Michigan Head and Spine Institute's physician owners are taking a pay cut so employees will still be paid during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Oakland Press.
The practice's 16 neurosurgeons are cutting their pay by 45 percent and are transitioning to telehealth appointments to reduce exposure to COVID-19. The group has also postponed all non-emergent surgeries. The group had already been planning a gradual transition to telemedicine, and the pandemic coincided with its initial roll-out.
Michigan Head and Spine Institute President Robert Johnson, MD, told The Oakland Press that the financial decision was "the right thing to do" for employees and patients.
Other groups across the country have made similar moves during the pandemic. Some, like Lehigh Valley Physician Group, have had to furlough hundreds of staff members as a result of lost revenue.
More articles on orthopedics:
Physician group furloughs, layoffs, hours cut: economic responses to the pandemic
15 new COVID-19 cases linked to orthopedic practice in Alaska
Orthopedic surgeons among specialists called to treat COVID-19 patients in NYC