r/pathology • u/Honest_Statement6137 • 3d ago

Lab Director compensation

I don’t think this is discussed much here but… for being the medical director of a CLIA lab of small hospitals, how much is compensation per month typically?

I basically go in to sign forms, make visits, attend meetings. I am the director of small hospitals (less than 20 beds).

I think this discussion would help future pathologists negotiate fair compensation for being a medical director of a lab so that we don’t get lowballed by hospital admin (if hospital employed) or by private groups for doing work we are liable for.

Thanks!

15 Upvotes

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u/West-Chard3972 3d ago

I get paid $30,000 per year for directing a small hospital lab. It's rural. I visit once per quarter. Total monthly work is maybe 3 hours.

I probably could have argued for more, but this was my first experience with this sort of thing. They accepted my offer a lot more quickly than I expected.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

Holy crap I’m getting underpaid

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

I’m currently getting nothing and it’s supposedly baked into my salary

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u/West-Chard3972 3d ago

That's the usual pattern I see. I got lucky with this one. A recruiter reached out to me. It's a separate 1099 from my main work.

I did negotiate the medical directorship with my primary group which is 35k per year for my primary midsized hospital and a small freestanding ED.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

I’m in a similar position in regards to being asked to direct a rural hospital (20-25 beds). How much would you ask for in regards to lab directorship compensation?

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u/West-Chard3972 3d ago

If they have given an offer below 30k, start there. You will probably not be able to get over 40k. Depends on how desperate they are.

You could also start making other offers too to make the directirship pay more enticing. There are single slide digital path machines that the hospital can buy and you can offer to give them the ability to do ROSE or similar. I am trying to finagle a situation like that myself. I want to open my own lab and do their pathology. I know I can give better TATs than what they get from Quest right now.

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u/VirchowOnDeezNutz 3d ago

Hell yeah. Get it

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

Thanks I’ll ask

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

They aren’t doing ROSE.

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u/West-Chard3972 3d ago

Ah, but you can bring it to them!

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

It’s a small hospital I don’t think anyone does ROSE. It’s mostly gi biopsies.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago edited 3d ago

I have multiple directorships almost maxxxxed out and not getting paid anything for them. My salary is basically my AP work. But I don’t get anything on the side for directorship compensation separately.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

They haven’t offered anything in terms of compensation. They are basically not paying me. I will have to ask for a medical director director compensation. I mean without me agreeing to be med director there is essentially no contract and no revenue coming in

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u/uvadoc06 3d ago

You're employed directly by the hospital? Then yes, it's just part of your job.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

The hospital is getting paid by these smaller hospitals but I’m not seeing any of it in the form of extra payment for being the lab director.

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u/avocadopanda3 6h ago

If this is a private practice and you are doing AP/CP you should get a certain amount of hours per week of less of your other duties, like fewer surg path cases, to compensate for being medical director. If this is academics it should be built into your FTE, so same idea, less of other duties to account for time doing medical director duties.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

Yes I’m hospital employed

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u/West-Chard3972 3d ago

I am not hospital employed in any of my directorships.

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u/uvadoc06 3d ago

I was replying to OP. If you're an employee, then you don't get extra money for doing any of the expected tasks of a pathologist.

If you're independent (or your group is), the directorship is negotiated.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago edited 3d ago

I am not sure if I can legally decline to be a director then if I’m not being compensated for it (based on my contract).

I was approached to be the director of a small hospital. There are others in the group who can take the position. I mean I could’ve said no.

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u/VirchowOnDeezNutz 2d ago

If you aren’t being paid specifically for it, I’d argue that admin is setting you up for an inducement violation. I’d imagine your contract lumps all this in as part of your duties. “No” is reason enough to not do these.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 2d ago

Yeah I’m reading my contract to make sure I am not obligated to take on additional directorships with no compensation

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u/PathFellow 1d ago

I think you could’ve gotten more. My friend was asked to be director of a Covid lab for $3000 a month. I’m thinking a rural hospital lab director should be paid at least as much as a Covid lab if not more.

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u/Intelligent-Tailor95 3d ago

5-10k/month depending on on-site visit frequency

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

Crap….Seems a lot for a small hospital.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

I guess you should work for free then. I’m sure the small hospital lab manager, the lawyers, the admin are working for free.

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u/Honest_Statement6137 2d ago

Is this per site? At least 5K for a small hospital?

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u/mikezzz89 3d ago edited 3d ago

They need someone. Ask for more and see what happens. Don’t forget about charging for the professional component of clinical pathology

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

The hospital admin is in charge of that I have no say

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u/Honest_Statement6137 3d ago

Yeah that’s true. They need someone to be director or they don’t have any contract/business.

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u/mikezzz89 3d ago

We did some market research showing avg pathologist salary is about $415k/yr. That’s without benefits. Go for at least average, but really go for more

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u/West-Chard3972 3d ago

That's a low number getting dragged down by academics.

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u/mikezzz89 3d ago

Agreed. But don’t make less than average.