I don't know where to start.
I worked for sound for a total of 3.5 years while on a J1 visa waiver. I left for a small private practice and couldn't be happier with that move. I tell every physician that asks me about Sound to stand clear. Here's why:
1. Sound is cheap. Their preoccupancy is the bottom line. There is no hiding that.
- Salaries are on the lower end of the spectrum when looking at the mgma data
- The health insurance is terrible, but the cost is wild (I was paying about $800 a month for a high deductible family plan)
- Relocation assistance is stingy, and they make you jump through hoops to get reimbursed. I never got reimbursed for a portion of my move because of these hoops
- There is no PTO (unless you are a business associate, of course)
-A tiny 401K match, 5K after 2 or 3 years. None before that
- But worst of all, their ratio of physicians to advanced practitioners is on a fast decline
2. You are not allowed to be the "captain of the ship"
-Sound pushes for a shorter length of stay and for patients to be discharged home (as opposed to SNFs) even when it's not safe. This is again for the bottom line.
- There are strong pressures to discharge patients as soon as possible even when there is no safe discharge plan. You are publicly compared against your colleagues in terms of length of stay and home to SNF discharge ratio.
- A Sound nurse attends discharge rounds and pushes for earlier discharges and discharges to home
3. They are replacing physicians with advanced practitioners
-Take a look at their doctor to NP ratios. Another way Sound is prioritizing the bottom line over patient care.
- As a physician, that means more work (time spent supervising) and liability
4. Management decisions are made at the corporate level, not at the local level. I'll give two examples:
- When the patient load became overbearing, the decision of weather to add an additional rounder would come from non-physician "business associates" and corporate non practicing physicians, several states away.
-Leaders (chief hospitalists) are chosen without the input of the physicians at the particular location.
5. Gender inequality (this is for my female colleagues). I think women are under-valued at Sound.
- Take a look at the ratio of men:women chief hospitalists. (Chief hospitalists are paid a ~50K bonus per year). That ratio is approximately 5:1
- There are countless times when I felt that I was not treated fairly due to my gender. But I won't go into this here.
Like I said, stay clear. If you know your worth and know the worth of your profession, Sound is not the place for you.
