Compensation Report 2014

[2tall]

http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2014/psychiatry?src=wnl_edit_specol

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[Leo Aquarius]

Psychiatry rocks. Remember, Psychiatry compensation on an hourly basis is high. This doesn't reflect that. Nearly 70% of psychiatrists spend less than 40 hours a week seeing patients. [Medscape report]

If $197,000 is from, say, 35 hours of work a week, then adjusted to, say, 50 hours of work a week would translate to a $280,000 income.

And while other specialties are facing pay cuts, Psych saw the second highest increase in pay of all specialties this year at 6.1%. As one of the lowest overhead specialties in great shortage, it's hard to beat.

Psychiatry is right next to Dermatology in 1) reasonable working hours, and 2) overall career satisfaction. Derm is #1 in satisfaction and fewest hours spent seeing patients, and Psych is #2 in both categories.

 

[2tall]

You're preaching to the choir.

What's interesting is the wage gap between the sexes... It'll be interesting to watch in the next decade as women predominate early career.

 

[Blitz2006]

Nice analysis...

Interesting to see if Psych joins ROAD in the next 10 years... wouldn't surprise me if this trend continues.

And one other big pro you forgot to mention about psych is the awesome job market....

Psychiatry still rocks. Remember, Psychiatry compensation on an hourly basis is high. This doesn't reflect that. Nearly 70% of psychiatrists spend less than 40 hours a week seeing patients. [Medscape report]

If $197,000 is from, say, 35 hours of work a week, then adjusted to, say, 50 hours of work a week would translate to a $280,000 income.

And while other specialties are facing pay cuts, Psych saw the second highest increase in pay of all specialties this year at 6.1%. As one of the lowest overhead specialties in great shortage, it's hard to beat.

Psychiatry is right next to Dermatology in 1) reasonable working hours, and 2) overall career satisfaction. Derm is #1 in satisfaction and fewest hours spent seeing patients, and Psych is #2 in both categories.

 

[johnhoedack]

Pending vistaril's arrival in which we'll all learn why this is stupendously false and he pays his janitor more than he himself makes, while nurses storm the gates of the castle demanding us all surrender.

 

[PistolPete]

Agree with above. I was initially worried about the consistent salary reports showing psych near the bottom, and then I read the medscape report which confirmed that the vast majority of psychiatrists work 30 hours or less (including many of those that are 20 hours or less), which significantly distorts the average. Then I compared to cardiologists which work 55 or 60 hours per week, and I was sold on psych. Not very hard to make 300k and have a way better lifestyle than most other specialties.

 

[Leo Aquarius]

Agree with above. I was initially worried about the consistent salary reports showing psych near the bottom, and then I read the medscape report which confirmed that the vast majority of psychiatrists work 30 hours or less (including many of those that are 20 hours or less), which significantly distorts the average. Then I compared to cardiologists which work 55 or 60 hours per week, and I was sold on psych. Not very hard to make 300k and have a way better lifestyle than most other specialties.

Agreed. Talking to attendings and my supervisors in the community corroborates with this.

 

[Frazier]

Nice analysis...

Interesting to see if Psych joins ROAD in the next 10 years... wouldn't surprise me if this trend continues.

And one other big pro you forgot to mention about psych is the awesome job market....

I don't think it will ever join ROAD in the same way that derm holds on.
From what I gather, it takes a particular type of med student to want to do psych (by that I mean they enjoy the bread and butter of the field, enjoy listening to people, are comfortable with uncertainty, don't mind working closely with patients with psychiatric conditions, etc).

These characteristics will always limit the breadth of the net that psych can cast out, IMO.

...and I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing.

 

[qwerty89]

I noticed how west coast psychiatrists make the most. California state employed psychiatrists have very nice gigs.

http://www.dsh.ca.gov/jobs/psychiatry_jobs.asp

Napa, CA has jobs for $18,146.00-$22,377.00 a month + OT + generous state benefits/pension.

 

[slappy]

True, but some (most?) of those state jobs aren't in the best of places.

 

[Shikima]

I noticed how west coast psychiatrists make the most. California state employed psychiatrists have very nice gigs.

http://www.dsh.ca.gov/jobs/psychiatry_jobs.asp

Napa, CA has jobs for $18,146.00-$22,377.00 a month + OT + generous state benefits/pension.

You may want to factor in cost of living, taxes, etc.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Like Derm, we have a lot of diseases that are not lethal, treatable, but not curable.

