Productivity Benchmarks

Question: In general, what is the yearly "work RVU" target for an internal medicine physician working in a five-provider clinic, making a salary of $180,000 per year?

Answer: Well, the Medical Group Management Association surveys on work relative value units (RVUs) by specialty (among many other things). According to its Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2003 Report Based on 2002 Data, internal medicine, FTE physicians generate a median of 3,856 work RVUs per year. The size of clinic should not impact productivity.

And many practices these days base salary on productivity anyway. That said, the same publication says that the median compensation for internal medicine single-specialty practices is $160,000 - so 3,856 work RVUs for $160,000.

You can get more up-to-date data from the MGMA (visit www.mgma.com).