Hospitals Pursuing New Strategies for Physician Call Pay

Because on-call coverage payments for emergency department and trauma programs have increased significantly in the past five to seven years, hospitals are looking at alternative strategies to ensure on-call coverage while controlling high physician on-call compensation levels, according to a recent report from Integrated Healthcare Strategies.

Some of those strategies include employment of specialists with a minimum expectation of uncompensated call coverage built into the employment model. Mary Heymans, RN, senior vice president of physician services at IHS, also wrote that because call compensation for physicians is under increasing regulatory scrutiny, hospitals must create call coverage plans that are consistent with fair market value.

To establish fair market value for call coverage, hospitals must consider several factors, including type of call, payor mix, frequency of call, tertiary care status, average case acuity and more.

Related Articles on Physician Call Pay:

University Medical Center of El Paso Physician Earned More Than $1M in 2009, Worked 109 Hours Per Week

7 Ways Hospitals Can Trim Their Labor and Operational Costs

Where are Physician Salaries Heading? 5 Current Trends

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars