Pager Compensation Responses
Don McGovern
Description
Collection
Title:
Pager Compensation Responses
Creator:
Don McGovern
Date:
6/11/2007
Text:
Dear List:
Thank you all so much for your assistance.
Here are the responses. The original question was:
Our facility is reviewing compensation for one week of pager coverage. That is, one practitioner keeps the pager and is on call 24/7 for one week, then another person takes the responsibility. The facility is not an acute or trauma care faciltiy. The question is: what is the practitioner compensation for carrying the pager or only if called in? And what is the going rate of compensation?
--------------------------------
If the Practitioner is a salaried Professional, it goes with the territory. If not, I pay 5% for prefab fittings after hours and 10% for any custom device that is fit.That is assuming that your Professionals can fabricate.
I personally will not hire an Orthotist who cannot fabricate, because if they can't do it, how can they possibly know what a tech has to go through to get it right.
--------------------
We rotate the weekends on call and one seperate person does the weekdays. We are paid $50 for each day we carry the pager and receive $60 for each call we answer/run. For M-F we used to have hospital call time on our schedules (one person for each office) so they could run any calls that came in before 5pm on regular time (no extra compensation). The evening M-F person would then run any calls after 5pm and be compensated $50/week for carrying the pager and again receive $60 if he/she had to answer the call.
Keep in mind that no one likes being the M-F person because if you get a call at 11 pm at night (which doesn't happen very often) it really messes that person up for the next day. So, the person who volunteers for that pager is the owner.
I've heard other places of compensating $200-250 for the week.
-----------------------------
At my old place of employment we were not compensated for carrying the pager as I suppose (the owner) felt it hardly ever went off. However, it did force you to stick around the area and have the possibility of not being able to follow through on your plans if it does go off so I think it is good to be compensated. None of the staff felt it was fair. (And then the owner was a prosthetist so he never carried the pager so you can see how that can lead to some frustration from the staff).
-----------------------------------------
We don't have 24/7 coverage, but we do have a practitioner 'on call'
for the
weekend and/or holidays.
They are on call for Sat and Sun, but reimbursed for one day's pay.
There may be no calls or there may be several calls--it is the luck of the
draw.
--------------------------------------
I give the on call practioner $75.00 to be on call and an hourly compensation if called.
--------------------------------------
Practitioner needs to be compensated with a flat rate for the week, or
a lower compensation to be on call and a per call rate. My weekend rate
is 200 with a $50 per delivery fee. My time and my practitioners time is
important and cannot be underappreciated.
------------------------------------
our orthotic practitioners are on call and are compensated by two rates. One rate is just for carrying the pager and the other rate is for compensation for their expertise
when called in.
-----------------------------------
We pay $1 per hour to hold pager with an additional $50 per hour when
actually performing duties (not clear as yet if $50 hourly rate includes
drive time to/from hospital, office, etc.).
-----------------------------------
I have an agreement with a friend working for another lab who will cover for me from time to time. The agreement is based on the case seen. If no calls, no cash. Bigger the case, better the payment. If it is a low cost item, say a collar or something under an agreed amount, I make a flat payment to the guy so that it is worth his trouble and gas to go out. All negotiable.
------------------------------------
In the Houston area market most all practitioners are involved in some
type of On Call rotation. Covering your On Call is considered inclusive
in your salary. There are some practitioners that choose not to take
part in this rotation but, they are annually compensated at a reduced
rate. I think, in order to be fair to you team, you should meet with
them to discuss exactly how much their free time is worth to them.
Markets vary greatly so I would determine what the average expected
call
would be and go from there. You may also consider whether or not your
Orthotist would be expected to evaluate patients at facilities at 1:00
or 2:00 in the morning. If so, I would expect their compensation to be
much higher than if they were simply fielding phone calls.
------------------------------
We do the same deal here. We pay 75 gross for one week of on call which includes one call. Additional calls are paid at 25 each call. We do not pay mileage or any compensation over the call time.
----------------------------
At our facility we are paid $4.00 an hour to carry the pager. If we
take a call and have to go in, we then go on the clock at overtime pay
scale. We also carry the pager for a week at a time then it is passed
on to the next person.
-----------------------------
We have a facility with six practitioners, Two management practitioners rotate every other week, for Monday thru Friday evening. No compensation for them. Four other practitioners (salaried), rotate the weekends and receiver $25.00 per day for carrying the pager. They do not receive compensation for seeing a patient while on call.
------------------------------
My suggestion is to pay $100.00 per weekend and reimburse per call, I suggested 50.00 per call.
------------------------------
i have seen people being paid $25 flat fee per day of having pager on belt. that was about 12 yrs ago, so upgrade it for inflation.
most places i have ever worked at, and i worked in five states, pager was assumed to be part of the deal and that was it. usually, mileage driven during calls was a good enough reimbursement
-------------------------------
Thank you all so much for your assistance.
