Survey Time
SHM has established an aggressive goal of getting 400 respondents for its biannual Productivity and Compensation Survey. This would mean a 33% increase over the 300 respondents to the 2003 survey. SHM is tracking the number of respondents on its Web site homepage (www.hospitalmedicine.org). All surveys must be completed and returned by Nov. 25.
By now hospital medicine group leaders should have received a copy of the survey with instructions. SHM prefers that you complete the survey online. The response process for the online survey is simplified with built-in edits and a streamlined flow. In addition, you can stop in the middle of the questionnaire and return to complete it later.
WHY SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE?
- Information: The survey questions represent the metrics most critical in benchmarking your hospital medicine program. You’ll be able to compare the characteristics and performance of your group with other hospital medicine programs across the country.
- Financial Incentive: There is a financial incentive to participate. Only survey respondents will receive the full survey report and analysis on a CD at no additional charge. Nonrespondents will pay as much as $495 for the results. The results will be available at the SHM Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., May 3-5, 2006.
- Potential Awards: Participants will be eligible to participate in a drawing to receive complimentary registrations to an upcoming Leadership Academy (valued at $1,500) or to the 2006 SHM Annual Meeting (valued at $525). If your group submits its completed questionnaires by Oct. 25 it will have two entries in the drawing. After that date, you’ll receive only one entry.
- Confidentiality: Survey responses will be completely confidential and data will be reported only in the aggregate. International Communications Research, an experienced survey research firm, is conducting the survey. SHM is not involved in collecting or processing the data.
SURVEY CONTENT
This year’s survey builds on the success of the 2003 survey, which is viewed by SHM members as the most accurate and useful source of hospitalist benchmark information. The 2005 survey features the following improvements: better definitions and instructions, and additional questions covering such topics as night coverage, hospitalist services, and the use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
The group questionnaire poses questions intended to characterize your hospital medicine program at the group and hospital level. To answer these questions you will need specific information about your hospital (e.g., number of beds, teaching status), the number of fulltime employees (including nonclinical staff), staff turnover, additional revenue received from the hospital or other sources, and the program’s average length-of-stay and case-mix index.
The individual questionnaire poses questions at individual hospitalist level. To answer these you will need information about demographics (age, gender, fulltime employees, specialty, years as a hospitalist, years with group), billing information (encounters, relative value units, charges, collections), hours and shifts worked, and compensation/ benefits for each hospitalist in the group.
CALL TO ACTION
If your hospital medicine group has not received a survey and you would like to participate, e-mail the following information to Marie Francois at [email protected]: the name of your group, leader’s name, mailing address, e-mail, and telephone number. If you are completing the survey and you need clarification about any of the questions, contact SHM Customer Service at [email protected] or call (800) 843-3360.
As hospital medicine continues to grow and emerge, SHM seeks to provide vital data characterizing the specialty to hospitalists, hospital and healthcare leaders, and policymakers. The 2005 Productivity and Compensation Survey is the key vehicle for providing that data. Help us achieve our goal of 400 hospital medicine group respondents.