 

[vistaril]

http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2014/psychiatry?src=wnl_edit_specol

The idea that the average dermatologist or plastic surgeon makes just over 300k is laughable.....there are derms in this area that make sure to limit their medicare % to just 15-20% of their patient base and *still* collected over 500k from medicare.......these numbers are worthless. If you believe derms and plastics who aren't in academics or research are out there only making 300k you're pretty naive.

 

[Bartelby]

The idea that the average dermatologist or plastic surgeon makes just over 300k is laughable.....there are derms in this area that make sure to limit their medicare % to just 15-20% of their patient base and *still* collected over 500k from medicare.......these numbers are worthless. If you believe derms and plastics who aren't in academics or research are out there only making 300k you're pretty naive.

In vistaril land, solving for the dermatologist's salary:
DS * 0.15 = 500,000
DS = 500,000/0.15 = a cool $3,333,333.
Of course this is an underestimate since they collect *at least* 500k from medicare; given that private insurance rates are higher I'm guessing a not-untypical derm makes $5-15 million per year right?

And it's tough to find a bearable psych job for over 100k... and those that do still exist will be snatched up by the employer-preferred NP.

It must be a sad place to reside...

 

[F0nzie]

I find it interesting that plastics makes $317k, 72% work less than 45 hours per week, 41% are cash only and yet they are the least satisfied...

 

[Blitz2006]

so this thread begs to 2 follow up questions:

1. why do so many psychiatrists only work 30 hours a weeks?

2. why are west coast psychiatrists rolling it in? I thought sf and la usually are saturated markets that pay the least....?

 

[Frazier]

so this thread begs to 2 follow up questions:

1. why do so many psychiatrists only work 30 hours a weeks?

2. why are west coast psychiatrists rolling it in? I thought sf and la usually are saturated markets that pay the least....?

In regards to point #2, lower money in "desirable" locations is often in regards to salaries in an employed position. In other words, employers can afford to offer less to employees.

Given the demographic info of the west coast, PP doc's likely do pretty well.

That said, according to accounts on this forum, employers (such as kaiser) also in fact pay decently...so that kind of counters what I was claiming in my first sentence.

Hmm...

 

[Leo Aquarius]

Let me take a stab, being that I'm in the heart of California.

When you're in PP, the highly desirable cities pay more because the people living there have more money (a lot more money). There's no middle man/employer to bargain down your salary. Millionaires in Beverly Hills? Everywhere.

While LA and SF and San Diego are saturated markets for most doctors, psychiatry is not saturated. And if you're talking about child psychiatrists, there's a shortage everywhere even in those cities. I know because our child psychiatry attendings complain how the shortage affects the kids who have to wait months for an appointment.

Kaiser pays very nicely to fresh grads in Cali. I've heard something north of $220,000, but not 100% accurate on the price.

PP in West LA and Palo Alto charge $400/hr, farther south around $300/hr. Go check the websites of PP docs or, better yet, go see one and see for yourself. To live in the golden state you gotta have gold.

 

[TheMan21]

Psychiatry rocks. Remember, Psychiatry compensation on an hourly basis is high. This doesn't reflect that. Nearly 70% of psychiatrists spend less than 40 hours a week seeing patients. [Medscape report]

If $197,000 is from, say, 35 hours of work a week, then adjusted to, say, 50 hours of work a week would translate to a $280,000 income.

And while other specialties are facing pay cuts, Psych saw the second highest increase in pay of all specialties this year at 6.1%. As one of the lowest overhead specialties in great shortage, it's hard to beat.

Psychiatry is right next to Dermatology in 1) reasonable working hours, and 2) overall career satisfaction. Derm is #1 in satisfaction and fewest hours spent seeing patients, and Psych is #2 in both categories.

the math may work out, but does that work out in the real world?

 

[Shikima]

Don't forget costs of living guys... CA is very expensive.

 

[Blitz2006]

$400/hr and living in la? that sounds like the drean to me...

I agree cost of living in cali is high...but 400 bucks I doubt anyone will be struggling to survive....especially if you clock 50 hour weeks..

 

[slappy]

$400/hr and living in la? that sounds like the drean to me...

I agree cost of living in cali is high...but 400 bucks I doubt anyone will be struggling to survive....especially if you clock 50 hour weeks..

