More than 43 percent of primary care providers received some form of additional compensation for on-call coverage, according to the Medical Group Management Association.
MGMA’s “Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2010 Report Based on 2009 Data” shows that almost half (49.43 percent) of non-surgical specialists reported no additional compensation for on-call coverage, while 72.46 percent of surgery specialists received additional compensation for their on-call services.
The daily rate of on-call physician compensation varied greatly among specialties, but most survey respondents received additional compensation in the form of a daily or annual stipend.
Family practitioners with and without OB/GYN earn $110 and $100 per day, respectively, while neurological surgeons earn $1,671 daily. Ophthalmologists earn $500 in additional compensation per day, while general surgeons earn $905 and urologists earn $283. On-call compensation rates differed on holidays and weekends.
The holiday rate for general surgeons is $3,000, and family practitioners receive $588 per day.
“For many privately owned physician practices, the trend toward payment for on-call coverage is a positive one,” said Kenneth T. Hertz, a principal with the MGMA HealthCare Consulting Group. "Hospitals are faced with staff issues regarding who should receive pay and why, and are frequently called upon to develop justifiable rationale to support their decisions.”
At the same time, he said, as the trend toward physician employment within integrated systems increases, the separate on-call payment disappears from the formula and, instead, is integrated in the overall compensation package.
On-call providers reported 971 hours worked per year for their annual stipend, 720 hours worked per month for their monthly stipend and 20 hours worked per week for their weekly stipend. Those who were paid on a daily rate were expected to be on call for a full 24 hours.