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

We should make India do all the transcription - see how that works for ya,India. - ceci

Posted: Nov 06, 2010

Everybody leave Medquist....go get other work -- working at McDonald's pays more and has better

benefits - at least you get to eat.

And see how well India does all the transcription -- they can't do it -- we do the hard work and they get the

cream. We are sitting her dying with their bad machines and bad dictators.

Let them have it -- they will corode.

Lots of sloppy work coming from the good ol USA - Tired and beat

[ In Reply To ..]
I am frequently appalled when calling up previously-typed reports on my account. Trust me, it ain't just India that's producing sub-par work. I can hardly believe the spelling, grammar, and horrible errors in medical terminology I find on reports typed by native-English-speaking so-called medical transcriptionists. This industry is rapidly going down the tubes, but it isn't just because of offshoring. Maybe there are too many fly-by-night on-line schools churning out too many unqualified graduates. Typing a well-turned-out report used to be a source of pride for the average MT. Those days are over.

Paid well - n/a

[ In Reply To ..]
I do not know about you, but I used to get paid well (around 25 dollars an hour), now lucky if I make 10!!!! I used to take pride in a well established report, now I need to rush through and might miss something (especially with ELS doctor that I am not familiar with) just to make a decent wage. The old saying "You get what you pay for" always rings true!!!

get what you pay for - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
It is my opinion that if somebody is not willing to take the time to make sure reports are correct, they should not be in this business, even though pay is going down. Pay is going down in all professions. There have been ESL doctors for a long time, that is just part of our profession. I also get frustrated with difficult dictation, but if I was going to lower my quality because of this, I would get out of transcription. Quality is of utmost importance when typing patient reports. If I get an awful ASR report, I hit F11 and type the thing myself. I take the time to look up unfamiliar terms and make sure they are correct. That is just part of the job. If I am not sure of what a doctor is saying, I leave a blank. I do not send to QA anymore and will send the blanks to the doctors. At least with a blank, I am not putting something in there that may be incorrect. I do understand how you feel, but making reports that are not the best quality possible is not helping anybody. The patient's life could be in danger. If you believe that you get what you pay for, please move on to another field, so that we that do care can do the work correctly to make sure patient's lives are not in danger!

Agree w/you 100% - PB&JQueen

[ In Reply To ..]
You really said it all. Take your time with each report, think of each report as artwork that you are creating. Take pride in each report you type. Maybe it won't pay off in the short run, but it will pay off eventually. Yes, it is heartbreaking that we now can barely feed our families, but if you are not prepared to do the job right, its time to move on.

Don't Quite Agree - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
Pay is not going down in all professions, and that statement is an unsubstantiated generalization. Pay is going down in our field because of technology and ILP. You shouldn't expect people to be as meticulous for half the pay. While I agree that the patient is of utmost importance, MQ might consider proving that themselves by improving our pay and eliminating the ridiculous "First Time Right," thereby removing anger and fear from the MTs who have been loyal worker bees. Some of us actually do this to provide for our families, not as a hobby.

First Time Right - PB&JQueen

[ In Reply To ..]
I think First Time Right is the only thing they have done that makes sense in a long time. When they made any MT (regardless of training) a "QA expert" that took a lot of time away from typing/line count just to constantly prove them wrong on the majority of their senseless and incorrect "corrections." I don't mind spending probably way to much time looking up and confirming unfamiliar words because I am learning something -- at least now I don't have to look up both QA's and mine to confirm it before adding it to my expansions. As to the newbies who don't know any better and the MT's who don't care anymore (and I understand and sympathize while not agreeing with them), we need more QA assistance other than 1 overworked person who can't keep up.

FTR - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't believe it will ever make sense to force an MT to send a document with excessive blanks to the customer under the threat of a cut in pay if the MT chooses to send it to QA, or to have an MT, experienced, inexperienced or otherwise, send it to the customer with wild guesses. I am in QA and have seen dangerous and scary guesses at medications, diagnoses, etc., because the MT did not want to send to QA. I've also seen documents that are almost completely QA markers because of the same. I agree not everyone can be a QA, but I know that the MT can easily contact their CCM if they feel a blank or correction is incorrect.

