MaxWorth Resources: Call Pay and Hospital Culture

The MaxWorth Team has been working with professionals in the healthcare industry for over thirteen years. What’s the most important thing we’ve learned? That there’s always more to learn. Healthcare is constantly changing. So are the challenges we aim to address.  We hope you can benefit from the collective knowledge and experiences of our clients and strategic partners.

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The fairness factor: How to avoid agitation around nurse pay

The fairness factor: How to avoid agitation around nurse pay MaxWorth got its start designing healthcare compensation strategies nearly two decades ago when call pay was one of the most contentious topics in the industry. We quickly learned that a perceived lack of fairness was at the heart of nearly every conflict we were brought…
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Benefits for an aging physician population

Benefits for an aging physician population The AAMC’s 2022 Physician Specialty Data Report found that nearly half of physicians currently practicing are aged 55 or older. An aging physician population places pressure on recruitment and retention in many ways. Healthcare leaders might be asking themselves: Are young people encouraged to pursue medicine? How will years…
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The future of call pay

The Future of Call Pay Healthcare is always changing, and the pandemic accelerated change in many ways. Healthcare leaders and physicians might be wondering how recent changes will impact call pay. Let’s take a look at the origin of conflict over call pay, factors that are perpetuating it, and why we believe call pay will…
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MaxWorth’s longest running call pay program is better than ever

MaxWorth’s longest running call pay program is better than ever More than fifteen years ago, Winchester Medical Center became MaxWorth’s first healthcare client when we helped them solve a call pay conflict that was threatening their ability to staff their emergency department. Today, the hospital’s call pay program is just as valuable to the organization…
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Nurse compensation: Know what benefits matter most

Nurse compensation: Know what benefits matter most Nursing turnover rates are increasing. In 2019, they stood at 18%, and by 2021, they had risen to 22%. Today, that number has reached 37% in some areas. The full extent of the pandemic’s impact on nurse retention is yet to be seen, and the shortage is already…
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Nursing benefits and the power of appreciation

Nursing benefits and the power of appreciation The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 203,200 additional nurses will be needed in the workforce each year from now until 2031. This shortage is impacted by the growing number of nurses reaching retirement age, high turnover rates, and increased demand due to the aging population and…
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Nursing Retention: Tailored benefits may be part of the solution

Nursing Retention: Tailored benefits may be part of the solution The correlation between nurse-to-patient ratios and patient outcomes has been well documented. So, the growth in nursing turnover is not a good omen for the trajectory of quality of care in America. Our nurses are concerned, and many are making demands, hoping that higher wages…
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Don’t let payment reductions lead to a call pay crisis

Don’t let payment reductions lead to a call pay crisis The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a 3.75% cut to Medicare’s payment rates. Combined with other scheduled cuts, this would result in a 9.75% payment reduction in 2022. These cuts will decrease the value of physicians’ services and apply a downward…
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Using transparency to break the cycle of burnout

Using transparency to break the cycle of burnout Burnout is a well-documented problem among physicians. And as the way we work continues to change in pace with technology, its impact is being felt across all industries.    In 2019, Amy Edmondson spoke with Dropbox’s Anthony Wing Kosner about her research on burnout. Her team, which…
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Hospital pay equity: it all comes down to fairness

Hospital pay equity: it all comes down to fairness Becker’s Hospital Review recently reported that a clinical psychologist has sued Northern Light Acadia Hospital in Bangor, Maine after learning that her salary was nearly half that of her male colleagues. While she was earning $50 an hour, the men were earning $90 or $95 an…
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COVID exasperates the issue of physician burnout. To help your providers, start with a conversation

COVID exasperates the issue of physician burnout. To help your providers, start with a conversation. MaxWorth works with many hospitals and health care providers in rural communities. We’ve observed first hand the kind of stress these facilities face due to physician shortages. It’s not uncommon for physicians in these communities to be on call nearly…
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The cascading impact of call coverage disputes

The cascading impact of call coverage disputes In early September, Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, CA was given 48 hours to resolve a contract dispute that had resulted in the loss of neurosurgery coverage in their emergency department. If they had failed to resume coverage, they would have lost their designation as a Level…
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Telemedicine’s impact on call pay

Telemedicine’s impact on call pay COVID has brought about the widespread adoption of telemedicine. This technology can be a lifeline, particularly for smaller and rural facilities. For example, KershawHealth in Camden, South Carolina has thrived since it implemented a sophisticated telehealth system after losing many of its specialists to bigger facilities. The hospital has relied…
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Overlooked opportunities to reduce practice expense

Overlooked opportunities to reduce practice expense While the full impact of the coronavirus on our healthcare system won’t be understood for quite some time, we are beginning to put together the pieces. It’s clear that independent practices were hit particularly hard. Practice revenue is down across the country, and as a result, many providers are…
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Regaining stability after the storm

Regaining stability after the storm Like many businesses, hospitals are slowly beginning to find their footing. After months of uncertainty and fear, many are seeking to return to normal. But the experiences of the last few months will stay with us for sometime.    Some clients have shared with us that revenue is down 50%…
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The impact of call coverage on a hospital’s reputation

The impact of call coverage on a hospital’s reputation Hospitals tell us that nearly 80 percent of their patients come through their emergency departments. That means that the majority of patients are directly affected by which service lines are available on call. Therefore, this availability (or lack thereof) has an impact on the community’s perception…
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Healthcare leadership and the illusion of transparency

Healthcare leadership and the illusion of transparency As we discussed last week, physician burnout is a pressing issue in healthcare right now. Doctors have cited a lack of recognition and appreciation as a contributing factor to the growing problem. Having a strategy in place for demonstrating appreciation might be more important than many healthcare leaders…
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Call Pay: It’s not just about the money

Call Pay: It’s not just about the money Whenever we suggest that call pay isn’t really about the money, the idea is met with skepticism. This is understandable given that on the surface, the money matters quite a bit. Doctors are demanding to be paid more, and many have even refused to take call in…
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Call Coverage and Physician Burnout

Call Coverage and Physician Burnout A recent survey found that physician burnout is as widespread as ever. 42% of respondents,  who represented 29 different specialties, reported that they had experienced burnout. Office tasks, a lack of respect from administrators, and the reduction in reimbursement rates were cited as contributing factors to this problem. 50% of…
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Why Call Pay is still an issue at many healthcare organizations

Why call pay is still an issue at many healthcare organizations A few years ago, call pay was a hot topic in the healthcare community. Today, the issue has fallen off many people’s radar. Is this because the crisis was solved? Our observations suggest otherwise. Reimbursements in the fee-for-service model continue to decline for physicians,…
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Three insights that will transform the way you work with physicians

Three insights that will transform the way you work with physicians As a part of our work designing and implementing call pay programs at healthcare organizations, we routinely facilitate Physicians’ Call Committee meetings. Over the past thirteen years, we’ve met with with over 4,000 doctors at hospitals of all sizes in every region of the…
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