Median provider compensation climbed 3.7 percent from 2020 to 2021, compared with a minor 0.1 percent jump from 2019 to 2020, according to a new survey from the American Medical Group Association.
Additionally, median work relative value unit production, a measure of provider productivity, increased by 18.3 percent from 2020 to 2021, compared with a 10.2 percent decrease the previous year, the survey found. The median provider compensation per work relative value unit declined in 2021, where providers were paid 11 percent less for each unit in 2021 compared to 2020.
The survey is based on 2021 data from 383 medical groups, representing more than 183,000 providers from 177 physician, advanced practice clinician and other specialties. Compensation includes base salary plus variable compensation and voluntary compensation reductions. It excludes retirement benefits, pension, SERP or tax-deferred profit-sharing plans.
Here are the percentage changes from 2020 to 2021 for median provider compensation in 11 medical and surgical specialties spotlighted in the survey, in descending order:
Orthopedic surgery: 4.7 percent
General surgery: 4.5 percent
OB-GYN (general): 4.5 percent
Hematology and medical oncology: 4.3 percent
Cardiology: 4.2 percent
Gastroenterology: 4.2 percent
Neurology: 3.7 percent
Family medicine: 3.5 percent
Internal medicine: 3.5 percent
Emergency medicine: 1.8 percent
Pediatrics and adolescent-general: 1 percent
Learn more about the survey here.