Using relative value units to measure faculty clinical productivity

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Services Research
• Clinical Productivity

Background:

• Assessing faculty productivity in academic medical centers is crucial for resource allocation and performance evaluation.
• Clinical settings vary, including those focused on teaching (students, residents) and non-teaching environments.
• Understanding the impact of teaching responsibilities on clinical output is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare faculty clinical productivity in teaching versus non-teaching settings.
• To determine if supervising students or residents influences faculty productivity.
• To validate the use of relative value units (RVUs) as a measure of clinical productivity.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-model, repeated-measures analysis of variance was employed.
• Data analyzed included 4,956 clinical encounters from student, resident, and faculty clinics.
• Average relative value units (RVUs) billed per visit were compared across different clinical settings.

Main Results:

• Average RVUs per visit were comparable across student, resident, and faculty clinics.
• Supervising residents was associated with increased faculty productivity (higher billed RVUs).
• Supervising students did not significantly impact billed RVUs.

Conclusions:

• Relative value units (RVUs) serve as a reliable measure of faculty clinical productivity in diverse academic medical center settings.
• Faculty productivity is not negatively impacted by teaching; resident supervision may enhance it.
• Precepting medical students does not appear to diminish a faculty member's clinical output.