Employment Contracts for Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
With rising hospital employment of physicians, unfolding reform policies, and tightening reimbursement, medical practices need actionable data that practice managers and surgeons can use to help find, create, and promote more beneficial practice opportunities. A survey conducted by Cejka Search reflects how orthopaedic surgeons feel about hospital employment, including their expectations of benefits, incentives, and contract terms.
Employment landscape
Approximately 40 percent of the 118 orthopaedic surgeons surveyed have been in practice for more than 21 years, with fairly equal numbers in self-employed and employed practice arrangements. Among the more than 49 percent of respondents who are employed, 67.9 percent work for a hospital or health system, 17 percent work for a medical school or university, and less than 8 percent are employed by a physician-owned medical group.
Benefits and incentives
Table 1 shows the most common benefits included in employment contracts between hospitals and orthopaedic surgeons. Nearly all of the employed orthopaedic surgeons surveyed have malpractice coverage and pension/401K plan (95.9 percen...
