Anesthesiologist Compensation Report

[BLADEMDA]

Median compensation

Anesthesiologists: $416,563 (0.1 percent increase from 2015)
Cardiologists: $483,653 (6.9 percent increase from 2015)
Dermatologists: $434,520 (4.3 percent decrease from 2015)
Endocrinologists: $242,202 (0.1 percent increase from 2015)
Emergency room physicians: $355,280 (9.6 percent increase from 2015)
Family medicine physicians: $234,706 (3.9 percent increase from 2015)
Gastroenterologists: $505,194 (0.2 percent decrease from 2015)
General Surgeons: $413,824 (6 percent increase from 2015)
Internal medicine physicians: $249,588 (4 percent increase from 2015)
Neurologists: $284,751 (1.7 percent increase from 2015)
OB-GYN: $333,231 (3.6 percent increase from 2015)
Oncologists: $416,738 (2.4 percent increase from 2015)
Ophthalmologists: $385,149 (4.2 percent decrease from 2015)
Orthopedic surgeons: $582,056 (1.6 percent increase from 2015)
Pediatricians: $235,257 (0.7 percent increase from 2015)
Psychiatrists: $254,942 (3.4 percent increase from 2015)
Pulmonologists: $352,462 (4.9 percent increase from 2015)
Rheumatologists: $251,913 (1.9 percent increase from 2015)
Urologists: $441,836 (2 percent increase from 2015)


http://www.beckershospitalreview.co...tatistics-on-physician-compensation-2017.html

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[BLADEMDA]

The key is to notice how the AMC take-overs have slowed the rate of compensation increases for Anesthesiologists. Academia still gets pay raises while the AMCs freeze or slash salaries. Here is the chart for mean compensation:


Anesthesiologists — men: $372,000
Anesthesiologists — women: $317,000
Cardiologists —men: $420,000
Cardiologists — women: $339,000
Dermatologists — men: $408,000
Dermatologists — women: $335,000
Endocrinologists — men: $216,000
Endocrinologists — women: $189,000
Emergency room physicians — men: $332,000
Emergency room physicians — women: $279,000
Family medicine physicians — men: $220,000
Family medicine physicians — women: $183,000
Gastroenterologists — men: $394,000
Gastroenterologists — women: $303,000
General Surgeons — men: $340,000
General Surgeons — women: $257,000
Internal medicine physicians — men: $231,000
Internal medicine physicians — women: $202,000
Neurologists — men: $251,000
Neurologists — women: $214,000
OB-GYN — men: $304,000
OB-GYN — women: $256,000
Oncologists — men: $344,000
Oncologists — women: $285,000
Ophthalmologists — men: $327,000
Ophthalmologists — women: $242,000
Orthopedic surgeons — men: $448,000
Orthopedic surgeons — women: $395,000
Pediatricians — men: $230,000
Pediatricians — women: $182,000
Psychiatrists — men: $239,000
Psychiatrists — women: $205,000
Pulmonologists — men: $288,000
Pulmonologists — women: $242,000
Rheumatologists — men: $252,000
Rheumatologists — women: $187,000
Urologists — men: $372,000
Urologists — women: $303,000

http://www.beckershospitalreview.co...tatistics-on-physician-compensation-2017.html

 

[Carbocation1]

Median work RVU is the highest though:


Median work RVU

Anesthesiologists: 10,891
Cardiologists: 7,413
Dermatologists: 7,329
Endocrinologists: 4,677
Emergency room physicians: 6,906
Family medicine physicians: 4,908
Gastroenterologists: 8,264
General surgeons: 6,736
Internal medicine physicians: 4,891
Neurologists: 4,737
OB-GYN: 6,853
Oncologists: 4,788
Ophthalmologists: 8,711
Orthopedic surgeons: 7,848
Pediatricians: 5,299
Psychiatrists: 4,079
Pulmonologists: 5,768
Rheumatologists: 4,821
Urologists: 7,649

 

[aneftp]

$400k plus seems on paper decent income for anesthesiologists.

To 99% of the public, $400k sounds like a lot of money for the anesthesia field. And the AANA used that data against us. 99% of our colleagues in other medical fields think we make a lot of money like internal medicine, surgeons rads EM and those pesky Gi docs who think many anesthesiologists are lazy and try to steal anesthesia money with their company model.

