Primary Care Physicians Salary Increase

[poormansDO]

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With demand for primary care physicians on the upswing and generalists now at the top of the most-recruited list, medical groups and hospitals are beginning to offer incentives such as signing bonuses and school loan repayment, according to physician leaders and physician recruiters. Some markets are even seeing an increase in starting salaries. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/06/19/prl10619.htm

Is the salary for primary care physicians (PCP's) beginning to increase, I'm particulary interested in internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics, is it true that salaries for these is increasing 10-15%, I've read a lot about how there is a lack of interest in pimary care and how the demand for PCP's is increasing.

Is it possible that seven years from now (when I am officially done and can practice) that the primary care physician salary increases significantly?

 

[Dr.Inviz]

With demand for primary care physicians on the upswing and generalists now at the top of the most-recruited list, medical groups and hospitals are beginning to offer incentives such as signing bonuses and school loan repayment, according to physician leaders and physician recruiters. Some markets are even seeing an increase in starting salaries. (www.ama-assn.org)

Is the salary for primary care physicians (PCP's) beginning to increase, I'm particulary interested in internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics, is it true that salaries for these is increasing 10-15%, I've read a lot about how there is a lack of interest in pimary care and how the demand for PCP's is increasing.

Is it possible that seven years from now (when I graduate) that the primary care physician salary increases significantly?

No. Go study.

 

[Dr JPH]

Demand IS increasing. Problem is, reimbursement is not.

It is difficult for a practice to take you on and pay you a premium salary when they need to fight to make 30% of what they bill.

PCP salaries will only increase as much as government and insurance company reimbursement allows.

What WILL increase is the flexibility that PCPs have in structuring their contracts with hospitals, large groups or agencies. Maybe not the financial terms but things pertaining to lifestyle and time committments.

 

[CommanderRiker]

Salaries will increase for all fields. I guarantee it. 🙂

 

[Dr JPH]

Salaries will increase for all fields. I guarantee it. 🙂

I think the OP is talking more than cost of living and inflation increases.

Beam yourself back to premed land. 👍

 

[CommanderRiker]

I think the OP is talking more than cost of living and inflation increases.

Beam yourself back to premed land. 👍

I will be starting medical school in a few weeks. 😀

Even with inflation and cost of living hikes, I think doctors' salaries will get proportionately bigger.

 

[DoctorMom78]

No. Go study.

😆 😆 😆

 

[Nickelpennykid]

I will be starting medical school in a few weeks. 😀

Even with inflation and cost of living hikes, I think doctors' salaries will get proportionately bigger.

Another well articulated argument with lots of supporting evidence like "I think."

 

[DiverDoc]

In my hometown < kinda crappy, the people are just rude. Anyways, they have to fork over a lot of dough to keep a physician interested in practicing there. One physician I know makes 175K and sees about 4 patients a day. Majority of patients go out of town, but thats a LOT of money for very little work. 😱

 

[Dr JPH]

Even with inflation and cost of living hikes, I think doctors' salaries will get proportionately bigger.

So salaries have been proportionally going DOWN since the 1980s

But you THINK they will get bigger?

Why?

When?

What evidence?

How do you know this?

You could possible single handedly solve the question that hundreds of thousands of physicians in the US have not been able to understand.

I will be eagerly awaiting your response...

 

[CommanderRiker]

So salaries have been proportionally going DOWN since the 1980s

Doctors' salaries have been going proportionally UP since the 1980s. Are you ignorant or something?

 

[Dr JPH]

Doctors' salaries have been going proportionally UP since the 1980s. Are you ignorant or something?

..

 

[Dr JPH]

US Department of Labor reports:

1996 to 2000:

Average full time workers salary increased 18%
Average full time physicians salary increased only 3%

 

[DoctorMom78]

Demand IS increasing. Problem is, reimbursement is not.

It is difficult for a practice to take you on and pay you a premium salary when they need to fight to make 30% of what they bill.

