You asked for detail on the Inter Island Medical Center Physician Salaries line item on the July Profit and Loss Budget vs. Actual financial report (“Rising cost of 24/7 care,” page 1A, Sept. 3 Journal).

I would like to point out that the monthly budget for physician salaries in 2008 is $137,000. This July the amount was $144,428 (over the July budget by $7,428). IIMC budgeted $555,000 for physician salaries from January through the end of July 2008 and the actual amount of physician salaries is $546,003, which means IIMC is $8,997 under budget for year to date.

As I mentioned, IIMC physicians are paid a primary care base salary for the number of primary care clinic days they work. They are also paid a base salary for taking 24/7 call. Each physician is required to take call a minimum of six shifts a month. They can elect to take additional call shifts that are available. Remember, IIMC must cover 365 days a year of 24/7 calls.

Primary Care clinic days are paid at $331.25 per 8-hour clinic day. 24/7 Call days are paid at $1,000 per 24-hour period.

Per contract. the physicians are also eligible for a productivity bonus based on collection rate. This bonus is paid out quarterly. This July payroll productivity bonus includes the second-quarter productivity bonus for doctors Wingren, Moran, Mahoney and Johnson.

The physicians also receive monthly compensation for participation on the MD leadership team.

Here is the breakdown of the $144,438.43:

— Primary Care base salary: $16,354.18.
— 24/7 Call: $25,500.
— Productivity Bonus Second Quarter (time four doctors): $89,428.
— Extra primary care clinic days: $1,656.35.
— MD Leadership Team compensation: $1,500.
— New Physician Signing Bonus: $10,000.

IIMC physicians have been covering the clinic .75 FTE (three clinic days and six call shifts a month) short since Marcia Zakarison died. We just now have recruited new doctors to assume those hours. They have been working very hard to cover all the clinic and call days.
Beth Williams Gieger
Administrator
Inter Island Medical Center