General question...salaries.

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PJ1120

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I was wondering, and have done research on this topic. I'm not trying to start any arguments, debates, etc. I just want to know...that when both a DO and MD are fully liscenced and done with residencies, is there a difference in salary. Let's say both of them are the same field. Personally, Ihave looked around, and it seems there's no difference. It wouldn't make sense if there was a difference anyway. Just wondering if anyone knew for sure. Again, I love both DOs and MDs, to me there is no difference, there can be good and bad doctors in both degrees.

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PJ1120 said:
I was wondering, and have done research on this topic. I'm not trying to start any arguments, debates, etc. I just want to know...that when both a DO and MD are fully liscenced and done with residencies, is there a difference in salary. Let's say both of them are the same field. Personally, Ihave looked around, and it seems there's no difference. It wouldn't make sense if there was a difference anyway. Just wondering if anyone knew for sure. Again, I love both DOs and MDs, to me there is no difference, there can be good and bad doctors in both degrees.

this has been covered many times here... do a search in the forums and you'll find LOTS of these threads.

for brevity's sake, there is no difference. insurance reimbursements are the same.
 
No, no difference in salary
 
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PJ1120 said:
I was wondering, and have done research on this topic. I'm not trying to start any arguments, debates, etc. I just want to know...that when both a DO and MD are fully liscenced and done with residencies, is there a difference in salary. Let's say both of them are the same field. Personally, Ihave looked around, and it seems there's no difference. It wouldn't make sense if there was a difference anyway. Just wondering if anyone knew for sure. Again, I love both DOs and MDs, to me there is no difference, there can be good and bad doctors in both degrees.


research? Among the group of 10 physicians (DO/MD mix) worked with/shadowed, they have mostly told me that there is no difference in benefits/salary (I didn't even ask- it just happened that one pointed out to me and others confirmed). Why would there be? They both do the same job.
 
PJ1120 said:
I was wondering, and have done research on this topic. I'm not trying to start any arguments, debates, etc. I just want to know...that when both a DO and MD are fully liscenced and done with residencies, is there a difference in salary. Let's say both of them are the same field. Personally, Ihave looked around, and it seems there's no difference. It wouldn't make sense if there was a difference anyway. Just wondering if anyone knew for sure. Again, I love both DOs and MDs, to me there is no difference, there can be good and bad doctors in both degrees.

By asking the question, you truly don't understand things between MD's & DO's. When you become licensed to practice medicine in a state after you are a board certified as a physician, you apply for a job. This job hires you and pays you a salary as a physician. The MD or DO degree isn't taken into consideration for hiring you or establishing your base pay. The only thing that is considered is your board certification and your license to practice medicine. By becoming a board certified physician, it is as if all lines between MD and DO have blurred.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
By asking the question, you truly don't understand things between MD's & DO's. When you become licensed to practice medicine in a state after you are a board certified as a physician, you apply for a job. This job hires you and pays you a salary as a physician. The MD or DO degree isn't taken into consideration for hiring you or establishing your base pay. The only thing that is considered is your board certification and your license to practice medicine. By becoming a board certified physician, it is as if all lines between MD and DO have blurred.

this doesn't sound right at all... unless you're planning on being a hospitalist or work for a large group.

most docs perform a service for a patient. they then code the visit and bill it appropriately to insurance. insurance companies reimburse physicians based on what's agreed-upod pricing for the plan. a physician doesn't really earn a salary in that no income is guaranteed. see no patients... see no money!! they don't look at degrees when they schedule reimbursments. and i'm not sure that board certification plays into it either.

a very small percentage of doctors earn a salary.
 
docslytherin said:
this doesn't sound right at all... unless you're planning on being a hospitalist or work for a large group.

most docs perform a service for a patient. they then code the visit and bill it appropriately to insurance. insurance companies reimburse physicians based on what's agreed-upod pricing for the plan. a physician doesn't really earn a salary in that no income is guaranteed. see no patients... see no money!! they don't look at degrees when they schedule reimbursments. and i'm not sure that board certification plays into it either.

a very small percentage of doctors earn a salary.

Well you are right, I'm going to be a hospitalist and work for a large group.
 
group_theory said:
And what research (and how) have you done on this topic?

I guess the "search" feature must be a difficult concept for pre-meds to grasp
lmfao; thanks G_T.
-WM
 
PJ1120 said:
I was wondering, and have done research on this topic. I'm not trying to start any arguments, debates, etc. I just want to know...that when both a DO and MD are fully liscenced and done with residencies, is there a difference in salary. Let's say both of them are the same field. Personally, Ihave looked around, and it seems there's no difference. It wouldn't make sense if there was a difference anyway. Just wondering if anyone knew for sure. Again, I love both DOs and MDs, to me there is no difference, there can be good and bad doctors in both degrees.
Some of the med students on SDN have pointed out before that DO's can bill for OMM procedures, but (obviously) MD's cannot, giving DO's more income potential.
 
jkhamlin said:
Some of the med students on SDN have pointed out before that DO's can bill for OMM procedures, but (obviously) MD's cannot, giving DO's more income potential.

Ok, so family/OMM docs are the exception. All other specialties are paid the same.

Unless you want to make the argument that, on average, DO FP's are more likely to practice in more underserved areas, and thus get less pay, equalizing any offset from the additional OMM charges.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
By asking the question, you truly don't understand things between MD's & DO's. When you become licensed to practice medicine in a state after you are a board certified as a physician, you apply for a job. This job hires you and pays you a salary as a physician. The MD or DO degree isn't taken into consideration for hiring you or establishing your base pay. The only thing that is considered is your board certification and your license to practice medicine. By becoming a board certified physician, it is as if all lines between MD and DO have blurred.

