Glad to see that week 10 is here! We of course have another great
topic of discussion, physician salaries. People who go to medical
school and become physicians want to help people, however,
physicians are also working professionals and should get
compensated. There is a big disparity between physicians and their
pay, which in turn is one of the biggest reasons why there is a
shortage in primary care physicians, especially in rural and
undeserved areas. A survey conducted by the Medical Group
Management Association reported that the median income of
specialists is nearly twice that of primary care physicians, $384,000
vs $212,00 receptively (Jain, 2012). Why is this? Lets face it,
healthcare is a business and those who bring in the most revenue for
the hospitals are going to be paid more. This is set by Medicare and
their reimbursement rates.
I don't necessarily think doctors are "overpaid". They have large
college debts, work long hours at a time, save lives, etc. They should
be paid accordingly. Why I do disagree with is the disparity between
providers due to Medicare reimbursement and rural areas. Specialists
should be paid more because they have extra training and education.
Medicare sets the reimbursement and most private insurers follow
suit. We shouldn't be looking at what the dollar amount is, but how
Medicare is setting the tone. If we want to have a more proactive
approach to medicine, then primary care physicians and internal
medicine physicians should also be reimbursed at a higher rate for
preventing cancer, coping with chronic illnesses, etc. "Across the
globe, doctors (primary primary care physicians) are miserable
because they feel like hamsters on a treadmill. They must run faster
just to stand still. The result of the wheel going faster is not only a
reduction in quality care, but also a reduction in professional
satisfaction and an increase in burnout among physicians" (Berenson
& Rich, 2010).
References:
Berenson, R. A., & Rich, E. C. (2010). US approaches to physician
payment: the deconstruction of primary care. Journal of general
internal medicine, 25(6), 613–618. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-
010-1295-z