AMCs stealthy on paper freeze/reduce salary. When an AMC took over my old practice they match our previous year income. So on paper it looked ok. But still they ended up reducing 1-2 doc slots (that's still up in the air). So it still means an extra 1-2 calls a month. An extra weekend call etc.

It all adds up to extra hours worked.

I'm more interested in hours worked and call frequency and pace of cases we are doing for that $400k.

 

[GravelRider]

$400k plus seems on paper decent income for anesthesiologists.

To 99% of the public, $400k sounds like a lot of money for the anesthesia field. And the AANA used that data against us. 99% of our colleagues in other medical fields think we make a lot of money like internal medicine, surgeons rads EM and those pesky Gi docs who think many anesthesiologists are lazy and try to steal anesthesia money with their company model.

AMCs stealthy on paper freeze/reduce salary. When an AMC took over my old practice they match our previous year income. So on paper it looked ok. But still they ended up reducing 1-2 doc slots (that's still up in the air). So it still means an extra 1-2 calls a month. An extra weekend call etc.

It all adds up to extra hours worked.

I'm more interested in hours worked and call frequency and pace of cases we are doing for that $400k.

This is key and the important piece of data that is missing from these publications. Based on this, I am incredibly underpaid...and likely overworked. When I look at that list, I can't think of many of those specialties that take 24 hour in-house call.

 

[BLADEMDA]

 

[BLADEMDA]

http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists/100-great-hospitals-in-america-2016.html

Out of the 100 greatest hospitals in the USA how many allow CRNAs to practice without Anesthesiologist supervision? This FACT is the reason the larger VA medical facilities should never allow CRNAs to do something they are not permitted to do in this nation's greatest hospitals. The standard of care at our top facilities is an Anesthesiologist supervising a CRNA or AA for all surgical cases.

 

[sleepallday]

Median work RVU is the highest though:


Median work RVU

Anesthesiologists: 10,891
Cardiologists: 7,413
Dermatologists: 7,329
Endocrinologists: 4,677
Emergency room physicians: 6,906
Family medicine physicians: 4,908
Gastroenterologists: 8,264
General surgeons: 6,736
Internal medicine physicians: 4,891
Neurologists: 4,737
OB-GYN: 6,853
Oncologists: 4,788
Ophthalmologists: 8,711
Orthopedic surgeons: 7,848
Pediatricians: 5,299
Psychiatrists: 4,079
Pulmonologists: 5,768
Rheumatologists: 4,821
Urologists: 7,649

i don't think rvu comparison across different specialties gives a clear picture of who works more

 

[Iso4ane]

i don't think rvu comparison across different specialties gives a clear picture of who works more

Nope, but it should show how much RELATIVE VALUE we bring to the table.

 

[partydoc]

Nope, but it should show how much RELATIVE VALUE we bring to the table.

All it tells me is that we get paid shi*.

 

[notcool]

All it tells me is that we get paid shi*.

Sorry could you please explain why to an ignorant med student possibly interested in anesthesia? $400K seems great, but is it something to do with the RVU's (I don't know how RVU's all work)? 10K RVU's is obviously higher than all the other specialties but is that a good or bad thing?

 

[Psai]

wow 26 dollars for an epidural

 

[Mman]

i don't think rvu comparison across different specialties gives a clear picture of who works more

I have no idea what an RVU is relating to anesthesia. I'm assuming it's a meaningless made up number to try to compare to surgical specialties that do have RVUs.

 

[caligas]

Sorry could you please explain why to an ignorant med student possibly interested in anesthesia? $400K seems great, but is it something to do with the RVU's (I don't know how RVU's all work)? 10K RVU's is obviously higher than all the other specialties but is that a good or bad thing?

You must weigh what you see on here with a grain or two of salt. There are major challenges facing our specialty but there are also a higher percent of disgruntled anesthesiologists here then out there in practice. MOST of us find $400,000+ adequate to pay the bills and even save a few bucks (over $2 million by age 40 in my case, on track to not need to work by about age 50).

