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Fewer than half (42%) of obstetricians/gynecologists in the latest Medscape survey said they were satisfied with their average $352,000/year pay, putting them in the bottom 20% of specialties for pay satisfaction.
The $352,000 listed in the Medscape Ob/Gyn Compensation Report 2024 put the specialty in the middle of physicians overall. Orthopedists made the most at $558,000, followed by plastic surgeons at $536,000. Endocrinologists/diabetes specialists made the least at $256,000.
Ob.Gyn. Pay Rose 4%
Ob.gyns.’ pay overall was up 4% this year and the specialty was one of 10 in the survey that saw an increase.
There were contrasts in satisfaction among the specialties: Public health and preventive medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfaction with pay (65% were satisfied) though they made new the least among physicians ($263,000). Those least satisfied with their pay were infectious disease physicians with only 34% saying they were satisfied.
There was also a contrast between what ob.gyns. thought about all physicians’ pay and what they thought of their own pay. While 68% said they thought physicians were underpaid, only 58% said that about their own specialty.
Elizabeth Woodcock, a healthcare consultant with Woodcock and Associates in Atlanta, Georgia, said this may be a mindset of self-deprecation, where pay is concerned.
“I think their response is a function of their lens — ‘I feel fortunate to have a job, to care for my patients, to be paid for this work,’ ” Ms. Woodcock said in the survey report.
Most Billings, Most Pay
“As a rule of thumb, the specialists who generate the most gross billings to commercial payers are more likely to receive the highest compensation,” said Jeff Decker, president of AMN Healthcare’s physician solutions division.
Louise P. King, MD, JD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said lower reimbursement for procedures drives her reimbursement as a gynecological surgeon.
“Ob.gyns. — who are primarily surgical and have the highest malpractice risks and costs of almost the entire profession — earn far less than other surgeons,” she said.
The reasons for that are complex, she said, but she explained in a commentary in Obstetrics and Gynecology that “insurers reimburse procedures for women at a lower rate than similar procedures for men, although there is no medically justifiable reason for this disparity.”
She says that doubly affects female gynecological surgeons, who make up a disproportionately high number of surgeons in the field and serve mostly female patients.
Implications for Patient Care
Lower reimbursement also has implications for patient care, she says. Lower reimbursement for gynecological surgeries pushes many obstetrics and gynecological surgeons to perform fewer surgeries and more obstetric services, “resulting in a high prevalence of low-volume gynecologic surgeons, a metric that is closely tied to higher complication rates,” said Dr. King.
She added that as a gynecological surgeon, because of the lower reimbursement for services, “I have less access to [operating room] time and supports like midlevel clinicians.”
Fifty-three percent of ob.gyns. reported they have a chance for an incentive bonus and the average was $40,000; this is compared with the highest bonuses — $142,000, which were for dermatologists, followed by orthopedists at $102,000.
Ob.gyns. were also asked about whether they supplemented their income with additional work and 39% this year, about the same percentage as last year, said they did. The percentage is similar to the number of physicians who say they supplement their income. In most cases, for all physicians, the outside work is usually within the medical field.
Ms. Woodcock, Mr. Decker, and Dr. King report no relevant financial disclosures.
Fewer than half (42%) of obstetricians/gynecologists in the latest Medscape survey said they were satisfied with their average $352,000/year pay, putting them in the bottom 20% of specialties for pay satisfaction.
The $352,000 listed in the Medscape Ob/Gyn Compensation Report 2024 put the specialty in the middle of physicians overall. Orthopedists made the most at $558,000, followed by plastic surgeons at $536,000. Endocrinologists/diabetes specialists made the least at $256,000.
Ob.Gyn. Pay Rose 4%
Ob.gyns.’ pay overall was up 4% this year and the specialty was one of 10 in the survey that saw an increase.
There were contrasts in satisfaction among the specialties: Public health and preventive medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfaction with pay (65% were satisfied) though they made new the least among physicians ($263,000). Those least satisfied with their pay were infectious disease physicians with only 34% saying they were satisfied.
There was also a contrast between what ob.gyns. thought about all physicians’ pay and what they thought of their own pay. While 68% said they thought physicians were underpaid, only 58% said that about their own specialty.
Elizabeth Woodcock, a healthcare consultant with Woodcock and Associates in Atlanta, Georgia, said this may be a mindset of self-deprecation, where pay is concerned.
“I think their response is a function of their lens — ‘I feel fortunate to have a job, to care for my patients, to be paid for this work,’ ” Ms. Woodcock said in the survey report.
Most Billings, Most Pay
“As a rule of thumb, the specialists who generate the most gross billings to commercial payers are more likely to receive the highest compensation,” said Jeff Decker, president of AMN Healthcare’s physician solutions division.
