Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1299034
20 CFO / FINANCE Average physician pay increases in 11 specialties By Kelly Gooch A verage provider pay in medical groups climbed 3.79 percent overall in 2019, up from the 2.92 percent increase the year prior, according to a Sept. 2 survey from the American Medical Group Association. Additionally, average work relative value unit production, a measure of provider productivity, increased by 0.56 percent in 2019, compared to a 0.29 percent increase in 2018, the survey found. Compensation per work relative value unit production ratio increased by 2.14 percent last year compared to 3.64 percent in 2018, ac- cording to the survey. e survey is based on data from 317 medical groups, representing more than 127,000 providers from 169 physician, advanced practice clinician and other specialties. Here are the 2018-19 percentage changes for average physician compensation in 11 specialties spotlighted in the survey: • Family medicine: 3.75 percent increase • Internal medicine: 5.65 percent increase • Pediatrics: 5.06 percent increase • Cardiology (general): 2.47 percent increase • Gastroenterology: 2.83 percent increase • Hematology and medical oncology: 4.14 per- cent increase • Neurology: 3.46 percent increase • OB-GYN (general): 5.65 percent increase • Emergency medicine: 4.05 percent increase • General surgery: 4.68 percent increase • Orthopedic surgery: 6.88 percent increase n Surgeon sues Orlando Health for $800K, alleges forced in-network referrals By Ayla Ellison A n orthopedic surgeon who formerly worked at Orlando (Fla.) Health is suing the health system for unlawful retaliation and violation of anti-kick- back laws, according to the Orlando Sentinel. In his lawsuit filed Aug. 28, Ayman Daouk, MD, alleges the health system re- quired that he and other physicians refer patients only within Orlando Health's network. He claims he was fired for failing to comply with the mandate, accord- ing to the report. This is the second time Dr. Daouk has sued Orlando Health. In a lawsuit unsealed in January, he alleged he was fired for violating Orlando Health's "mandatory self-referral" policy. He voluntarily dropped that lawsuit, according to the report. An Orlando Health spokesperson told the Orlando Sentinel that the system does not comment on pending litigation. n Chicago church wipes out $19M in medical debt By Morgan Haefner A church in Chicago raised enough money to pay off more than $19 million in unpaid medical debt, according to The Christian Post. The church, Vive Chicago, worked with the nonprofit organization RIP Med- ical Debt to pay off Chicago residents' unpaid medical bills. The church raised $100,000, which RIP Medical Debt used to forgive medical debt for pennies on the dollar. The donation is part of a larger campaign that aims to erase $78 million in med- ical debt for about 71,000 families in Illinois' Cook County. RIP Medical Debt works with several organizations to help wipe out unpaid medical debt, and can now buy the debt directly from hospitals, the HHS Office of Inspector General said in July. n Illinois nurse practitioner pleads guilty to Medicare fraud By Morgan Haefner A nurse practitioner in Illinois pleaded guilty to charges of healthcare fraud Sept. 8, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Jami Mayhew took part in a scheme to defraud Medicare by providing services in nursing homes that weren't medically necessary, according to infor- mation presented at the plea hearing. The Justice Department said Ms. Mayhew visited nursing home residents multiple times, examined them for a few minutes and falsely documented what services she provided to inflate her reimburse- ment. Ms. Mayhew admitted to submitting 251 false claims to Medicare from May to June in 2017. Her sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 10. n