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Improving clinical productivity in an academic surgical practice through transparency
Charles R Scoggins1, Timothy Crockett, Lex Wafford
1Hiram C Polk Jr, MD Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA. charles.scoggins@louisville.edu
Journal of the American College of Surgeons
|May 1, 2013
Summary
Making clinical productivity metrics transparent increased physician output in an academic surgery department. This transparency improved performance without altering work assignments or compensation structures.
Area of Science:
- Academic Medicine
- Surgical Practice Management
- Healthcare Administration
Background:
- Academic surgery departments rely on patient care revenue for research and education.
- Improving clinical productivity is crucial for departmental sustainability.
- Transparency in productivity metrics can enhance performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of transparency in clinical productivity metrics on academic surgical practices.
- To assess changes in physician productivity following the implementation of a physician scorecard.
Main Methods:
- Compared clinical productivity data from pre- and post-transparency periods.
- Utilized Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test for statistical analysis (p ≤0.05).
- Stratified data based on the introduction of a physician scorecard in 2006.
Main Results:
- Clinical productivity and the number of physicians meeting a threshold work relative value unit (wRVU) increased post-transparency.
- This improvement occurred despite reduced collections per RVU and unchanged work assignments.
- Faculty compensation remained consistent, based on collections minus overhead and taxes.
Conclusions:
- Implementing transparency in productivity metrics can significantly improve clinical productivity in academic surgery.
- Further strategies are needed to ensure equitable incentivization of research and teaching activities.