News: Physician compensation on the rise across most specialties
Primary care, specialty, and advance practice providers experienced pay growth in recent years, at a rate between 7% to 11%, according to data from nearly 150,000 physicians and non-physician providers over the last five years, in a recent study from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
During the last five years, total compensation for all providers increased at,. Between 2017 and 2018, pay for specialty physicians increased 4.4%, primary care physicians rose 3.4%, and advance practice providers jumped 2.9%, HealthLeaders Media reported.
Over the same period, the most notable increases in total physician compensation came from five areas:
- Diagnostic radiology
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Neurological surgery
- Noninvasive cardiology
- Neurology
The MGMA study found that new doctors are being offered more in salary given the physician shortage in the healthcare industry, with "steady increases" in median guaranteed compensation between 2017 and 2018, according to HealthLeaders Media.
Additionally, non-physician providers experienced growth as well, as physician assistants experienced compensation growth of 10.35% and nurse practitioners increased by 4%.
Geographically, the mid-west and south led the way for physician compensation in 2018, while the east region reported the lowest compensation levels.
Editor’s note: To read HealthLeaders Media’s coverage of this story, click here. To read the full study from the MGMA, click here. To learn about CDI compensation trends, read the newest CDI Salary Survey from ACDIS.