Merritt Hawkins & Associates Study
Staff Reporters
Some nurses land higher salaries than primary care doctors, according to staffing firm Merritt Hawkins & Associates.
The Survey
In the past year, nurse anesthetists recruited through the staffing firm Merritt Hawkins & Associates, landed salaries that averaged $185,000; compared to the pay for family practice doctors hired through the firm, who averaged $172,000; and internists, who averaged $176,000; according to a Wall Street Journal report, on June 18, 2008.
Assessment
The Merritt Hawkins figures for the nurses are higher than some other sources, like the Medical Group Management Association. The MGMA also tracks health care salaries and puts nurse anesthetists’ median compensation at $140,000 per year. The discrepancy may be because fewer employers go through recruiters to hire the nurses, and those who do are willing to pay top dollar.
Conclusion
Your thoughts and comments are appreciated. Is this another example of primary care pay disparity, or the rise of advanced nurse specialists and related non-traditional practitioners?
Related Information Sources:
Practice Management: http://www.springerpub.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=23759
Physician Financial Planning: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763745790
Medical Risk Management: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763733421
Healthcare Organizations: www.HealthcareFinancials.com
Health Administration Terms: www.HealthDictionarySeries.com
Physician Advisors: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.com
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Filed under: Career Development, Practice Management, Surveys and Voting | Tagged: CRNA
A CMS Bonus to the Docs Only
Wow, the post above is amazing!
But, did you know that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just announced more than $36 million in bonus payments to some 56,700 health professionals who satisfactorily reported quality information to Medicare under the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative [PQRI]?
According to a CMS Office of Public Affairs [OPA], July 15, 2008 report, physicians, group medical practices, and other PQRI eligible professionals should receive their payments by August 2008. The average incentive amount for individual professionals is over $600 and average incentive payment for a physician group practice is over $4,700, with the largest payment to a physician group practice totaling over $205,700.
More than 109,000 professionals participated in the 2007; of those, over 56,700 physicians and other eligible professionals met statutory requirements for satisfactory reporting for the 2007 reporting period and are receiving incentive payments.
And sorry, no CRNAs, PAs, NPs etc., allowed.
-Ann
On CRNAs,
I firmly believe that as a CRNA with a PhD in biology, the vast majority of CRNA’s who carry the direct burden of being unsupervised should benefit from the CMS bonuses.
Most of the time I am unsupervised due to my education and continuing training. It should be an incentive because more of us are needed. 80% of CRNA fail the first year of school because it is a demanding career.
Why shouldn’t we be compensated for our hard work?
-Elena Katazkos; CRNA, PhD
CRNAs, Oh Please!
According to a January 2009 Salary.com report, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist received an average annual base salary of $175,319.00. And, that’s just 76% of total income. The other benefits include the following:
(1) Bonuses: $50.00
(2) Social Security: $9,164.00
(3) 401k/403b: $6,313.00
(4) Disability: $1,754.00
(5) Healthcare: $5,722.00
(6) Pension: $8,067.00
(7) Time Off: $22,933-00.
So, this is a total package, benefits and salary, amounting to about $ 229,334.00. Isn’t it amazing?
Of course, the salary.com figures are not statistically correct. Nevertheless, compare this with an average general practitioner [MD/DO] salary of less than $150,00.00?
And so, I suggest that all CRNAs rejoice, instead of complain; PhD or not. Everyone has salary issues. If you are unhappy; quit and start your own business; then you can pay yourself … what you [think] you are really worth.
-A Health Economist
More on CRNA Salary,
A commentator CRNA-PhD asks above: “Why shouldn’t we be compensated for our hard work?”
The answer, of course, is because it adds no-value to the task at hand. Look, we have doctors who are also JDs, CPAs, MBAs and PhDs etc, on our hospital staff and elsewhere. Should these degrees also mandate increased salary for medical practitioner holders? Currently, they do not – and should not.
CRNAs already earn more than biology PhDs – for a reason. A PhD is a degree; not a job or license, so don’t forget the legal implications, as well. How many unemployed PhDs exist, versus unemployed CRNAs?
Of course, the numerous online PhD and other programs of nebulous worth, only add to the conundrum [regardless of “accreditation” designations]. Such gratuitous “degree seeking behavior” was attempted in Georgian public education a few years ago, to no avail; just as the degree mills ramped into high gear for the teachers – coincidental?
Finally – an aging domestic population, medical advancements, health information technology needs, new drugs and the many conditions-treatments now being approved for MC payment – all work against third party reimbursement increases. In fact, one should think that third-party [government] reimbursement will only decrease going forward; not increase. The country just can’t afford it.
So; always think “added-value” in order to avoid the faux salary-education trap. It’s an employee/union mentality; not at all a professional one. The relationship between degree and salary is not always a direct one; and never will be. “You eat what you kill.”
Recall, Bill Gates received an honorary college degree from Harvard; but had only a HS diploma before then. So, shall we [read the “marketplace”] reduce his salary, too!
Think about it, and good luck.
-Cindy; RN, MBA
CRNA and the Monetarists,
The domestic unemployment rate is now more than 7.2%. We are all free to seek other employment opportunities if we don’t like our current salary.
Many biology PhDs, and “doctors” of all types are waiting tables! Go compete outside of the healthcare sector. Better still; be grateful.
Adam Smith [of sorts]
I have never seen such a jumbled hodge-podge of misinformed crap in my entire life.
Many of you fail to recognize what is that anesthetists are, and what they do.
Functionally, there is absolutely no difference between a CRNA and a MDA. The degree of vigilance and individual experiences are the only variables.
In my private practice business I hire anesthesiologists, evaluate their performance and retain and reward them accordingly, just as I do CRNA’s.
Thanks
Jon Fannin; CRNA
It’s certainly a somewhat recession proof field right now. Sites like http://www.unitedanesthesia.com“/ show evidence that every state is still looking for qualified CRNAs (and willing to pay for them too). Hardly something that every industry can claim.
Felix
Felix, Adam and John,
A Texas appeals court recently upheld a $10 million award to an anesthesiologist who said he was fired for speaking out against his employer’s allegedly fraudulent billing practices.
Link: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/07/13/prsc0714.htm
Brendon
This statement from March 18th (Jon Fannin, CRNA) has to be the most ridiculous thing that I have heard from a nurse in 2009:
Functionally, there is absolutely no difference between a CRNA and a MDA. The degree of vigilance and individual experiences are the only variables.
Jon – I’m sure that you are proud of your nursing skills as a CRNA, but it’s time to get real. MDA’s are physicians, CRNA’s are nurses. There is a huge difference between nurses and physicians. Very few patients would choose to get their anesthesia from a CRNA as opposed to an MDA. This is common sense; unfortunately many patients have to accept a less qualified provider (CRNA).
All I ever hear from CRNA’s are salary issues. I’m a physician and my family had one encounter with a CRNA; she was cold, arrogant and most importantly NOT a physician. That’s why we didn’t let her administer a general anesthetic; GA is not the domain of nurses. It’s common sense.
Sue