 

[pjl]

I find the male/female part of the data interesting.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile app

 

[abolt18]

I find the male/female part of the data interesting.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile app

Interesting but incomplete. What this never tells you is how many hours they are working or how many RVUs they're producing, if that is skewed lower due to moms wanting increased flexibility, or working part time/full time at 30hr a week, or taking maternity leave etc.

 

[aneftp]

I find the male/female part of the data interesting.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile app

Obviously the data is not putting into account same payer mix same partnership same work hours.

Especially in field of anesthesiology women make just the same as men.

I general when you bout same woman in same job with hours and same experience. The differences aren't as great as the media wants you to believe.

 

[BLADEMDA]

You must weigh what you see on here with a grain or two of salt. There are major challenges facing our specialty but there are also a higher percent of disgruntled anesthesiologists here then out there in practice. MOST of us find $400,000+ adequate to pay the bills and even save a few bucks (over $2 million by age 40 in my case, on track to not need to work by about age 50).

Yes, the money is adequate right now. The landscape is changing though and Anesthesiologists are working harder, longer hours to generate that income. AMCs are now a major player in the game. This is why I recommend 1-2 fellowships and a career in academia. Why kill yourself to earn that extra $50K when you can enjoy life so much more in a stable environment with plenty of staff.

So many groups have sold out or will sell out that the new Resident should build a career which isn't dependent on the AMC to earn a living. This requires additional sacrifice upfront but is well worth it over the course of a career.

 

[ERRES2288]

Yes, the money is adequate right now. The landscape is changing though and Anesthesiologists are working harder, longer hours to generate that income. AMCs are now a major player in the game. This is why I recommend 1-2 fellowships and a career in academia. Why kill yourself to earn that extra $50K when you can enjoy life so much more in a stable environment with plenty of staff.

So many groups have sold out or will sell out that the new Resident should build a career which isn't dependent on the AMC to earn a living. This requires additional sacrifice upfront but is well worth it over the course of a career.

Certainly something to think about. Teaching, giving lectures, continual evals, and being expected to do research are all things a lot of people don't want a part of.

 

[BLADEMDA]

Certainly something to think about. Teaching, giving lectures, continual evals, and being expected to do research are all things a lot of people don't want a part of.

Okay, so working for "the man" at night, weekends and holidays instead is a better option? The "company" is going to extract a lot more out of you in terms of work/RVU than the vast majority of academic institutions. I readily admit there will always be cheap labor for the AMCs to exploit so their executives can earn 2-3 times your base salary while never doing anything after hours or on the weekends. While academia is far from perfect it is so much better than the vast majority of employed positions out there.

The "street smart" resident (which includes many DOs) will recognize this fact and put in the extra 1-2 years of fellowship training so that 5-7 years later he/she is earning the same salary as the AMC employee but doing 1/3 less work. Besides the salary income academia offers substantially better benefits than most hospitals and AMCs. This could be worth in excess of $1.5 million over the course of a career.

 

[BLADEMDA]

When broken down by specialty, anesthesiologists seem to be the doctors who are most likely to play with stocks. Forty percent of anesthesiologists say they lost money in the market, the highest among all physicians. Most other doctors average in the 20's to 30's percentage losing money in stocks. Anesthesiologists are also one of the most likely to make bad choices in real estate and and other investments that cost them money. Overall, anesthesiologists seem to be bad investors, with only 42% reporting not making any financial mistakes in the last year, the absolute lowest number among all the specialties reporting. The endocrinologists seem to be the brightest, with 67% claiming they didn't make any business missteps.

The takeaway message here is that physicians still do well financially. Most of us are smart enough to realize that we need to save more than we spend and build up a nice fat retirement nest egg. And we have the means to do it more than other people. Anesthesiologists should be careful reading all those financial websites while sitting in the OR reading their iPhones. Seems like this leads to worse financial performance. The old adage about investing for the long term may have gotten lost among too many of our anesthesia colleagues.

http://www.blog.greatzs.com/2015/04/what-is-net-worth-of-anesthesiologists.html

 

[BLADEMDA]

 

[BLADEMDA]

 

[deleted126335]

When broken down by specialty, anesthesiologists seem to be the doctors who are most likely to play with stocks. Forty percent of anesthesiologists say they lost money in the market, the highest among all physicians. Most other doctors average in the 20's to 30's percentage losing money in stocks. Anesthesiologists are also one of the most likely to make bad choices in real estate and and other investments that cost them money. Overall, anesthesiologists seem to be bad investors, with only 42% reporting not making any financial mistakes in the last year, the absolute lowest number among all the specialties reporting. The endocrinologists seem to be the brightest, with 67% claiming they didn't make any business missteps.

