Emergency Department Call Coverage Survey, 2010

The Emergency Department Call Coverage Survey, conducted jointly by the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) and ECG Management Consultants, Inc. (ECG), is focused on the topic of emergency department call coverage (ED call), including trends in payment rates and burden-reducing structures favored by physicians. All responses will be kept confidential, and only aggregate statistics will be reported. Participants will receive a complimentary copy of the final report.

Market Need
Paying physicians to cover unassigned patients within emergency departments (ED) is an ever increasing issue for both hospital administrators and physicians. While hospital administrators often feel that ED call coverage is a citizenship issue and that all members of the medical staff should participate in call schedules, more and more physicians are opting out of ED call coverage arrangements. Those that are not opting out are requesting/requiring some form of compensation from hospitals in order to recognize the burden of ED call on a physician’s practice. Hospitals and physicians need to work together to address ED call coverage and develop strategies that recognize and reduce, wherever possible, the burden.

While there is a growing base of knowledge surrounding ED call coverage payments and burden-reducing strategies, the majority of it is hospital-centric. Unfortunately, physicians often challenge hospital-centric data if it varies significantly from year to year, has a small sample size, or is not geographically or organizationally relevant. Developing a comprehensive understanding of payment rates and burden-reducing structures that is acceptable to physicians is an area of focus that is currently underserved and is critical to the long-term success of any ED call coverage solution.

Survey Content
The Emergency Department Call Coverage Survey will address the topics from several critical facets and perspectives:

ED Call Burden Placed Upon Physicians and Groups
ED Call Coverage Payment Rates
Perceptions of different ED Call Coverage Strategies

Survey Logistics

Period and Report Date. The survey will launch during the first week of March 2010. Survey responses will be accepted through third week of April.
Confidentiality. All survey responses will be kept strictly confidential. Only aggregate statistics will be reported.
Survey Findings. Participants will receive a complimentary copy of the final report. This report will only be made available to those organizations who have participated in the survey.
Enter to Win. Survey participants will automatically be entered in a drawing for a chance to win the new Apple iPad

Contact Us
Should you have any questions or wish for more information about the survey, please contact one of the following individuals:

Mr. Sean T. Hartzell, Senior Manager
ECG Management Consultants, Inc.
shartzell@ecgmc.com
(703) 522-8450

Mr. David J. Thornton, Manager
ECG Management Consultants, Inc.
dthornton@ecgmc.com
(703) 522-8450

Mr. Ryan O’Connor, Vice President of Membership
American Medical Group Association
roconnor@amga.org
(703) 838-0033

About ECG Management Consultants, Inc.
ECG Management Consultants, Inc., offers a broad range of strategic, financial, operational, and technology-related consulting services to healthcare providers. As a leader in the industry, ECG provides specialized expertise to community hospitals, academic medical centers, health systems, and medical groups. For nearly 40 years, our approximately 80 consultants have played an instrumental role in developing and implementing innovative and customized solutions that effectively address issues confronting healthcare providers. ECG has offices in Seattle, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Diego, and St. Louis.

Take The Survey

This survey is free of charge and we welcome participation by multispecialty medical groups across the U.S. Only participants that complete the survey will receive a complimentary copy of the final report. ECG reserves the right to deny receipt of the findings to those individuals who may pose a conflict of interest to ECG.

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