Benefits include:
- Call Quarters
- Insurance
- Health and Dental Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Life Insurance
- COBRA Insurance
- Leave
- Parental Leave
- Sick Leave
- Holidays
- Educational Leave
- Funeral Leave for Immediate Family
- Military Leave
- Other Leave
- Compliance with Board Requirements for Absence from Training
- Malpractice
- Reimbursement for Educational Expenses (includes conferences and books)
- Other Benefits
Call Quarters
Although neither the University nor the hospitals provide living quarters for residents and fellows, the hospitals provide comfortable call quarters within the hospital for residents and fellows when they are on call.
Health and Dental Insurance
Carrier: CIGNA HealthCare
CIGNA phone # to verify coverage: 800-564-7642
The plan is administered for us by:
Gerald Holland Insurance Company
P. O. Box 328
Southhaven, MS 38671
888-393-9500 (speak with Jerry Holland)
Premiums (Rates for July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011)
Below are the resident portions of the monthly health and dental insurance premiums:
Individual Coverage $ 70
Resident and Child(ren) $ 120
Resident and Spouse $ 140
Family $ 200
The annual Individual deductible (calendar year January - December) is $250 and the annual family deductible (for in-network) is $500. The plan pays for 90% of charges for covered services from network facilities and providers.
The University of Tennessee provides health and hospitalization insurance coverage for residents. The University pays the majority of the monthly premiums for either Individual, Resident and Spouse, Resident and Children, or Family coverage. The current plan is CIGNA HealthCare. The agent handling our plan is Jerry Holland of the Gerald Holland Insurance Agency located just outside Memphis.
At the present time, Erlanger has agreed to accept, as well as its related facilities, the amounts paid for covered services by the resident insurance plan -- once the deductible amounts are met. This provision covers both residents and their covered dependents. Erlanger facilities include Erlanger Medical Center, T. C. Thompson Children's Hospital, Willie D. Miller Eye Center, Erlanger East and Women’s East, and Erlanger North.
Please note: The resident health insurance plan through CIGNA no longer has a contract with the Plaza Lab, located at Erlanger. Since Erlanger is only a partial owner of that facility, the discount offered residents and dependents at Erlanger facilities does not extend to the Plaza Lab. If your physician's office does not offer lab services within the office, lab work will need to be sent to Quest Laboratories. In Chattanooga, Quest Labs have two locations: one on Shallowford Road and the other at the Chattanooga Surgical Center on McCallie Avenue and Holtzclaw not too far from Erlanger.
The plan also provides for mental health and substance abuse benefits through CIGNA Behavioral Health. Go to www.cignabehavioralhealth.com for details and covered providers. Before going to any behavioral health provider (psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor), the resident should contact the CIGNA Behavioral Health service line at 800-274-4573 and have them set up sessions and coordinate benefits. The plan provides:
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25 mental health days inpatient care per contract year (same benefits as regular inpatient hospital services)
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25 individual mental health office visits/counseling sessions per contract year (with $15 co-pay), and
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40 visits/sessions per contract year for group therapy (with same co-pay)
The plan also provides inpatient and outpatient substance abuse benefits.
Disability Insurance
The University provides $1,500 per month of tax-free disability benefits following 90-days of disability. Benefits are payable to age 65. This coverage cannot be cancelled by the insurance company and premiums are guaranteed level at your current age rates through age 65. Full benefits will be paid even if you collect from Social Security or workman’s compensation.
In addition, this policy has a guaranteed issue of up to $4,000 per month for residents who choose additional coverage. You may elect additional coverage at employment or at completion of your residency. For your convenience, the additional coverage at your own expense may be payroll deducted.
To offset the cost of the basic long-term disability coverage ($1500 per month), the University adds $50 each month to the agreed upon stipend scale. Actual premiums depend on the resident's date of birth.
For additional information regarding your disability coverage, please contact: Ed Barnett at ebarnett@barnettbenefits.com.
Life Insurance
Basic life insurance is also provided for residents and fellows in the amount of $100,000 and an additional $100,000 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Coverage for each resident. The $50 added to the monthly stipend also helps offset the small monthly premium (under $7 per month) for this basic life insurance. This coverage is through Unum. Your agent is:
Edwin W. Barnett
Barnett Benefits
1180 Vickery Lane, Suite 2
Cordova, TN 38018
E-mail: ebarnett@barnettbenefits.com
Continuation of Health Insurance via COBRA
A resident or fellow may continue his or her existing health insurance policy after either leaving training or taking an unpaid leave of absence for a period of up to 18 months by paying the entire premium (employee and employer portion plus a small fee).
A detailed description of Public Law 99-272, Title X, requiring employers to offer continuation coverage is available in the Office of Graduate Medical Education and can be furnished upon request.
If you elect to enroll in continuation of coverage via COBRA, you must complete a COBRA Health Insurance application form that will be mailed directly to exiting residents from the insurance company. COBRA premium payments are mailed to
Gerald Holland Insurance, Inc.
P. O. Box 328
Southhaven, MS 38671
(888) 393-9500
Leave
Parental Leave
Parental leave (maternity and paternity) is available to residents for the birth or adoption of a child or foster care placement. Annual leave, sick leave, and holidays may be used in order that salary may be continued. Any additional leave requested would be without pay. Residents are entitled to family leave, including time without pay, for up to 12 weeks. The resident must give reasonable notice (30 days when the need for leave is foreseeable). The Residency Program Director is responsible for determining whether the time off (in excess of vacation and holidays) would need to be made up at the end of training in accordance with board certification requirements. The make-up time, if required, would be with pay.