Louise P. King, MD, JD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said lower reimbursement for procedures drives her reimbursement as a gynecological surgeon.
“Ob.gyns. — who are primarily surgical and have the highest malpractice risks and costs of almost the entire profession — earn far less than other surgeons,” she said.
The reasons for that are complex, she said, but she explained in a commentary in Obstetrics and Gynecology that “insurers reimburse procedures for women at a lower rate than similar procedures for men, although there is no medically justifiable reason for this disparity.”
She says that doubly affects female gynecological surgeons, who make up a disproportionately high number of surgeons in the field and serve mostly female patients.
Implications for Patient Care
Lower reimbursement also has implications for patient care, she says. Lower reimbursement for gynecological surgeries pushes many obstetrics and gynecological surgeons to perform fewer surgeries and more obstetric services, “resulting in a high prevalence of low-volume gynecologic surgeons, a metric that is closely tied to higher complication rates,” said Dr. King.
She added that as a gynecological surgeon, because of the lower reimbursement for services, “I have less access to [operating room] time and supports like midlevel clinicians.”
Fifty-three percent of ob.gyns. reported they have a chance for an incentive bonus and the average was $40,000; this is compared with the highest bonuses — $142,000, which were for dermatologists, followed by orthopedists at $102,000.
Ob.gyns. were also asked about whether they supplemented their income with additional work and 39% this year, about the same percentage as last year, said they did. The percentage is similar to the number of physicians who say they supplement their income. In most cases, for all physicians, the outside work is usually within the medical field.
Ms. Woodcock, Mr. Decker, and Dr. King report no relevant financial disclosures.
Fewer than half (42%) of obstetricians/gynecologists in the latest Medscape survey said they were satisfied with their average $352,000/year pay, putting them in the bottom 20% of specialties for pay satisfaction.
The $352,000 listed in the Medscape Ob/Gyn Compensation Report 2024 put the specialty in the middle of physicians overall. Orthopedists made the most at $558,000, followed by plastic surgeons at $536,000. Endocrinologists/diabetes specialists made the least at $256,000.
Ob.Gyn. Pay Rose 4%
Ob.gyns.’ pay overall was up 4% this year and the specialty was one of 10 in the survey that saw an increase.
There were contrasts in satisfaction among the specialties: Public health and preventive medicine physicians had the highest rate of satisfaction with pay (65% were satisfied) though they made new the least among physicians ($263,000). Those least satisfied with their pay were infectious disease physicians with only 34% saying they were satisfied.
There was also a contrast between what ob.gyns. thought about all physicians’ pay and what they thought of their own pay. While 68% said they thought physicians were underpaid, only 58% said that about their own specialty.
Elizabeth Woodcock, a healthcare consultant with Woodcock and Associates in Atlanta, Georgia, said this may be a mindset of self-deprecation, where pay is concerned.
“I think their response is a function of their lens — ‘I feel fortunate to have a job, to care for my patients, to be paid for this work,’ ” Ms. Woodcock said in the survey report.
Most Billings, Most Pay
“As a rule of thumb, the specialists who generate the most gross billings to commercial payers are more likely to receive the highest compensation,” said Jeff Decker, president of AMN Healthcare’s physician solutions division.
Louise P. King, MD, JD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said lower reimbursement for procedures drives her reimbursement as a gynecological surgeon.
“Ob.gyns. — who are primarily surgical and have the highest malpractice risks and costs of almost the entire profession — earn far less than other surgeons,” she said.
The reasons for that are complex, she said, but she explained in a commentary in Obstetrics and Gynecology that “insurers reimburse procedures for women at a lower rate than similar procedures for men, although there is no medically justifiable reason for this disparity.”
She says that doubly affects female gynecological surgeons, who make up a disproportionately high number of surgeons in the field and serve mostly female patients.
Implications for Patient Care
Lower reimbursement also has implications for patient care, she says. Lower reimbursement for gynecological surgeries pushes many obstetrics and gynecological surgeons to perform fewer surgeries and more obstetric services, “resulting in a high prevalence of low-volume gynecologic surgeons, a metric that is closely tied to higher complication rates,” said Dr. King.
She added that as a gynecological surgeon, because of the lower reimbursement for services, “I have less access to [operating room] time and supports like midlevel clinicians.”
Fifty-three percent of ob.gyns. reported they have a chance for an incentive bonus and the average was $40,000; this is compared with the highest bonuses — $142,000, which were for dermatologists, followed by orthopedists at $102,000.
Ob.gyns. were also asked about whether they supplemented their income with additional work and 39% this year, about the same percentage as last year, said they did. The percentage is similar to the number of physicians who say they supplement their income. In most cases, for all physicians, the outside work is usually within the medical field.
Ms. Woodcock, Mr. Decker, and Dr. King report no relevant financial disclosures.