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Study Finds Huge Gap in Physician Hourly Pay
Most physician pay surveys focus on annual income, but a surprising new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine this week breaks down doctors' hourly pay by specialty -- and the findings show the disparity in physician income is even wider than previously believed.
The highest-paid physicians surveyed earned more than 2.5 times the income of the lowest-earning doctors, the study found. Depending on the specialty, a physician can be paid as much as $132.33 an hour for neurologic surgeons, or just $49.90 an hour for primary care providers, according to the study. More surprising, neurologic surgeons surveyed reported they worked an average of 58 hours a week, just one hour more than the lowest-paid primary care providers.
Overall, the study surgeons earned the highest hourly wage, bringing in a mean $92.10 an hour. Physicians in internal medicine and pediatric subspecialties earned a mean $84.85 an hour, while primary care physicians earned a mean $60.46 an hour. The hourly pay for a grouping of “other” medical specialties was $88.08 an hour. The mean annual income for physicians studied over 2004/2005 was $187,857, while they worked a mean 53.1 hours over 47.3 weeks.
Here’s a breakdown of income by physician specialty:
Much like physician income studies in the past, researchers suggested the wide gap in income on an hourly basis provides even more incentive for medical students to shun primary care for better-paying specialties that allow more flexibility in the work schedule.
"In light of low and declining medical student interest in primary care, these findings suggest the need for payment reform aimed at increasing incomes or reducing work hours for primary care physicians," the study's researchers concluded.
The highest-paid physicians surveyed earned more than 2.5 times the income of the lowest-earning doctors, the study found. Depending on the specialty, a physician can be paid as much as $132.33 an hour for neurologic surgeons, or just $49.90 an hour for primary care providers, according to the study. More surprising, neurologic surgeons surveyed reported they worked an average of 58 hours a week, just one hour more than the lowest-paid primary care providers.
Overall, the study surgeons earned the highest hourly wage, bringing in a mean $92.10 an hour. Physicians in internal medicine and pediatric subspecialties earned a mean $84.85 an hour, while primary care physicians earned a mean $60.46 an hour. The hourly pay for a grouping of “other” medical specialties was $88.08 an hour. The mean annual income for physicians studied over 2004/2005 was $187,857, while they worked a mean 53.1 hours over 47.3 weeks.
Here’s a breakdown of income by physician specialty:
|
Specialty |
Hourly Income |
| Neurologic surgery | $132.33 |
| Radiation oncology | $126.00 |
| Medical oncology | $114.21 |
| Plastic surgery | $113.78 |
| Dermatology | $102.68 |
| Cardiovascular diseases | $93.74 |
| Gastroenterology | $93.27 |
| Neurology | $92.52 |
| Emergency medicine | $87.47 |
| Obstetrics/gynecology | $83.40 |
| Neonatal/perinatal medicine | $75.86 |
| Psychiatry | $72.24 |
| Pulmonary diseases | $71.67 |
| Pediatrics | $69.24 |
| Child and adolescent psychiatry | $67.36 |
| Family practice | $58.25 |
| Internal medicine | $58.18 |
| General practice | $57.55 |
| Other pediatric subspecialties | $51.62 |
| Internal medicine/pediatrics | $49.90 |
Much like physician income studies in the past, researchers suggested the wide gap in income on an hourly basis provides even more incentive for medical students to shun primary care for better-paying specialties that allow more flexibility in the work schedule.
"In light of low and declining medical student interest in primary care, these findings suggest the need for payment reform aimed at increasing incomes or reducing work hours for primary care physicians," the study's researchers concluded.
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phillipley
This is complete crap. Really, neurosurgeons getting paid more to do complex, high-risk operations and take care of trauma in the middle of the night is somehow unjust? There are. like, 800 neurosurgeons in the entire country, for God's sake. Somehow looking at a red ear or a snot nose just doesn't seem to compare to me.