The takeaway message here is that physicians still do well financially. Most of us are smart enough to realize that we need to save more than we spend and build up a nice fat retirement nest egg. And we have the means to do it more than other people. Anesthesiologists should be careful reading all those financial websites while sitting in the OR reading their iPhones. Seems like this leads to worse financial performance. The old adage about investing for the long term may have gotten lost among too many of our anesthesia colleagues.

http://www.blog.greatzs.com/2015/04/what-is-net-worth-of-anesthesiologists.html

Maybe we are just the most honest?🙄

 

[Mman]

Anesthesiologists are also one of the most likely to make bad choices in real estate and and other investments that cost them money. Overall, anesthesiologists seem to be bad investors, with only 42% reporting not making any financial mistakes in the last year, the absolute lowest number among all the specialties reporting. The endocrinologists seem to be the brightest, with 67% claiming they didn't make any business missteps.

Self reported investing outcomes are amongst the least reliable things you could ever ask the average American. Hell, probably < 1% of investors can tell you off the top of their head what investment returns were for various asset classes the last 3 years, let alone be able to compare their individual returns to those benchmarks. I mean very few can even tell you what their returns were last year, let alone being able to make a correct assessment of whether that was good or bad.

I mean everyone makes mistakes, 100%, if you look in hindsight.

 

[pgg]

wow 26 dollars for an epidural

I'm curious, how many labor epidurals get reimbursed at the Medicare rate?

I've very rarely had to deal with insurance companies and billing, due to the nature of my employer. None of my non-military moonlighting has been OB. When I think of Medicare, I think old people, who aren't the most fertile group.

 

[pgg]

I find the male/female part of the data interesting.

I think women get paid less because they're smarter than we are and take work/life balance more seriously. They take more time off, more leaves of absence, and are less obsessed with clawing their way up the corporate/academic ladder.

 

[ERRES2288]

Okay, so working for "the man" at night, weekends and holidays instead is a better option? The "company" is going to extract a lot more out of you in terms of work/RVU than the vast majority of academic institutions. I readily admit there will always be cheap labor for the AMCs to exploit so their executives can earn 2-3 times your base salary while never doing anything after hours or on the weekends. While academia is far from perfect it is so much better than the vast majority of employed positions out there.

The "street smart" resident (which includes many DOs) will recognize this fact and put in the extra 1-2 years of fellowship training so that 5-7 years later he/she is earning the same salary as the AMC employee but doing 1/3 less work. Besides the salary income academia offers substantially better benefits than most hospitals and AMCs. This could be worth in excess of $1.5 million over the course of a career.

I think this seems very reasonable if you are trying to live in a desirable area. Why make 325k at an AMC when you can make similar, do less, and have better benefits in academia for 1 extra year of training.

The other option in my mind for "street smart" residents is to try and pursue one of the 30% of private practices that will be left in 4 years when I graduate. Probably in a less desirable area.

 

[BLADEMDA]

I think this seems very reasonable if you are trying to live in a desirable area. Why make 325k at an AMC when you can make similar, do less, and have better benefits in academia for 1 extra year of training.

The other option in my mind for "street smart" residents is to try and pursue one of the 30% of private practices that will be left in 4 years when I graduate. Probably in a less desirable area.

Ok, so you "pursue one of the 30% of private practices" after residency. You skip the fellowship. What happens if you lose your job? What happens if an AMC takes over your practice during your second year there? Without a fellowship behind you what's the back-up plan? It's called working for an AMC or hospital. The fellowship gives you that early career fall-back plan in case your "dream job" doesn't work out. Unfortunately, more than a few people on SDN have experienced the real world the hard way.

