RVU bonus

[jd1111]

Can anyone help me interpret this new RVU bonus we have been offered? I'm a little lost when it comes to this.  

We will be given an RVU bonus when total RVUs exceed an established threshold. For the first year the wRVU threshold is 826 per quarter, after which any wRVUs beyond the threshold will be paid out a $37.20 conversion factor.  

Thanks

[mgriffiths]

Every patient visit is billed at a specific CPT code...99213, 99214, etc.  Each of these CPT codes is equal to a specific number of RVUs (Relative Value Units).  For example, a 99214 = 1.5 RVUs.

 

So for some math...let's assume you see 15 patients per day, 5 days per week - and lets assume every visit is 99214 (this is fictional, the average RVU per outpatient primary care visit is around 1.25 RVUs).  That is 75 patients per week, and 112.5 RVUs per week.  That equals approximately 450 RVUs per month, or 1350 RVUs per quarter.  Using your RVU bonus as stated every RVU over 826 RVUs is paid at $37.20 RVUs (at least that seems to be what they mean by conversion factor).  So, in this scenario you would have an "extra" 524 RVUs over the threshold, and therefore a bonus of approximately $19,500.

 

Note: the question is exactly what do they mean by a "conversion factor?"  My assumption is each RVU above the threshold pays at said conversion factor, because that makes sense but that is also exactly how every RVU bonus I have had was paid.  But, that conversion factor is HIGH!!  Which is awesome, but I would confirm.  My threshold is the same as yours...3300 RVUs per year, but my RVU bonus is $19.33 per RVU above 3300, and then it increases further if above the 75th percentile for productivity (I don't remember that threshold and it's somewhere around $22 per RVU at that point).