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

A suggestion for Nuance - just pay everyone 7 cents/line

Posted: Dec 29, 2014

You know that's your aim anyway. That way you can save money on all the middlemen and enforcers, i.e. you can stop making good QA/QC people into inquisitors.

If you want to offer a true bonus, just let everyone know they will make 7 c/l, THEN offer incentives, that way at least we know we can expect the base salary and the bonus will truly be a bonus, not a penalty.

There are a lot of companies that only pay that 7 cents per line, who have QA staff who are there to actually guide the MT and make sure the work complies with client wishes and the MTs are on the right track, and NOT their only function to penalize them financially. It has become so transparent now that these grievous errors we supposedly commit are only a means for you to reduce our pay, so get real.

Knowing we will get at least 7 cents and not having to worry about all the other garbage, not to mention the time and effort and humiliation of the ridiculous "errors" we are expected to go through and fight against, would be a start.

This business model is terrible for MTs (yeah, I know you don't care about us). Simplifying it would be much better for all concerned, but for that I guess you would have to be honest about your true intention, which is to pay the least acceptable amount, and of course you want the smoke and mirrors that make it seem like you are better. You are not. You are worse.

except they are NOT paying 7 cpl - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
The vast majority of the work anymore is VR. Then, the number of lines we edit is cut in half, and THAT is what they are paying 7 cpl for. I think people keep forgetting that part.

NUANCE DOES NOT PAY 7 CPL. THEY PAY 3.5 CPL FOR SPEECH EDITING.

That is also comparable to other places - it was 8 and 4 before I believe

[ In Reply To ..]
Yes, this is lower, but unless you have just now started doing VR you are used to that ratio.

Now obviously they have cut the lph rate, but rather than be honest and admit it they have try to obscure it with this ridiculous "Patient Safety Compensation" nonsense with all the buzz words, but absolutely no substance.

I don't know about you, but I am seeing some "errors" that have absolutely nothing to do with patient safety whatsoever, are NOT getting reversed despite being obviously the QA/QC's desperate attempts to meet their ridiculous quotas or whatever. I really don't care, but what is obvious is that it is totally made up garbage which does not affect patient safety in any way, shape or form.

Frankly, I just cannot be bothered with this FIESA rubbish anymore.

I can deal with 7 cents a line, BUT why the humiliation factor in between? Why do they HAVE to make us believe it's our fault when we get our pay cut?

IMHO just be honest and cut the pay and reduce the huge amount of QA necessary to be enforcers and instead pay them hourly and make QA what it used to be. Everyone will be happier.

No I was 9 and 4.6 before - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
It's a drastic cut in pay for me, no matter how you slice it. I am actively looking for a new job, and a new profession.

Let me guess, one of the - recently acquired?

[ In Reply To ..]
Yeah, we all have stories of how great it was before Nuance took us over. I think we are all looking for new jobs and new professions too.

Very difficult to find anything better out there, sadly, or even anything at all, but maybe there are some that don't play games with your mind, as far as MT is concerned. That is Nuance's trademark.

Good luck. Hope you are successful.

No, was acquired 3 years ago - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
They cut line rates back then, but I fought back and got a raise.

Now this. I'm not fighting this time; I'm getting out.

No, it was 0.0975 and 0.0625 - when we were respected

[ In Reply To ..]
and life was good. Now they hate us and have contempt for us.

Their clever, industry leading, cutting edge plan - they devised to cut pay without

[ In Reply To ..]
coming out and saying we're cutting your pay. Then they throw it under further cover of being a patient safety mechanism. I wonder how many of their customers know the US workers are expected to complete their work for barely minimum wage. That fact alone should anwswer any customer crappy quality concerns.

That is misleading. It's 7 cpl for HALF of your - lines produced.

[ In Reply To ..]
They figured out a way to calculate at a low (0.035 cpl) without putting that 0.035 in print.

2nd phase of new comp plan - Ms. Behavin

[ In Reply To ..]
DON'T FORGET about phase 2 which will be coming next. They will use the new document integrity percentage and patient safety percentage for a pay scale change. I would guess that if both are not at 100% you get 7 cents per line for the week.

Agree with you Ms Behavin.. the torture continues. nm - BubbleBurst

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

I sincerely hope none of us sticks around long - enough for them to implement that.

