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

Perception vs. Reality - Coastal MT

Posted: Mar 03, 2010

I have read the emails and spoken with several of my friends as well as my Quality Coach. I have not always agreed with MedQuist over the years, however, I am not so ignorant or blind to miss the fact that the Q ... perceived to be evil or not, IS INVESTING in several programs that undeniably help the MTs who do the right thing, the so-call "higher performers".

Good for some of us - Anon

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I know I am a compliant employee and I cannot find a single thing about the plans that is negative to me - or most of the people in this business that I know. My situation is better now than it was a week ago. I look forward to hearing more and trying to get that pay increase I deserve.

Reality check - Sunshine & rain

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When it's all said and done, I think that MedQuist is by far the largest employer of U.S. MTs and continues to hire U.S. MTs. MedQuist management tries to do the right thing and my CCM genuinely cares about me, so does her boss,*****. My fear is that MedQuist will feel it's hopeless to invest in us because of the way so many of us seem to act so unprofessionally.

Signing off, sick of the negativity, going to bed!!!!

**** Do not identify individuals. ****

Good point sunshine!! - Olde Timer

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GOOD POINT, let's not turn this into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Like shooting holes in the boat we're floating in. Doesn't make any sense to me either.

Youre sick of the "negativity"; were sick of the LIES. - At least most of us have our pride, and dont

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lick the boots of those who abuse us. Now THAT is *sick*.

Are you delusional? - mrs.krabs

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You have got to be kidding me.

Theres a Goodie-Two-Shoes in every classroom, huh! - Somehow these people think if they -sm

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kiss up to the people who are ripping all of us (including them) off, that somehow they will not only survive the coming mayhem of this field, but will also be recognized for their "loyalty" by receiving some high-paying peach of a job. Probably still believes in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, too.

They are undeniably trying to cut us to 1 cpl - Hello??

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If you think you are going to be compensated as a high performer, I would be happy to sell you a bridge.

Oh really? When was your last raise? - Recently?

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Good luck. This company needs to save money. They are going to do it on our backs, as if they haven't already. They have Spheris on their plate and a new EMR system they are working on selling to the clients.

I certainly hope for you and everyone else who has to stick it out, that it will be good for you. You know, I too am an excellent transcriptionist. Worth a lot more than they are paying though.

Just wait until you get audited. Do you all think that MQ will allow you to send endless blanks to the clients? I don't think so. I really really don't think so. So----you don't send to MME, but you blank it, send it on to the client. Okay.

Then what happens next? Do ya know? Well, then you get audited. And that is when you will get a very sorry and unwelcome surprise.

DON'T TRUST MQ. They have stolen money out of paychecks, deceived clients and lied to the New York Stock Exchange about their financial records.

Look, they HAVE TO get rid of employees. Don't put your guard down from them and don't let them take any more money from you. I don't know what everyone gets paid for salary, but it doesn't matter. We ALL should have been making a lot more---not the same salaray as we have been making for 7 years or more. Don't give me the guff about times are tough. I haven't had a raise since way before the economy took a nose dive.

I just can't smell roses and lilies of the valley with this new "great deal."

I have a collection of emails concerning great deals for the past 20 years, and not ONE of the them maid me more money, so spare me.

Good luck. I hope this works out and they have a change of heart and are really going to treat their employees decent now. Any of you who have been working hard certainly do deserve it.

But you have to remember those of us who have been around a long time have seen scheme after scheme that was supposed to make us more money and those schemes never did.

I myself believe once a wolf, always a wolf.

Agree - sm

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Hopefully this will weed out the God awful MTs out there, the ones who feel that they can clock in and out when they want. Like it or no, this is a job, and like most jobs, it does have a schedule. That's just the way it is at this company. If you don't like it, leave. There are 1000s who will kill to have any job. If a person tried to pull what I have seen some MTs pull at a job outside the home, they would be canned! If you don't like it here, leave; if you are too scared to leave, stop complaining as it could be waaaaay worse. Suck it up ya whiners! If you are afraid for yourself because of these new rules, you obviously need more experience working in-house or are not fit to be an MT. For those with constant bad dicators, chance is everybody has the same problem, and if you let your CCM know, they will work with the QA submission to compensate, I know mine would. Anyway, flame away.

Why do you assume that you are the only good MT - at MQ?

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In my experience at MQ (being QA for years and year and personally knowing someone in middle management) there are far more EXCELLENT MTs. You are not the only one. The bad ones are not the norm. They are the minority. They are not the reason why things have been so bad at MQ.

