Compensation
• The “MGMA Physician Placement Starting Salary Survey: 2014 Report Based on 2013 Data” found primary care physicians of hospital-owned practices earned a mean, first-year salary of $192,554, while those in a physician-owned practice earned $185,000, according to a Modern Medicine report.
• The MGMA survey found specialist physicians earned a first-year salary of $300,000 in hospital-owned practices, while those in physician-owned practices earned $275,000.
• 46 percent of physicians became more satisfied with compensation after becoming employed, according to the Medscape Employed Doctors Report.
• 27 percent of physicians reported the same level of compensation satisfaction after becoming employed, while 26 percent became less satisfied, according to the Medscape report.
Independence
• 49 percent of employed physicians were satisfied with their level of autonomy at work, according to the Medscape report.
• 26 percent of employed physicians felt neutral about their level of autonomy at work.
• 25 percent of employed physicians were dissatisfied with their level of autonomy at work.
Employee or partner?
• 39 percent of employed physicians felt their input was considered when making important decisions, while 36 percent felt this was not the case, according to the Medscape report.
• 43 percent of employed physicians felt they were asked for their feedback, while 32 percent felt this was not the case.
• 41 percent of employed physicians felt management effectively communicated goals and objectives, while 32 percent felt this was not the case.
• 33 percent of employed physicians felt they were treated like a partner rather than an employee, 44 percent felt this was not the case.
Physician perspective
• 64 percent of employed physicians would recommend employment, while 32 percent of private practice physicians would recommend employment, according to the Medscape report.
• 25 percent of employed physicians and 32 percent of private practice physicians have neutral feelings in regards to employment versus self-employment.
• 11 percent of employed physicians would be unlikely to recommend their career setting, while 37 percent of private practice physicians would be unlikely to recommend employment over self-employment.
Though migration to employment is trending noticeably upward, a physician’s choice to become employed and reaction to the environment is subject to influence from myriad factors, from personality and employer to location and compensation structure.
More articles on physician issues:
What do GI fellows need to know before establishing a practice?
Annual & hourly ophthalmologist pay: 8 statistics
Experience pays off: 50 statistics on physician starting salary vs. salary at 6 years of practice