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Agreeance - mom22

[ In Reply To ..]
You stated, very well, what I have been thinking. I don't need some mathematical equation if the end result is the same. Just tell me what I'm going to make, and let it be done. I think a lot of the anxiety would disappear just with that alone. We may not think it was fair, but at the very least, we would be able to make some budgets within our household if we knew what we were going to get paid each week!

Great post!

I wonder sometimes if they hired a - psychologist to come up with this

[ In Reply To ..]
They know we, as women, blame ourselves for so much, so why not heap on the stress and blame and make US feel responsible for the fact that we earn a buttload less thanks to one stinking error that isn't even an error?!

So not only it is your fault you get hundreds of dollars less, let's keep you guessing what you're going to do wrong and keep pulling out the rug from under you, let's make achieving any sort of decent income a Sisyphean task and make sure we feel that it's all on us, not THEM, where the blame should squarely lay.

So disgusting. They know they have a workforce that is virtually captive and very hard to move even laterally lately. I send out resumes, hear nothing at all, they just get flooded all the time I imagine, and most are probably no better nor worse than Nuance, but I would settle for giving away the emotional blackmail they are perpetrating with the monstrosity that is FIESA.

I worked for a company that paid 7 cents a line, but guess what the QA people were actually helpful and when you got an email from them you didn't feel like killing them (because they weren't cutting your pay!), you actually learned something and made a note and probably didn't do it again.

Lately, the FIESA has been dastardly and desperate with the most ridiculous non-error errors, yet I get nothing reversed. Something's afoot, not good.

Except that 7 cents/line was too low years ago. - Now its even more of a pittance.

[ In Reply To ..]
Even 10 cpl wouldn't be enough to live on in 2015. But we can forget it; we're not gonna get 7 cpl, either. Not when the Indians are making far less than even that.

Maybe YOU want to work for 7 cpl.. - this is ridiculous.

[ In Reply To ..]
I started out 10 years ago as a green behind the ears newbie at 7 cpl and that was considered low, low then. I have been making 9 cpl for YEARS now. Then, wham, our baseline pay is 7 cpl (again). Talk about going backwards, AND I don't think the other shoe has dropped yet as some posters are hinting about here. There are more "phases" to their plan.

I believe we are shoring up the entire Nuance "family." The more money they can reap from us MTs, the better Nuance looks as a whole on the stock market as we are their most profitable division.

Yes, I agree, their true intention was actually stated by THEM. "Don't worry, we guarantee minimum wage!" (Of course you do...it is the law.) Their goal is both driving out USA MTs so they can justify sending work to India and the Philippines and keeping a few token minimum wage MTs here in the USA. That's the goal.

I hope there are still some companies out there that have values, that will NOT sell to Nuance, that will take care of their employees/ICs as best they can and not throw them to the wolves (That would be Nuance and the other big one.) I hope I can find one of them. I found one in the past and I found it on this board. I still can't believe how lucky I was.

Thank you MtStars for being here and providing this place for us to congregate and relate what is happening in our lives so that we do not feel so alone. The End.

Of course I don't want to work for 7 cpl - but I imagine I will be

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with all you say in your post, but having done all the right things and having been an exemplary MT, then getting knocked down for absolutely ridiculous errors (I cannot say because they will know who I am) at the last minute and no bonus for months, having that despair and feeling I have let down my family...

Well, I am just saying I am not going to blame it on myself anymore and do NOT think just because you are a great MT and do everything by the book YOU are going to be the one getting the bonus.

Believe me, they find a way to get you. I believe there must be targeting, direct or indirect, which of course should be illegal, but who has a lawyer to fight it?

All I'm saying is it would be more honest for them just to say they pay 7 cpl guaranteed and offer bonuses on top of that, but the way they do it just obscures the fact that that is probably what most will make, so it takes a while to figure out what you got and by then you are blaming yourself when you should NOT. The game is rigged.

I hope you do find another company, I am looking too. Good luck.

Similar Messages:

Apr 12, 2010

The MTSOs DO come this board --I was termiated today as an IC and employer mentioned piosts here -- I have NEVER posted company name on here and to those before -do not send a referance to RE: someone posted on your company -- I may have posted but made it VERY cllear, we are NOT hiiring for the future, read and learn ...

