Physician compensation remained relatively flat in 2015, increasing just 3.1 percent on average, according to AMGA's "2016 Medical Group Compensation and Productivity Survey," which is based on data from 2015 earnings.
This growth is similar to the average compensation increase from 2013 to 2014 of 2.8 percent. The largest compensation increases were seen among emergency medicine physicians (9.6 percent), cardiac/thoracic surgeons (8.1 percent), cardiologists (6.9 percent) and nephrologists (6.7 percent), according to AMGA.
Among organizations that use production-based measures for at least half of compensation, work RVUs are still dominant, according to the survey. Work RVUs are defined as non-monetary units that measure the professional services a physician provides.
Here is the median compensation and work RVU for 28 specialties in 2015, which is based on AMGMA data. Work RVU data is adjusted to 1.0 full-time equivalent physician. Specialties included had the largest provider counts in the survey.
Allergy/Immunology
Compensation: $294,245
wRVU: 4,216
Anesthesiology
Compensation: $416,563
wRVU: 10,891
Cardiology – General
Compensation: $483,653
wRVU: 7,413
Cardiology – Cath Lab
Compensation: $584,118
wRVU: 9,218
Cardiac/Thoracic Surgery
Compensation: $645,112
wRVU: 10,072
Dermatology
Compensation: $434,520
wRVU: 7,329
Diagnostic Radiology (MD Non-Interventional)
Compensation: $490,399
wRVU: 8,907
Emergency Medicine
Compensation: $355,280
wRVU: 6,906
Endocrinology
Compensation: $242,202
wRVU: 4,677
Family Medicine
Compensation: $234,706
wRVU: 4,908
Gastroenterology
Compensation: $505,194
wRVU: 8,264
General Surgery
Compensation: $413,824
wRVU: 6,736
Hematology and Medical Oncology
Compensation: $416,738
wRVU: 4,788
Hospitalist – Internal Medicine
Compensation: $275,363
wRVU: 4,279
Hypertension and Nephrology
Compensation: $329,750
wRVU: 7,133
Infectious Disease
Compensation: $261,630
wRVU: 4,780
Internal Medicine
Compensation: $249,588
wRVU: 4,891
Neurology
Compensation: $284,751
wRVU: 4,737
OB/GYN – General
Compensation: $333,231
wRVU: 6,853
Ophthalmology
Compensation: $385,149
wRVU: 8,711
Orthopedic Surgery
Compensation: $582,056
wRVU: 7,848
Otolaryngology
Compensation: $419,818
wRVU: 6,903
Pediatrics & Adolescent – General
Compensation: $235,257
wRVU: 5,299
Psychiatry
Compensation: $254,942
wRVU: 4,079
Pulmonary Disease (without Critical Care)
Compensation: $352,462
wRVU: 5,768
Rheumatologic Disease
Compensation: $251,913
wRVU: 4,821
Urgent Care
Compensation: $264,197
wRVU: 4,910
Urology
Compensation: $441,836
wRVU: 7,649
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