Has your practice recovered?

[greenmood]

Back in March, as hospitals across the country shut down electives and we were being furloughed left, right, and center, I was very concerned that the “temporary” pay and benefits cuts would prove permanent.

At my institution we took hours reduction in addition to pay cuts, our 403b match was halted, and PTO was frozen. In July our pay and hours were reinstated. We were permitted PTO accrual and use in August. In September our 403b match comes back.

I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. How is everyone else doing now?

[ventana]

Ugh. Still employed full time but volume is just spotty unlike before.  I am pcp and walk in.  Hoping it turns around soon

 

 

 

[ohiovolffemtp]

Never had any pay, benefits, or hours cuts.  Our ED volume has pretty much returned to pre-COVID-19 levels - did so several months ago.  The lower acuity stuff that stayed away initially has all returned.

[electric130]

I am still making 30 percent less of my former salary, however without hours cut or reduction in my workload.  I never would have thought I would be here for 4 months.  I am employed in a group, but each Physician makes decisions about their own staff pay.  I do not think this is going on group wide, from what I have heard most people had hours and pay reinstated in June.  I confronted the Physician I work for about it 2 weeks ago and was told he woul keep me updated but they could not reinstate my pay right now. 

I am considering going to the CFO of the company and asking what the deal is.  Not that he has control over what each Physician pays their staff, but just to get a feel for what is going on.  We had planned on moving a few months ago and have pretty much decided against this, my net pay is 2k less a month right now, not a small amount of money.  Has been an eye opener as far as job stability.  Thankfully we live so far below our means we have been fine, we are even still maxing both of our 401ks.  

I am glad to hear most of you are getting back to normal, I think it was a stressful time for most of us.  

[bobuddy]

I am starting back full time status next week at my previous position- I have been at 24 hours until now.  I had the option of returning full time last month but I told them they had to wait for me to complete my 120 day temporary Covid position I took with the VA  ER when I was furloughed. The administration with the previous job dropped the ball so many times with zero communication from them- that when they said for me to start back full time the next week- I told them-so sorry but I have already made my schedule.     I was also just offered permanent part time status at the VA which I will gladly take - the pay is  way better and may transition to something down the road.  At this point- the only thing keeping me at my current FP position is my patients and being there for 18 years.    Those patients are like my family now.  I have gone to their weddings and funerals and celebrated and cried with them.   Hard to pick up and leave.  

[mgriffiths]

We had salary cuts and PTO accrual frozen starting in April and everything returned to normal in a graduated fashion over the month of July.  Only two things that aren't occurring is raises were frozen across the board (doesn't effect me as I wasn't going to get one in 2020 anyway...received one at the end of 2019) and our "discretionary employer match" to our 403Bs this year, but being discretionary it's never guaranteed anyway.

At this point, the part that frustrates me is that as an organization we are actually seeing more patients and producing more RVUs than we did in comparative months during 2019.  We are still slightly down for the year due to the almost complete shutdown during April, but at the rate we are going we will still finish 2020 with 5% more RVU production than 2019...this is also with 6 less physicians and 2 less APPs than we had in 2019.  The 10% salary cut pissed me off, but honestly I want the ~7 days of PTO that I lost more.

[sas5814]

My furlough officially ended today with a severance package. About half the people that were furloughed with me 6 months ago have not been called back and the ones that were are working minimum hours to qualify as full time which is 32 a week. There has been zero communication since the furlough started so I have no idea if they are allowing PTO, paying retirement fund matches etc.

[Cideous]

1 hour ago, sas5814 said:

My furlough officially ended today with a severance package. About half the people that were furloughed with me 6 months ago have not been called back and the ones that were are working minimum hours to qualify as full time which is 32 a week. There has been zero communication since the furlough started so I have no idea if they are allowing PTO, paying retirement fund matches etc.

Blah.   

[greenmood]

13 hours ago, sas5814 said:

My furlough officially ended today with a severance package. About half the people that were furloughed with me 6 months ago have not been called back and the ones that were are working minimum hours to qualify as full time which is 32 a week. There has been zero communication since the furlough started so I have no idea if they are allowing PTO, paying retirement fund matches etc.