Respectfully disagree - PB&JQueen

[ In Reply To ..]
I strongly disagree with your last line "that the MT can easily contact their CCM if they feel a blank or correction is incorrect." I saw below there was one (1) MT that actually gets to speak with her QA lead and/or CCM. I believe a lot of us do not have that luxury. I ask questions all the time and am ignored 98% of the time. If not ignored, get labelled as a troublemaker and get audited. It is a very scary place to work. QA before First Time Right made it that much harder and honestly the untrained QA does not have helpful or correct feedback, mostly just "opinions" that can be easily challenged via AAMT Book of Style, etc. All I have is my integrity and willingness to try my hardest and that is what I will do until they slam the door in my face.

scary mistakes - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I have seen them too being a QA. The powers that be have painted the MTs in a nice little corner. Either they don't know what they are doing, or know (meaning trying to get rid of the US MTs). Nobody can send a perfect report time after time, this is what a second ear is for!!!

DON'T QUITE AGREE - Nature

[ In Reply To ..]
I think that no matter what job you are doing, especially if you are getting paid for it, you should do your best. As a MT, I try to do my best no matter what. If it were my H&P, OP, Echo, or whatever, I would hope someone is trying to type the report as near perfect as they are able.

DQA - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
Well again, as QA, it's wonderful that you have that type of integrity but, as I said in the other post, many do not, so I do not believe MQ's system of underpaying, overworking and reckless attitude with regard to documents is a good idea, overall. From what I've seen, most MTs do not much care, and most don't want their income to shrink anymore by taking extra time to be sure their document is A+.

don't agree - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
You must live in a different world than I do. I see pay going down, people losing benefits, taking pay cuts and making concessions to keep their jobs or get laid off. In my area, we have lost police and firefighters because they weren't willing to take pay cuts and so people were laid off. People are having to pay more for health care, which is a pay cut, in order to keep their jobs. We, the transcriptionists, have not been singled out.

As far as first time right, If I can't figure it out, I send it on to the client with blanks. Refuse to lose pay for something that is not my fault. If you send it to them and lose pay, that is your fault. I research, as I always have, and if I can't get it or understand, on it goes with blanks. I don't have accounts that require only so many blanks, and if I did, I would still send it with no matter how many blanks there is and perhaps the doctor will speak more clearly next time. If I got chewed out for doing this, I would tell them tough! Either have the doctors speak more clearly or don't dock my pay because I can't understand them. If you choose to accept that, that is not my problem, I won't accept that.

By the way, my job is not a hobby, I also have a family to provide for. I also know I am doing the best job I can and if something is out of my control, I won't be punished for it. I also know times are tough and people are out of jobs and losing their homes and I am greatful to have a job and do the best I can in order to keep my job. You can keep the attitude you get what you pay for and see how long you keep your job. Employers do not owe us jobs, we have to do our job right to keep them. Keep giving them what they pay for and see how long you keep your job. I might have to put up with more in order to keep my job, but I know I am not singled out and that is just what is going on in the world now days, but I need what job I have and also have pride in doing my job right, so I will continue doing that. Good luck to you.

Free To Be U - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm going to end my role in this conversation with this: What you say about employment is somewhat true but, again, this is not across the board. Jobs and pay have not decreased in all sectors. For instance, in my community, a teacher or nurse would have no problem finding a job and being paid well. My friend, who is a real estate agent, however, is having a problem. There is no massive, staggering unemployment and across the board pay cuts. Transcriptionists are, in a way, singled out, as are customer service reps, as well as many factory workers, because corporations are greedy. Our jobs are going to India, the Philippines, and who knows where else. Also, technology is replacing the MT, slowly but surely. The idea would be to be flexible and move on to something more lucrative. Also, you can certainly tell your CCM "tough" if they don't like the number of blanks you send, but that doesn't mean you won't be either performance managed or docked. You can also say if something is out of your control you won't be punished for it, but that doesn't mean what you are saying is true. I have worked for MQ for 15 years, and have kept my job for 15 years with my attitude, though I will likely be leaving soon because I do believe in quality and I don't think the MTs who keep the company going should be treated this way. I do have another job, so my 'tude will stay intact.

not a hobby - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Well said and I agree. We have to put food on the table. When they chop our pay like this, it becomes about survival first. Yes, I care about a quality report, but I also care about paying the mortgage and eating.