November 1, 2010 - [ 21:18:34 ]
camediadoc
I am shocked by how little doctors are paid on an HOURLY basis. My lawyer charges me $395 per hour to review a contract, etc. during the DAYLIGHT hours from MONDAY to FRIDAY - No night call or weekends! I think that I will get a law degree myself !!!
November 1, 2010 - [ 21:42:41 ]
SK
Sure,maybe the surgeons deserve a higher hourly wage, but dermatology? !
Dermatology really deserves to be paid at higher rate than IM? It's the least relevant specialty in all of medicine.
This just shows how out of balance our medical reimbursement system is.
Dermatology really deserves to be paid at higher rate than IM? It's the least relevant specialty in all of medicine.
This just shows how out of balance our medical reimbursement system is.
November 1, 2010 - [ 23:18:27 ]
moosiesue92
Uh, who diagnoses those patients who have the neurosurgery? We go through the actual academic process. We then send our patients to a skilled mechanic, who does the same 20 surgeries, or so; over and over again.
Pediatricians also get up in the middle of the night to little things like resuscitating newborns. Traditionally, anyone who works with kid is underpaid: teachers, daycare workers.
I have found the only way to make any money in Peds, is by being a locum. Since there is such a shortage, there are plenty of places that need help and can't find it. Money is much better, no overhead; yet all of the advantages of owning your own business.
Until insurance companies recognize that the diagnostic side of medicine is as important as all of those procedures; nothing will change. Hopefully, health reform, when it gets all the bugs worked out, will change some of this.
Pediatricians also get up in the middle of the night to little things like resuscitating newborns. Traditionally, anyone who works with kid is underpaid: teachers, daycare workers.
I have found the only way to make any money in Peds, is by being a locum. Since there is such a shortage, there are plenty of places that need help and can't find it. Money is much better, no overhead; yet all of the advantages of owning your own business.
Until insurance companies recognize that the diagnostic side of medicine is as important as all of those procedures; nothing will change. Hopefully, health reform, when it gets all the bugs worked out, will change some of this.
November 2, 2010 - [ 13:11:03 ]
swedoc
FM and IM does most of the leg work before patient are referred ( acute trauma excluded ) to high earning specialists. We diagnose cancer, auto-immune disorders, neurological disorders etc daily. We do most of the paper work for insurance, pre-authorizations, Medicare and so on, including that generated by specialists orders and scripts. Colds and ears are a welcome break, but not what we routinely see. My medical school bill is the same as the person that went in to dermatology, however 12 years later working in Family Medicine I still have not been able to pay it off.
November 2, 2010 - [ 16:07:18 ]
Doc
Physicians should get paid higher for work done outside of "Bankers Hours or Govt Worker Hours" just like all the other service industries. When can we start getting paid for phone calls too like the lawyers. We should also get benefits like the Union Workers.
November 4, 2010 - [ 21:18:40 ]
freeeemd
I ask a home automation guy for some wiring inst-elation, he will charge me $80/hour, and the pool repair charge me $70/h.
November 5, 2010 - [ 1:25:11 ]
jeffrey.rymuza
I practice pulmonary critical care and internal medicine. Taking a week long dermatology course increased my income. All internist should consider doing that. Dermatology is easy compared to the other challenges of medicine.
November 5, 2010 - [ 9:34:13 ]
fiklein
We all pretty much knew what specialties paid more when we started.
THE 10th COMMANDMENT-(coveting)
Exodus 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's."
THE 10th COMMANDMENT-(coveting)
Exodus 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's."
November 6, 2010 - [ 20:39:42 ]
imadoc
These rates all seem fictionally low to me. How were they determined? Or is it just that I live in California and rates are lower everywhere else? Even locum tenens group pay better nationally, let alone HMOs or private practice...
