Staff expenses

Q How should salary expenses for staff as a percentage of revenue differ for an emergency or 24-hour practice compared to a traditional practice?

"Support staff costs at an emergency facility or a 24-hour facility tend to be higher than at a traditional practice," says Hospital Management Editor Mark Opperman, CVPM, owner of VMC Inc. in Evergreen, Colo. "Support staff costs, including payroll and payroll taxes only, would be about 19 percent to 21 percent in a traditional practice. But an emergency or 24-hour practice might go one to three points higher. However, these percentages are relative to gross, so income in an emergency facility should still be high enough to keep this expense in line. If not, it'll affect profitability."

Mark Opperman