Nearly two-thirds of physicians receive additional pay for providing emergency department on-call services in the hospital, a survey from the Medical Group Management Association shows.
The survey of more than 2,500 physicians in group and solo practices and other health care providers found that 38% of respondents did not receive additional compensation for on-call coverage, while 62% received some type of added payment. Of those who received additional payment, the most common method of payment was a daily stipend.
But the survey's findings prompted a skeptical response from some emergency medicine experts.
This is the first year that the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has surveyed physicians and other health care providers about on-call compensation levels.
“Historically, on-call duties have been sporadically compensated by hospitals. However, we're seeing more hospitals compensating physicians, and we're seeing hospitals paying more,” Jeffrey Milburn, a consultant with the MGMA Health Care Consulting Group, said in a statement.
For those who get paid for on-call coverage, more than two-thirds were paid only by the hospital. About 16% received added pay from their medical group only, and another 16% received some type of added pay from both the hospital and the medical group.
Neurological surgeons had the highest median daily rate for providing on-call coverage, about $2,000 a day. Near the top of the pay scale were neurologists ($1,500), cardiovascular surgeons ($1,600), internists ($1,050), and anesthesiologists ($800).
Among the specialists earning lower median daily rates for on-call compensation were psychiatry ($500), general surgery ($500) gastroenterology ($500), ophthalmology ($300), and family medicine without obstetrics ($300), according to the MGMA survey data.
The survey also found that for most specialties, physicians working in multispecialty group practices received higher on-call compensation than did those in single-specialty practices.
Regional pay variations also were seen. For example, orthopedic specialists received higher compensation in the East, while general surgeons were paid at a higher rate in the Midwest than in other areas of the country.
The task force recommended the adoption of a compensation model for physicians who provide on-call coverage in the emergency department. It also supported various ways that hospitals in the same region could work together to provide on-call coverage.