So sending work to India is the fault of the few MTs that can't punch in on time? EMR is their fault too. It is their fault that MQ was so crooked that they enabled an Indian company to jump in and take them over? That was all the fault of a few bad MTs?

Allrighty then.

Good luck with your hopefulness.

I have heard promises from MQ before and they never came to fruition. But I am sure this promise, this time, from MQ will bear large heavy juicy fruit for you to savor.

Good luck.

Please reread the post - sm

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I did not say all MTs were bad and neither did I say that the bad MTs were what is causing the downfall of this occupation nor that they were the cause of our work overseas. The cause of that is greed, plain and simple. All I said that if a person is not cut out for the work, either get more experience or find different work and to ultimately stop whining as there is really no point in doing so. There are others who would love a job such as this and may have more experience. Do you not agree? There is nothing between the lines of my post, please stop looking.

Ummm, you have it backwards. - see message

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The ones who are not cut out for it are not whining. They are frightened for their jobs.

The ones who have been at it for a very long time and who are very experienced, well, are upset, not all of them, but a majority (although you call it whining). Most have left as there was a mass index during the CBAY buyout. Some suits have missed that or did not notice it.

Most who would love this job are the newbies. Some of us here are suffering it out because we will retire in 2-4 years.

Oh, I did not post the above or read between the lines. Just kinda butting in.

I see your point and agree. - sm

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I agree that the experienced and longtimers have a right to be upset about the other idiotic changes this company has made, however, this is just in regards to the First Time Right thing. All I was saying is that those who are experienced and have been here awhile should not have to worry as their QA submission should be fairly good, no? If such an MT is confident in their abilities, this new thing should not be a problem to them. That was my point.

Gotcha. I agree. - I happen to be one of them.

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This FIRST TIME RIGHT thing will not relate to me. I already talked to my manager. Have a low QA submission rate and received a letter way back about being on the Best of the Best list.

However, no raise for me, even though my last one was back in 2001. They say I make too much, although someone posted they make 10.5 cpl. I make less, yet I am told I make too much.

Do not trust this company. Never have and NEVER will. Especially since the lawsuit.

Beginning in 1999, MedQuist began to deviate from the billing method outlined in many contracts, first by ceasing to actually count AAMT lines, but instead calculating AAMT lines by simply multiplying the payroll line count (the measure MedQuist used to pay transcriptionists and not equal to the AAMT line) by two.

"MedQuist continued to secretly adjust line count ratios until 2004 or later," using an internal unit called the Financial Operational Audit ("FOPA") to implement the billing scheme.

In order to disguise these artificial billing increases, MedQuist would sometimes time the increases to period of heavy work volume, so that the increases would go unnoticed.

Just holding on for retirement.

I don't trust them by a long shot. - sm

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I am glad you understand my point. Thank you. Right now, I make well below what that previous poster states; however, I am comfortable with what I make and can support my family with it. So, at this point, I really have no reason to leave. That may change in the future and although I keep it in the back of my mind, I'm not going to worry about it unless it happens.

There you go assuming that there is an abundance of - non-working MTs at MQ.

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You are wrong. Sorry. But you know what, you already have your mind up, like I did before with MQ, to go accept this crap they dreamed up.

So I doesn't matter what I say.

I am taking my EXCELLENT skills and leaving MQ because I will not allow them to use my skills for almost free.

Good luck. I hope it works out for you. Hopefully MQ is going to be a really really honest and good employer now. Um hum. Right. Sure they will.

Honestly, I don't believe you are reading my posts. - sm

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I, in no way, say there was an abundance. I did not give any figure, I didn't even say most or a lot or anything to give a quantity. I accept the First Time Right because I have nothing to be afraid of and, relating to this topic, which is the only topic I am talking about considering the MQ changes, you, as an excellent skilled MT have nothing to worry about either. Regarding the other topics such as outsourcing, cutting pay, changing titles, and the quasicesspool, I don't agree with, but I'm not going to complain because I have a job and if it was too much, I, too, will quit. There may come a time when MTs here no longer needed, but until then, unless I really have a problem, I will stay. I have worked enough jobs to know this is not isolated to MQ or even transciption in general. Currently, this just so happens to be the one I enjoy the most. I have no qualms about moving on. There are some not cut out for this job yet and maybe this will help them know that they need a bit more experience before they continue to work at home and to try an in-house setting. I am sorry you are not able to understand what I am saying and I wish you luck once you leave the Q.

You do know that there are 2 of us - questioning you? No message below.

