Purpose: Work-relative-value-units (wRVUs) are a core metric of faculty effort but do not account for the additional work associated with intraoperative teaching. This study introduces and assesses an indexed effort, wRVU per minute (wRVU index). We hypothesize that there is a significant decrease in the calculated wRVU index among teaching cases.
Methods: We queried the ACS-NSQIP database for 7 core Emergency General Surgery procedures and records were stratified into teaching vs non-teaching, and emergent vs non-emergent procedures. We utilized multivariable generalized linear models to determine factors associated with increased operative time and decreased wRVU index.
Results: Data were available for 953,967 cases from 2005 to 2010. For all cases, teaching vs non-teaching, the median wRVU index was 0.16 vs 0.21 (p < 0.001). There was a positive association between teaching cases and decreased wRVU index for all cases.
Conclusion: The wRVU index was 24% lower for teaching cases when compared to non-teaching cases despite controlling for patient-specific factors. This finding highlights the need for further evaluation of the current wRVU framework.
Keywords: Physician compensation; Surgical training; Teaching cases; wRVU.
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