MD Ranger Fifth Annual Physician Contract Benchmark Reports Released

Majority of physician payment rates remain stable

BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MD Ranger released its fifth annual physician contract benchmark reports today. The reports detail payment rates for over 150 services for non-employed physicians. Included are benchmarks for leadership roles, medical direction and administrative positions, call coverage payments, and diagnostic testing rates. The data are derived from over 300 facilities across 27 states representing thousands of physicians.

Because MD Ranger collects comprehensive data directly from hospitals, the reports contain hard-to-find information on frequency of payment and total hospital expenditures for physician services.

Allison Pullins, Director of Business Development, states, "Payment rates remain stable across most specialties compared to last year’s benchmarks; however, hospitals are paying more frequently for physician services.” Five of 52 specialties experienced an increase in the percent of hospitals paying for call coverage, while 17 of 82 specialties had a higher percent of hospitals paying for medical directors.

Pathology medical direction and committee attendance experienced the most dramatic increases. 62% of MD Ranger subscribers report paying physicians to attend meetings compared to 37% in 2012, perhaps indicative of increasing demands on physicians’ time.

Other key findings of the 2013-14 report include:

• Urology call coverage mean payments increased from $380 to $470, the largest increase of any specialty.
• Incentive components for hospital-based agreements leapt from 10% in 2013 to 21% of contracts. Quality remains the most common metric.
• Total mean payments to hospitalists increased by over $100,000, from $909,000 in 2013 to $1,070,000 in 2014, with most of the increase attributable to medical directorship stipends. Payments to pediatric and other specialty hospitalists did not increase as dramatically in either total annual payments or per diem equivalents.
• Average overall payments to trauma surgery groups increased by $100,000, from $869,000 to $969,000 in 2014.

MD Ranger reports help hospital executives craft policies and negotiate physician agreements that meet state and federal regulations regarding physician compensation. Physicians, consultants, and attorneys use specialty-specific data to help negotiate and evaluate physician payment rates for a broad range of services. For inquiries contact Allison Pullins, 650-692-8873 or [e-mail].