ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Apr. 19 2011 - According to the Medical Group Management Association's latest Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2011 Report Based on 2010 Data, providers who indicated they received on call compensation were more likely to be compensated daily or annually, compared with previous years. Thirty-five percent of providers reported receiving on-call compensation daily (for the days they were on call) and 21 percent reported receiving an annual payment for on-call coverage in 2010. Invasive cardiologists reported the highest median daily rate of on-call compensation at $1,600 per day on call. General surgeons earned a median of $1,150 per day and urologists earned $520 per day for on-call coverage.
Practice type can affect a physician's on-call compensation. OB/GYN physicians in single-specialty practices received median compensation that was twice that received by their peers in multispecialty practices ($500 versus $250, respectively). Invasive cardiologists reported a 33 percent difference in median on-call compensation between single-specialty ($1,000 per day) and multispecialty groups ($750 per day).
Practice size also influenced compensation for on-call coverage. Anesthesiologists made $450 per day in groups with 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent (FTE) doctors, compared to $660 per day in groups with 26-75 FTE doctors. General surgeons in medical groups with 25 or fewer FTE doctors earned a median of $1,000 per day, and those in groups with 26-75 FTE physicians earned $1,475 per day.
"Despite the variability of on-call compensation based on location, specialty, group size and other factors, physicians now are more likely to be compensated for on-call coverage than in the past, and the amount is increasing year to year," said Jeffrey B. Milburn, MBA, CMPE, MGMA Health Care Consulting Group. "Physicians realize the value of their time and services and are negotiating compensation for on-call coverage."
Holiday and weekend on-call rates also varied by specialty. Almost all reporting physician specialties received higher holiday rates than weekend rates. Radiologists received $700 more for a holiday rate than a weekend rate. Orthopedists earned a median compensation of $1,025 for holidays. OB/GYN physicians reported a median on-call holiday rate of $125.
MGMA's Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2011 Report based on 2010 Data is the most robust and comprehensive report of its kind, containing data on 3,084 on-call providers in 264 medical organizations and 1,529 medical directorships in 255 medical organizations. New to the report this year are summary tables of medical directorship and on-call compensation data by specialty as well as percentage of internal and external directorships and corresponding compensation.
Editorial copies of the report are available to qualifying media. Contact Liz Boten, media relations representative, at [email protected] to request a printed copy of the survey. Click here to purchase a copy of the report.
About MGMA
MGMA is the premier membership association for professional administrators and leaders of medical group practices. Since 1926, MGMA has delivered networking, professional education and resources, and political advocacy for medical practice management. Today, MGMA serves 22,500 members who lead 13,600 organizations nationwide in which some 280,000 physicians provide more than 40 percent of the healthcare services delivered in the United States.
MGMA's mission is to continually improve the performance of medical group practice professionals and the organizations they represent. MGMA promotes the group practice model as the optimal framework for healthcare delivery, assisting group practices in providing efficient, safe, patient-focused and affordable care. MGMA is headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and maintains a government affairs office in Washington, D.C.