Except that it'll take you a lifetime to build a practice where you can book 50 hours a week at $400 an hour in LA.

 

[vistaril]

In vistaril land, solving for the dermatologist's salary:
DS * 0.15 = 500,000
DS = 500,000/0.15 = a cool $3,333,333.
Of course this is an underestimate since they collect *at least* 500k from medicare; given that private insurance rates are higher I'm guessing a not-untypical derm makes $5-15 million per year right?

And it's tough to find a bearable psych job for over 100k... and those that do still exist will be snatched up by the employer-preferred NP.

It must be a sad place to reside...

Derms who work hard and are good businessman make a little over a million on average I would say.....it's probably hard to top 1.3-1.5 unless one is doing something very different. My point was the idea that derms and plastic surgeons outside of academia or research make anything close to 300k is laughable. A quick peek around your community or at the medicare numbers would support that.

And no it's not tough to find a 'bearable' job in psych(for now) at over 100k. Plenty of such jobs exist for around 200k depending on what one considers bearable.

 

[Silent Cool]

@Leo Aquarius what's your take? You are the voice of reason on this forum so often. Are Dermies really making 1 mil in general? That sounds.....high.

 

[SteinUmStein]

Most derms do not make 1 mill... even if they did, what bearing does that have on psychiatry?

 

[Leo Aquarius]

I always try to use as much factual information as I can.

This is from the trusted American Medical Group Association's (AMGA) 2013 Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey:
*Don't confuse gross charges with gross salary*

2013 numbers:
Psychiatrists
Median salary: $224,878 (3.54 percent increase from 2012)
Median gross charges: $489,583
Highest offered base salary (not including bonuses): $300,000
Lowest offered base salary (not including bonuses): $165,000

Dermatologists
Median salary: $411,499 (3.56 percent increase from 2012)
Median gross charges: $1,649,366
Mean salary for men: $321,000
Mean salary for women: $284,000
Highest-paying region: Great Lakes ($333,000)
Lowest-paying region: Northeast ($274,000)
Highest offered base salary (not including bonuses): $425,000
Lowest offered base salary (not including bonuses): $235,000

It is possible, although probably rare, that a psychiatrist in the West can start at or above a dermatologist in the Northeast.

Notice psychiatrists get to keep approx 46% of what they generate, vs dermatologists keeping 25% of what they generate.

So, ladies and gents, it seems to me that dermatologists pull in over 1$ Mill a year, but they only keep 25% in their pockets.

 

[Bartelby]

Nice analysis, and good point re: salary vs. total charges.

I think the takeaway of this (and other) salary reports is that a person can make a very comfortable living in psych, comparable to or slightly better than several other medical specialties that live toward the lower end of the income spectrum. This should be encouraging to medical students who have been told that they will struggle financially if they go into psychiatry (which I heard from several people when I was a medical student). All of the published data and the psychiatrists I know personally show that financially things will be fine.

 

[postbacpremed87]

the math may work out, but does that work out in the real world?

I have often wondered this. Couldn't a new grad in child psych take a 36hr/wk position paying 225k; but get in with another private practice on the side for 10-12 hours and make 260k? It seems that if you are flexible, 250K+ compensation is there. I think most psychiatrists aren't that aggressive and love the lifestyle aspect more than most other specialties.

 

[darkhope]

.

 

[Armadillos]

I'm so confused about the future of psychiatry, one thread below this one is talking about the NP takeover, while this thread gives a pretty bright outlook. I understand there is biased sampling but this is so confusing...

Ultimately nobody knows what the future holds in any specialty which is why you will see a mix of contentment and doom/ gloom on any specialties forum. Ultimately almost all specialties are hypothetically "at risk" to mid level providers to some extent, and the few that aren't (mostly high end salary procedural specialties) are the ones who are most at risk to changes in reimbursement. There is always uncertainty about the future and I think people's predictions generally have more to do with their own pessimism or optimism than they do about whats actually most likely to happen.

Also worth remembering that the median HOUSEHOLD income for people with at least a bachelors degree is ~70,000 and its not like they are living miserable lives. The difference in lifestyle between an income of 70K and a single individual's income of 200K is dramatic. But with the way taxes escalate, the difference in quality of life between 200k and 330k is much less dramatic, especially if you consider the psychiatrist making 200k is likely working 10-15 less hours a week than X specialist making 330k. People often brush the hours off and underestimate how big a deal working 10 less hours a week is, for example getting off work at 5:30 every day instead of 7:30 is pretty dramatic in how it influences what you can do after work.

