On an average day, eight hospitalists work days, one works the night shift, and one is off. Dr. Nussbaum’s rationale: “We’re very aggressive about time management. Our first year docs earn a base salary of $200,000, with $40,000 in productivity bonuses.” He adds, “I believe hospitalist medicine is moving in the direction we’ve taken. Scheduling is critical, and hospitalists need to work harder and be entrepreneurial. … In today’s market, prima donna docs command high salaries and have an ADC of 10 patients. That will change soon as supply catches up with demand.” TH
Marlene Piturro regularly profiles HMGs and trends in hospital medicine for The Hospitalist.