Nov 22, 2010

I want to make a suggestion to the MTs out there who are looking for work. Rather than possibly posting on the Jobs Wanted board, post your resume on the Resume Bank. I received a call a week ago Saturday from a company looking for MTs -- they have not posted openings here on MT Stars or on the other board, but they are looking. I know this because I spoke today with the person that hired me. He (as the company rep, mentioned that when he goes to the Resume Board), there ...

Jan 04, 2012

It would be great if we could post comments and get responses back via Instant Message. I just recently started using the word board, but I don't think that is available. If it is, please let me know. That would be wonderful!! ...

Apr 12, 2012

Anyone have a suggestion of a shortcut for L5-S1, L3-L4, C numbers and T numbers? Have a tough time typing letters and getting the hyphen in and I have to think too hard and get out of my rhythm trying to do these levels for some reason. I use autocorrect. Thanks ...

Jul 12, 2011

How about a new board for living frugally in these times? It seems like it would be very popular and helpful to all of us. ...

Jul 19, 2011

How about this? For holiday coverage, why not schedule 4-hour shifts instead of 8-hour shifts with hardly anything to do? For example, why not have some MTs commit to the following shifts: 7am-11am 11am-3pm 3pm-7pm 7pm-11pm 11pm-3am 3am-4am I think the MTs would like that idea. They could spend time with family/friends on the holidays without being on call and having to check their queue every 15 minutes or so for some work. They commit and work for 4 hours and are done. I've worked ...

Jan 08, 2013

Cheap, cheap, cheap. You should pay your peeps. You could tell the clients NTS cannot keep up with work because people are jumping ship like rats from a hot fire. Perhaps management (upper, way upper I mean) could explain instead of the TLs having to do it, that they needed so much money to take to the bank they had to cut the pay of all their employees, now they have green, not as speedy, uninitiated MTs doing the work. Most of the good ones have fled the scene. And here's another rant: ...

Apr 16, 2013

Everyone should make a habit of getting a letter of reference from CURRENT employers even before you are actually looking for another job. All you have to say is that you are updating your resume and want to be sure you have current letters of reference attached as well. It doesn't matter if you are working as an "employee", if they are happy with you and with your work, they should have no problem giving this to you. If you are an "IC", it should be even easier since you ...

Jun 20, 2013

This is how we got paid at a major department store when I was a hairdresser: Guaranteed minimum wage for hours worked. If our production exceeded minimum wage we were paid a percentage of that production on top of the minimum wage, usually 40%. I would love to have MTs guaranteed at least a minimum wage for hours worked (or waiting to work) and anything we produce that exceeds that wage should be paid at the customary cpl. This would encourage higher production, benefitting th ...

Mar 11, 2014

Some of you don't need me to tell you this, but others might benefit from this advice. Reading through the posts on this coding training, I am seeing some legitimate questions and concerns, but also some that are so off the wall that they are either the product of the world's worst paranoid or someone who is intentionally trying to discourage you. The content and tone is a lot like some of the negativity that gets posted on the coding board every time some one asks about coding ...

Jun 19, 2015

Hi, can anyone tell me if Autocorrect has a suggestion box that stays open while you type? I had been using Shorthand for 8 years and then just got a new job where they won't allow us to use anything but Autocorrect. It is their computer, a Thin Client, which does not allow you to upload anything. With Shorthand and Instant Text a suggestion box pops up showing you all the possible shortcuts and I can see in Autocorrect where you can type in your shortcut and the expansion that it repres ...

Sep 02, 2010

I have tried to explain to manager that the program is slow, and does not seem to ever correct a lot of "normal" dictation, so I have come here to ask a question of you. I feel that we are not getting enough keystroke count for these jobs. I have had lengthy jobs with small actual counts because of all the repairing (MEing), and pickiing up of nearby conversations, using markers judiciously as requested. None of these markers are included in the count that I can see, but they a ...

Sep 07, 2010

Am I doing something wrong? Are you supposed to edit the list before or after CTRL-Shift L. I end up having to capitalize all the first letters after I hit enter and it just seems more time consuming. Also, did anyone notice if you highlight text and hit space bar there is no skip marker- SHH!! ...

Apr 10, 2013

I want to extend a great big THANK YOU to everybody who has posted on this board, both good and bad. I never took the negativity personally or to heart. In fact, I considered it a lesson that I needed to learn with respect to the way this industry has deteriorated. That coupled with my sciatica (only when sitting) convinced me that it was time to move on once and for all, which I have. I would like to see others in this industry do the same. The biggest problem for me was findin ...

