Key Burden Statistics: 2026 BFMV Call Coverage Burden & Compensation Survey

Not only is BFMV’s eighth annual direct-to-physician call coverage survey an affordable source of physician call coverage compensation information, but it is also unique in that it provides statistics related to the "burden" of unrestricted call, including in-person visits and phone call volumes for a variety of specialties. The following is a summary of key burden statistics from the 2026 survey.

1. Median Days of Coverage per Month

Data for physicians in cardiothoracic surgery, neurological surgery, neurology - general and stroke, pediatrics- general and neonatal, oncology - medical/hematology, and diagnostic radiology reported medians of 10 or more days of call coverage per month. Smaller department sizes often mean fewer physicians on the call rotation and more call days per month for many of these specialties.

2. Average Phone Calls per Shift

In looking at the number of phone calls received per shift, the highest means we found ranged from 8 to 12 phone calls per 24-hour shift for respondents in cardiology - invasive/interventional, family medicine with OB, general surgery, orthopedic hand surgery, psychiatry, and diagnostic radiology.

3. Average Onsite Hours per Shift

At the median, responding physicians in anesthesiology, general surgery, neonatal/perinatal pediatrics, and diagnostic radiology spend an average of 4 or more hours onsite (in person) per unrestricted call shift.

More information about the 2026 BFMV Survey can be found here.