 

[conchatumare]

Another point to make is that Psychiatry is one of the few specialties in medicine where patients will be willing to pay out of pocket for their services. Besides Derm and Plastics, what other specialty can open a cash-only practice? Basically none. This is a huge advantage that I feel most people dont recognize - it means that our demand is even greater than we estimate it to be.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Another point to make is that Psychiatry is one of the few specialties in medicine where patients will be willing to pay out of pocket for their services. Besides Derm and Plastics, what other specialty can open a cash-only practice? Basically none. This is a huge advantage that I feel most people dont recognize - it means that our demand is even greater than we estimate it to be.

The difference being that in psychiatry, the people who need it most are generally unable to afford cash-only treatment.

 

[Dharma]

Another point to make is that Psychiatry is one of the few specialties in medicine where patients will be willing to pay out of pocket for their services. Besides Derm and Plastics, what other specialty can open a cash-only practice? Basically none. This is a huge advantage that I feel most people dont recognize - it means that our demand is even greater than we estimate it to be.

Family medicine. They may be far from the norm, but they're out there and doing well. Becoming more popular as well. Check out @AtlasMD

 

[AtlasMD]

Not so fast. Cash practices or ins free practices are growing rapidly. You don't have car ins for gasoline so why have health ins for the majority of medicine that can be made affordable.

Direct care practices like mine often charge $10-100/pt/mo for unlimited visits, no copays, all office procedures free of charge and wholesale medications and labs for up to 95% savings. Then we can lower ins premiums by 30-60%, often saving families 500$/mo.

Yes direct care models work for peds, FP, IM, psych, women's health and many other specialties.

Docs in these models make more money seeing fewer patients but providing better care for less money.

I predict that DPC models will make up 80% of the market in 3-5 years.

 

[2tall]

Not so fast. Cash practices or ins free practices are growing rapidly. You don't have car ins for gasoline so why have health ins for the majority of medicine that can be made affordable.

Direct care practices like mine often charge $10-100/pt/mo for unlimited visits, no copays, all office procedures free of charge and wholesale medications and labs for up to 95% savings. Then we can lower ins premiums by 30-60%, often saving families 500$/mo.

Yes direct care models work for peds, FP, IM, psych, women's health and many other specialties.

Docs in these models make more money seeing fewer patients but providing better care for less money.

I predict that DPC models will make up 80% of the market in 3-5 years.

80% of the market in what world? Certainly not America? That wouldn't even be possible in the market of just 'the uninsured'?

DCPs as you call them and concierge practices are wonderful opportunities for innovation in the practice of medicine, but our GOVERNMENT dictates the market. Like it or not health insurance is queen. With the PPACA (Obamacare if you will), insurance is easier (insert giggles here) to attain. On top of the supremacy of the insurance market, we still have an incredible amount of individuals battling poverty who couldn't afford $120/year (especially if they'll have to pay a yearly penalty for non-enrollment in Obamacare); folks with Medicaid aren't joining DCPs either.

Even if we exclude the insured and the poor from whatever fantasy market you're envisioning, there's a lot of risk involved in your model and physicians will be cautious to take the leap. In addition, that level of competition in your 80% pipe dream would drive rates and profit down. Nice vision... but the reality is that model must remain small to succeed - and it will.

Although I disagree with your optimism, I support creative ideas in health care delivery and physician autonomy.

This appears to work well for FM/IM who haven't utilized self-pay models as much, but I don't see it for psychiatry. Psychiatrists in self-pay private practice can determine their fees; if allowed, patients could negotiate a fee reduction. I don't see a clear advantage with DCP.

 

[Silent Cool]

80% of the market in what world? Certainly not America? That wouldn't even be possible in the market of just 'the uninsured'?

DCPs as you call them and concierge practices are wonderful opportunities for innovation in the practice of medicine, but our GOVERNMENT dictates the market. Like it or not health insurance is queen. With the PPACA (Obamacare if you will), insurance is easier (insert giggles here) to attain. On top of the supremacy of the insurance market, we still have an incredible amount of individuals battling poverty who couldn't afford $120/year (especially if they'll have to pay a yearly penalty for non-enrollment in Obamacare); folks with Medicaid aren't joining DCPs either.