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x

I apologize, they looked to be from the same poster. - sm

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However, my answer is the same. My topic is First Time Right, nothing else. To sum it up: If you are experienced you have nothing to worry about, again, *in regards to First Time Right.* I agree that MQ coporate are a bunch of low-life, greedy, liars, but that is something I am not involving in this topic.

I am the other - poster.

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Yes I read you post.

Part of what you posted: "If you are afraid for yourself because of these new rules, you obviously need more experience working in-house or are not fit to be an MT."

Excuse me. I have been doing transcription for nearly 30 years. I too was told I am the highest producer in my service area. I have never had anything returned from a client for errors. I keep my schedule or whatever schedule they tell me to work. I do not need more experience. I have PLENTY. But I have VALID fears about this new plan that MQ has put in play, as do MOST of the other long-time MTs who are EXCELLENT MTs, but have seen MQ's games over and over and over again.

Thus my comment, do you think you are the only excellent MT out there. No, you are not--there are many and WE are wary about this new deal.

Every "exciting new program" they have come out with has caused MANY of us EXPERIENCED MTs to lose money. Lots of money. They have deceived so many people. Lied to employees, lied to clients, lied to the NYSE. Why should many of us who have been through it all with them have faith in anything they do at this point?

If MTs are whining on here, does not mean they are not good MTs. It means "here we go again" and the end result is NEVER good.

But you can go ahead and think that if you are experienced you will be exempt for any loss of your salary. Again, I do not agree with that at all. Even the experienced better be real careful.

So go ahead and put those blanks into those reports and send them to the client, but MQ suits will come back AND SOON and say we are all abusing the system and will set in play another penalty plan for all of us.

So, again, I disagree with you. Just because I know MQ's tricks does not mean I am not experienced.

That is alway why I decided to leave. I see what is in store for the MTs. It isn't pretty, either.

I am the second poster and I agree with you. - MQ corporate is sneaky.

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Always has been sneaky. Want more and more and are greedy.

What I see is First Time Right is going to backfire and MQ will have a lawsuit. The company will not be able to have much money leftover because they used the money to buy out Spheris. Then MQ will go bankrupt just like Spheris.

A disaster awaits.

Queennasty - BUNION

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color it anyway you want, best wishes. I am long gone. Scarry to be so full of self!

"Higher Performers" - mrs.krabs

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I was one, over 26 yrs in the business. They don't give a rat's arse about your needs. "Investing" in programs to help? Please, yeah to help them look like they care. They most likely got them for free. If they didn't, then they should have spent that money on rewarding the so-called higher performers. Apparently with MQ, accuracy, speed, and ethics don't mean a darn thing. Just don't leave any frickin blanks or they'll dock your measly pay. Wake up people!

WHAT??? You sure smell like a suit to me!! - CA-MT

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It looks like corporate got a bunch of their Stepford Wives to climb on board and start backing up their double-talk. Don't talk to us MTs like we're fools. We're on to you!

Weve heard that one before. If you believe it, Ive - got some oceanfront property ..... sm

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You might be interested in buying from me. I'll give you a real DEAL on it, too. It's in Colorado.

It should be Delusion vs. Reality. I don't know what kind - mt

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of programs you think MQ is investing in to help the MT. Since I transcribe 300-350 lph, I think that would qualify me as one of the higher performers, and so far, nothing they have done has helped me. I know the highly touted ASR hasn't done anything to help me. Being transferred to 7 BOBs in 8 years hasn't helped either. Having 10 CCMs during that time hasn't helped. The only thing that has helped is this latest e-mail about the penalty for QA submission. It pissed me off so much, I quit. That helped a lot!

I want to do 300-350 lph too!!! - sm

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How do you do it? Do you totally use expanders when transcribing? Please give some tips. Thanks!!!!!

This is the Perception - This is the Reality

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Perception is MQ is about keeping their MTs.
Reality is they are working fast and furious to do away with ALL MTs and perfecting the ASR.

Perception (read: hope) was that ASR would be replacing the MTs
Reality is ASR has proven to be a VERY EXPENSIVE tool for the MT, not at all what MQ intended.

Percpetion is MQ thinks it will stay ahead of the EPIC programs long enough to once again perfect VR and do away with all MTs
Reality is EMR will embrace EPIC like programs and all extraneous information that is part of the current medical report will be done away with in favor of cut and dried point and click methods and the burden will be put on the clinician.

Perception is economy sucks and I am just happy to have any job, including working for MQ as a poorly paid medical language expert.
Reality is the same.

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