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

Regarding what constitutes high production -sm - Curious

Posted: Jan 19, 2011

Thanks all for your thoughts on the "salary/wage expectations" thread below. I am still hoping to see more opinions on the subject, but there were some references to production and even "high producers," hence my query concerning what you all think constitues a "high producer" versus average. I am inclined to consider 200 lines per hour as a good producer but not high. What are your thoughts - understanding, of course, that all accounts differ in difficulty. However, weaning out the easier as well as the more difficult and just focusing on the average, where does 200 lines per hour production stack up generally speaking?

By your own understanding, there is no "average" out there - that someone working specific realities

[ In Reply To ..]
can compare to. How big is big, or small is small? You need this answer from people doing the same work you do. My company posts production figures for all employees so we all know how we're doing in comparison to all the rest--extremely valuable information.

Thank you for your reply. What is your company average? - nm - Curious

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xx

Well, Curious, - : )

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I haven't added up the hundreds of #s and divided, so I don't know the average.

Still interesting, maybe, is that dividing the # of lines to qualify for each of 6 incentive pay tiers per 40-hour period by 40 gives 138, 162, 187, 212, 237, and 275 LPH minimums (average production over a week). Those groups don't include the base group that doesn't produce enough to qualify for the first incentive pay rung. Although the largest portion of employees does fall below the 212--237-275 tiers, a lot of people do earn in that range, showing it's accessible to skilled people without killing themselves or being phenom typists. A much smaller number produce on the top, 275+ incentive tier, but large enough to show it is accessible to consistent hard work, there not being that many phenoms around. Work difficulty/time needed to complete reports at our company falls above average in general.

Hope that helps.

It does help - thanks. nm - curious

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xx

Should have added this thought to my previous post, but better late than never. sm - curious

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It does help in that it tells me that those that may perhaps be producing consistently around 175 lines per hour could not expect to make anywhere near $40,000 a year with your company or, I suppose, any other for that matter. Would that be a fair conclusion to come to?

BTW, thanks for taking the time. That's my last question for you.

Doing the math, $40,000 per year is possible, given the right conditions, but less and less likely - if working for an MTSO today

[ In Reply To ..]

I am not the poster who replied to your question and gave you the information about the incentive pay tiers for one of the MTSOs, but I did some quick calculations (also curious) and thought the results might be of interest to others as well.

Can a Medical Transcriptionist make $40,000 a year without ruining their mental or physical health? That is a hard question to answer, as there are too many variables. Yes, anything is possible. Making $100,000 a year as a Medical Transcriptionist is POSSIBLE, given the right conditions, but it would take a very good starting cents per line; a platform that is lightening fast; and bonuses, differentials, and incentives above the norm. Overtime and working more than 8 hours (in a row) per day would probably also come into play.

The “industry standard” seems to have become a starting cents per line of 8 cents. If you are able to make 10 cents per line (as an employee), that is currently considered above the norm.

Using just the above company’s incentive pay tiers, if you were to work ONLY 40 hours per week, you could expect to make the below salary (again, without overtime, bonuses, incentives, etc).

100% Straight Transcription

(65-character line, with spaces)

Full-time (40 hours per week)

No overtime, no bonuses, no shift differential, no incentives

	Skill Level	Minimum Line Per Hour	8 Cents Per Line – Per Hour Pay	10 Cents Per Line – Per Hour Pay	8 Cents Per Line – Yearly Pay	10 Cents Per Line – Yearly Pay
1	Standard (minimum)	138	11.04	13.80	22,963	28,704
2	Acceptable	162	12.96	16.20	26,956	33,696
3	Average	187	14.96	18.70	31,116	38,896
4	Above-Average	212	16.96	21.20	35,276	44,096
5	High Producer	237	18.96	23.70	39,436	49,296
6	Exceptional	275	22.00	27.50	45,760	57,200

Hope that gives you some insight into today’s Medical Transcriptionist wages.

Very nicely done - Thanks. nm - curious

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xx

Sure 40K is possible - Old Pro

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Sure it is possible. (I made 45K last year working 5-6 hours a day. And that is straight transcribing--I won't do VR.) The way people go off the track is to think they can jump right from school into a gig and draw down that kind of money immediately. It takes time (years!) to build speed (and accuracy, which is at least as important). But the answer is yes, you certainly can do it. (Back in the 90s I was making 30% MORE for the same amount of work, but don't get me up on that soapbox.) :)- Don't give up!

Curious - Old Pro

[ In Reply To ..]
I would call 200 lph high average. I would call high producers/power users anyone who could CONSISTENTLY do 300-350 lph on any and all accounts. (These would obviously be people with years of experience.)

Interesting inputs since I posted the incentive info. - For anyone inclined to further analysis.

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please note:

Each incentive tier adds 1/4 cent per line to all lines produced per week. The difference for SINGLE-income households between consistently low producers and high producers at the same company would range from low working class to the lower portion of the upper middle class. From sharing an apartment with another renter to owning a home in a nice neighborhood.

The figures for per lines per hour are for combined editing and transcription, actual combo worked varying from person to person.

"Doing The Math's" input is great, but note that someone in the 138 incentive tier, labelled as minimum-level worker, at our company actually produces in excess of a whole pool of mins who only earn their base rate and don't produce enough to reach that initial incentive pay tier.

The figures posted at our company suggest two giant obvious factors: Of course, the skill level. Early on I would have been delighted to finally exceed 138 LPH. It does take time to work up.

Second, actual time worked. Total hours worked are posted, and many people choose to work part time, some very part time. Working 7 to 8 solid hours a day, 5 days a week at the keyboard, typically subtracting mostly only the sort of potty and coffee-refill breaks one would not sign off for, is an enormous factor in achieving higher production at any skill level. I feel sure that top tier is basically made up of the sort of people who set themselves a work schedule or line goal and keep to it. I used to have a friend like that who never accepted personal phone calls between 8-12 and 1-5. It was literally the first thing she told me about herself when we met at an MT dinner and were arranging to get together again. :)

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