How to Ask for a Raise When You Are an Employed Physician
Many physicians accept compensation changes passively. Preparation, data, and timing can turn a raise request from an uncomfortable conversation into a business discussion.
Many employed physicians go years without formally asking for a raise. They wait for the annual adjustment, assume the compensation committee is fair, and feel awkward bringing up money. Meanwhile, the physician down the hall who asked is paid more for similar work. Negotiating compensation is not unprofessional. It is part of managing a career in an employed model.
Understand How You Are Paid
Before you ask for more, understand the structure you have. Is your pay a fixed salary, productivity based on work RVUs, a hybrid, or tied to quality and citizenship metrics? What is the conversion factor, and when was it last revisited? Which of your activities, such as supervision, teaching, committee work, or call coverage, are compensated, and which are not?
Ask for your own productivity reports. Many physicians have never seen the data their employer uses to evaluate them. Knowing your volume, payer mix, and trends gives you a basis for the conversation.
Build Your Case
Employers respond to value they can see. Assemble a short summary of what you contribute.
- Your productivity over time, compared with the targets in your contract.
- Uncompensated work you perform, such as medical directorships, teaching, recruiting, or panel management.
- Access you create, including new patients, extended hours, or coverage gaps you fill.
- Quality and patient experience results that support the organization's goals.
- Market data from reputable compensation surveys your employer is likely to use.
Compensation surveys are imperfect, and employers often use the same ones. Knowing where you fall on those surveys helps you speak their language.
The strongest raise request describes what you already do that the organization has not yet paid for.
Timing and the Conversation
Time your request before budget cycles close and well before contract renewal. Ask for a meeting specifically to discuss compensation rather than raising it at the end of a performance review. Present your case calmly, state a specific request, and listen to the response.
If the answer is no, ask what would need to change for the answer to be yes, and in what time frame. Request that commitment in writing. Consider nonsalary requests too, such as protected administrative time, additional staff support, a reduced call burden, CME funds, or a stipend for a role you already perform.
Your leverage depends partly on your options. You do not need to threaten to leave, and you should never bluff. But understanding the market, and having talked quietly with other potential employers, gives you confidence and perspective. Sometimes the conversation reveals that your employer values you more than you knew. Sometimes it reveals that it is time to look elsewhere.
Priya Natarajan has run operations for multispecialty groups and writes The Script Pad's practice management column.
This article is for professional education and does not replace clinical judgment. Treatment decisions should be based on the individual patient and current guidelines.
