Re: What's your compensation for carrying a pager???

Chris,

The subject of the thread has been "What's your compensation for *carrying* a pager???" Of course I charge for "physical" procedures I do.

But I don't charge (as lawyers do) for the dozen weekend calls, "I forgot to refill my meds on Friday. The prescription is expired. I need you to call the pharmacy and OK it." (A call like that typically takes 15 minutes to handle, and costs me $1.25 for the answering service, + whatever I pay for the cell phone, + the danger of taking the call on the highway, + being called away from normal life + cost of office staff pulling chart and entering on Monday AM + ...)

Nor do I charge (as lawyers do) for the 3 AM calls, "I can't sleep -- do something." That takes three minutes to handle (!_at_$*!) and one hour to get back to sleep.

Let's see, lawyers get $250/hr (more on weekends) plus expenses. Should YOU need to have your prescription refilled on a Sunday, how would you feel about the bill for $80 (not covered by insurance)?

Stan

Christopher Browne <cbbrowne_at_acm.org> wrote in message news:<60llikr3j9.fsf_at_dev6.int.libertyrms.info>...
> stanleysinclair_at_bellsouth.net (Stanley Sinclair) writes:
> > I won't bore anyone with my personal reasons. I am a physician (MD
> > in practice), an MBA (consultant in practice), and an active
> > database programmer. For details about why I feel as I do, write me
> > privately. (In 35 years of medical practice, I have never received
> > a cent for being on call 24/7/365. On the toilet, during sex, at my
> > parent's funeral, nor any other time.)
>
> Ah, but do you not charge fees when called to do a procedure at those
> odd hours, then?
>
> It is usual, as far as I can tell, for doctors to indeed bill for
> procedures done when they get called, whether that be during "normal
> business hours" or after-hours. I once got a chunk of chicken stuck
> in my throat, needing intervention of an ENT late at night; while I
> did not see the bill, I can only assume that he got paid for doing the
> procedure.
>
> It does not strike me as "unprofessional" to imagine that one might
> get compensated for such things. A company that expects its employees
> to provide quality service can certainly be expected to pay for that.
>
> In markets where employers can see many unemployed would-be staff
> members, they can certainly choose to pay people less (irrespective of
> reason). If they consider their staff to be valuable to them, then
> compensating their staff in a manner that is regarded as "fair" is not
> merely fair, but needful.
>
> In particular, if there is the ability to choose whether or not to be
> part of an "on-call" group, then for there to be "fairness," there
> needs to be some difference in the handling of compensation for those
> that choose this way or that. THAT is "only professional."
Received on Sun Jun 20 2004 - 19:10:51 CEST