This survey seeks to better understand orthopaedic surgeons' perspectives on Emergency Department (ED) call responsibilities and economic impact.
Individual responses will be kept confidential. Survey results will only be reported in aggregate.

1.Section I: Demographics & Practice Characteristics
Years in Practice(Required.)

< 5

5-10

11-20

21-30

> 30

2.Primary practice setting(Required.)

Private practice (independent)

Private practice (hospital-employed)

Academic practice

Multispecialty group

Other (please specify)

3.Practice location(Required.)

Urban

Suburban

Rural

Other (please specify)

4.Primary subspecialty(Required.)

General orthopaedics

Trauma

Sports Medicine

Joint Replacement

Spine

Hand/Upper Extremity

Foot/Ankle Lower Extremity

Pediatrics

Oncology

Other (please specify)

5.Hospital Type Where you Take Call(Required.)

Community Hospital

Trauma Center - Level 1

Trauma Center - Level II

Academic/University Hospital

Specialty Hospital

Other (please specify)

6.Current ED call arrangement(Required.)

Mandatory as part of hospital staff privileges

Contracted/Paid call

Contracted with several hospitals to take call to help build my practice

No longer take call

Other (please specify)

7.Current ED call arrangement(Required.)

$0

$1 - $500 per day

$501 - $1,000 per day

$1001 - $1,250 per day

$1,251 - $1,500 per day

$1,501 - $1,750 per day

$1,751 - $2,000 per day

$2,001 - $2,200 per day

$2,201 - $2,500 per day

More than $2,500 per day

Other (please specify)

8.Are you paid whether or not you are called in?(Required.)

Yes

No

Other (please specify)

9.Do you take call at multiple hospitals?(Required.)

Yes

No

Other (please specify)

10.Approximate number of total call days you take per month.(Required.)

0

1-3 days

4-7 days

8-10 days

> 10 days

Other (please specify)

11.Section II: Economic Considerations
ED call is financially sustainable in my current practice model.(Required.)

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

Choose one option.

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

12.
Reimbursement for ED call cases adequately reflects time and complexity.(Required.)

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

Choose one option.

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

13.
A significant portion of ED call cases are uninsured or underinsured.(Required.)

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

Choose one option.

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

14.ED call negatively impacts the financial performance of my practice.(Required.)

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

Choose one option.

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

15.Call stipends (if applicable) appropriately compensate for disruption and risk.(Required.)

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

Choose one option.

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

16.ED call cases lead to downstream elective referrals that offset financial losses.(Required.)

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

Choose one option.

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

17.I would continue taking call if stipends were eliminated.(Required.)

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

Choose one option.

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neutral

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

18.Additional comments on economics.

19.Section III: Practice-Building Through ED Call
How would you rate the overall effectiveness of ED call as a practice-building strategy?(Required.)

Very effective - significantly grew my referral base and/or OR access

Somewhat effective - modest gains in referrals or professional relationships

Neutral - neither helped nor hurt practice growth

Not applicable - I did not take call to build my practice

Other (please specify)

20.Which of the following practice-building benefits did ED call actually produce? (Check all that apply.)(Required.)

Increased elective surgical referrals

Expanded OR scheduling access

Referral relationships with ED physicians

Referral relationships with primary care or other specialists

Hospital employment or partnership offer

None of the above

Not applicable

Other (please specify)

21.Would you advise an early-career orthopaedic surgeon to pursue call contracts as a practice-building strategy?(Required.)

Yes - strongly recommend

Yes - with significant caveats

No - the costs outweigh the benefits

Unsure

Not applicable

Other (please specify)

22.Section IV: Open-Ended Reflection
What is the most challenging aspect of ED call in your practice?

23.What would make ED call more sustainable?

24.In one sentence, how would you describe your attitude toward ED Call?

25.If you no longer take call, tell us why you stopped taking call.