How does your practice’s staff compare to practices of similar sizes? To help you find out, here’s a sneak peak at some of our 2013 Staff Salary Survey findings based on responses from nearly 1,200 readers.

Solo practices
• Staffing numbers: The majority of respondents from solo practices said they employ between two and five nonphysician staff members. A quarter said they employ only one nonphysician staff member.
• Staffing layout: Most solo practice respondents said they do not employ a registered nurse, nurse manager, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, care coordinator, billing manager, or medical records clerk.  Most did say, however, that they employ a medical assistant and front-desk staff.
• Staffing outlook: About a quarter of solo practice respondents said they reduced staff in the past five years, 30 percent said they have added staff, and 46 percent said they have the same number.
• Staffing salaries: Thirty percent of solo respondents said they have cut or frozen salaries in the past five years. Only 41 percent said they plan to give raises this calendar year.

Practices with between two and five physicians 
• Staffing numbers: One-third of respondents from practices of this size said they employ between two and five nonphysicians, and 27 percent said they employ between six and 20. Nine percent said they employ one nonphysician staff member, while only about 5 percent said they employ more than eleven. 
• Staffing layout: Most respondents from practices of this size said they do not employ a registered nurse, nurse manager, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner. Most did say, however, that they employ a biller, medical assistant, and front-desk staff.
• Staffing outlook: About a quarter of these respondents said they reduced staff in the past five years, 42 percent said they have added staff, and 35 percent said their staffing level is the same.
Staffing salaries: Thirty five percent of these respondents said they have cut or frozen staff salaries in the past five years. Only 41 percent said they plan to give raises this calendar year

Practices with between six and 10 physicians
• Staffing numbers: Nearly half of respondents from these mid-sized practices said they employ more than 20 nonphysician staff members, 20 percent said they employ between two and five, 15 percent said they employ between six and 10, and 15 percent said they employ between 11 and 20.
• Staffing layout: The majority of respondents from practices of this size said they employ a registered nurse, medical assistant, biller, and front-desk staff. About half said they employ a nurse practitioner, 40 percent said they employ a physician assistant, and 25 percent said they employ a care coordinator.
• Staffing outlook: Thirty percent of these respondents said they reduced staff in the past five years, 41 percent said they have added staff, and 30 percent said their staffing level is the same.
Staffing salaries: Forty percent of these respondents said they have cut or frozen salaries in the past five years. Only 47 percent said they plan to give raises this calendar year.

Practices with between 11 and 20 physicians 
• Staffing numbers: About 42 percent of respondents from these larger practices said they employ more than 20 nonphysician staff, about a quarter said they employ between six and 10, and nearly one-fifth said they employ between two and five.
• Staffing layout: The majority of these respondents said they employ a registered nurse, though only about 50 percent said they employ a nurse manager. About half said they employ a physician assistant, the same percentage that said they employ a nurse practitioner. A quarter said they employ a care coordinator. Most of these respondents said they employ front-desk staff and a biller (though not a billing manager).
• Staffing outlook: While 47 percent of these respondents said they have reduced staff in the past five years, the same percentage said they have added staff. Only 7 percent said their staffing level is the same.
Staffing salaries: Forty eight percent of these respondents said they have cut or frozen salaries in the past five years. Only 45 percent said they plan to give raises this calendar year.

Practices with more than twenty physicians 
• Staffing numbers: Not surprisingly, the majority of these large practice respondents said they employ more than 20 nonphysician staff.
• Staffing layout: The majority of these respondents said they employ front-desk staff, a biller, and a registered nurse (though only about half said they employ a nurse manager). About half said they employ a physician assistant, the same percentage that said they employ nurse practitioner.  In contrast to smaller practices, nearly 40 percent said they employ a care coordinator.
• Staffing outlook: Forty seven percent of these respondents said they have added staff in the past five years, 30 percent said their staffing has remained the same, and about a quarter said they have reduced staff.
Staffing salaries: Forty five percent of these respondents said they have cut or frozen salaries in the past five years. Only 53 percent said they plan to give raises this calendar year. 

The full results of our 2013 Staff Salary Survey will be available in May. Last year’s results are available here.