November 8, 2010 - [ 13:30:49 ]
deldoc
I am a FP. If you work in a busy practice in Maryland you can make $55-$88 an hour. It depends on the set up. If you want straight salary you will make less because your not assuming any risk. Some practices are moving to salary with bonuses. In this situation your base pay is less but the more patients you see or the more charges you generate the money you will make. The harder you work the more money you will make.
November 9, 2010 - [ 12:10:52 ]
mpfangman
Major nuances are missed here. In affluent areas, these salary numbers for some docs are low, especially for surgeons (anyone busy doing procedures vs cognitive work, especially new/high tech procedures). Ortho and Neuro surgeons especially often make a mill or more a year. FP and IM, (not clear about Peds) even in affluent areas, struggle to make it.
Most importantly though, our balkanized profession has been "commoditized" and the QOL is ever less in medicine. Computer hassles,insurance company red tape,ever greater worship of "privacy", JCAHO/JCAHO motivated nursing staff directives/ payor/administrative demands for ever more "make work" documentation etc, etc are dumped on the MD as the "quarterback" of the team. This work is uncompensated and contributes mightily to shrinking time available to think thru patient care decisions.The role of mid levels and "algorhythm think" is growing, mandated by failing primary care economics. Defensive medicine and the risk for law suits in a depersonalized system, inevitably grows with all this. In short the health care system is out of the control of physicians; who are best equipped to know what is substantive for patient welfare and what is bureaucratic makework.IT software has been allowed to meander, some companies proving themselves incompetent to create efficient systems, controlled only by "market forces" and destined to be ever harder to integrate, for the welfare of our society. In short, the Peter Principle of incompetence has prevailed. The health care system needs to be rethought, simplified, radically changed, with the guidance of working doctors, most of which are too busy trying to figure out day to day survival in the rat race.
Most importantly though, our balkanized profession has been "commoditized" and the QOL is ever less in medicine. Computer hassles,insurance company red tape,ever greater worship of "privacy", JCAHO/JCAHO motivated nursing staff directives/ payor/administrative demands for ever more "make work" documentation etc, etc are dumped on the MD as the "quarterback" of the team. This work is uncompensated and contributes mightily to shrinking time available to think thru patient care decisions.The role of mid levels and "algorhythm think" is growing, mandated by failing primary care economics. Defensive medicine and the risk for law suits in a depersonalized system, inevitably grows with all this. In short the health care system is out of the control of physicians; who are best equipped to know what is substantive for patient welfare and what is bureaucratic makework.IT software has been allowed to meander, some companies proving themselves incompetent to create efficient systems, controlled only by "market forces" and destined to be ever harder to integrate, for the welfare of our society. In short, the Peter Principle of incompetence has prevailed. The health care system needs to be rethought, simplified, radically changed, with the guidance of working doctors, most of which are too busy trying to figure out day to day survival in the rat race.
February 5, 2011 - [ 15:37:26 ]
Hospitalist
This is misleading and seems inaccurate. I calculated my own hourly wage to be $128 as an IM-PEDS hospitalist. And many clinic docs work 4 days a week. At 10 hours a day and six weeks of vacation that's 1840 hours. For $160000 that would be $86 an hour, better than what's mentioned above. Are pcps really working 58 hours a week??
May 13, 2011 - [ 23:18:02 ]
gasdoc
These numbers are just wrong. I am an anesthesiologist and when I do locum work I am paid $175/hr from 7am to 3pm. After 3pm it goes over $200 per hour.
June 14, 2011 - [ 11:14:51 ]
Anonymous
the numbers don't make sense. Psychiatrists, specialists that rank among the lowest paid physicians, can make $150 and hour as locums. The numbers also don't take into account the benefits
July 12, 2011 - [ 17:29:21 ]
Flummoxed
If an MD becomes an "Obama wage slave" in 2013 can he/she reitre with generous public sector/union-style benefits (2/3 of salary and all medical/dental/RX paid - for life - by other private sector taxpayers?)
November 28, 2011 - [ 23:44:04 ]
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