Lack of Physicians for On-Call Coverage Prompts Trauma Centers to Shut Down Services
The survey director, Kim Mobley, noted that, "There are some highly compensated specialties that receive relatively low on-call rates of pay. These same specialties are often the ones that are also not as likely to receive on-call pay. While physician on-call pay is still an evolving market trend, it appears that there is some relationship between the likelihood of being called in to work and the on-call rate paid."
"According to the survey, some organizations require the physician to remain on the premises ("restricted on-call") and others simply require the doctor to be able to respond to the call within a specified length of time ("unrestricted on-call"). Moreover, the most common specialties for which on-call pay is provided are Ob/Gyn, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery, and Trauma Surgery. The data also reveal that on-call is typically paid as an hourly rate or a daily stipend (for 16 or 24 hours of on-call). However, some organizations also have weekly and annual stipends."
Hospitals have a responsibility to coordinate on-call coverage for certain specialities. If you think that you were denied access to timely care, you can contact an attorney at Regan Zambri & Long who specializes in cases like this to discuss your concerns.