Being on-call for a hospital is one way for your physicians to make an extra buck, especially because most hospitals offer a cash bonus on top of services done.
More than half of primary care physicians get paid an extra bonus for being on-call, according to a just-released survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
Related: Check out our detailed Part B News story on how to bill for various coverage arrangements when staff doctors are away.
Just over 56% of primary care doctors surveyed by the MGMA report getting some type of additional cash compensation for taking on-call duties, whether for a few hours at a time or for entire 24-hour periods. About 73% of surgical specialists were paid extra.
However: The size of the extra cash payment is decided mostly by specialty, the MGMA survey found.
Here's a brief summary of the cash amounts uncovered (all are per-day amounts):
- Family practitioners with OB/GYN: $110
- Family practitioners without OB/GYN: $100
- Neurological surgeons: $1,671
- Ophthalmologists: $500
- General surgeons: $905
- Urologists: $283
Holiday rates were much higher, with family practitioners getting $588 and general surgeons getting $3,000 for a full holiday on-call. Check out the MGMA's press release on its survey here.