August 17, 2011 — Physicians who practice in large groups, most of which are associated with hospitals, health systems, and universities, received a 2.4% raise on average in 2010, thanks in part to subsidies from their parent organizations, according to the latest compensation survey by the American Medical Group Association (AMGA).
Broken down by broad categories, earnings rose 2.6% for primary care physicians in AMGA groups and 2.5% for other medical specialists, but only 0.44% for surgical specialists, who fell behind last year's inflation rate of 1.5%, as measured by the US Department of Labor between December 2009 and December 2010.
By individual specialty, physicians who recorded the biggest gains were endocrinologists (6.5%), allergists (6.4%), emergency physicians (6.4%), and internal medicine hospitalists (6.3%).
Those whose incomes edged downward on average were pulmonologists (−1.2%), infectious disease physicians (−1%), family physicians (−0.1%), cardiac and thoracic surgeons (0.1%), and urologists (0.05%).
In a press release, AMGA president and chief executive officer Donald Fisher, PhD, chalked up the mostly modest income gains to "the negative impact of declining reimbursements, competition for specialists, the cost of new technology, and other factors."
The same economic forces are adding stress to the overall financial operations of AMGA medical groups. On average, they lost roughly $2000 per physician in terms of their median operating margin — which is the difference between patient care revenue and expenses — even though 30% of them reported receiving a median subsidy of $48,577 per physician from their parent organizations. Offsetting these operational losses was medical revenue from nonclinical activities such as teaching and directorships, as well as nonmedical revenue from investments, rental properties, and the like.
More than 117,000 physicians work in AMGA member organizations, which include the Mayo Clinic, the Henry Ford Health System, and Intermountain Healthcare. The average member group has 300 physicians.
Median Physician Compensation in AMGA Groups by Selected Specialties
| Specialty | Median Compensation in 2010 |
| Family Medicine | $208,658 |
| Psychiatry | $217,169 |
| Neurology | $246,500 |
| General Surgery | $367,315 |
| Cardiology | $422,921 |
| Cardiology-Cath Lab | $504,099 |
| Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery | $532,567 |
Source: American Medical Group Association
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