Here are 10 things to know about ophthalmologists and ophthalmologist compensation based on the Medscape Ophthalmologist Compensation Report 2016.
1. Ophthalmologists receive $309,000 average compensation — just below emergency medicine physicians and above critical care physicians. By comparison, general surgeons reported $322,000 on average and OB/Gyn physicians reported $277,000.
2. Ophthalmologists reported a 5 percent increase in compensation overall compared with last year. Internal medicine and rheumatologists reported the highest percentage increase in compensation at 12 percent.
3. The highest compensating region for ophthalmologists was the Southeast region, at $327,000; the lowest compensating region is Southwest at $253,000.
4. Ophthalmologists in an office-based single-specialty group practice reported $340,000 compensation on average; office-based multispecialty group ophthalmologists reported $326,000. Office-based solo practice ophthalmologists reported compensation at $296,000.
5. Ophthalmologists in healthcare organizations had the highest compensation at $391,000. Hospital-based ophthalmologists reported $217,000.
6. Male ophthalmologists reported $327,000 on average, compared with female ophthalmologists who reported compensation at $242,000. Around 31 percent of female ophthalmologists work part time, compared with 14 percent of male ophthalmologists.
7. Only 44 percent of ophthalmologists feel fairly compensated. The difference in ophthalmologists who feel fairly compensated compared with unfairly paid is $118,000.
8. Around 22 percent of ophthalmologists participate in accountable care organizations and another 6 percent plan to join ACOs this year.
9. Only one-fourth of physicians report seeing new patients due to the Affordable Care Act.
10. Most ophthalmologists plan to continue taking Medicare and Medicaid patients — 87 percent of employed and 77 percent of self-employed. Only 5 percent of self-employed and 2 percent of employed ophthalmologists plan to stop taking new Medicare and Medicaid patients.