Associate productivity benchmarks by year

Associate productivity benchmarks depend on years of experience. Pretending they don't is how you lose money.

Year 1 associates produce 50-60% of an experienced doctor. Year 2 hits 70-80%. Year 3 should be 85-95%. By year 4, they're at 100% or better. If a year 4 associate isn't hitting 95%+, you hired wrong or they're distracted.

Yet most practices pay associates the same percentage regardless of year. You're cross-subsidizing poor performers and undercompensating winners. That kills culture and performance.

Smart practices use a tiered productivity model. Year 1 doc gets 25% of collections (lower because they're still learning). Year 2 gets 28%. Year 3 gets 30%. Year 4 and beyond gets 32-35%. This incentivizes improvement and reflects actual value.

You need baseline productivity numbers for your market and patient mix. If your year 3 associate is still below 80% production compared to experienced associates, find out why. Scheduling issues? Lack of clinical confidence? Personality clashes with the hygiene team?

Track associates individually. Plot their production trajectory. If the slope is flat by month 6, you have a problem. Address it early. Weak performers don't improve unless confronted with data.