PublicHealth said:
Wrong. You're probably referring to the survey by Sweet et al. (2003):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14591431&query_hl=11
If that's the case, the MEAN salary for neuropsychologists who responded to this survey (excluding outliers) was $104,132, with a MEDIAN salary of $83,000. Please check your sources before citing erroneous figures.
It's also interesting to note that even in this survey the trend that is reported is of increasing hours of labor AND decreasing wages.
National Academy of Neuropsychology/Division 40 of the American Psychological Association Practice Survey of Clinical Neuropsychology in the United States
Part II: Reimbursement experiences, practice economics, billing practices, and incomes
Jerry J. Sweet, , a, b, Edward A. Peck, III c, Carolyn Abramowitzd and Sharon Etzweilere
a Neuropsychology Service, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Medical Group, 909 Davis St., Suite 160, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
b Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, USA
c Neuropsychological Services of Virginia, Richmond, VA, USA
d Finch University of the Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, IL, USA
e Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Accepted 28 August 2002. ; Available online 25 March 2003.
Abstract
Leaders of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) of the American Psychological Association determined that current information on the professional practice of clinical neuropsychology within the United States was needed. These two organizations co-sponsored a national survey of U.S. clinical neuropsychologists that was conducted in September 2000. The primary goal of the survey was to gather information on such topics as: practitioner and practice characteristics, economic variables (e.g., experience with major third party payors, such as Medicare and managed care), practice expenses, billing methods, experiences with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, time spent on various clinical tasks, use of assistants, and income. In this second of two articles describing the survey results, reimbursement experiences, practice economics, billing practices, and incomes are highlighted. Survey results indicate that neuropsychologists frequently have difficulty gaining access to membership on managed care panels. For those who gain access, managed care companies often limit provision of services; this is quite often perceived as negatively affecting quality of patient care. It is very common for neuropsychologists to feel obligated to provide more services to managed care and Medicare patients than are allowed to be billed to the insurance carrier; these hours are typically "written off." Numerous CPT codes are used to bill the same clinical service. Awareness of Medicare practice and billing expectations is variable among practitioners, as is awareness of public aid/Medicaid billing status. Professional income is influenced by years of licensed practice, practice setting, gender, types and amounts of non-clinical professional activities, and types and amounts of reimbursement sources within ones clinical practice. Income of neuropsychologists has only a minimal relationship to percentage of clinical practice per week.
Within the context of prior surveys, neuropsychologists are engaging in more clinical hours per week and, nevertheless, compared to data from 1993, are reporting decreased income. These and other findings are presented and discussed.
Author Keywords: Current Procedural Terminology (CPT); Medicare; Division 40
