General orthopedic surgeons in physician-owned practices had 749 more patient encounters last year than hospital-employed orthopedists. They also recorded 556 more work relative value units than employed orthopedic surgeons.
Elective services and surgeries were halted at many hospitals and surgery centers at the height of the pandemic. Physician-owned practices did not treat patients with COVID-19 and generally were able to resume seeing them in-office for elective care before hospitals. Patients also often felt more comfortable returning to clinics and surgery centers than hospitals with COVID-19 patients.
Overall, orthopedic surgeon compensation was up 1.67 percent last year, even though the median work relative value units were 11.65 percent lower in 2020.
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