March 2006
Volume 70 |
Number 3 |
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10,198 Units Per Physician: MGMA/ASA Survey, 2005
Report
Karin
Bierstein, J.D.
Associate Director of Professional Affairs
  This
article is available in PDF format.
10,198 Units Per Physician …
hat is the median annual number of base + time
units reported per full time equivalent (FTE)
physician in mid-size anesthesiology practices,
according to the Cost Survey for Anesthesia
Practices, 2005 Report Based on 2004 Data,
produced by the Medical Group Management Association
(MGMA) in collaboration with ASA.
Mid-size practices consist of 10-30 anesthesiologists
and account for the largest proportion of respondents,
or more than 40 percent. Smaller practices, representing
30.25 percent of the sample, include fewer than
10. They report a median of 13,577 base + time
units per FTE physician. Larger groups employ
31 or more FTE anesthesiologists, with a median
of 10,143 units — very close to the number
for mid-size groups. Of the larger groups, 7.56
percent count 51-75 anesthesiologists.
The 25-percent difference between smaller and
mid-size groups lies almost entirely in time units.
The smaller practices make greater use of nurse
anesthetists, as shown in Table 1.
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Anesthesiologist:anesthetist ratios explain
much, but not all, of the variation in productivity
and income. The 2005 survey demonstrated that
the most accurate denominator in benchmarking
performance between groups – the one that
permits apples-to-apples comparisons — is
the number of anesthetizing locations covered,
not group size, location or even the ratio between
physicians and nonphysician providers [Table 2].
Some other interesting statistics include:
• 69 percent of responding
practices receive 1 or more stipends.
The most common type of stipend is the direct
stipend, followed by income guarantees, salary
support, per case guarantees and per operating
room guarantees. Without financial support, 43
percent of groups would be running a loss.
• 51 to 75 percent utilization rates
are the averages for the respondents’ largest
hospitals and largest surgery centers.
• For practices with 11-30 FTE physicians,
the median number of anesthetizing locations
staffed is 20, with a range of 10 to 43.
• The median number of cases per anesthetizing
location is 933 for practices with 30 percent
or less of their income coming from governmental
payers. Practices with a greater proportion
of governmental payers in their case mix report
approximately 100 more cases per anesthetizing
location.
• The total number of physician
time units per case averages 6, and base
units hover around 6 as well, bearing out the
anecdotal information that we have exchanged for
the last few years.
The 2005 survey contains data from 119 anesthesiology
practices, distributed fairly evenly around the
country. It contains data on staffing ratios,
revenues by source (e.g., epidurals versus surgical
cases), staff salary costs and provider costs,
stipends, payer mix, collection percentages and
financial ratios, physician time units, anesthetizing
and treatment locations and net practice income
or loss.
With data from two years now in the MGMA reports,
there are many opportunities to analyze potential
trends as well as cross-tabulations. We encourage
such focused analyses and look forward to publishing
future articles based on these surveys. The first
will be a study of comparative productivity by
Amr Abouleish, M.D., M.B.A, and Genie Blough,
M.B.A., FACMPE that will appear in an upcoming
issue of the NEWSLETTER this year.
We are sure that you will find the 2005 report
useful. To make the next MGMA/ASA report even
more valuable, we strongly encourage our members
to complete the 2006 Survey. Those who do so will
receive a complimentary copy of the report —
a savings of $305 that ASA has negotiated for
its members.
To order a copy
of the
Cost Survey
for Anesthesia Practices, 2005 Report
Based on 2004 Data (item 6389)
go to <www.ASAhq.org>
or contact MGMA directly at (877)
275-6462
ASA members
pay $305 — $160 off the nonmember
price!
(Use promo code ASA05OT04 for your
ASA member discount.) |
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ASA Member Appointed to Medicare
Practicing Physician Advisory Council (PPAC)
aren S. Williams, M.D., who practices and teaches
anesthesiology at George Washington Hospital in
Washington, D.C., has been appointed to the Practicing
Physician Advisory Council (PPAC), the council of
practicing physicians that advises the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on proposed
Medicare regulations and carrier manual instructions.
Dr. Williams was nominated by ASA Immediate Past
President Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D., to serve a four-year
term on PPAC, where she will be an important voice
for anesthesiologists and other physicians.
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