Here are five numbers scaring gastroenterologists:
1. 3% pay decline
According to Medscape’s Gastroenterologist Compensation Report 2025, gastroenterologists saw their average annual salary drop from $512,000 in 2023 to $495,000 in 2024, a 3% decline.
2. Only 37% feel fairly compensated
Despite their high earnings, only 37% of gastroenterologists feel they are fairly compensated. This dissatisfaction is compounded by mounting pressures from payer reimbursement cuts, increased administrative burdens, and a growing trend of private equity influence in GI practices.
3. Below-inflation pay compared to 2015
In 2015, the average GI earned $370,000, which is equivalent to approximately $502,930 in today’s dollars when adjusted for inflation. In contrast, today’s average salary of $495,000 actually represents a pay cut in real terms. The newly launched salary transparency platform Marit Health points to CMS reimbursement cuts and private equity consolidation as primary culprits in this stagnation.
4. GLP-1 medications linked to GI complications
A study analyzing insurance claims from over 5,000 U.S. patients between 2006 and 2020 found that those using GLP-1 receptor agonists, increasingly prescribed for weight loss and diabetes, faced elevated risks for four serious gastrointestinal complications: biliary disease, gastroparesis, pancreatitis and bowel obstructions.
5. Nearly 10% of GIs now in private equity-backed groupsPrivate equity-backed consolidation is rapidly changing the gastroenterology landscape. A 2023 study in Gastroenterology & Hepatology found that nearly 1 in 10 gastroenterologists now work within PE-owned groups.
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