Voicing the Value of ID

Reflecting on the last two and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic, what stands out to me is our incredible ID workforce. To address the significant challenges our country has faced, it took the consistent, omnipresent work of ID experts who treated patients with COVID-19, developed infection prevention protocols, advised schools and workplaces how to reopen safely, deployed tests, developed vaccines, provided practical advice to the public and more. To continue leading communities out of the current health crisis, prepare for future public health threats and enable the safe advancement of modern medical care from organ transplantation to cancer chemotherapy and more, we need to grow the ID workforce and ensure that those within it are recognized and valued for the unique expertise they bring.

Improving ID physician compensation is one area where IDSA can make significant progress to help address the ID workforce shortage, a multifaceted undertaking that requires change throughout the health care system.

On the policy front, IDSA is working with policymakers to develop and enact solutions to alleviate medical debt, including the BIO Preparedness Workforce Act. Currently there are loan repayment programs for health care providers in areas like primary care, mental health and substance use, but no programs that are specific to ID. In addition, IDSA and many of its members have been advocating for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to appropriately value E/M codes, a source of the pay disparity between ID specialists and other specialists whose work is procedure-based.

IDSA is also advocating for more funding to support early career researchers and for more public health funding to enable state and local health departments to hire, train and retain ID experts that are needed in communities across the country. Most recently, IDSA is developing new “outbreak activation” legislation that would create a new reimbursement mechanism for clinicians to receive enhanced reimbursement for services furnished in response to a public health emergency related to an infectious disease.

The Society also wants to empower members to create change in their own organizations. In 2020, I chaired the Compensation Strike Team to develop a strategy and program — called the ID Physician Compensation Initiative — to help ID physicians make more immediate compensation improvements. IDSA is making a sustained investment in the Physician Compensation Initiative with the long-term goal of increasing compensation and improving work/life balance for ID physicians.

Throughout the development process, the Physician Compensation Initiative has included both outside negotiation experts and ID physicians from different practice settings to ensure that the tools and resources are practical, reflect best practices and are results oriented. The first two tools, the Compensation Negotiation Playbook and the Value-Based Arrangements Guide, launched earlier this year. New learning modules are continuously being developed and released. These include live webinars and videos and are tailored to various practice settings.

In just a few short months, members who have been putting these strategies to work have achieved significant wins. One IDSA member shared they used the data and tools provided by IDSA to successfully negotiate for increased compensation for their whole division. Another is using the tools to demonstrate the value of establishing an outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy program at their institution.

I invite you to engage with the Physician Compensation Initiative. Please use the tools that IDSA is making available to its amazing members, and share your feedback to help shape the creation of future resources.

Together let’s make some noise and voice the value of ID.

Editor’s Note: At IDWeek in Washington, D.C., join IDSA on Thursday, Oct. 20, 7-8 a.m. ET, for breakfast and an interactive session on compensation in the Marriot Marquis, Marquis Salon 1+2: “Money Talks: Ensuring Your Compensation Reflects Your Value.”

You also won’t want to miss “Putting the Value of ID Into Practice” at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 22, in room 145AB in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The session will be moderated by IDSA President Daniel P. McQuillen, MD, FIDSA, and IDSA Vice President Steven K. Schmitt, MD, FIDSA, who will lead a discussion focused on how to facilitate a successful compensation negotiation. 

Throughout IDWeek, you’ll also have the chance to get one-on-one coaching at the Compensation Corner, where experts from IDSA’s partner ECG Management Consultants will be on hand to answer questions and help members practice negotiating skills. Located in the BugHub in the Grand Lobby in Salons ABC and GHI of the convention center, the Compensation Corner will be open noon - 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 19, and 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 20, through Saturday, Oct. 22.