copyright 2010. medical group management association. all rights reserved. dos and don’ts of...

Copyright 2010. Medical Group Management Association. All rights reserved.

Dos and Don’ts of Surveys

Kristina Ziehler, MPH [email protected]

Meghan McMahon, MS [email protected]

Survey Operations Department


Common FAQs in Surveys

• MGMA Surveys provide a wealth of information– Compensation– Productivity– Cost– Revenue

• How can you get the most out of these benchmarks?


Mean vs. Median

Do use the median.

We recommend benchmarking against the median in most cases since it is not

influenced by extreme values


Mean vs. Median

What are the average and median number of beignets purchased at the local café?


What was the average number of beignets purchased per person at the café?

Mean vs. Median

Person A Person B Person C Person D Person E

1 beignet 2 beignets 3 beignets 4 beignets 5 beignets

Average = SUM(PersonA:PersonE)/N

(1+2+3+4+5)/5 = (15)/5 = 3

There was an average of 3 beignets purchased.


Mean vs. Median

What was the median number of beignets purchased per person at the café?

Person A Person B Person C Person D Person E


There was a median of 3 beignets purchased.

50% Above50% Below


Mean vs. Median

What was the median and average number of beignets purchased per person at the café?

Person A Person B Person C Person D Person X


There was a median of 3 and average of 20 beignets purchased!


Sample Size

Do be aware of the Population.

The larger the count, or “N” of the data, the more reliable the benchmark.

Don’t add up the N’s in the Cost Survey staffing tables.

Due to data outliers being excluded, and response rate, N’s won’t always necessarily add up.


Hourly compensation

Don’t try to create an hourly compensation using the data in the Physician Compensation survey.

This data is collected as an annual total and may not give an accurate compensation when divided by an estimated number of hours worked per year.


Salary data: Cost vs. Physician Comp

Don’t try to gather compensation benchmarks for your support staff using the Cost survey.Many State-level MGMA groups conduct support staff salary surveys; we urge you to reach out to them.


Comparing Data Across Tables

Don’t divide data across various tables.

Take a look at the N’s in each table. You’ll notice—the population size is different!

There typically is not a relationship between the percentiles in one table and the percentiles in another table

i.e. 75th ptile compensation correlated to 75th ptile wRVUs



Do utilize ratio tables.Compensation to Work RVU Ratio Table includes only participants that reported both types of data; we do the math for you!

Do use the Physician Pay-to-Production Plotter tool.Interactive Report offers physician compensation to production ratio organized in a scatter plot.


Do explore MGMA Custom Analysis reports.



Percentiles

Don’t default to the highest benchmark. If your practice performs at the 48th percentile, it is not realistic to benchmark at the 90th.

Don’t assume 90th percentile is always the best. While production or revenue at high percentiles is great, operating cost is not.


Percentiles

Do remember the importance of internal benchmarking. Determine your practice’s baseline performance.

Do use benchmarks as a guide or a goal.Strive for continuous improvement.


Specific Population

Do use tables that apply to your group. Look at a variety of tables (by group size, region, hospital ownership, etc.) that best fit your practice.

Don’t shop around for the best-fit data. Agree internally which tables your group will use before looking at data, avoid “pick-and-choose” behavior, and stick with the median!


Surveys FAQs

Q: Cost – What’s in Total Cost?

A: Total operating cost + total provider cost– Appendix C: Formulas and Methodology

• Total operating and NPP cost• Total Medical Revenue after Operating Cost and

NPP Cost


Survey FAQs

Q: What’s the difference between the More Than 1 Year in Specialty and More Than 2 Years in Specialty salary tables? Which do I use?

A: It is best to use More than 1 Year, since Years in Specialty is not a required question in the survey—every physician is required to have worked an entire 12 months, so more will fall under the More than 1 Year category.


Survey FAQs

Q: How do I use Cost staffing tables properly?

A:

i.e. Benchmark:

Practice Type: FP, Not Hospital/IDS owned MGMA benchmark: Total support staff FTE per FTE physician=4.86 Formula: .8 (FTE) x 3 physicians x 4.86 (MGMA metric)= Support staff FTE needed: 11.67

Take the number of FTEs you have and multiply it by the median.If the full-time equivalent for your practice is 0.8, multiply it by the appropriate metric.


Survey FAQs

Q: What does “TC/NPP Excl” mean in the Physician Compensation Report?

A: TC means Technical Component. NPP means Nonphysician Provider. Tables with this designation have no TC and no productivity attributed to NPPs in the data.


Survey FAQs

Q: Cost – what is the difference between per Physican and per Provider?

A: Per physician is per 1.0 FTEPer provider includes every practice that has both a nonphysician provider + one physician


Survey FAQs

Q: What are the Physician Compensation Report Summary Tables?

A: These tables act as “snapshots” of specialties. They offer benchmarks on compensation, collections, wRVUs, and ratios for national, group type, and geographic sections.


Survey FAQs

Q: Can I compute total medical revenue after operating cost?

A: We recommend allowing MGMA to do the calculations for you!


Survey FAQs

Q: Is there ever a time I should use the mean?

A: Yes!

Exception to the Median Rule within the Cost Survey:o Total Days in A/Ro Accounts Receivable and Collections Percentageso Percentage Breakout of Total Gross Charges

Reason to use the mean instead of the median o When using percentages, medians can be 0.00% which will not allow

benchmark insighto Metrics should add up to 100% i.e. A/R percentages


Conclusion

Do feel comfortable with the data. MGMA does take the time to contact and verify answers with participations ensuring we are publishing accurate and useful data.

Do feel free to contact us with questions. Many of our staff have years of experience working with the surveys and are eager to help with any questions a user may have.


Questions?

[email protected]

copyright 2010. medical group management association. all rights reserved. dos and don’ts of...

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