Daily pay for on-call coverage increases

Thirty-five percent of physicians reported receiving on-call compensation daily (for the days they were on call), and 21% reported receiving an annual payment for on-call coverage in 2010, according to the results of a survey by the Medical Group Management Association.

According to the organization's "Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2011 Report Based on 2010 Data," invasive cardiologists reported the highest median daily rate of on-call compensation, at $1,600 per day on call, whereas family physician with obstetrics received a median rate of $100. Internal medicine physicians received a median daily rate of $1,000. General surgeons earned a median of $1,150 per day and urologists earned $520 per day for on-call coverage. Physicians who indicated they received on-call compensation were more likely to be compensated daily or annually, compared with previous years.

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% difference in median on-call compensation between single-specialty ($1,000 per day) and multispecialty groups ($750 per day).