Family Medicine Stipends, Benefits, & Leave
Resident Stipend Scale 2010-2011
|
PGY Level
|
Annual Stipend
includes Life and
Disability Offset |
Monthly Gross
|
| PGY-1 |
$ 45,175 |
$ 3,764.58 |
| PGY-2 |
$ 46,750 |
$ 3,895.83 |
| PGY-3 |
$ 48,350 |
$ 4,029.17 |
Benefits include:
Health Insurance
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:
- 25 mental health days inpatient care per contract year (same benefits as regular inpatient hospital services)
- 25 individual mental health office visits/counseling sessions per contract year (with $15 co-pay), and
- 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
Health insurance coverage after completion of training or or during an unpaid leave of absents for a period up to 18 months may continue 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 and return to Tammy Fite in the Office of Graduate Medical Education. The COBRA application can be found with other forms in the Online Handbooks section.
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 Family Medicine RRC deems that no more than four weeks can be taken from any given year of education. Leave time taken greater than four weeks is made up at the end of the residency, 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 Leave Days per year for personal illness. As soon as the resident realizes he/she will be unable to work due to illness, he should contact his rotation attending or chief resident, and the Department of Family Medicine to notify the Program Director of the illness. If unable to contact the departmental office, the resident must page the attending on call for the practice. The resident is expected to identify coverage for any clinical responsibilities. Every attempt should be made to avoid canceling patient appointments.
Vacation
Each resident is allowed three weeks, 15 working days, of vacation each academic year, July to June. Vacation may not be more than one week for any one-month rotation. Some departments restrict vacation during certain rotations. No more than 4 residents may be gone on vacation or CME at one time. In order to assure everyone gets all their vacation, half of the resident's time away, vacation and CME, should be taken in the first half of the academic year. Residents are not guaranteed that they will receive all their vacation if requested in the last half of the year. Any vacation not taken during the academic year may not be carried over to the following year. An appropriate "Request for Time Away" form must be completed in order to request vacation. This form must be signed by the chief resident before the Program Director receives the form. Vacation must be requested three months in advance. Vacation is granted on a first-come, first-approved basis. All residents are required to be on campus the last two weeks of June. The resident is responsible for arranging for another resident to cover his/her FPC patients during vacation. All administrative duties, including medical records, must be completed before any time off. Only the Program Director may make exceptions to these policies.
Personal Leave
A limit of six personal days may be granted to attend to personal needs each year. A resident may not use a personal day on either a Monday or a Friday. Any exceptions to this must be cleared by the Program Director. Personal days cannot be taken on an office day, and a one-week notice must be given. A form requesting a personal day must be signed by the attending physician and program director. A resident may not take more than one Personal day in a given month.
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
Residents are given the opportunity to choose which holidays to take call. For the Christmas/New Year holiday, each resident is given a week (5 days) off. Some will be off the week of Christmas, some the week of New Year's. The specific dates are set by the program each fall.
Educational Leave
Residents are allowed one week of educational conference leave each year. All travel approval and reimbursement is subject to University of Tennessee policies and procedures. Residents can request leave for educational conferences that are deemed sound educational experiences. Prior approval from the Program Director and Dean is required before making any travel arrangements (UT Travel Authorization Form). Original receipts must be turned in within 5 days of returning from the trip in order that appropriate documentation can be submitted to the UTCOMC Business Office within 30 days of your return from travel. Conferences that residents should consider are those that are approved for AAFP credit and those that provide an average of six hours of study each day. Specific information regarding receipts, allowable expenses, documentation, etc., should be addressed with Ms. Skoretz, residency coordinator, prior to the trip. [Note: Residents must seek pre-approval from both the Program Director and the Business Manager if requesting a rental car. Such expenses will not be reimbursed unless approved by both in advance of the trip.]
Erlanger Medical Center will reimburse each resident for annual educational enhancements such as book reimbursements and conference attendance as follows:
PGY-1 $ 500
PGY-2 $ 1,000
PGY-3 $ 1,500
Other items which can be reimbursed from this educational enhancement fund include:
- USMLE Step 3 examination
- Membership to ACEP and SAEM
- Electronic medical resource media
- CD-ROM board review courses
- Video course materials
- Hard copy or electronic medical subscriptions
- PDA or smart phone (up to $250 maximum) if the resident elects not to use the Erlanger provided, used HP iPaq PDA
Funeral Leave
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.
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 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 without salary. Efforts will be made to hold a position for up to three months, given funding availability from the primary affiliated institution . 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.
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.
Moonlilghting
All moonlighting activities, including location and duty times, must have prior approval by the program director. This information must be kept on file by the residency coordinator. It is the resident's responsibility to update this when there are changes. First year residents are not allowed to moonlight. Residents are responsible for their own professional liability insurance coverage while moonlighting. Regular duties and on-call schedule must be attended to before consideration of moonlighting. Moonlighting hours are to be reported to the program director, and should not exceed the required 80 hour work week. As such, a resident should never obligate themselves to an extent that moonlighting becomes a necessity or interferes with personal time, family time, or residency training. The department reserves the right to discontinue a resident's permission to moonlight.
Other Benefits
- Coats (4 white monogrammed coats the first yeare and 3 each subsequent year)
- Funding for meals (maximum daily allowance of $20 via a swipe card in the hospital cafeteria)
- Parking (at no charge in the hospital parking garage)
- Relocation to Chattanooga (reimbursement of up to $1000 for non-primary care and up to $1,500 for primary care)
- Hepatitis B immunization (if needed)
- Hospital provided PDA (used HP iPaq) with wireless (Wi-Fi) access to internet and patient records, or up to $250 reimbursement toward purchase of a 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)
Revised 8/2010 |
