Existing Transplant Nephrology Compensation Models and Opportunities for Equitable Pay

Abstract

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) formed the ASN Task Force on Academic Nephrologist Compensation and Productivity in 2020 to understand how the subspecialty is evolving and where there are needs for alignment in compensation in US transplant centers. The task force's review of the roles and responsibilities of transplant nephrologists is in the companion perspective (1). Transplant nephrologists are required for successful kidney transplantation, the ideal treatment from a survival and quality-of-life perspective for patients with kidney failure (2,3). Unfortunately, work relative value unit (wRVU) requirements for compensation models vary tremendously across institutions and limit the ability to adequately staff programs. This article addresses transplant nephrology models of care, how different models affect funds flow and compensation, and opportunities to more equitably compensate transplant nephrologists.