Why are there such a primary care shortage? It’s a no-brainer:
Nearly half of all physicians come out of medical school with more than $175,000 in debt from student loans. That adds an immediate burden on new doctors who are trying to establish practices, particularly in a rural setting such as northern New York.“When they are deciding what kind of specialty to turn to, they are going to consider salaries,” Anderson said.
A typical starting salary for a primary-care doctor may be around $170,000, while a specialist may start around $300,000.
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Really? A typical ophthalmology starting salary where I live is typically in the 120K range, even with a subspecialty. Family practice sounds kind of lucrative all of a sudden.
As a practicing ENT who made $70 K last year (my eighth in private practice), that $170 K sounds good to me too
where are these 170k starting salaries anyways? how much do experienced people get, 70k?
1. Yes, PCP salaries are higher than in other markets–this article is about more of a rural setting. Systems have greater leeway (i.e., Stark safe harbors) to recruit.
2. Even there, the specialist-PCP disparity is significant.
3. I wouldn’t guarantee a very high starting salary for an ophthalmologist either…they should be able to exceed it and fly on their own pretty fast, given revenue-generating opportunities (and if they can’t do so, I’d have to wonder about the soundness of the business decision to recruit)
4. ENT making $70K: What are the reasons for only making $70K?
5. What’s up with the last comment about experienced people getting $70K?
Just another example of Kevin’s hatred of subspecialists. The only other group so despised are the lawyers.
Kevin:
When are you going into fellowship?
The ENT guy making 70K in his 8th year is either a liar, idiot, or working in Ghana.
I’m a FP, where can I find this 170K job? I personally don’t know anyone who is a FP that makes this much. Maybe its where I live. If I made 170K, I would be happy as a clam.
It’s so sad it has become ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. When we mercantalize ourselves this happens. I am a family doc and making $100K is just fine by me. It GALLS me that a radiologist can make 3.5x that in my community and doesn’t really help me care for patients. He leaves a message on her machine that she needs to come back for more mammogram views. PANIC. She calls me. I have to do his damage control. He reads the admit CXR two days after I have diuresed and treated the CHF as “possible infiltrate” and am ready to discharge the patient…
What we are paid should somehow reflect the value added, not the ability to bill per Medicare…
or in academics
ENT @ 70K? Ha, I have PA’s making twice as much!
Sounds like you need to hire some docs, Dr. Ammon
In Egypt; the monthly salary for a surgeon is about 100$/month (=500 egyptian pounds)so the annual salary is about 1000 : 2000 $
I was offered 2 jobs near Baltimore as a subspecialist in Ophthalmology with a starting salary of 140K with no sign-on bonus. In Eastern Virginia I got an offer for 175K with 6K sig-on.
In Western New York I got an offer for 160k with 25k sig-on bonus. It varies…Most income in Ophtho comes with partnership.
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