Self-employed urologists are more likely to order x-rays, ultrasounds and diagnostic imaging tests than employed urologists on salary, according to a study by researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School published in the Journal of Urology.
The volume of an urologist's work generally does not affect the salary of most employed physicians, while self-employed physicians can make more money by taking on more patients or ordering more tests, according to the report.
According to Reuters Health, the study looked at more than 37 million outpatient visits to urologists across the country, using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey conducted in 2006 and 2007. Four out of every five physicians surveyed were self-employed.
Overall, more than one in five urology tests resulted in imaging, and self-employed urologists were nearly twice as likely to order imaging tests as employed urologists, at 24 percent compared to 13 percent.
The researchers acknowledged the discrepancy could be based on reasons other than profit, such as patient preference, legal concerns and intolerance of medical ambiguity.
Read the Reuters Health report on self-employed and employed urologists.
Read more on compensation:
-5 Top-Paid Medical Specialties
-4 Factors That Determine Hospital Executive Compensation
The volume of an urologist's work generally does not affect the salary of most employed physicians, while self-employed physicians can make more money by taking on more patients or ordering more tests, according to the report.
According to Reuters Health, the study looked at more than 37 million outpatient visits to urologists across the country, using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey conducted in 2006 and 2007. Four out of every five physicians surveyed were self-employed.
Overall, more than one in five urology tests resulted in imaging, and self-employed urologists were nearly twice as likely to order imaging tests as employed urologists, at 24 percent compared to 13 percent.
The researchers acknowledged the discrepancy could be based on reasons other than profit, such as patient preference, legal concerns and intolerance of medical ambiguity.
Read the Reuters Health report on self-employed and employed urologists.
Read more on compensation:
-5 Top-Paid Medical Specialties
-4 Factors That Determine Hospital Executive Compensation