Nearly half of physicians paid for on-call coverage

More than 43 percent of primary care providers received some form of additional compensation for on-call coverage, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).

The daily rate of on-call physician compensation varied greatly among specialties. Family practitioners with and without ob/gyn earned $110 and $100, respectively, per day and neurological surgeons earned $1,671 daily, according to the "Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2010 Report Based on 2009 Data."

Ophthalmologists earned $500 in additional compensation per day while general surgeons earned $905 and urologists earned $283. On-call compensation rates differed on holidays and weekends. The holiday rate for general surgeons was $3,000, and family practitioners received $588 per day.

Most MGMA survey respondents received additional compensation in the form of a daily or annual stipend.