According to a recent Medscape survey, physician compensation for specialists was 45.6 percent more than what primary care providers earned in the past year.
The survey of over 19,200 physicians in 27 specialists uncovered that the average physician income increased from $206,000 in 2011 to $294,000 this year.
But specialists received about $316,000 annually, while primary care providers earned nearly $100,000 less in 2017.
Increases in specialist salaries continue to drive recent physician compensation boosts. A July 2016 AMGA survey also found that physician wages rose by 3.1 percent in 2015, but the increase stemmed from three-fourths of specialists earning more.
The salary gap between specialists and primary care providers has been relatively stable since 2015, the Medscape survey stated. The organization’s 2015 Physician Compensation survey also revealed a 45.6 percent difference in compensation in favor of specialists.
Despite the value-based care push that emphasizes diagnostic over procedural care, more specialists earned higher salaries last year. Plastic surgeons saw the greatest compensation growth in the past year with a 24 percent increase, followed by:
• Allergy and immunology physicians with 15 percent
• Otolaryngologists with 13 percent
• Ophthalmologists with 12 percent
• Pulmonologists with 11 percent
• Orthopedists and pathologists both with 10 percent respectively
The survey pointed out that three of the specialties seeing the largest compensation increases had sustained setbacks in 2016. Plastic surgeons had almost no boost in compensation, whereas pulmonologists faced a 5 percent loss and allergy and immunology providers experienced an 11 percent loss.
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