Your #1 Specialty Choice if you got a Step 1 Score of 190, 200, 210, 220, etc.?

[Trogghunter]

cards got demolished. next.

A family friend just graduated 3 fellows from his program here in the Midwest....they had bidding wars over them by multiple hospital groups. The lowest was 450k in Kentucky. I think that it's alright.

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[Textbookversion]

A family friend just graduated 3 fellows from his program here in the Midwest....they had bidding wars over them by multiple hospital groups. The lowest was 450k in Kentucky. I think that it's alright.

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http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/01...gy-acc-sues-medicare-physician-rate-cuts.html

That's from 2010. Cuts for 2013? 27%. lolol.

 

[Trogghunter]

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/ is not an unbiased reliable source IMO, and the study that was mentioned conflicted with another in the blog...one said inc one said dec. Blog. Blog. Blog.

While rotating on both the cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology rotations at my ~700 bed base, the cardiologists unanimously agree that they're getting more business and taking procedures from the surgeons--valve replacement, pacemakers, aneurysms etc. They do several pacemakers per day and get $$$. Don't know the reimbursement, but that practice's daily census, not including outpatient visits, is bigger than an IM census at a 200 bed hospital.
The surgeons unanimously agree that they are losing business to the cardiologists. They do trauma cabg M/T/A valve and tumor resection. Basically it. Which, due to length of procedure and longevity of treatment, is self limiting, according to the CT surgeons.

I definitely agree that reimbursement for reading scans is decreasing, but in this day and age, you shouldn't be limiting yourself to that as a cardiologist, and you definitely shouldn't be practicing on your own. According to cards.

Tell me this is illogical because I am basing my residency selection partly on cards, and it's good to hear other views.

 

[BabyDoc86]

In my program (MD/PhD), we have some sayings:

220 will open some doors
230 will open most doors
240 will open every door
250 will blow open every door

It really depends on where you're applying. I'm in the South, and a 220 from one of y'all would probably open most program doors around here (definitely a 230)...

I like this saying! I think it's going in my Book of Quotes or something.

 

[sharklasers]

I like this saying! I think it's going in my Book of Quotes or something.

with increasing scores, it might be more of the following

220 will shut some doors (below average)
230 will open some doors
240 will open most doors
250 will open every door
260 will blow open every door

 

[xenotype]

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/ is not an unbiased reliable source IMO, and the study that was mentioned conflicted with another in the blog...one said inc one said dec. Blog. Blog. Blog.

While rotating on both the cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology rotations at my ~700 bed base, the cardiologists unanimously agree that they're getting more business and taking procedures from the surgeons--valve replacement, pacemakers, aneurysms etc. They do several pacemakers per day and get $$$. Don't know the reimbursement, but that practice's daily census, not including outpatient visits, is bigger than an IM census at a 200 bed hospital.
The surgeons unanimously agree that they are losing business to the cardiologists. They do trauma cabg M/T/A valve and tumor resection. Basically it. Which, due to length of procedure and longevity of treatment, is self limiting, according to the CT surgeons.

I definitely agree that reimbursement for reading scans is decreasing, but in this day and age, you shouldn't be limiting yourself to that as a cardiologist, and you definitely shouldn't be practicing on your own. According to cards.

Tell me this is illogical because I am basing my residency selection partly on cards, and it's good to hear other views.

Coronary volume is decreasing nationally, not increasing.

Sources for reimbursement cuts (you could have googled this yourself...)
http://invasivecardiology.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/we-can-and-should-grow-the-interventional-cardiology-workforce/

http://www.derrynolan.com/wp/2012/11/cms-2013-fee-schedule-hits-reimbursement-cardiologists-feel-impact/

exact RVU changes for PCI (time value of 40 minutes set by CMS to 30 minutes =~25% cut) Notice these changes aren't coming from the RUC but the MPAC. Procedures across the board will be steadily cut from here on out.
http://www.hrsonline.org/content/download/9548/417898/file/Summary%20of%20Medicare%20Final%20Rule%20Physician%20Fee%20Schedule%20for%20CY%202013.pdf

Cards is also quickly becoming employed because the facility fee is much much higher than office billing. Employed = all those great partner profits go straight to the hospital admin's pocket. There will likely be further cuts from here as CV is a huge part of medicare's costs and CMS is being pressured to cut anywhere it can outside the RUC. They don't care how hard you work either, just look at the 55% cut on EMGs neuro got hit with.