Just hope you are not rushing through and endangering - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
the patient because you missed something or didn't question something that could be vital.

just hope you are not rushing through and endangering.. - zoesnana

[ In Reply To ..]
I too agree with the admonition about not "rushing through" a report. I transcribe Pathology reports and have done so for over 25 years, and believe me, there is no second guessing ANYTHING that is dictated. If there is something that I have a question about (I work in a hospital in NorthernCal), I will not hesitate to call either the pathology technician or pathologist to ask. Just because I have many years experience, I understand and keep in mind that every now and then something comes across in the dictation I receive that may not sound correct. When in doubt- ask someone for help - it can make a great difference in the life of a patient who is depending on all of us working together in a competent manner. I, as well as many of us here take pride in a job well done.

I hate to say it but I agree with you - Appalled

[ In Reply To ..]
Maybe we work at the same place, lol! I understand my MTSO did go on a mass auditing and apparently terminated a few MTs that were shipping substandard work through without properly editing it. Sometimes I just sit at my computer and shake my head in amazement at what I've seen that's gone through to the client. Absolutely mortifying.

*I edited this to add that not only are these MTs sending through shoddy work, they're also jeopardizing the account for ALL of us diligently working on the account and sending through quality reports, even if it does cost us a few cents at the end of the day to take that extra step to clean everything up. It's like they don't realize that if the client gets tired of receiving error-filled reports that they can simply go elsewhere, leaving all of on the account possibly unemployed. So, a little advice to anyone just uploading reports without properly editing them...Is it worth it to make those few extra cents a report when you're jeopardizing the ENTIRE ACCOUNT? It's tantamount to shooting oneself in the foot in the long haul.*

In these days where everyone seems to be scrambling to make their line count so they can hopefully pay their bills, I'm afraid even "seasoned" MTs are simply blazing through reports at top listening speed and throwing caution to the wind.

Yep, absolutely mortifying.

That's what happens when you refuse to pay for - experience. The experienced MTs - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
are taking their talent and expertise to other professions. If you turn a profession into a "You, too can work at home in as little as 6 weeks!", "matchbook cover" SCAM-job, with bottom-of-the-barrel pay, then the quality of the work your company produces is going to reflect that. Sadly, most large MTSOs have been reflecting that for quite some time. I just read on the Company board that a company called Acusis is in the process of losing its largest and oldest client. I'd be willing to bet it can all be traced directly back to low-paid MTs. Low pay attracts zero talent.

Not A Problem - Wendi970

[ In Reply To ..]
CBaySystems (India) Pvt Ltd, with its headquarters in Mumbai, is Indiaâ��s largest provider of medical transcription services employing over 5,500 employees in its captive and franchisee centres in India and one each in Bhutan and Oman. It is also on a drive to increase its employee strength considerably, in anticipation of shift in job works, post-acquisition of MedQuist.

For more interesting information, how's this: â��Our optimism is based on the feeling that a big chunk of business was waiting to be moved to India from the US, which is the biggest source for the Indian MT industry,â�� said Mr Raghu Vasu, CEO of the company.

Unlike the BPO/ITES segment, where accent barriers and time differential for working are demanding, the MT sector does not require high English language skills and the outsourced work time coincides with the day in India. This provides opportunities for housewives, graduates etc to take up jobs.

CKar Systems, a 100 per cent subsidiary of CBay Systems, US, the worldâ��s largest medical transcription company, is also on the expansion mode.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/01/02/stories/2009010250790300.htm

Taken from: http://loyalcareers.blogspot.com/2009/01/job-opportunities-galore-in-medical.html

And my favorite:

Bottom line is no excuse for shoddy work period - My pay has gone down too

[ In Reply To ..]
Definitely people should be just as meticulous for half the pay. It's a shame that our pay has gone down, but that is no excuse for shoddy work. NO EXCUSE. Get into a different profession.

Re: Bottom line is no excuse.... - earlymusicus

[ In Reply To ..]
Too bad corporations don't follow that philosophy. How many bad CEOs, who ran corporations into bankruptcy, walked out the door with several million dollars in severance pay and bonuses? Why shouldn't THEY have to "be just as meticulous for half the pay"? Or try asking a doctor to "be just as meticulous for half the pay."

This is why I refuse to do QA or VR, which simply - enables India to steal our jobs. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Similar Messages:

Nov 19, 2014

Has anyone looked to see what the pay range of MTs is in India? From what I have found, the range is Rs 74,091 to Rs 355,494. They can make up to Rs 48,380 in bonus and another Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,057 in profit sharing. That totals Rs 77,036 to Rs 362,221. Making the conversion at 0.016 USD, they are making 1,245.63 to 5,856.92 USD. Considering that the annual median per capita income in India in 2013 was $616, in what country is the more impoverished MT living? ...

