Aug 71 min read

Physician Call Coverage Compensation: 6 Key Background Statistics from the 2024 BFMV Survey

Earlier this year, BFMV conducted our sixth annual direct-to-physician call coverage survey. An affordable source of physician call coverage compensation information, the BFMV survey is unique in that it provides statistics related to the "burden" of off-site/unrestricted call coverage in a variety of specialties, including in-person visits and phone call volumes. The following is a summary of 6 key background and demographic statistics from the 2024 survey.

1. Respondents by Specialty

The following table presents respondents by specialty for specialties with at least five compensated respondents. The specialties most likely to be compensated for call coverage were neurosurgery (90.9%) and orthopedic spine surgery (83.3%), while the least likely were subspecialty pediatrics (23.7%) and family nephrology (24.4%).

2. Average Daily Stipends by Specialty

Average daily stipends range from $556 (podiatry) to $2,713 (neurointerventional) radiology).

3. Region

While respondents were evenly dispersed throughout the country, the South was the most represented region with 33.9% of the total respondents.

4. Demographic Setting

Only 14.3% of respondents characterized their demographic setting as "rural."

5. Employer

Approximately 48.4% of respondents were independent community physicians not employed by a hospital or health system-affiliated medical group. Approximately 62.9% of respondents were employed by a practice with fewer than 10 physicians in their group.

6. Facility Characteristics

Over 80% of respondents provided call coverage services at a facility with a trauma designation of some kind, and over 60% provided services to more than one facility.