May 6, 2013

What do orthopedic surgery, cardiology, radiology, gastroenterology and urology have in common?  Compensation in all five specialties is higher, on average, than it is for anesthesiology, according to Medscape’s Physician Compensation Report: 2013.

Anesthesiology has slipped from fourth place to sixth place among the most highly-compensated specialties since last year’s report.  Average compensation among full-time anesthesiologists as reported by Medscape is $317,000—a number that strikes us as rather low.  The explanation may lie partly in the fact that more respondents reported incomes of less than $200,000 per year than reported earnings in excess of $500,000.  The data apparently include compensation levels at implausibly low levels ($100,000 or less reported by 6% of the respondents).  The mode is $300,000 to $399,999, with 18% reporting compensation of $300,000 to $349,999 and 15% reporting $350,000 to $399,999. Medscape’s Anesthesiologist Compensation Report: 2013.

Medscape defines compensation in the standard manner:  “For employed physicians, compensation includes salary, bonus, and profit-sharing contributions. For partners, compensation includes earnings after tax-deductible business expenses but before income tax. Compensation excludes non-patient-related activities (eg, expert witness fees, speaking engagements, and product sales).”

The data were collected through an online survey conducted from February 1 to 28, 2013, yielding 21,878 responses from US physicians across 25 specialty areas.  Six percent (1,313) were from anesthesiologists.  The largest age group among all responding physicians was 50-59.

The national 75^th and 90^th percentile values from another widely used survey, MGMA’s Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2012 Report Based on 2011 Data are roughly in line with the Medscape data:  the 75^th is $502,000 and the 90^th is $600,835.  The median, however, is considerably higher, even though it represents older information: $423,753, and the mean is $427,956.  The standard deviation is significant:  $138,866.  The MGMA survey sample (n = 3,246 anesthesiologists) is larger than Medscape’s.  Other factors potentially accounting for the variance include the total number of hours worked, and whether the respondent’s position involves taking call.  According to MGMA’s Medical Directorship and On-Call Compensation Survey: 2012 Report Based on 2011 Data, the median daily on-call rate for anesthesiologists was $1,500.  Both the salary and the on-call compensation rates have presumably increased since 2011.

The compensation data from both surveys should be used with caution and judiciously—recognizing, nevertheless, that there are not many anesthesiologist income data sets available, or at least none based on large survey samples.  One other comes from the American Medical Group Association, which reported in its 2011 Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey (Based on 2010 Data) that the national median anesthesiologist compensation was $372,750.

The numbers noted above are national statistics.  It may be helpful to consider the data broken down into the four geographical regions defined by MGMA.  The largest proportion of anesthesiologists (n = 1,051) comes from the lowest-paying region, the Western United States (median = $391,681).  The East is the next lowest (median = $420,155) and the highest is the Southern region (median = $473,000).  The Midwest enjoys the second-highest compensation (median = $456,209).  The anesthesiology subspecialty of pain medicine is slightly higher across the board. 

Despite the fact that the compensation of 81% of the Medscape survey respondents decreased or remained even between 2011 and 2012, 55% are reportedly satisfied with their compensation, and 47% report overall satisfaction with their professional lives.  And yet only 39% would choose medicine as a career if they had to make the choice over again.

There are many more statistics in the Medscape physician and anesthesiologist surveys that make a perusal of the reports worthwhile.  We close by noting that the financial rewards are not the most rewarding part of the job.  Being good at the practice of medicine (finding answers and making diagnoses) was the paramount reward of 35% of the responding anesthesiologists.  Relationships with patients were the second most rewarding aspect, according to 20% of the sample.

Being good at providing our readers with information, and our relationships with many of you, are likewise the most enjoyable part of our work.  We trust that that will continue, to our mutual benefit, for many years.

With best wishes,

Tony Mira
President and CEO