Well, employers are allowed to discriminate between MDs and DOs, although I don't think it matters that much compared to where the person went to school, their case experience, and who they worked with/their letters of recommendation. My mom hires for a large group and always says that she has worked with many fine DOs and MDs and the most important criteria is to find someone who is a team player who will get along with everybody (and who won't kill patients, obviously).
 
OSUdoc08 said:
Unless you want to make the argument that, on average, DO FP's are more likely to practice in more underserved areas, and thus get less pay, equalizing any offset from the additional OMM charges.

but reimbursement rates are actually higher for medicare in rural areas than they are in urban ones... it's an incentive to serve the underserved.

very few of the doctors i know make the sole income on medicine. most of them have taken their incomes and tried to establish other income-generating investments (read this as "tax shelters"). many own restaurants, real estate (mostly renting out clinic space to other docs), one owns some hunting land, etc.
 
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docslytherin said:
but reimbursement rates are actually higher for medicare in rural areas than they are in urban ones... it's an incentive to serve the underserved.

very few of the doctors i know make the sole income on medicine. most of them have taken their incomes and tried to establish other income-generating investments (read this as "tax shelters"). many own restaurants, real estate (mostly renting out clinic space to other docs), one owns some hunting land, etc.

That may be true, but you can agree with me that on average, an urban physician makes a bit more than a rural physician. Think about sheer patient load and cost of technology.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
That may be true, but you can agree with me that on average, an urban physician makes a bit more than a rural physician. Think about sheer patient load and cost of technology.

having taking many math classes, its a sin to think about just income. Its net income. For example, as a rural physician, you do get less pay then an urban doc, but also living in a rural area is way much cheaper compared to the living expenses of urban docs. So, Net income is the same.
Makes much more sense.
 
michelleDO said:
having taking many math classes, its a sin to think about just income. Its net income. For example, as a rural physician, you do get less pay then an urban doc, but also living in a rural area is way much cheaper compared to the living expenses of urban docs. So, Net income is the same.
Makes much more sense.

Yes, but less amenities will be available to you living in a rural area. Haven't you seen Doc Hollywood?
 
OSUdoc08 said:
Yes, but less amenities will be available to you living in a rural area. Haven't you seen Doc Hollywood?

I guess it depends on what you consider amenities. I would rather live in the country with a lake and rivers to fish, swim, boat, explore and drive 2 hours to get to a shopping mall and a $7 latte than vice versa. It all depends on what you like, big fish in a little pond or medium fish in a big pond.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
That may be true, but you can agree with me that on average, an urban physician makes a bit more than a rural physician. Think about sheer patient load and cost of technology.


it all depends. a rural physician who's the only one for a town of 10K is going to have twice the patient base than an urban physician who's one of 30 in a town of 150K. additionally, most rural FPs don't have to compete with IM, Peds or OB/GYN docs for patients so add that in. my opinion would be that the rural FP will make more (both in income and in take-home) as well as having a significantly lower cost of living. this only applies to bill for service providers... docs in large groups probably have salaries that take into account cost of living and such.

that being said... give me a city any day!! three cheers for a $7 latte!! WOO HOO!! kirksville is 17K and is so small that i'm about to go crazy. thankfully, my two years are almost over and i'll be in tampa in a few months.
 
PJ1120 said:
I was wondering, and have done research on this topic. I'm not trying to start any arguments, debates, etc. I just want to know...that when both a DO and MD are fully liscenced and done with residencies, is there a difference in salary. Let's say both of them are the same field. Personally, Ihave looked around, and it seems there's no difference. It wouldn't make sense if there was a difference anyway. Just wondering if anyone knew for sure. Again, I love both DOs and MDs, to me there is no difference, there can be good and bad doctors in both degrees.

http://www.alliedphysicians.com/salary-surveys/physicians/
 
docslytherin said:
and i'm not sure that board certification plays into it either.

a very small percentage of doctors earn a salary.

Just a note on board certification and the role it plays.

I had to take a managed care class for my MPH and this was discussed several times.

The MCO's prefer to have physicians who are board certified. It makes them look better to say "90% of our physicians are board certified" yadda yadda.

This doesn't just apply to you working exclusively for a closed MCO, but also if you are signing a contract with an open MCO (ie getting your name in their book).

That being said, I hope I can get a job working for a hospital or for the state. So much nicer to have someone else pay your malpractice. In NJ, it's a big proglem (and in other states).
 
EMTLizzy said:
Just a note on board certification and the role it plays.

I had to take a managed care class for my MPH and this was discussed several times.

The MCO's prefer to have physicians who are board certified. It makes them look better to say "90% of our physicians are board certified" yadda yadda.

This doesn't just apply to you working exclusively for a closed MCO, but also if you are signing a contract with an open MCO (ie getting your name in their book).

That being said, I hope I can get a job working for a hospital or for the state. So much nicer to have someone else pay your malpractice. In NJ, it's a big proglem (and in other states).

What the hell?? Doesnt a physician have to be board certified???
 
PJ1120 said:
What the hell?? Doesnt a physician have to be board certified???
Maybe one of the med students can confirm this, but my understanding is that you have to complete a residency to take the final step of the boards. You have to pass the boards and usually a state law test to become licensed. You can declare a specialty (within reason). To lend legitimacy and professionalism to your specialty you get board certification.
 
jkhamlin said:
Maybe one of the med students can confirm this, but my understanding is that you have to complete a residency to take the final step of the boards. You have to pass the boards and usually a state law test to become licensed. You can declare a specialty (within reason). To lend legitimacy and professionalism to your specialty you get board certification.

No, you complete step three of your boards while you are in the middle of your internship year. You can be licensed as a physician after just one year of internship, without board certification.
 
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