Here are the responses. The original question was:
Our facility is reviewing compensation for one week of pager coverage. That is, one practitioner keeps the pager and is on call 24/7 for one week, then another person takes the responsibility. The facility is not an acute or trauma care faciltiy. The question is: what is the practitioner compensation for carrying the pager or only if called in? And what is the going rate of compensation?
--------------------------------
If the Practitioner is a salaried Professional, it goes with the territory. If not, I pay 5% for prefab fittings after hours and 10% for any custom device that is fit.That is assuming that your Professionals can fabricate.
I personally will not hire an Orthotist who cannot fabricate, because if they can't do it, how can they possibly know what a tech has to go through to get it right.
--------------------
We rotate the weekends on call and one seperate person does the weekdays. We are paid $50 for each day we carry the pager and receive $60 for each call we answer/run. For M-F we used to have hospital call time on our schedules (one person for each office) so they could run any calls that came in before 5pm on regular time (no extra compensation). The evening M-F person would then run any calls after 5pm and be compensated $50/week for carrying the pager and again receive $60 if he/she had to answer the call.
Keep in mind that no one likes being the M-F person because if you get a call at 11 pm at night (which doesn't happen very often) it really messes that person up for the next day. So, the person who volunteers for that pager is the owner.
I've heard other places of compensating $200-250 for the week.
-----------------------------
At my old place of employment we were not compensated for carrying the pager as I suppose (the owner) felt it hardly ever went off. However, it did force you to stick around the area and have the possibility of not being able to follow through on your plans if it does go off so I think it is good to be compensated. None of the staff felt it was fair. (And then the owner was a prosthetist so he never carried the pager so you can see how that can lead to some frustration from the staff).
-----------------------------------------
We don't have 24/7 coverage, but we do have a practitioner 'on call'
for the
weekend and/or holidays.
They are on call for Sat and Sun, but reimbursed for one day's pay.
There may be no calls or there may be several calls--it is the luck of the
draw.
--------------------------------------
I give the on call practioner $75.00 to be on call and an hourly compensation if called.
--------------------------------------
Practitioner needs to be compensated with a flat rate for the week, or
a lower compensation to be on call and a per call rate. My weekend rate
is 200 with a $50 per delivery fee. My time and my practitioners time is
important and cannot be underappreciated.
------------------------------------
our orthotic practitioners are on call and are compensated by two rates. One rate is just for carrying the pager and the other rate is for compensation for their expertise
when called in.
-----------------------------------
We pay $1 per hour to hold pager with an additional $50 per hour when
actually performing duties (not clear as yet if $50 hourly rate includes
drive time to/from hospital, office, etc.).
-----------------------------------
I have an agreement with a friend working for another lab who will cover for me from time to time. The agreement is based on the case seen. If no calls, no cash. Bigger the case, better the payment. If it is a low cost item, say a collar or something under an agreed amount, I make a flat payment to the guy so that it is worth his trouble and gas to go out. All negotiable.
------------------------------------
In the Houston area market most all practitioners are involved in some
type of On Call rotation. Covering your On Call is considered inclusive
in your salary. There are some practitioners that choose not to take
part in this rotation but, they are annually compensated at a reduced
rate. I think, in order to be fair to you team, you should meet with
them to discuss exactly how much their free time is worth to them.
Markets vary greatly so I would determine what the average expected
call
would be and go from there. You may also consider whether or not your
Orthotist would be expected to evaluate patients at facilities at 1:00
or 2:00 in the morning. If so, I would expect their compensation to be
much higher than if they were simply fielding phone calls.
------------------------------
We do the same deal here. We pay 75 gross for one week of on call which includes one call. Additional calls are paid at 25 each call. We do not pay mileage or any compensation over the call time.
----------------------------
At our facility we are paid $4.00 an hour to carry the pager. If we
take a call and have to go in, we then go on the clock at overtime pay
scale. We also carry the pager for a week at a time then it is passed
on to the next person.
-----------------------------
We have a facility with six practitioners, Two management practitioners rotate every other week, for Monday thru Friday evening. No compensation for them. Four other practitioners (salaried), rotate the weekends and receiver $25.00 per day for carrying the pager. They do not receive compensation for seeing a patient while on call.
------------------------------
My suggestion is to pay $100.00 per weekend and reimburse per call, I suggested 50.00 per call.
------------------------------
i have seen people being paid $25 flat fee per day of having pager on belt. that was about 12 yrs ago, so upgrade it for inflation.
most places i have ever worked at, and i worked in five states, pager was assumed to be part of the deal and that was it. usually, mileage driven during calls was a good enough reimbursement
-------------------------------
Citation
Don McGovern, “Pager Compensation Responses,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/228324.