Even if we exclude the insured and the poor from whatever fantasy market you're envisioning, there's a lot of risk involved in your model and physicians will be cautious to take the leap. In addition, that level of competition in your 80% pipe dream would drive rates and profit down. Nice vision... but the reality is that model must remain small to succeed - and it will.

Although I disagree with your optimism, I support creative ideas in health care delivery and physician autonomy.

This appears to work well for FM/IM who haven't utilized self-pay models as much, but I don't see it for psychiatry. Psychiatrists in self-pay private practice can determine their fees; if allowed, patients could negotiate a fee reduction. I don't see a clear advantage with DCP.

The problem stems from the wage controls put in place after WW2, which is the historical reason for employer-sponsored health insurance. IMO, imployer-sponsored benefits across the board are BS. Just give me the straight cash instead, so I can spend it the way I want. Unfortunately, employer-sponsored health insurance is so entrenched in our society that I don't see it vanishing anytime soon. My preference is to fund an HSA maximally, buy a catastrophic policy, and pay cash for primary care. That way I can reduce my costs maximally and invest/do other stuff with the remaining balance.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Is it possible to work a second job in psychiatry? Do most companies that hire physicians have non compete clause that would prevent them from having a second job? As a non trad student interested in psychiatry, I would like to pay back my student loan in 5-6 years. I don't want to have student loan when I am approaching 50... Therefore, I would like to have a salary that will allow me to live like an average middle class while paying back my loan in 5-6 years... I want to know if I can work Mon-Fri from one company and then have second job on weekend... I made some calculation and I saw that paying back my loan in 5-6 might be feasible on a 300+k/year salary....

 

[midweststudent1]

Referring back to the original post....how in the world did ob/gyn see such an increase in compensation??

 

[st2205]

The problem stems from the wage controls put in place after WW2, which is the historical reason for employer-sponsored health insurance. IMO, imployer-sponsored benefits across the board are BS. Just give me the straight cash instead, so I can spend it the way I want. Unfortunately, employer-sponsored health insurance is so entrenched in our society that I don't see it vanishing anytime soon. My preference is to fund an HSA maximally, buy a catastrophic policy, and pay cash for primary care. That way I can reduce my costs maximally and invest/do other stuff with the remaining balance.

You speak gospel. The way our society has synonymized employment with healthcare has irked me. What employers once offered as a nice perk, we've come to demand be their responsibility to provide.

 

[Jester25]

Is it possible to work a second job in psychiatry? Do most companies that higher physicians have non compete clause that would prevent them from having a second job? As a non trad student interested in psychiatry, I would like to pay back my student loan in 5-6 years. I don't want have student loan when I am approaching 50... Therefore, I would like to have a salary that will allow me to live like an average middle class while paying back my loan in 5-6 years... I want to know if I can work Mon-Fri from one company and then have second job on weekend... I made some calculation and I saw that paying back my loan in 5-6 might be feasible on a 300+k/year salary....

Moonlighting opportunities are plenty in psychiatry. For outpatient, it's common to see $100/hr but places go as low as $75 and as high as $125. Depends on your location. Covering inpatient units/ state hospitals over the weekend can get you around 3K. So if you want to work the hours, the $ is available.

From my experience, doing > 50 hrs of outpatient can get mentally taxing. The patient population we deal with and the amount of energy it takes to be constantly present is not something to overlook. Mixture of inpatient and outpatient can help with that.

 

[postbacpremed87]

Referring back to the original post....how in the world did ob/gyn see such an increase in compensation??

There is a massive shortage of OB/GYNs as well. That is why.

 

[Armadillos]

You speak gospel. The way our society has synonymized employment with healthcare has irked me. What employers once offered as a nice perk, we've come to demand be their responsibility to provide.

I think its a huge problem from the other side of the coin, health issues are one of the biggest factors that may force someone out of a job, so having people loss health insurance at the same time they lose their job is crazy to me. I remember seeing an interview with a German politician/professor who really seems to put it well. I have no idea if things he said here are still true in Germany, think the interview was about 7 years ago.

Q: How many Germans go bankrupt in a year because of medical bills?

A: In Germany it's impossible to go bankrupt for medical bills, because even if you are bankrupt, ... the social solidarity system pays for your medical bills. The idea is, if you do have financial problems and a lot of worries for other reasons, you do not need to have another burden in not being able to pay medical bills.

Q: If you lose your job, what happens to your health insurance?

