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When in a private practice, can you choose to cover the your local ER on occasions for some extra cash?
Private Practice and Being On Call
- Thread starter Surgeon Guy
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The ED will decide who they let moonlight, be it FPs, surgeons, or anyone else. Some EDs will let almost anyone cover them, others only take board-certified EPs.
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I'm not sure if you mean attending in the ER and seeing all comers or covering surgery consults.
If you mean attending in the ER for MI's, vag bleeders, etc, then see the response above. It's very unsual for GS to do this unless they have problems.
If you mean taking consult/trauma call, this varies by location. Historically, ER call was a condition of hospital privileges. Since you could only operate in the hospital, everyone shared call and the hospital didn't pay you, although you billed for whatever you did on call and many junior attendings built a practice trolling the ER for cases. This model still holds in some places. In other places, where surgeons have shifted caseloads to outpatient surgery centers, there is a dearth of GS to take call. Sometimes hospitals will pay - the amount varies from minimal to substantial, in proportion to the lack of people willing to take call.
Other questions?
If you mean attending in the ER for MI's, vag bleeders, etc, then see the response above. It's very unsual for GS to do this unless they have problems.
If you mean taking consult/trauma call, this varies by location. Historically, ER call was a condition of hospital privileges. Since you could only operate in the hospital, everyone shared call and the hospital didn't pay you, although you billed for whatever you did on call and many junior attendings built a practice trolling the ER for cases. This model still holds in some places. In other places, where surgeons have shifted caseloads to outpatient surgery centers, there is a dearth of GS to take call. Sometimes hospitals will pay - the amount varies from minimal to substantial, in proportion to the lack of people willing to take call.
Other questions?
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Just to clear up some things, I meant about trauma. I mean that for general surgery subspecialties, since this is the surgery forum. But I think people meant for just GS. But more for things like uro, plastics, neuro, ortho etc. is it possible to cover trauma for ED if in PP?
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OK, here's the deal. In order to get privileges at a hospital, you have to go into the call pool (occasionally you can get out of it). When you're on call for your specialty, you certainly get trauma-related things (e.g. NSG gets called for head bleeds, ortho for fractures, plastics for facial injuries, etc). Most people out in private practice would rather NOT get called for this stuff because it screws up your already busy elective schedule and the patients don't tend to be insured.
So yes, you will almost certainly HAVE to take trauma-related call for your specialty of choice, but you won't be the "Trauma surgeon", nor will you be qualified to staff an ED as one. And, I suspect, once you're finished with residency you won't want anything to do with it.
So yes, you will almost certainly HAVE to take trauma-related call for your specialty of choice, but you won't be the "Trauma surgeon", nor will you be qualified to staff an ED as one. And, I suspect, once you're finished with residency you won't want anything to do with it.
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here's my 2 cents. as far as "call," you will always be on some sort of call (for the group or for the ER). some hospitals require you to be on the ER call schedule for you specialty as part of being credentialed at the hospital.
the op's question makes the assumption that the ER call is covered by hospital staff physicians or university folks. most hospitals don't have this convenience, so the rely on the community physicians to cover ER call. depending on the specialty need the may compensate you for taking call as well (price varies).
also, being on ER call may or may not be "trauma call". for most of our hospitals, we have a number of sets calls for ortho (hand, spine, trauma, general). many times it is not the same person. in gen surg, you may have vascular, general, cardiac, call. you may also be on call for your practice. which may require you to see one of your or you partner's patients.
the op's question makes the assumption that the ER call is covered by hospital staff physicians or university folks. most hospitals don't have this convenience, so the rely on the community physicians to cover ER call. depending on the specialty need the may compensate you for taking call as well (price varies).
also, being on ER call may or may not be "trauma call". for most of our hospitals, we have a number of sets calls for ortho (hand, spine, trauma, general). many times it is not the same person. in gen surg, you may have vascular, general, cardiac, call. you may also be on call for your practice. which may require you to see one of your or you partner's patients.
