Dozens gathered at the U.S. Steel Tower earlier today to condemn UPMC for outsourcing its medical transcription jobs. This month, the displaced workers, now employed by Massachusetts-based Nuance, received their first paychecks, which were greatly reduced by as much as 60 percent from their take home pay at UPMC.
“What UPMC has done to these transcriptionists is wrong,” said Pastor Eric McIntosh from St. James Episcopal Church in Penn Hills.
The former UPMC transcriptionists were notified in May that their jobs would be moved to Nuance. While many were able to keep their jobs by switching to the new company, their pay was changed from hourly, to a rate based on how much work they complete. Ironically, they also lost their UPMC health insurance and say they are paying higher premiums and deductibles with their new insurance plan under Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
In addition to decreased wages, the transcriptionists at the rally complained of increased stress.
“We have lost our security and most of all, we have lost respect for UPMC,” said transcriptionist Veronica Smith.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2013.
I am one of the casualties of outsourcing and offshoring, which has slaughtered the transcription industry. As much as I enjoyed transcription, I decided to move into other areas of health care. It has been a bumpy ride and I haven’t found my new niche yet, but I will keep looking rather than work for Nuance or any of the other companies that have ruined a once-fine profession.
I worked at upmc transcription from 1990 to 2010. I worked at passavant, st margaret, st. Clair, and presby. For the last 10 years working there WE WERE WARNED ABOUT POSSIBLE OUTSOURCING. We would talk about it in meetings and administration would always say “there is nothing happening in the near future that I am aware of but it is always a possibility”. For the women confused and shocked when it finally happened I literally don’t understand why they were in such denial. Transcription is a dying profession because technology caught up to it. The outsourcing won’t even last that long because the next move is voice recognition which eliminates transcription altogether! We are as useful as a watch now.