Baller Hospitalists 2.0

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Below is a job posting from the Hospitalist Physicians Group in FB. This job is in Minneapolis, MN.

This is from the individual posting to job:

"I should have written 119 shifts (1 out of 3 weeks). I didn’t see your first question. First-year guaranteed salary is $348k. Then the other years are production/shift-pay based. I am waiting for the average pay of our nocturnists last year, but I did find out the first-year guarantee for sure."

This is a reply for another poster:

"Sorry to say but it is pretty low for Nocturnist. And for location."


This job is with benefits etc... I think this a good salary for 1 week on and 2 weeks. I guess the market is getting more and more competitive in many places in favor of physicians.


Time for me to ask for a 20-30k raise🙂
 
Below is a job posting from the Hospitalist Physicians Group in FB. This job is in Minneapolis, MN.

This is from the individual posting to job:

"I should have written 119 shifts (1 out of 3 weeks). I didn’t see your first question. First-year guaranteed salary is $348k. Then the other years are production/shift-pay based. I am waiting for the average pay of our nocturnists last year, but I did find out the first-year guarantee for sure."

This is a reply for another poster:

"Sorry to say but it is pretty low for Nocturnist. And for location."


This job is with benefits etc... I think this a good salary for 1 week on and 2 weeks. I guess the market is getting more and more competitive in many places in favor of physicians.


Time for me to ask for a 20-30k raise🙂

I was unaware that hospitalists could have a production based pay. Would this mean that if you found a hospital with open ICU and you were pretty good at procedures and efficient you would make even more?
 
Think you’d make more just seeing a lot of patients on the floor.
Thats probably true, I guess I meant relative to the amount of patients. I am wanting to do something procedural and if I were to go the hospitalist route its good to know that I could do ICU procedures and make more per encounter.
 
Thats probably true, I guess I meant relative to the amount of patients. I am wanting to do something procedural and if I were to go the hospitalist route its good to know that I could do ICU procedures and make more per encounter.
I know through the grapevine of a hospitalist in a very prestigious hospital in SoCal who rakes in 7 figures per year just mass rounding on patients. Probably not the best care but he gets glowing patient reviews as well.
 
Tallahassee and surrounding area pays around $315k+ for round and go. Pt census about 20-23. Closed ICU.

The problem is that you then have to live in northern Florida. Take it from someone who has lived in rural Alabama and now semi-rural Midwest - I’m not sure you could pay me enough to work in Floribama.
 
The problem is that you then have to live in northern Florida. Take it from someone who has lived in rural Alabama and now semi-rural Midwest - I’m not sure you could pay me enough to work in Floribama.

Yea, its not for everyone but it is exactly where I want to be. (Maybe a little further south but I could definitely deal with it)
 
I know through the grapevine of a hospitalist in a very prestigious hospital in SoCal who rakes in 7 figures per year just mass rounding on patients. Probably not the best care but he gets glowing patient reviews as well.
Yea it would be awesome to make that much but I don't need that. I would rather make enough to live a good life, provide for my family and spend time with them.
 
I know through the grapevine of a hospitalist in a very prestigious hospital in SoCal who rakes in 7 figures per year just mass rounding on patients. Probably not the best care but he gets glowing patient reviews as well.

I’ve known people like this. Grandfathered in from the days when there were no Hospitalists. Probably knows the board on a first name basis. Not repeatable.
 
I’ve known people like this. Grandfathered in from the days when there were no Hospitalists. Probably knows the board on a first name basis. Not repeatable.
Pretty sure there's some kickback scheme going on as well. Plenty of that happens at this hospital....or at almost all hospitals haha
 
You have to be an ACP member to see the link.

Survey details significant rise in intensivists working in U.S. ICUs​

More than 90% of all U.S. ICUs have intensivists available, according to a survey that measured prepandemic ICU staffing. In comparison, research from 1997 shows less than 40% of ICU patients received care from an intensivist.

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By Gianna Melillo

The presence of intensivists in adult U.S. ICUs has substantially increased over the last 25 years, a recent study found.

Between May 2022 and February 2023, researchers carried out a cross-sectional survey among adult ICU clinicians asking respondents to report on pre-COVID-19 staffing. Participants were contacted using information from the 2020 American Hospital Association (AHA) database and from professional organizations. A total of 596 ICUs from 478 hospitals were included in the cohort, each with a median of 20 beds. Investigators also linked survey data with hospital data in the AHA database to create weighted national estimates by extrapolating staffing data to hospitals that didn't respond. Findings were published by CHEST on May 21.