Sep 28, 2010

Just got a phone call from heavily accented gentleman who called and said he had a business proposition for me from India. He knew my name, so I am assuming he got it from my resume. Anybody else ever gotten these calls? Just found it odd. ...

Jan 29, 2013

Wouldn't it be great if we got our jobs back?? Hey, I can dream.... ...

Dec 02, 2009

Not trying to be ignorant of things, but I read A LOT of reference to ESL dictators and work going to India. What are ESL dictators exactly? I am asking because I've worked for this company only for a short time, but I don't have any dictators that are ESL (I am assuming English second language speakers correct)? other than what is normal for my region AND I also have not lost any work to India. I am concerned though as it seems to be a trend. I rarely run ...

Aug 16, 2010

Concerning Global Info Systems. Someone said they outsource or are owned by Indians. Well, they say they just got a contract with US government (Department of Defense). A 5-year contract. Will they outsource that? OUR SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE MEETS DOD STANDARDS Out of only four businesses in the entire nation Global Info Systems won a contract with the government (Department of Defense) to work with their facilities in transcription. To qualify Global Info Systems had to pass all st ...

Sep 24, 2010

Why are these Indians taking over our jobs? Why are companies being bought out? Who is getting the money when these companies are bought? The government is cracking down on illegal Mexicans being in US - so why are they not cracking down on Indians. Are Indians legal here? ...

Sep 22, 2011

Was just curious really about how much MTs in India make. No wonder so much work is going over there. They can make around 5000 rupees a month, which is about $125 in U.S. dollar a month, plus line count bonuses. It makes me so angry that MQ is playing a part of the downfall of our economy by offshoring, instead of trying to help our country out by keeping work here. Wonder how much the unemployment rate would drop if every MTSO in this country stopped offshorin ...

Jan 15, 2013

India is doing our QA now!!??? I don't think so. Just argued one already where she "thought" he/she heard something different and then marked me for a MAJOR deduction. Arghghghghgh!!!! ...

Feb 19, 2013

My employer won't admit it but all of this month the work on my account will go from 50-75 reports well within TAT to suddenly nothing and this happens between 9-9:15 p.m. Typically that volume of report would last me and the others on the account until 11 p.m. or midnight. Ironically I note that 9 p.m. in the US is equal to 9 a.m. in India. Why don't they just admit they're giving work to India and stealing it from us, leaving those of us scheduled to work until ...

May 22, 2013

For the last two nights I have been editing almost all reports from MTs in India. The reports go through 2 MMEs in India and then come to me. It is amazing since they are supposed to be so "good" at what they do, that just about all of the reports come through with errors in them that were not picked up by MMEs in India. Just a thought. ...

Jun 18, 2013

I wonder how much editing the MTEs from India are actually doing. In the report was typed Cranberry Whistle as a medication when it was actually cranberry, Vistaril 25 p.o. q.4-6 h. p.r.n. in a medication list. Since the MTs from India are supposed to be much smarter than US MTs and this report went through 2 levels of editing in India, wonder how much they actually look at the report or do Google searches. Never heard of Cranberry Whistle as a medicatin. Brother. G ...

Mar 14, 2015

If the economy ever gets better, most of us will leave for jobs that pay better. Once they don't have enough of us, they'll simply send the work to India rather than pay us more. They will continue to insist on paying low wages. I think they saw an opening when the economy tanked with too many people, including us, looking for a job -- ANY job and took advantage of the economy by transforming this job into a minimum-wage job. Then they could tell the hospitals how cheap they could ...

Dec 02, 2009

I forgot to ask this question in my last post: Assuming that most of us are getting 8-10 cpl, what are the Indian and Phillipino MTs getting? Half? Less than half? Also, assuming that the need for MTs will continue somewhat - how long do you all think it will be before all the remaining MTSOs will outsource to India and the Phillipines - for nothing else, but to reduce their MT overhead?? Now I'm really depressed, and I have to start work. Thanks everyone. ...

May 27, 2010

What is the attraction about India, that so much of the transcription is being sent there? It seems to me that someone for whom English is a second language would not do very well in transcribing reports from the U.S. I would expect that a lot of those reports would have be heavily eited or completely re-done. So why offshore it in the first place? Am I missing some information here? It can't be all about salary, because from the postings here, it doesn't seem like transcriptionists i ...

