Specialty with the Highest On-Call Compensation Rate

The median daily compensation for on-call coverage varies greatly among physicians, according to the results of a recent survey from the Medical Group Management Association.

The physicians who responded to MGMA’s Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2013 Report Based on 2012 Data reported between $75 and as much as $2,400 for the median daily compensation for days on call.

More than a third of responding physicians receive on-call compensation as a daily stipend, while 12% reported an annual stipend and 7% reported an hourly stipend.

“The number of organizations paying for call in some form or another appears to be increasing as new physicians enter the workforce,” Jeffrey B. Milburn, MBA, CMPE, MGMA Health Care Consulting Group, said in a statement. “Call compensation may address multiple variables, and methodologies can range from being a fairly simple hourly rate or annual stipend to a more complex arrangement addressing time and additional subsidies for uninsured patients, retention of professional fees, and restricted or unrestricted call coverage.”

The top spot goes to anesthesiologists, who reported a median daily on-call compensation for days on call of $2,400 when they responded to the MGMA survey. However, primary care physicians reported a median daily rate of $150 for days on call. Physicians in surgical specialties reported $1,000 in median daily on-call compensation.

Other specialty highlights:

• Neurologists reported a median daily rate of $600 for days on call

• Cardiologists reported a median daily rate of $400 for days on call

• Gastroenterologists reported a median daily rate of $512 for days on call

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Does the median daily on-call compensation reported by MGMA's respondents match with what you've experienced? Let us know in the comments.