 

[dhb]

I think women get paid less because they're smarter than we are and take work/life balance more seriously. They take more time off, more leaves of absence, and are less obsessed with clawing their way up the corporate/academic ladder.

You mean smarter because they do all that and then claim their compensation is not on par with men (although they'll never talk about hours worked)?

 

[GravelRider]

I think women get paid less because they're smarter than we are and take work/life balance more seriously. They take more time off, more leaves of absence, and are less obsessed with clawing their way up the corporate/academic ladder.

It's also cultural. Many of those jobs are called "mommy track" jobs. When a woman takes one of those jobs it's assumed she has a high earning husband and kids at home. When a man takes one of those jobs he is either thought of as lazy, close to retirement, or a damn millennial.

 

[zero0]

It's also cultural. Many of those jobs are called "mommy track" jobs. When a woman takes one of those jobs it's assumed she has a high earning husband and kids at home. When a man takes one of those jobs he is either thought of as lazy, close to retirement, or a damn millennial.

I need me a sugar momma. Any takers?

 

[Mman]

Ok, so you "pursue one of the 30% of private practices" after residency. You skip the fellowship. What happens if you lose your job? What happens if an AMC takes over your practice during your second year there? Without a fellowship behind you what's the back-up plan? It's called working for an AMC or hospital. The fellowship gives you that early career fall-back plan in case your "dream job" doesn't work out. Unfortunately, more than a few people on SDN have experienced the real world the hard way.

A serious consideration for people when planning is how much money you will earn the first few years out of residency because those savings compound the longest for retirement. Doing a fellowship might only seem like 1 more year, but if you saved an extra $100K that year by working instead of doing a fellowship and let it compound at 8% return for 35 years, well that's an extra $1.5M in retirement.

I'm not anti-fellowship. You just have to do it for the right reasons and you have to realize the huge impact that an additional year of low income can have on your retirement planning.

 

[misteratoz]

A serious consideration for people when planning is how much money you will earn the first few years out of residency because those savings compound the longest for retirement. Doing a fellowship might only seem like 1 more year, but if you saved an extra $100K that year by working instead of doing a fellowship and let it compound at 8% return for 35 years, well that's an extra $1.5M in retirement.

I'm not anti-fellowship. You just have to do it for the right reasons and you have to realize the huge impact that an additional year of low income can have on your retirement planning.

With the caveat that there is no way in hell you're going to get steady 8% return for decades.

 

[Mman]

With the caveat that there is no way in hell you're going to get steady 8% return for decades.

well sure it won't be steady, but that's probably what it will average out to over 3-4 decades. Sometimes the market goes up, sometimes it goes down, but over a long enough time horizon it will go up.

 

[Ronin2258]

wow 26 dollars for an epidural

That sounds cheaper than the kit.

I noticed that neurosurgery isn't on this list. I had fellows I was working with as a resident in neurosurgery getting offers at least 1.5 of what we earn median.

And, where I work, I know I am underpaid. But the lifestyle/health choices had to be made.

 

[BLADEMDA]

That sounds cheaper than the kit.

I noticed that neurosurgery isn't on this list. I had fellows I was working with as a resident in neurosurgery getting offers at least 1.5 of what we earn median.

And, where I work, I know I am underpaid. But the lifestyle/health choices had to be made.

the kit is around $14-$18 from Braun.

 

[notcool]

You must weigh what you see on here with a grain or two of salt. There are major challenges facing our specialty but there are also a higher percent of disgruntled anesthesiologists here then out there in practice. MOST of us find $400,000+ adequate to pay the bills and even save a few bucks (over $2 million by age 40 in my case, on track to not need to work by about age 50).

Yes, the money is adequate right now. The landscape is changing though and Anesthesiologists are working harder, longer hours to generate that income. AMCs are now a major player in the game. This is why I recommend 1-2 fellowships and a career in academia. Why kill yourself to earn that extra $50K when you can enjoy life so much more in a stable environment with plenty of staff.

So many groups have sold out or will sell out that the new Resident should build a career which isn't dependent on the AMC to earn a living. This requires additional sacrifice upfront but is well worth it over the course of a career.

Thank you, these are helpful!

 

[chocomorsel]

Blade, are you fellowship trained?