Jun 14, 2013

Won't mention any particular company here, but I am compelled to comment on the quality of the software. I have never worked with anything this complicated in my entire MT career (25+ years). Demographics are a nightmare. Database for CCs is......I don't have words to adequately describe the mess. If I enter information into the *fields* too quickly, the system locks up. If I enter more than one search option, the system locks up. If I use SH, Ex-Text or other ex ...

Jul 31, 2013

Keep track of every job you send to QA with blanks or other. Compare job numbers to those jobs that come back with major errors. Want to bet that most of those jobs we have a hard time with are the very same jobs that we are getting marked down for? Most likely the very blank or the very problem we had is what the major error is for. ...

May 03, 2015

Time clock will be changed to show 5-minute increments. ...

Jun 01, 2015

A forum to support and assist people who are seeking to leave medical transcription. Call it "The Exit Ramp". ...

Apr 29, 2010

Can anyone make a good suggestion for a great set of headphones? Could you please tell me what kind you like and why you like them? Many thanks in advance. ...

Jun 11, 2010

Can someone please recommend a good word expander program? I am looking for something that is compatible with XP, Vista and Windows 7. Thank you! ...

Jan 02, 2011

It's very simple and I am very serious: 1. If you are unhappy with how the MT career is changing, unhappy with the new pay (it won't go back up, folks, only down further), unhappy with changes in technolog, etc.: Do something THIS YEAR to get out of MT work completely. Don't feel you can venture too far from it? Do something like coding/billing. Want to stay in the medical world? How about LPN or RN? Dental Hygienist? HR speci ...

May 14, 2011

I'm not sure where to post this... The resume bank is a great resource, but I wish it was a little more flexible. For example, the section where you describe what kind of work you're looking for is restricted to choices on the drop-down menu. Some of us wear different hats and are looking for IC work if we can get it and/or an employee position if it's a good one. So multiple choices or even free text might be more suitable. Just a thought. Thanks! ...

Feb 02, 2012

Give the new owner a chance..BUT make up an email address that they cant trace to you and start flooding him with emails of complaint... ...

Aug 10, 2012

I've noticed that we need some sort of standard reference or metric to use when we talk about income-related issues, and this metric should not merely reference dollars (or cents), but should relate this to <i>a unit of time</i>. At the end of the day, it's how much you earned per unit of time that really matters, and this the only sort of metric that takes into account all of the variables that a mere monetary reference such as "line rate" does not. The line rate pa ...

Nov 12, 2013

Here's one that I wish someone had recommended to me back when I was pursuing my bachelor's degree: Take ROTC. Seriously. When you graduate with that experience on your resume, prepared to be a military officer, you won't regret it. Here's another one I wish I had considered when I was younger, which may still be available to me even at my age: Library Science. sounds boring right? When I was in school I'm sure I thought, "I don ...

Mar 06, 2014

My son is attending massage therapy training and will be done the end of June. He will be making more money than I will be once working. It only took a year. He is going for another year to earn an AA, but will start working and go to school at night. It's kind of expensive, but I think it would be a rewarding career. There is an extensive anatomy course that we MTs would breeze through, so I thought I would pass this suggestion on. I realize some of you are in remote areas and thi ...

Apr 11, 2015

in a new set of earphones and speakers. How about just addressing the problem with the client!! ...

Dec 12, 2011

According to a poster below which has apparently already attended one of the payroll meetings (as the poster posted) for nuance they have decided to keep the incentive part of all of our pay going with an exception that now you have to have over the industry standard of 98% to get a production based incentive. In addition (if this poster is accurate) they have again cut the overall pay from 8 and 4 to 3 3/4 AND 7 1/2. This is nothing but a bunch of crapploa...an MT who is now getting ...

Mar 09, 2012

that fall during the shift. For example, if half of your hours fall in 3rd shift and half fall in 1st shift, do the 3rd shift hours pay more cpl? Or, do all hours have to fall within the shift to qualify? Thanks, Yet another sad Transcend employee... ...

May 01, 2012

I thought they were 2 different services. Everyone is buying out everyone, so who knows. All the small companies have been merged I guess. I thought Nuance was out of New York and were the primary with VR. Maybe one has to keep up with the changes and be a member and pay the dues and go to the meetings with AAMT and be a CMT to keep up with the changes, even though you still get 4 cents. ...