Of the total ICUs included, 554 (93%) had intensivists available. These physicians cared for all patients in 75.6% of ICUs and were on site 24 hours per day in half of the ICUs (53.3% weekdays; 51.8% weekends). Intensivists oversaw a median of 12 beds on weekdays and 12 beds on weekends. A total of 69.8% of all ICUs had physicians-in-training and 77.7% had nurse practitioners/physician assistants. Nurse-to-patient ratios for mechanically ventilated patients were 1:2 in 89.6% of ICUs. Nearly 93% of ICUs had clinical pharmacists available and 98.8% had respiratory therapists.

Overall, the authors estimated that 85.1% of the 478 hospitals had ICUs with intensivists. In addition, they estimated that 51.6% of hospitals had physicians-in-training (95% CI, 50.6% to 52.5%); 72.1% had nurse practitioners/physician assistants (95% CI, 71.3% to 72.9%); 98.5% had respiratory therapists (95% CI, 98.4% to 98.7%); and 86.9% had clinical pharmacists (95% CI, 86.4% to 87.4%). A total of 86.4% hospitals used a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:2 for mechanically ventilated patients.

According to the authors, the last comprehensive evaluation of intensivists in U.S. ICUs (the COMPACCS study) took place in 1997. That study found less than 40% of ICU patients received care from an intensivist and just 26% of ICUs had high-intensity intensivist staffing, defined as at least 80% of patients managed by a full-time or consulting intensivist on the day of the survey.

In the current study, "the intensivists provided care to most or all patients in the overwhelming majority of these units, but usually shared responsibility of order placement with other teams," the authors wrote. They added the findings "might be used to identify areas for quality improvement, such as the continued gap in intensivist involvement for all ICU patients, even when available."

More research is needed to understand the presence of other allied health workers in the ICU and how these clinicians come together as teams, the authors said. In addition, they concluded, "understanding the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on the number of ICU beds, changes in ICU team makeup, and workforce attrition needs quantification."
 

Survey details significant rise in intensivists working in U.S. ICUs​

More than 90% of all U.S. ICUs have intensivists available, according to a survey that measured prepandemic ICU staffing. In comparison, research from 1997 shows less than 40% of ICU patients received care from an intensivist.

TwitterEmailPrint

By Gianna Melillo

The presence of intensivists in adult U.S. ICUs has substantially increased over the last 25 years, a recent study found.

Between May 2022 and February 2023, researchers carried out a cross-sectional survey among adult ICU clinicians asking respondents to report on pre-COVID-19 staffing. Participants were contacted using information from the 2020 American Hospital Association (AHA) database and from professional organizations. A total of 596 ICUs from 478 hospitals were included in the cohort, each with a median of 20 beds. Investigators also linked survey data with hospital data in the AHA database to create weighted national estimates by extrapolating staffing data to hospitals that didn't respond. Findings were published by CHEST on May 21.

Of the total ICUs included, 554 (93%) had intensivists available. These physicians cared for all patients in 75.6% of ICUs and were on site 24 hours per day in half of the ICUs (53.3% weekdays; 51.8% weekends). Intensivists oversaw a median of 12 beds on weekdays and 12 beds on weekends. A total of 69.8% of all ICUs had physicians-in-training and 77.7% had nurse practitioners/physician assistants. Nurse-to-patient ratios for mechanically ventilated patients were 1:2 in 89.6% of ICUs. Nearly 93% of ICUs had clinical pharmacists available and 98.8% had respiratory therapists.

Overall, the authors estimated that 85.1% of the 478 hospitals had ICUs with intensivists. In addition, they estimated that 51.6% of hospitals had physicians-in-training (95% CI, 50.6% to 52.5%); 72.1% had nurse practitioners/physician assistants (95% CI, 71.3% to 72.9%); 98.5% had respiratory therapists (95% CI, 98.4% to 98.7%); and 86.9% had clinical pharmacists (95% CI, 86.4% to 87.4%). A total of 86.4% hospitals used a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:2 for mechanically ventilated patients.

According to the authors, the last comprehensive evaluation of intensivists in U.S. ICUs (the COMPACCS study) took place in 1997. That study found less than 40% of ICU patients received care from an intensivist and just 26% of ICUs had high-intensity intensivist staffing, defined as at least 80% of patients managed by a full-time or consulting intensivist on the day of the survey.

In the current study, "the intensivists provided care to most or all patients in the overwhelming majority of these units, but usually shared responsibility of order placement with other teams," the authors wrote. They added the findings "might be used to identify areas for quality improvement, such as the continued gap in intensivist involvement for all ICU patients, even when available."

More research is needed to understand the presence of other allied health workers in the ICU and how these clinicians come together as teams, the authors said. In addition, they concluded, "understanding the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on the number of ICU beds, changes in ICU team makeup, and workforce attrition needs quantification."

Only 55% had intensivists in house?
 
