USACS a good group to work for?

[buttercakes]

Just curious to get an idea of what people think of USACS as a group and as an employer? I graduate in May and have a potential to get a hospitalist position through this group. It seems like the pay and hours will be good, and their benefits seem to be pretty good. I will be in Utah. Just curious if anyone knows much about this group and if they are generally a good group to work for? I don’t have a hard offer, more of a potential offer based off needs in my area when I graduate. 

[ohiovolffemtp]

I don't know about USACS for hospital medicine, I do EM.  I do have some classmates who have worked for USACS for a number of years and are happy.  However, in EM, USACS is among the lowest paying of the large EM staffing groups.  For example, when USACS took over the EM staffing for a hospital chain the Cincinnati, Ohio area from TeamHealth about 8 years ago, all but 2 of the docs and most of the PA's/NP's left because USACS pay was well below what they were making.

However, there are other things which matter, especially as a new grad.  Opportunity to learn is the key, as the job market for an experience PA (usually 5+ years) is entirely different that that for a new grad.  Another thing to consider is your willingness to relocate.

Interview many places, talk to folks currently working at sites where you receive offers to see what they like and dislike, then decide.

[buttercakes]

4 hours ago, ohiovolffemtp said:

I don't know about USACS for hospital medicine, I do EM.  I do have some classmates who have worked for USACS for a number of years and are happy.  However, in EM, USACS is among the lowest paying of the large EM staffing groups.  For example, when USACS took over the EM staffing for a hospital chain the Cincinnati, Ohio area from TeamHealth about 8 years ago, all but 2 of the docs and most of the PA's/NP's left because USACS pay was well below what they were making.

However, there are other things which matter, especially as a new grad.  Opportunity to learn is the key, as the job market for an experience PA (usually 5+ years) is entirely different that that for a new grad.  Another thing to consider is your willingness to relocate.

Interview many places, talk to folks currently working at sites where you receive offers to see what they like and dislike, then decide.

Thank you so much for the feedback! I appreciate it a lot! Like I said, I still don’t graduate until May so it is helpful to get this perspective for sure. 

[JEFTU]

Look at the entire benefits package. At some Team Health sites, you work as an independent contractor meaning you may have a higher hourly but no benefits and do your own taxes. USACS is typically a benefited position with one of the highest 401k matches in the industry. 

Also make sure there is an onboarding program, educational program, and support as a new graduate. 

[Boatswain2PA]

USUCKS is a terrible organization to work for.  They ONLY care about the bottom line, and nothing else matters.  One shop I work at was staffed by Valley Emergency Physicians when they were bought out by USUCKS.  Since then they have done their best to ruin the shop.

PAY:
Under VEP, we had a base pay of $70/hr, but were capped at $85/hour after RVU bonus (with a requirement of 5.5 RVU/hour to make that max bonus).  I averaged about 7.5 RVU/hr, so always made that max.   When USUCKS took over they promised us that there would be no cap to the RVU bonus, so I anticipated making >$100/hr.  It took them three months to figure out our new RVU/hr with the USUCKS billers, and during that time I was seeing as many patients as I could because I wanted to see HOW high I could push my pay. 

At the end of the 3 months, USUCKS said my RVU was only about 3.5 RVU/hr, so I didn't qualify for ANY bonus. 

Again, during this three months I was working as HARD as I could, signing up for every patient I could.  I was even coming in a bit early to pick up patients, and would stay late to finish charting (without counting those hours).  I did EVERYTHING I could do to maximize my RVUs, but the new USUCKS system said my RVU dropped in half.

I complained, and loudly, meanwhile I mostly walked away.  So did some other full time APPs.  They said "whoops, we counted wrong" and gave me a few grand bonus.   Meanwhile, they found out that they couldn't hire more APPs at the $70/hour, so now everyone is back at the $85/hour.  Even the new grad NPs who only make 2.5 RVU/hour and are a drag on the physicians. 

SCHEDULE:

USUCKS only cares about the botom line for Apollo Global Management who they owe about $700 million to (and is due in 2026, so will need to be restructured at an almost assuredly higher interest rate).   This means their beancounters are consistently jacking with the schedules, especially the APP schedule. 

My shop used to have a very stable physician/APP crew, and we had 24 hour physician coverage (two 12 hr shifts) and 22 hours of APP coverage a day (12 hour 0900-2100 shift and a 10 hour 1600-0200 shift). 

But USUCKS needs to squeeze those lemons, so they cut the 10 hour APP shift.  I told them during that conference call they were shooting themselves in some proximal appendages because the docs were going to walk.  They spewed their corporate bull about how they have carefully studied the metrics and disregarded our warnings.  Two months later they are down two full time physicians, the medical director (who doesn't need to work) is working 18 shifts a month, and they are having to fly in the regional guy for emergency credentialing.  All because they just can't keep from shooting themselves in appendages. 

Then they reconsidered, and have added back the 2nd APP shift, but only an EIGHT hour shift, and only Fri-Sunday.  This is in an area where almost all of us drive about 45-60 minutes to work....but USUCKS doesn't think about that, so nobody wants to drive 2 hours for an 8 hour shift on a Friday-Sunday night. 

Hmmmm......go figgure.

BENEFITS
Suck.  No PTO, no sick days.  They do have a match on their 401K (3% I think).  They have an okay CME and professional fees reimbursement, however for the first 2 years ALL of your CME money will go to the programs that they mandate (that's another nice little scam they have - giving you CME money that you have to spend at their side business).

They also can give a pretty decent end of year bonus if things go well.  It was a pretty good bonus (5 figures I think), but that was before the "no surprise bill act" that has really hurt these corporate medical groups and I don't know if anyone will get one for 2023 as rumor is they lost about $35M last year. 

They will hard sell you on "physician ownership", and have opened that up to PAs as well.  They will say you can buy their stock, and after a period of time they will pay for the tax implication of your getting that stock.  Their sales pitch sounds great.

DON"T FALL FOR IT.

It is NON-preferred stock, and there is virtually no market for it.  Worse yet, USUCKS is in MASSIVE debt to Apollo Global Management.  Currently the debt is at a very low interest rate, but it all comes due in 2026 when it will have to be either repayed or restructured.  I think there is a very real possibility that USUCKS will go bankrupt at that time because they lost something like $30M last year and interest rates will be much higher.  I think the non-preferred stocks they hard-sold to docs/PAs will be virtually worthless.

And then there is the management aspect - constantly forced to sit through new-grad-NP level courses on basic emergency medicine topics, management/DEI/compliance stuff, etc.  All expected to be done off-the-clock (can't hurt the bottom line).

Summary - USUCKS is a terrible company to work for.  I still work for them because I love working at my local shop, but I detest the company who signs my check. 

[EMEDPA]

so, Boats, I am a little unclear about how you feel about these folks...

Welcome back, buddy. Have not seen you around for a while. 

[Boatswain2PA]

12 minutes ago, EMEDPA said:

so, Boats, I am a little unclear about how you feel about these folks...

Welcome back, buddy. Have not seen you around for a while. 

I got banned because I disagreed with an administrator who posted something stupidly histrionic.  Apparently that's not allowed.  I probably won't last long this time either.

Edited January 19 by Boatswain2PA

[EMEDPA]

26 minutes ago, Boatswain2PA said:

I got banned because I disagreed with an administrator who posted something stupidly histrionic.  Apparently that's not allowed.  I probably won't last long this time either.

oh, well, it wasn't me. welcome back.