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You are here: Home / Articles / ACR’s Benchmark Tool Quantifies Data about Rheumatology Workforce, Clinical Practice

ACR’s Benchmark Tool Quantifies Data about Rheumatology Workforce, Clinical Practice

April 2, 2014 • By Joseph Flood, MD

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The primary employment setting for survey respondents was:

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  • 35.7%—Academic Medical Center
  • 19.3%—Multi-Specialty Group Practice
  • 16.4%—Single Specialty Group Practice
  • 15.3%—Solo Practice
  • 5.5%—Hospital-Based Practice
  • 2.6%—Government Clinical Setting (VA)
  • 1.5%—Other Clinical Setting
  • 1.5%—Biomedical Industry
  • 1.4%—Retired
  • 0.5%—Government Non-Clinical Setting
  • 0.5%—Other Non-Clinical Setting

Because the majority of our members are in clinical practices, these data do not represent a typical cohort of our ACR constituency. You can help us accumulate more representative information, by completing the 2014 version of the Benchmark Tool when it’s launched in September.

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The majority of respondents (62.6%) reported a yearly compensation in the range of $150,001–350,000. Twenty-seven percent of respondents reported a yearly compensation of less than $50,000–150,000, and 10.2% reported $350,001–500,000 plus. When more ACR members provide their income data, we will be able to use it as a resource in measuring our productivity relative to our peers.

Demand

More than half of the respondents reported working more than 50 hours per week, some as much as an incredible 81 hours or more per week! Although this may be true, it certainly doesn’t reflect the lifestyle of the “happiest subspecialty,” as rheumatology is reported to be, no matter how much we enjoy our work. During a fully scheduled workweek, more than 70% reported seeing 20 or fewer new patients. Twenty-eight percent indicated more than 20 new patient visits per week, and 1.3% of that group reported seeing an energetic 121–140 new patients in one week. Nearly 54% of the survey respondents reported 41–80 return patient visits during a typical workweek.

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Do the new patient visits and work hours reported from the population who completed the survey tool mirror yours?

Clinical Practice

Ninety-four percent of rheumatologists reported their practice is dedicated to adult rheumatology. The report shows that a majority of rheumatology practices don’t provide significant primary care services.

As in the 2009 report (see pie charts), rheumatologists in private practice said nearly three-fourths of their compensation comes from direct patient care.

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Of the practicing rheumatologists who participated, 62% reported they code a Level 3 (99203) new patient visit in a typical workweek, 71% reported billing Level 4 (99204) visits, and 61% reported billing a Level 5 (99205) new patient visit in a typical week. Additionally, 38% reported they bill Level 3 (99213) established patient visits in a typical week, 31% bill Level 4 (99214) visits, and 60% bill Level 5 (99215) visits in a typical workweek. This may reflect the complex array of patients managed by rheumatologists.

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Filed Under: Billing/Coding, Practice Management, President's Perspective, Quality Assurance/Improvement, Workforce Tagged With: AC&R, American College of Rheumatology, Billing, Coding, Practice Management, rheumatologist, TechnologyIssue: April 2014

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Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

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ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

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