The impact of physician stress is underestimated

On Healthcare Finance News, you'll find a short article titled, "Impact of physician stress is underestimated." The article is based on a report from Physician Wellness Services (PWS) and Cejka Search.

PWS’ and Cejka’s survey results are based on 2,069 completed surveys. Among the findings:

• 87 percent of respondents said they are moderately-to-severely stressed/burned out on an average day.
• 63 percent said they were more stressed or burned out than they were three years ago; 34.3 percent said they were much more stressed than they were three years ago.

The pace of delivering health care is only getting faster. There are increasing demands to deliver higher value while physician reimbursement declines in many cases. It's no wonder that burnout is becoming ubiquitous and that a growing number of physicians are looking for ways to escape from clinical medicine.

On LinkedIn, you'll find some physicians discussing the issue of burnout and physician help. Go to the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) group on LinkedIn and you'll find a discussion titled, "How to get docs the help they need?"

Some physicians have poor coping mechanisms and they turn to substance abuse, alcohol, gambling, and other destructive behaviors. As a result, physician help programs in each state are kept busy managing and monitoring physicians who have exhibited addictive behaviors.

A recent article in Archives of Surgery titled, "Substance Abuse Among Surgeons: The Perils of Losing Your Credentials" reminds all of us that "Alcohol and drug abuse are a significant issue among physicians in general and surgeons in particular."

Discussing physician executive compensation at #ACPEfall2011

I've spent the past few days attending the 2011 ACPE Fall Institute. Yesterday, I attended a session titled, "Cejka Search/ACPE 2011 Physician Executive Compensation Survey Panel Presentation."

The eighth biennial survey of ACPE members identifies key trends and factors driving today's physician executive compensation and serves as an essential reference resource for physician executives and healthcare organizations developing leadership roles for physicians.

Overall median compensation for physician executives in 2011 = $305,000

The two-year rate of increase in total compensation – at 5.9% – is well below the 11.6% increase reported in 2009 and the lowest since the 2001 survey reported 5.0% increase. Higher-ranking physician executives experienced a greater reduction in the rate of growth in total compensation than those in other roles.

ACPE Leadership Roundtable: Physician Executive Compensation Survey Panel Presentation

This afternoon, here at the ACPE 2011 Fall Institute, there will be a special session titled, the "Cejka Search/ACPE 2011 Physician Executive Compensation Survey Panel Presentation."

Paul Esselman, Executive Vice President and Managing Principal of Cejka Executive Search, will lead an interactive roundtable discussion with four respected and experienced physician executives.

Gain the insights and learn from the experience of these leading physician executives as they share their expertise on today's most important issues in compensation and physician leadership as reported from your responses to the 2011 Physician Executive Compensation Survey by Cejka Executive Search and the American College of Physician Executives.

Podcasts as career tools for physicians

Author: Michelle Mudge-Riley, DO, MHA

Do you like listening to podcasts? If you’re like me, you like the idea that podcasts can add to your efficiency. You can listen to them in the car or on the treadmill. But it’s hard to know which ones are any good, right? I’m always looking for new suggestions. I’m especially excited to hear about interesting FREE podcasts that give me tools to make my life easier.

Findings from 2011 Physician Executive Compensation Survey

Cejka Executive Search and the American College of Physician Executives Release Findings from 2011 Physician Executive Compensation Survey

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Physician executive compensation experienced the lowest growth rate for the first time in ten years, according to the Cejka Executive Search and American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) 2011 Physician Executive Compensation Survey. In this eighth biennial survey of ACPE members, key trends and factors that drive change in physician executive compensation are identified. The results of the survey will be presented at the ACPE 2011 Fall Institute on November 8, 2011 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

A discussion about physician salaries on Sermo

On Sermo, you'll find physicians (and only physicians) discussing all types of things. A recent discussion has focused on the validity of national physician salary surveys.

Here's what one physician posted on Sermo:

I've researched average physician compensation for a number of specialties, including my specialty using stats from AGMA, MGMA, and other sources. I am consistently struck by how low these figures are compared with individuals I know and others I know about.

I know the limitation of these statistics is that they usually only represent employed physicians. I thought it might be interested to see whether you believe the average income (and upper and lower ranges) for your specialty is correct, and what you think the implications are.

The reality is that most physicians voted that these numbers are inflated. In some cases, they're up by 25-30%. In other cases, over 50%. As a result of these published figures, new graduates are feeling entitled to very high salaries.