Only 55% had intensivists in house?
The % of hospitals with intensivists isn't the appropriate metric, it's the number of beds. My rural hospital has 4 ICU beds (and no intensivists) but the mother ship has 60 ICU beds (across 3 ICUs) and has intensivists. So by the "hospital %" metric, 50% of the hospitals have intensivists. By the "% ICU beds" metric, the number is 94%.

One of those is a better news story, the other is a better healthcare metric.
 
I did 6 months ICU in residency and still don't want to manage these patients that can crash at any second.

My shop is open (non vented) ICU and every meeting I keep asking when they gonna close it.. to the point my PD had to tell me to stop beating a dead horse.

I don't know that many hospitalists who like to take care of ICU...
 
I did 6 months ICU in residency and still don't want to manage these patients that can crash at any second.

My shop is open (non vented) ICU and every meeting I keep asking when they gonna close it.. to the point my PD had to tell me to stop beating a dead horse.

I don't know that many hospitalists who like to take care of ICU...
Why would you want the liability of managing ICU patients with sub intensivist pay is my question?
 
Why would you want the liability of managing ICU patients with sub intensivist pay is my question?
These are not true ICU patients (DKA, Afib w/ RVR on a drip, mild shock etc...). These patients are step-down patients where I did my residency. Besides, the ICU guys are very responsive when you ask them for help.
 
Last paycheck for this year (2024): 453k salary for 18.7 days/month average.... ~43 hrs/wk being at the hospital.

Hopefully that continues for another 6-7 yrs so I can coast FIRE after that.
 
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It's been a minute, I'll bump this back up with an update.

My chickens are ready to come home, which means all my extra shifts are about to get paid out. This will give me a second year of making $445k, which shows me it is sustainable. This fall our group is supposed to negotiate to get a raise, so hopefully I'll come back with some good news there too. I would be ecstatic if we could get 5%.

I'm working 16 days/month to hit this. My shifts are 12's so it works out to about 48 hours/wk (working 52 weeks a year for this example). I like that Splenda put it into these terms it allows a better comparison to a bunch of our colleagues when they talk in terms of hours/wk
 
It's been a minute, I'll bump this back up with an update.

My chickens are ready to come home, which means all my extra shifts are about to get paid out. This will give me a second year of making $445k, which shows me it is sustainable. This fall our group is supposed to negotiate to get a raise, so hopefully I'll come back with some good news there too. I would be ecstatic if we could get 5%.

I'm working 16 days/month to hit this. My shifts are 12's so it works out to about 48 hours/wk (working 52 weeks a year for this example). I like that Splenda put it into these terms it allows a better comparison to a bunch of our colleagues when they talk in terms of hours/wk
But do you have to stay in house for 12 hrs? That would be a deal breaker for me.
 
Lol you realize this isn't uncommon? No wonder you think being a "glorified resident" is so awesomely awesome for everyone
Actually many/most places are round and go. Making someone stay in the hospital for 12hrs = no bueno. To me that’s an absolute non negotiable. The glorified resident refers to an acceptance and understanding I have made that as a hospitalist you’re going to have to do a lot of things a resident does and the sooner you accept that the happier life is.
 
It's been a minute, I'll bump this back up with an update.

My chickens are ready to come home, which means all my extra shifts are about to get paid out. This will give me a second year of making $445k, which shows me it is sustainable. This fall our group is supposed to negotiate to get a raise, so hopefully I'll come back with some good news there too. I would be ecstatic if we could get 5%.

I'm working 16 days/month to hit this. My shifts are 12's so it works out to about 48 hours/wk (working 52 weeks a year for this example). I like that Splenda put it into these terms it allows a better comparison to a bunch of our colleagues when they talk in terms of hours/wk
I make that much working on average 16 hours per week less than you (no clue what our hospitalists make but hopefully for that many shifts it would be similar).
 
It's been a minute, I'll bump this back up with an update.

My chickens are ready to come home, which means all my extra shifts are about to get paid out. This will give me a second year of making $445k, which shows me it is sustainable. This fall our group is supposed to negotiate to get a raise, so hopefully I'll come back with some good news there too. I would be ecstatic if we could get 5%.

I'm working 16 days/month to hit this. My shifts are 12's so it works out to about 48 hours/wk (working 52 weeks a year for this example). I like that Splenda put it into these terms it allows a better comparison to a bunch of our colleagues when they talk in terms of hours/wk
I have not worked a lot of overtime this year because our group hired a couple more docs. I might hit 380k this year... working 16 days/month on average.
 
Actually many/most places are round and go. Making someone stay in the hospital for 12hrs = no bueno. To me that’s an absolute non negotiable. The glorified resident refers to an acceptance and understanding I have made that as a hospitalist you’re going to have to do a lot of things a resident does and the sooner you accept that the happier life is.
Like what?

I only spend 10-15 minutes of my day talking to social workers and/or case managers. As far as talking to family members and consultants, ALL doctors do that. I admit that hospitalist do those more.
 
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