Health insurance continues with no change if you lose a job. We do know very well that people who become unemployed are at an increased risk of becoming ill, and therefore becoming unemployed is about the worst time to lose health insurance. So therefore, everyone who loses a job remains in exactly the [same] insurance system he is in.

Q: In America, when you lose your job...

A: Right. ... And this is absurd. This is exactly the time when you need the support of the health care system, not additional problems by the health care system. ..."

 

[mgdsh]

Let me take a stab, being that I'm in the heart of California.

When you're in PP, the highly desirable cities pay more because the people living there have more money (a lot more money). There's no middle man/employer to bargain down your salary. Millionaires in Beverly Hills? Everywhere.

While LA and SF and San Diego are saturated markets for most doctors, psychiatry is not saturated. And if you're talking about child psychiatrists, there's a shortage everywhere even in those cities. I know because our child psychiatry attendings complain how the shortage affects the kids who have to wait months for an appointment.

Kaiser pays very nicely to fresh grads in Cali. I've heard something north of $220,000, but not 100% accurate on the price.

PP in West LA and Palo Alto charge $400/hr, farther south around $300/hr. Go check the websites of PP docs or, better yet, go see one and see for yourself. To live in the golden state you gotta have gold.

A couple points:
- Kaiser doesn't let you work outside of their system. And you literally do med checks all day. Say you wanted to make some additional $$ one month or one year... you could only do it with in the Kaiser system. Psychologists, nurses, etc all can work as they'd like outside of Kaiser
- $220k a year in Ca isn't much. This is after factoring in taxes, housing prices and relative income. I have an image I saved from the NYT a few years back (ie after 2008 but before 2011) with percentile breakdowns. $220k a year doesn't even get you in the top 10%.

 

[mgdsh]

There is a massive shortage of OB/GYNs are well. That is why.

Sounds like their massive malpractice rates (and unfairly so) have caught up to them.

 

[Mapplicant]

I question the validity of these Medscape salary surveys. Look at the abysmal response rates below. Sampling bias is quite glaring.

I wonder how representative these numbers are to the actual numbers.

 

[Fabio001]

I question the validity of these Medscape salary surveys. Look at the abysmal response rates below. Sampling bias is quite glaring.

I wonder how representative these numbers are to the actual numbers.

I thought those numbers represented the percentage of survey respondents from each specialty, ie. 9% of the physicians who responded were of X specialty. ?

 

[slappy]

That is correct. It is not a representation of the response rates. Also, the data posted by Mapplicant does not appear to be from the survey discussed in this thread. And at 21,878 respondents, 7% equates to about 1,532 respondents from Psychiatry - a fairly large number as far as surveys go.

 

[digitlnoize]

That is correct. It is not a representation of the response rates. Also, the data posted by Mapplicant does not appear to be from the survey discussed in this thread. And at 21,878 respondents, 7% equates to about 1,532 respondents from Psychiatry - a fairly large number as far as surveys go.

Yep. This. What we don't know is what % of psychiatrists from what areas responded. If all 1500 were from California, then the SE numbers may be skewed...

 

[vistaril]

I question the validity of these Medscape salary surveys. Look at the abysmal response rates below. Sampling bias is quite glaring.

I wonder how representative these numbers are to the actual numbers.

after looking at it now, that makes sense. 2% of derms and 1% of plastic surgeons responded. I know these people are making 7 figures if they are working hard in private practice, so it makes sense that the hard working pp types wouldn't bother to respond to a survey that 1% of people in the field responded to. Now I understand how they could come to that ridiculous 300k figure(which is what many of those guys make by early to mid march)

 

[Frazier]

after looking at it now, that makes sense. 2% of derms and 1% of plastic surgeons responded. I know these people are making 7 figures if they are working hard in private practice, so it makes sense that the hard working pp types wouldn't bother to respond to a survey that 1% of people in the field responded to. Now I understand how they could come to that ridiculous 300k figure(which is what many of those guys make by early to mid march)

That graphic is the % break down of respondents to the survey by specialty.
...Not percent of specialty that responded to the survey.

According to the n earlier in the thread, there would have been close to 450 dermatologists reporting to the survey.

So closer to 4% of practicing derms. Not exactly huge percentage...

THAT said, MGMA reports their salary figures for derm with n= <200 (and their median compensation is listed as 410k).

The middle-of-the-road derm does very well, but isn't making a million per year.