Development of an academic RVU (aRVU) system to promote academic productivity | Numbers of pediatric surgeons on staff during the years of the study | 14 (2012 and 2013) | 15 (2014) | 16 (2015, 2016 and 2017) | 17 (2018 and 2019) | 14 (2020) | 9 years | Conducted at a free-standing not-for-profit Children's Hospital affiliated with an Academic Medical Center. | Annual external federal funding | increased from | $750,168 to $5,768,243 | 7.7-fold | Annual count of | peer reviewed publications | 24 → 140 | national presentations | nearly doubled | During the same study period, wRVUs increased by 8% | Conclusion: Implementing an aRVU program increases academic productivity in Pediatric and other Surgery Departments. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34657736/ | Source: Brigstock NM et. al. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA | @EmTombash | @StayCurrentMD | Cincinnati Children's | Journal of Pediatric Surgery
Development of an academic RVU (aRVU) system to promote academic productivity
Infographic · Mar 2022 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Implementation of an academic RVU (aRVU) incentive system alongside traditional clinical wRVUs led to dramatic increases in research productivity: 7.7-fold increase in federal funding and 5.8-fold increase in publications over 8 years, while maintaining clinical volume. The weighted scoring system rewarded grants, publications, presentations, mentoring, and other scholarly activities based on faculty clinical FTE allocation.
- Adding academic RVUs (aRVUs) to clinical wRVU incentives increased federal funding 7.7-fold and publications 5.8-fold over 8 years.
- The aRVU system weighted 30 activities including grants, publications, presentations, mentoring, and IRB protocols based on faculty cFTE.
- Clinical productivity (wRVUs) increased 8% despite major academic growth, demonstrating both missions can advance simultaneously.
- Faculty and trainees received 41 competitive research awards including APSA, AAP Section on Surgery, and ACS honors during study period.
- Dual incentivization model offers replicable framework for surgery departments to promote scholarship without sacrificing clinical output.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the infographic.
A teal and yellow infographic divided into sections with icons including a calendar with checkmark, illustrated surgeons in blue and yellow coats with footsteps between them, and an upward trending arrow. The layout flows from top to bottom showing study duration, staffing numbers, funding growth, and publication metrics. Bottom includes institutional logos and social media handle.
Background/Purpose: Improvements in patient care are directly affected by scientific discovery, and surgeons have historically played a vital role in this process. However, increasing clinical demands and incentivization for pure clinical productivity present challenges for promoting academic productivity. The objective of this work was to analyze the effects of adding an academic relative value unit (aRVU) scoring system to an existing work RVU (wRVU)-based incentivization plan on academic productivity in a Department of Pediatric Surgery.
Methods: Prior to 2012, incentive bonuses in our Department were mainly based on clinical wRVU activities. A weighted scoring system for 30 specific aRVUs was established in 2012. Incentivization for wRVUs vs. aRVUs was based on the clinical full-time equivalent (cFTE) of each faculty member. Academic activities incentivized included grant submissions/funding, peer reviewed publications, national presentations, Study Section participation, education and mentoring activities, receipt of research or teaching awards, initiation of Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols, new academic society committee memberships/chairpersons, and patents. Academic progress was analyzed from 2012 to 2020.
Results: During the study period, annual external federal funding increased from $750,168 to $5,768,243 (7.7-fold increase); annual peer-reviewed publications increased from 24 to 140 (5.8-fold increase); annual national presentations accepted for oral/poster presentations nearly doubled; and faculty members and their trainees received 41 competitive research awards including 8 American Pediatric Surgical Association Awards, 9 American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery Awards, and 3 American College of Surgeons Awards. During the same study period, wRVUs increased by 8%.
Conclusions: Incentivization based on the addition of an aRVU system to a pre-existing wRVU system was associated with a significant increase in academic productivity, while still maintaining clinical productivity. Implementing an aRVU program is an important means of increasing academic productivity in Pediatric and other Surgery Departments.