good! I left in October. I see others who have posteod here who have left even before that. I found a wonderful small company to work for. I cannot put their name here, as at this time they are not hiring, and they would be flooded with resumes, ...

Mar 19, 2015

UGH -- I am feeling sick with myself -- it looks like it'll be 2 weeks in a row that I have "fallen off the grid" and had below 99% QA. I do NOT want to lose my job. I know Nuance has plenty of issues, but I still like my hours, my accounts, and have not had many problems. When do you start getting reprimanded or whatever for being below 99%? ...