On-Call Emergency Coverage Agreements

Hospitals are finding it increasingly challenging to secure call coverage services for emergent cases that originate within the hospital and/or through the emergency department. Challenges include a limited supply of physicians willing to disrupt their personal lives and daily practice with the burden of call, increasing acuity level of patients requiring emergent care, and supporting the compensation amounts necessary to secure the coverage.

Specific Key Value Drivers

HMS Valuation Partners has performed thousands of call coverage opinions through personally interviewing hospital service-line administrators, emergency medicine physicians, as well as physicians in a wide range of medical and surgical specialties. Critical to ensuring compliance for our clients is our approach to understanding the key value drivers to each on-call agreement, such as:

• Restricted vs. Un-Restricted on-call coverage
• Concurrent vs. Non-Concurrent on-call coverage
• Independent Contractor rates vs. Employee rates
• At-Risk for Payor Mix vs. Not At-Risk compensation models
• Facility Trauma designation
• Mid-level and/or Resident Physician use
• Short-Term vs. Long-Term arrangements
• On-Call Coverage burden in terms of emergent cases per shift

In each on-call coverage opinion performed, our team will address each of these key value drivers and others in our approaches and methodologies. As a result, our deliverable report will be specific to the Facility, specialty, and economic arrangement outlined in the on-call agreement.