PCP salaries will only increase as much as government and insurance company reimbursement allows.

What WILL increase is the flexibility that PCPs have in structuring their contracts with hospitals, large groups or agencies. Maybe not the financial terms but things pertaining to lifestyle and time committments.

Reimbursement is actually decreasing. Doctors will have to perform more and more procedures to make the same money they were making before. Unfortunately for PCP and other physicians who do not perform procedures, I feel that their salary will likely go down. 😳

 

[JayneCobb]

Doctors' salaries have been going proportionally UP since the 1980s. Are you ignorant or something?

yes physician's salaries have increased, as JP pointed out, but what you fail to realize is that Physician's salaries are one of the few fields where the increase has not kept up with inflation. So while numerically the salaries are higher, they're less, ergo they are relatively decreasing. As the saying goes, a million dollars just doesn't buy what it use to.

 

[Doc2007]

Problem with PCPs is that they are not united. The best ways to fix this problem is by uniting all of the PCP physicians and then start negotiating with insurance companies.

 

[JayneCobb]

Problem with PCPs is that they are not united. The best ways to fix this problem is by uniting all of the PCP physicians and then start negotiating with insurance companies.

Unfortunately, you can't really negotiate with the Government. The imagine that they can slap you with racketeering and monopoly charges if you anger them. The only real way to fix this is to put people into office who will push legislation through to fix the broken reimbursement system.

 

[Doc2007]

Unfortunately, you can't really negotiate with the Government. The imagine that they can slap you with racketeering and monopoly charges if you anger them. The only real way to fix this is to put people into office who will push legislation through to fix the broken reimbursement system.

Why is this a problem for PCPs only? Shouldn't this be affecting other specialities too?

 

[Dr JPH]

Why is this a problem for PCPs only? Shouldn't this be affecting other specialities too?

It affects any specialty reliant on insurance and medicare/medicaid reimbursement.

Salaried docs, boutique docs, academic docs and cash-only docs wont be affected.

 

[MaximusD]

Other specialties perform more procedures. Procedures and interventions are where the money is...

Even with that in mind, I am still considering peds... call me idiotic.

 

[Dr.Inviz]

Other specialties perform more procedures. Procedures and interventions are where the money is...

Even with that in mind, I am still considering peds... call me idiotic.

Idiot.

You asked for it.

 

[Toohotinvegas33]

Idiot.

You asked for it.

^^^ doesn't know that peds is the land of "milf's and honey's"

 

[Dr.Inviz]

^^^ doesn't know that peds is the land of "milf's and honey's"

Get ready for plenty of beat downs.

 

[DoctorMom78]

^^^ doesn't know that peds is the land of "milf's and honey's"

There's the first one...

 

[Dr.Inviz]

Get ready for plenty of beat downs.

Am I right, or am I right?

 

[MaximusD]

There's the first one...

Is it just me or is that horse getting hit right in the mommy-daddy button?

 

[DoctorMom78]

Is it just me or is that horse getting hit right in the mommy-daddy button?

Yup. It appears that it is getting hit there.😱

 

[fabu1ous]

Why is this a problem for PCPs only? Shouldn't this be affecting other specialities too?

It affects any specialty reliant on insurance and medicare/medicaid reimbursement.

Salaried docs, boutique docs, academic docs and cash-only docs wont be affected.

Most definately other professions seem to be affected-- I shadowed 2 ob/gyn docs who tag-teamed a hysterectomy (they were members of the same private practice). Afterwards, both independently complained of the same things about their profession... they were concerned with the "politics" of practicing medicine, in addition to the fact that insurance will only reimburse $250 for the surgery they just performed-- what up wit dat 😱

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I will be starting medical school in a few weeks. 😀

Did your credit rating finally prove good enough to get you into Ross?

 

[Dr JPH]

Did your credit rating finally prove good enough to get you into Ross?