Compensation for most physician specialties reached or exceeded pre-pandemic levels last year, according to new data from the Medical Group Management Association.
Median total compensation for primary care physicians increased 2.13 percent from 2020 to 2021, to $286,525, according to the data.
Surgical specialist physicians saw a 3.89 percent year-over-year increase, as median total compensation reached $517,501 last year.
Nonsurgical specialist physicians saw a 3.12 percent increase last year from 2020 and a 1.79 percent increase over 2019's level.
From 2020 to 2021, median total compensation for advanced practice providers increased 3.98 percent.
Here are the five specialties that experienced the largest increase in median total compensation in 2021 compared to 2019, according to the data:
Ophthalmology: 6.97 percent
Orthopedic surgery (general): 6.88 percent
Family medicine (without obstetric medicine): 5.60 percent
Gastroenterology: 4.66 percent
Internal medicine (general): 4.57 percent
Data is based on a voluntary survey of more than 192,000 physicians and nonphysician providers across more than 7,700 physician-owned and hospital-owned organizations. Median total compensation includes total Medicare wages, as well as 401(k), life insurance and other pretax deductions (employee contributions).