Jun 13, 2010

As compared to the total medical transcription work of US, the portion of MT work outsourced for India is very less it seems. Some are blaming offshoring of MT work to India as a cause of cheaper pay rates for US MTs. But the fact is different. Now a days MT companies in US are switching to voice recognition method of their MT work which requires only editors and proofers and not MTs. Hence MTs are eliminated from the scenario. The voice recognition software is doin ...

Jun 15, 2010

On numerous occasions over the past year I was told by my CCM that the reason they are outsourcing to India is because there is a shortage of qualified MTs because the average age of an MT is 55 and they are starting to retired. Like the infamous ***** and is ridiculous claim about 650 lph on ASR, that MTs have an IQ of about 6. ***** Do not name/identify individuals. Moderator ***** ...

Jul 24, 2010

Good morning, In your browser type in india.com and you will get "The Economic Times", one of India's newspapers. Interesting. What is even more interesting is to put in CBay up in the search bar (top right side) and watch what comes up. More information on CBay, but from India's newspaper perspective. Interesting to say the least. Always good to get an objective opinion!! ...

Aug 03, 2010

Here's a link to holidays in India. My opinion? Don't work on these days. It's the closest thing you can get to a strike. Could be interesting. http://www.travelindia-guide.com/holiday_calendar.aspx ...

Nov 20, 2010

My husband is in the stock market and has been checking up and reading things about MedQuist. MedQuist is now in a transition of sending more to India than ever before. According to the CEO and COO, they are looking to increase their volume of 15% of MQ total work to 45% in the next 6 months. The purchase of Spheris was a smokescreen. The contract with Spheris was that they could come in and set up shop with their own people and move the MQ folks out. Which is ...

Mar 04, 2011

I didn't know atleast was a word. I love the 100% HIPPA complaint processes. You've got to love it!!! See site for more errors. Medical Billing and Coding Services Outsource2india has over 7 years of experience in providing efficient medical billing services to Physician Practices, Hospitals, and Medical Billing companies. We understand the importance of accurately and quickly processing your claims so that it will help you to maximize your revenue and im ...

Sep 09, 2011

I have been waiting for hours, no work today, nothing. This is per usual anymore. My last several accounts went overseas, it would not have hurt the MTSO I work for to have kept me on any of the accounts anyway and they won't give me a secondary so that when the work does come in they can keep a tight TAT. I've been looking for other opportunities, but just can't seem to find anything. I don't have a car so have no transportation to even try find ...

Sep 13, 2011

n/m ...

Mar 27, 2012

In reviewing an e-mail to the worldwide team yesterday, they were asked why they were not responding to stat requests. They responded it would be taken care of, and signed off, "Cheers, and let us chill." REALLY????? ...

Jun 19, 2012

Has anyone ever heard of MT Group India ? I was contacted by them and I was wondering if this was a legit company. ...

Jul 16, 2012

I checked out the NTS India website and was very interested about the pay they quote for an independent contractor. The values are in paise, which convert to 100 in a rupee. A rupee is 0.02 US dollars. For transcribing 30,000 to infinity lines on the day shift one would be paid 200 paise or 2 rupees, which would be 0.04 cents per line US. For speech 30,000 to infinity lines one would be paid 100 paise or 1 rupee, which would be 0.02 cents per line. These are the rates for >=99%, which I am as ...

Oct 14, 2012

CNBC India report on MT industry. ...

Nov 06, 2012

I called support, and now it says you can be transferred to an International. Well, guess what I got..... I was on hold several times, because he had to look up my "file." In the end he was not able to help me. Told me to call my TSM. Then I looked at the confirmation email they send out with the summary fo the "incident" and the grammar is horrific. What happens if you work night shift, you know you will get International, because their afternoon is our night. Tha ...

Dec 05, 2012

I was reading through "Why work for M*Modal India." Did anyone read about their medical insurance coverage for employees? ...

Dec 11, 2012

I would highly recommend the medical transcription community, as well as the physicians of the United States stay away from this company. I will not post any further info here. If you have a complaint against these people, PM me privately. ...

Dec 19, 2012

I know some of my account has gone to India, but I still get plenty of it. Have some accounts gone 100% to India now? ...