Practice Management

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  • 1.  IR Call Float

    Posted 05-08-2024 15:25

    Combing past IR Posts, I couldn't readily discover this precise issue being discussed.

    Prior to the staffing shortage, we had an afterhours IR Call Shift weekly independent of daytime responsibility.

    Currently, an IR assumes this afterhours IR Call Shift weekly while working a daytime shift. 

    There is no longer an internal market to sell these shifts. With increased workload, I'm certain you see the challenges here for these IRs.

    IRs prefer to revert to an independent IR assuming IR Call Shift.

    If you are doing this, do you have any additional stipulations for the IR Call Shift, such as:

    • Reading X amount of diagnostics, or
    • Reading diagnostics for Y amount of time, or
    • Being the first line of defense if diagnostics need help, or
    • They are paid equal to, greater than, less than diagnostic weekend call coverage?


    ------------------------------
    Mark Kalmar FRBMA
    CEO
    Texas Radiology Associates
    Plano TX
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  • 2.  RE: IR Call Float

    Posted 05-08-2024 15:57

    Hi Mark

    We can theoretically have weeknight IR call with or without a daytime shift, as they are paid separately.  For a while independent call was regularly scheduled, but not currently. 

    We pay enough that there is a market for buying and selling (if there isn't, we adjust the pay).  It's currently robust enough that I believe 1-2 of our IR's have been able to give away all of their call.  That's partly a function of individual physician interest in more money vs. less call.

    In either case, the IR's have no diagnostic responsibilities while on call.  IR call pay for a weeknight is roughly half of an 8 hour after hour evening diagnostic shift.  A 24 hour weekend IR shift is roughly equivalent to an 8 hour weekend diagnostic shift.

    Hope this helps.

    Dave



    ------------------------------
    David Smith FACMPE
    Executive Director
    United Imaging Consultants
    Mission KS
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: IR Call Float

    Posted 05-21-2024 09:07
    Hi Mark!

    We use a Q4 call schedule for both DRs and IRs. Our IRs do one week of 24-hour call for 7 straight days (Monday 7am to the following Monday at 7am). They don't have to answer the IR calls from 8a-4p Mon-Fri since we staff an IR person on-site at each hospital; it's effectively just nights and weekend IR call coverage. During those 7 days of IR call, our IR docs always work week day or afternoon shifts either on an IR shift or a DR shift. We do not allow them to work the evening DR shifts while on IR call since we would lose DR coverage if the IR doc had to go into the hospital. While they're on call at night and on the weekends, they have no DR responsibilities. They have the option to pick up extra work on the weekends if they want to get paid for some DR hours, but it's not required. For us, there isn't a market to sell IR call. Everyone just works their own. We do have too many IR physicians for our IR call pool needs, so some of the IRs opt to work DR weekend shifts instead of a week of IR call. Essentially, two 9-hour DR weekend shifts are worth the same as a week of IR call. 

    Our DR call pool has a "diagnostic backup" (DBC) shift assigned every night to someone who is working the afternoon or evening shifts the following day. If our OVNT team gets overloaded, then they call the DBC to come help. The IR call pool docs do not participate in the DBC shift. Our "first line of defense" is other DR call pool physicians, not the IR call pool. There's been some discussion about whether that's fair or not; for now, we've settled on the DR pool only staffing the DBC shifts. The DRs aren't thrilled with this as they think it should be shared among everyone, but the IRs disagree. 




    Janene W. Markuske, MBA, FRBMA (she/her)

    Executive Director | IntelliRad Imaging


    305-712-7229, ext 5       786-833-0244

    jmarkuske@intelliradimaging.com

    11760 SW 40th St, Suite 703, Miami, FL 33175

    www.intelliradimaging.com







    Out of office: June 7-14 (PTO), July 18-19 (FRS/FRBMA Annual Meeting)




    Original Message


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