A Survey of On-Call Structure and Associated Compensation Mechanisms for Interventional Radiologists Practicing in...

To assess the on-call experiences and compensation mechanisms among practicing members of the interventional radiology (IR) community in the United States.

A survey of IR practices, call experiences, and call compensation mechanisms was created by the Association of Chiefs in Interventional Radiology. An invitation was sent by individual email from the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) to 3,362 SIR physician members who have completed training and are actively practicing in the United States, with weekly follow-up reminders until data collection had been completed at 4 weeks. To prevent duplications, each invitation was limited to a single instance of the survey.

A total of 799 responses were received (a rate of 23.8%), with 758 respondents (94.9%) reaching the end of the survey. They demonstrate a wide array of practice patterns, call arrangements, and compensation models, with 67% of respondents overall reporting some form of monetary or time-for-time compensation for call. Compensation was more likely in private radiology practices and the likelihood of monetary compensation increased with call frequency among all practice settings.

The solutions currently being used to compensate interventional radiologists for their on-call responsibilities are diverse. Although there are some clear patterns related to practice environment, there is more overlap than there is distinction. Understanding these various models may be of great benefit to individuals and practice groups as they establish or modify their own compensation plans.