News flash: some pediatricians are underpaid

What, if anything, does a pediatrician make when on call?

A new survey by Medical Group Management Association found that a large percentage of working doctors do not receive additional compensation for the time they spend on call.

Pediatricians bring up the rear when it comes to daily compensation amount: they receive a maximum of $895 for their daily on-call services. Neurological surgeons make more than twice that amount. Urologists, on the other hand, make a high of $500 a day on call.

Additionally, the survey found that 38% of providers overall received no compensation for being on call. That number broke down to about 30% for hospital-owned practices, and 42% for privately-owned group practices.

The study did not say how many physicians took the poll. MGMA's survey was voluntary, and as it points out, not necessarily representative of the industry.