Here are 10 statistics on recruitment of common ambulatory surgery center specialties and physicians based on data from Merritt Hawkins' 2011 Review of Physician Recruiting Incentives. The 2011 review is based on the 2,667 permanent physician and advanced allied professional search assignments that Merritt Hawkins/AMN Healthcare's physician staffing companies were engaged to conduct between April 1, 2010, and March 31, 2011.
1. Orthopedic surgery is the most requested physician search by medical specialty of specialties common to ASCs. It is fifth overall of the most requested physician searches by medical specialty, trailing family practice, internal medicine, hospitalist and psychiatry. OB/GYN is seventh, general surgery is ninth, urology is 11th, GI is 14th, ENT is 16th and anesthesiology is 19th.
2. In 2010/11, orthopedic surgery had a low income (base salary or income guarantee only) offered of $300,000, average of $521,000 and high of $700,000. The low and average were the same or close to 2009/10 rates, while the high offer was $125,000 less in 200/11.
3. In 2010/11, general surgery had a low income offered of $205,000, average of $336,000 and high of $450,000. The low was up from $175,000, average was up from $314,000 and high was up from $410,000 over the previous year's offers.
4. In 2010/11, urology had a low income offered of $320,000, average of $453,000 and high of $550,000. The low was up from $250,000, average was up from $400,000 over the previous year's offers while the high offer remained the same.
5. In 2010/11, gastroenterology had a low income offered of $300,000, average of $424,000 and high of $505,000. The average was up from $411,000 over the previous year's offers while the high declined from $600,000 and the low offer remained the same.
6. In 2010/11, ENT had a low income offered of $230,000, average of $359,000 and high of $500,000. The average was up from $349,000 and high was up from $450,000 over the previous year's offers while the low offer remained the same.
7. In 2010/11, anesthesiology had a low income offered of $290,000, average of $355,000 and high of $475,000. The low was up from $250,000 and average was up from $331,000 over the previous year's offers while the high offer remained the same.
8. In 200/11, OB/GYN had a low income offered of $220,000, average of $282,000 and high of $360,000. The low was up from $175,000 while the average and high offers were up $10,000 over the previous year's offers
9. Urology was the specialty showing the highest percentage gain in income offers from 2009/10-2010/11, with an increase of 13 percent.
10. General surgery and anesthesia were tied with internal medicine and invasive cardiology for showing the second highest percentage gain in income offers from 2009/10-2010/11, increasing 7 percent.
Source: Merritt Hawkins' 2011 Review of Physician Recruiting Incentives.
Learn more about the 2011 Review of Physician Recruiting Incentives (pdf).
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Compensating Physicians in Surgery Center Administrative Roles: Q&A With Ben Ulrich of VMG Health