Becker's Hospital Review

26 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP POPULATION HEALTH Female physicians spend more time with patients, get paid less: Study By Mackenzie Bean F emale primary care physicians spend more time with patients during visits, but get paid less than their male peers, a study published in e New England Journal of Medicine found. Researchers from the University of Minne- sota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, Boston-based Harvard Medical School and Athenahealth analyzed all-payer claims and EHR data on 24.4 million primary care visits nationwide in 2017. ey found female physicians generated 10.9 percent less revenue from office visits and conducted 10.8 fewer visits annually com- pared to male physicians. However, female physicians spent 2.6 percent more time (20 additional hours) with patients during visits. Since physicians are largely paid per visit, lon- ger in-person visits means female physicians may have fewer visits annually and therefore have lower total revenue, researchers said. "e disconnect between time spent and revenue generated may help to explain why female physicians — especially [primary care physicians] — face greater potential for job burnout," study author Hannah Neprash, PhD, an assistant professor at Minnesota' School of Public Health in Minneapolis, said in a news release. "For example, female PCPs may experience declining morale because they may want to spend extra time with their patients; feel pressure from their employers to treat more people; and earn less money de- spite doing more work." Two study limitations are that the research only examined revenue per physician — not their take-home pay — and did not assess whether female physicians' patients had bet- ter outcomes, STAT noted in its Oct. 1 Morn- ing Rounds newsletter. n 10 specialties with high percentages of female physicians By Anuja Vaidya O bstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics include the highest per- centage of female physicians of all medical specialties, a Medscape survey revealed. The medical news website polled 17,461 physicians in 30 specialties from Oct. 4, 2019, to Feb. 10, for the report. More than 4,500 female physicians provided information about their compensation, work hours and chal- lenges, among other topics. Here are the 10 specialties with the highest percentages of female physi- cians: • Obstetrics and gynecology: 58 percent • Pediatrics: 58 percent • Rheumatology: 54 percent • Dermatology: 49 percent • Diabetes and endocrinology: 45 percent • Family medicine: 43 percent • Psychiatry: 43 percent • Pathology: 40 percent • Internal medicine: 36 percent • Infectious diseases: 36 percent n 4 female healthcare leaders share their daily mantra By Kelly Gooch B ecker's Hospital Review's series for women in healthcare leadership asks healthcare executives to answer seven questions about their life in and outside of work. In each interview, female leaders share their daily mantra. Here are a few of their responses: • Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Spectrum Health (Grand Rapids, Mich.): I have two: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together," and, "Imagine the possibilities." • Carolyn Ogland, MD, CMO of North Memorial Health (Robbinsdale, Minn.): Gratitude — for my family, friends and working at North Memorial Health. • Adrienne Schultz, MSN, RN, vice president and CNO of Advocate Au- rora St. Luke's South Shore (Cudahy, Wis.): Don't wish for it, work for it. You can spend an awful lot of time thinking about what you really want, pondering if it's worth it and how you're going to get there. Get moving, take action, make it happen. • Lisa Shannon, president and COO of Allina Health (Minneapolis): I am always the first awake in the house. Up early, some sort of physical activity, then I can begin my day. n

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