On-call comp: Interventional cards fare best

Invasive-interventional cardiologists earn more in median compensation per holiday, weekend and per day of on-call coverage than did most of their cardiology bretheren, according to a report released June 4. The median daily rate for invasive-interventional cardiologists was $650, equal to on-call pay for noninvasive cardiologists but $450 more than what other invasive cardiologists received.

Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), which published the report, breaks cardiology into four categories: electrophysiology, invasive, invasive-interventional and noninvasive. The first three categories fall under the umbrella of “invasive” in the MGMA model, according to one American College of Cardiology guide, which likens “invasive-interventional” to “interventional.” Respondents to the survey self-select categories and may have their own interpretation of the terms.

Almost 30 percent of physicians reported receiving daily stipends for on-call coverage, with compensation ranging from $1,500 for anesthesiologists to $100 for family medicine (without obstetrics) physicians. The report, titled Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2012 Report Based on 2011 Data, contains data on 3,864 on-call providers in 308 medical organizations. In the survey, physician specialty is self-defined and may vary among providers.  

Median on-call pay differed by group type, demographics and location as well. Within invasive-interventional cardiology, physicians in multispecialty groups received $500 per day while their peers in single specialty groups raked in $650. Invasive-interventionalists in metropolitan areas received $125 more than peers in nonmetropolitan areas, and invasive-interventionalists in the South pocketed $550 more than peers in Western states.

Invasive-interventionalists reported a bump in compensation for both holiday and weekend rates. The median holiday rate for invasive-interventional cardiologists was $2,000 compared with $500 for invasive cardiologists, while median on-call weekend rates were $2,500 and $500, respectively.

The report is published annually by MGMA, a 22,500-member association for professional administrators and medical group practices based in Englewood, Colo. Participation in the survey is voluntary and may not be representative of the industry, according to MGMA.

The 2012 report offers new features, including summary tables of on-call compensation per work relative value unit (RVU) and on-call compensation per shift. The report is available here.