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

Does it seem like it is a lot harder to make decent lines? - mom2huskies

Posted: Sep 27, 2010

Here lately it seems like I am doing more work, and getting less lines. Anyone else having the same problem?

more for less - Typing too much

re: mom2huskies - Kiki

[ In Reply To ..]
No... I find that if I just really focus on work during my scheduled hours, I maintain a decent count/pay.

(I am fortunate to have work all the time. In my region we hardly get NJA and when we do, we get switched to helper pools immediately)

KiKi - ame

[ In Reply To ..]
What area do you work in? Do you do ASR and get paid 5 cents a line? Do you hardly ever get transcription at 8.5 cents a line? Decent count pay to you may be peanuts to me. I am the sole supporter of myself and kids and I am making 1/2 or less than I was even 3 years ago, and back in 1996 I was working at a clinic at $19.65 an hour. This company rips us off left and right.

By the Way KiKi - ame

[ In Reply To ..]
I am so done with transcription and that is truly sad because I love typing and transcribing, I just hate being a "medical editor" when I was trained to be a medical transcriptionist. I made 10 cents a line 20 years ago transcribing. I have been a coder in a hospital and have 5 years experience, so I am going back to a local college to get an AS degree in Health Information Management, a certificate in coding/billing and taking the CCS and getting a job that pays starting $18 - top $28 an hour as a Certified Coding Specialist. I love transcription, but I do not love being poor.

enjoy it while you can - NJA Queen

[ In Reply To ..]
Because someday your account too will go to India or transition to EPIC and the work will dry up. Then you will be like everyone else scrambling to make up lines at 5 cents a line. Plus be ready for the CCMs to move people to your account because it sounds like you actually have work to share. Just because you aren't experiencing NJA and slowness on upload/download doesn't mean that it isn't happening to others.

And I agree with the other poster ame. I used to make $25+ an hour which I considered decent and now I am down to less than that thanks to ASR and no bonus/incentive which I do not consider decent at all. Even at 5 cents a line at 150 lph minimum it is only $7.50 an hour which is not even minimum wage in most states. Not even close to decent.

re: NJA Queen - Kiki

[ In Reply To ..]
M-e-o-w. Thanks for those inspiring and uplifting words. I am very aware of the instability of this industry. I AM in the meanwhile "enjoying it while I can". My accounts however will not go to India (at least for the next 3 - 6 years!). Our contract stipulated that the original transcription team on our accounts would remain on our accounts when MQ bought our little company. The business owner also negotiated a very fair wage for us.

I AM fortunate at this point. It gives me time to work, save money and learn how to do something else. I'm taking classes for court reporter, (potentially 60K a year!) Sorry you're so bitter that you have to snip at others who aren't yet in the same boat as you.

re: Kiki - NJA Queen

[ In Reply To ..]
M-e-o-w right back at you. I was not the one on this board bragging about NJA and making what you consider to be decent money.

My account was not supposed to go to India either, but MQ played the TAT game with the client, purposely holding back reports until finally the client was angry and broke the contract. It can happen to anyone. MQ is notorious for breaking contracts and finding loopholes around paying money. 401K match? Bonus? Incentive? Whatever happened to that stupid drawing?

re: NJA Queen - okey dokey

[ In Reply To ..]
Kiki wasn't bragging. She answered a question to the OP, then stated she was thankful she was in the position that she was in considering the "instability" of the field. You did snip, but that's normal on this board. Too quick to be defensive and flame those who have something different to say or don't feel the same.

I also get consistent work still, but like Kiki, am aware that it can disappear anytime so I am actively seeking employment elsewhere with benefits.

Don't flame me too!

FYI KiKi - ame

[ In Reply To ..]
For your information there have been several accounts sent overseas in the past year in my area (SE Region) and 80% of MQ's work is ASR now and its only getting worse. Unfortunately, being an ME (which I never applied for)at home for now is not an option for me because of the pay cut due to ASR and I have to go back to the hospital/clinic environment after getting my CCS (certified coding specialist)and degree. MedQuist has a coding department and the hospital I am going to hopefully work for both allow you to work from home. I just have to get through school and in the meantime try and get unemployment because of how the Q has screwed us. Anyone please let me know if these are reasons to get TAA through unemployment office!

NJA Queen - ame

[ In Reply To ..]
I am glad someone agrees with me. $7.50 an hour for 5 cents a line ASR work is totally pathetic, it should be illegal, in fact it is below minimum wage in my state of Oregon ($8.90). Does anyone know if we can go to unemployment and file that TAA stating our jobs as MT were taken out from under our feet and we were unwillingly given ME titles and that our pay has been cut nearly in half? Do you know if that qualifies? In addition to the fact that there are often NJA because of offshoring?

I work harder to make less. - mom2huskies

[ In Reply To ..]
I work my scheduled hours, and in fact work harder to make less money. Most of my work at this point is ASR, and on most reports it takes longer to correct. With no more incentives it makes it hard to make a living.

Ask to see a copy of a report that shows how the lines were - calculated on that report. You will SM

[ In Reply To ..]
probably be surprised to see what you are NOT getting paid for. Sure, you can look and see how many lines you did on a report, but ask to see how they arrived at that figure. And have them tell you in characters cause a character is a character, etc. No subject idea about what constitutes a line.

Exactly the same, even at other companies! All - these "upgrades" sure dont upgrade our - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
ability to work efficiently, do they? I'm sure the only ones benefitted by all these so-called upgrades is.....

MANAGEMENT. (Who else?)

When I first started 6 years ago, - anon

[ In Reply To ..]
typed an extremely hard area of the country in south Texas on the border with very strong accents, but still managed to do 1600-1800 lines a day and have done over 2000. Now I struggle and jump for joy every day I get the minimum required 1200.

my 2 cents - nightowl

[ In Reply To ..]
It seems that since I upgraded to the DQS 6.1 plus the fact that my account all of a sudden is at 90% SR my paycheck has taken a hit. And I don't think I am alone, judging by a lot of the posts out here. In my opinion, MQ is just thinking of how they can get richer and not thinking about keeping the people who make the money for them happy.

If MT pay keeps going down, pretty soon they won't - just have a hard time - (s/m)

[ In Reply To ..]
hiring and keeping decent MTs, they're going to have a hard time finding anyone who will work for that pittance who can even READ.

Of course MQ is just thinking of profits and not MTs!! This is - BUSINESS, not SM

[ In Reply To ..]
your friend happy to give you an opportunity to make lots of money. This isnt your mom, sister or aunt. This is business, a company whose main concern is board members, money, and ability to make more money. They dont think of MTs at all, except how to pay less and get more out of them. If you want you can open your own business and make as much money as you can. It's called BUSINESS, not FAMILY, not FRIEND.

It's not a "business" - it's a RIP-OFF. - I would never treat employees like MQ does.

[ In Reply To ..]

If you were CEO of large company, you treat employess the same or you would - not be in upper management. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

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