Terrible. 

[greenmood]

14 hours ago, mgriffiths said:

At this point, the part that frustrates me is that as an organization we are actually seeing more patients and producing more RVUs than we did in comparative months during 2019.  

This is true where I am, as well. Unfortunately it’s being accomplished on the backs of the surgical teams. Friends in those divisions are telling me they aren’t allowed to use PTO, inappropriate call and inadequate compensation for the same, etc.

[mgriffiths]

3 hours ago, greenmood said:

This is true where I am, as well. Unfortunately it’s being accomplished on the backs of the surgical teams. Friends in those divisions are telling me they aren’t allowed to use PTO, inappropriate call and inadequate compensation for the same, etc.

I work ortho, and while we're working hard, we're not having anything like that.  It's basically just back to normal...the only difference is everyone must wear a mask in clinic (patients, providers, support staff, etc. withOUT exception, we have even been given the authority to turn anyone away that refuses to wear a mask*) and we COVID test before elective surgeries.

 

*only one patient turned away due to this, the others we tolerate and wear our N95s and gear.  Interestingly it seems patient's get embarrassed when we walk in wearing basically a hazmat suit and next time most will wear their mask...haha

[Reality Check 2]

I feel blessed. No pay cuts, no furloughs, no loss of benefits.

Starting working from home on phone/video appts and then slowly back to working in the building some but home some.

Only seeing patients face to face one day a week in full PPE - the patients don't like it but they take it. Some demand face to face as a right of theirs - COVID be damned. 

We can't refuse to see anyone but we sure bug them if they argue about masks. Pressure usually works.

We have moved about 1/3 of staff (nonclinical) to telework pretty permanently and many of us PCPs are going to work telework 50% through flu season - our population is horribly high risk. Will continue tele visits and might be up to 2 days a week face to face in another month - all depends on PPE supply, COVID surge and hospitalizations and flu season, to boot. 

We now have a permanent drive thru pharmacy service and are working on drive up vaccines as long as weather permits. Trying to keep our waiting rooms more empty. We have over 1500 employees and 25 PCP teams along with specialties and inpatient. This place can get crowded quick.

New normal hasn't established yet - constant flux and change is our only normal.

I am grateful for my job, my benefits - even on the stupid days.

 

[RadAssPA]

The majority of the radiologists I worked with got fed up and quit just before the pandemic. I stuck around and have been employed without any furlough or loss of pay/benefits this whole time while other PA's throughout my hospital and system have had hours cut/furloughs (EM and other specialties). I consider myself lucky. Several weeks ago the chairman gave me a 5 digit bonus for 2019. Today he notified me that I just got a 5 digit raise and said they fully intend to get me where I should be and was actually apologetic that it hadn't happened sooner due to COVID etc. He was very appreciative and that they highly value the work I do. I've been at this job 1.5 years. I now consider myself VERY VERY lucky and have somehow prospered through all this.

[virtuous woman]

On 8/31/2020 at 8:06 PM, RadAssPA said:

Several weeks ago the chairman gave me a 5 digit bonus for 2019. Today he notified me that I just got a 5 digit raise and said they fully intend to get me where I should be and was actually apologetic that it hadn't happened sooner due to COVID etc. He was very appreciative and that they highly value the work I do. I've been at this job 1.5 years. I now consider myself VERY VERY lucky and have somehow prospered through all this.

That's awesome! Why can't all hospitals be like yours?

[ventana]

just looked (I am in PCP/primary care)

 

I have generated 185k in receipts so far this year, billed about 300k, not bad considering COVID

still churning away at the old grindstone to keep it going.... 

Practice is still around but I am hearing that 1/3 of PCP practices are likely to close..... scary...

[PA-C]

I am private practice derm. We stayed open through it all, but stopped performing cosmetic services for about 2-3 months in the beginning. Our salary was taken away and we were paid based on % of our collections for the first several months; this was scary because our volumes were way down since all the patients were terrified to leave their homes. As of 2 months ago, our pay structure returned to the usual compensation of salary + % productivity. Volume has been back up to pre-covid level for the last 3 months.