Please note: Since residents are on one-year appointments throughout the program, residents cannot carry over sick leave and vacation from one academic year to another.
Sick Leave
Residents may be paid for up to 21 sick days per year (four weeks and one day); however, these cannot be carried over from year to year. A Program Director may request a physician's statement for periods of sick leave. A resident may not be paid for unused sick leave at the end of the year. The determination as to whether or not the resident will be required to make up time missed due to Sick Leave will be made by the Program Director, in accordance with residency requirements and board certification requirements.
Vacation
Residents and fellows are allowed two weeks of vacation each year. Two programs, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine, allow three weeks of vacation. Some programs allow an additional week during the final year of training for fellowship and practice interviews. This is at the discretion of the program director and in accordance with the board certification requirements of the specialty. Residents and fellows may not be paid for unused vacation at the end of the year.
Holidays
Residents/Fellows are granted the following nine holidays, observed by UT and Erlanger:
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King's Birthday
Good Friday
Memorial Day
Independence Day (July 4th)
Labor Day
Thanksgiving (two days)
Christmas Day
Each department handles scheduling holidays for their Residents/Fellows and it is up to the discretion of that Chair and/or Program Director as to which of the official holidays will be permitted in each department. Not all departments recognize all nine holidays. The ultimate decision will be the chair’s. Remember that all Residents/Fellows cannot be off on the actual holiday, so you may have to take a substitute day later.
Educational Leave
Residents/Fellows are able to take one week each year to attend outside regional or national conferences, including board review courses, given approval by the appropriate program director. The hospital provides reimbursement of conference and travel expenses in accordance with University Travel guidelines, up to an annual maximum of $1500 for Plastic Surgery Resident. Outside conferences and time off must be approved in advance by the program director.
Funeral Leave for Immediate Family
An employee who is absent during his/her regularly scheduled work week due to the death of a spouse, child or step-child, or parent or step-parent, may receive payment for reasonable and customary days absent, not to exceed five (5) regularly scheduled work days for bereavement in conjunction with attending the funeral. An employee who is absent for funeral and bereavement during his/her regularly scheduled work week due to the death of a grandparent, grandchild, parent-in-law, foster parent, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, or son-in-law may receive payment for reasonable and customary days absent, not to exceed three (3) regularly scheduled work days.
Pay for each day of funeral and bereavement leave taken will be made at the employee's current rate of pay for a scheduled day's work not to exceed the hours for which the employee is normally scheduled to work, or his/her average hours worked per day (normal work week divided by 5), whichever is greater. Any holidays and days of administrative closing occurring during this time will be counted as part of the Funeral and Bereavement Leave and recorded as Holiday(s) and/or Day(s) of Administrative Closing pay.
Military Leave
The University provides time off without loss of pay for employees who are members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces of the United States or State National Guards (e.g., two week summer camp in the Tennessee National Guard). These University employees will receive normal compensation for a period not to exceed 15 working days in any one calendar year. The Resident/Fellow must coordinate the scheduling of this annual duty with his/her chief resident and Program Director or Chair, and the duty should not be scheduled during a required or critical rotation. If a University employee is called to active military service for an extended tour of duty, that individual will be placed on military leave on the effective date of the assumption of active military duty and will be returned to the employment of the University at the end of the active duty.
Other Leave of Absence
A Resident/Fellow may request a Leave of Absence for other, personal reasons. Given approval of the Program Director or Chair, the Resident/Fellow may utilize any combination of paid time off to continue salary for as long as benefits are available. Leave beyond paid time off will be at no salary. Efforts will be made to hold a position for up to three months, given funding availability from the primary affiliated institution (providing funding). Once the Resident/Fellow returns from leave, the Program Director will determine the amount of time which will need to be added at the end of training and any changes, if necessary, to promotion schedules, in accordance with the program requirements and board certification requirements. Any time added to the training will be with pay.
An employee may be required to furnish verification of the reason for the absence upon request of his/her Chair/Program Director and/or the Office of Graduate Medical Education.
Compliance with Board Requirements for Absence from Training
It is the responsibility of each Program Director to determine the effect of absence from training for any reason on the individual’s educational program and, if necessary, to establish make-up requirements that meet the Board requirements of the specialty.
Malpractice
As employees of the State of Tennessee, residents are protected against suits for malpractice via the Tennessee Claims Commission Act. The State is self-insured so there is no insurance carrier; however, coverage is similar to what would be stated in coverage is similar to what would be stated in an insurance policy.
Reimbursement for Educational Expenses
Erlanger Medical Center will reimburse each Plastic Surgery Resident up to a total of $1,500 for annual educational expenses such as outside educational conferences and travel or medical books. The formal policy defines allowable expenses.
Other Benefits
- Coats (white, monogrammed coats each year)
- Funding for meals ($20 daily maximum in the hospital cafeteria with swipe card)
- Parking (at no charge in the hospital parking garage)
- Relocation to Chattanooga (reimbursement of up to $1000)
- Hepatitis B immunization (if needed)
- Used HP iPaq PDAs provided by Erlanger at no charge, or reimbursement up to $250 toward purchase of PDA or smart phone (out of professional development funds)
- Alpha pagers provided by Erlanger at no charge
- Medical Library access (24/7 at Erlanger and access from home via internet)
- Copies at no charge in the Medical Library
- Notary service at no charge
- Resident and spouse organizations
- On-site child care available at Erlanger e-Kids (on a space available basis)
- Local UTCOMC CME conferences (registration at no charge for residents)
