Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1439613
42 HEALTHCARE NEWS Physician pay is changing: 8 specialties up, 9 down By Alan Condon D espite many nonemergency sur- gery hurdles since the COVID-19 pandemic, plastic surgeons overtook orthopedic surgeons as the highest-paid specialty in the country this year, taking home an average annual salary of $526,000, according to Medscape's "Physician Compen- sation Report." Also in 2021, orthopedic surgeons saw the biggest average drop in salary among special- ists while physician assistants saw the biggest average increase, according to an Aug. 9 re- port by physician search and consulting firm Merritt Hawkins. Nine specialties recorded increases in average starting salaries and eight specialties saw de- creases, according to the report. Editor's note: Figures are based on 2,458 per- manent physician and advanced practitioner search assignments that were ongoing or con- ducted by Merritt Hawkins/AMN Healthcare's physician staffing companies from April 2020 to March 2021. Physician pay decreased for these nine specialties: 1. Orthopedic surgery: -13 percent From $626,000 to $546,000 2. Obstetrics/gynecology: -11 percent From $327,000 to $291,000 3. Dermatology: -10 percent From $419,000 to $378,000 4. Pulmonology: -10 percent From $430,000 to $385,000 5. Anesthesiology: -8 percent From $399,000 to $367,000 6. Cardiology (interventional): -5 percent From $640,000 to $611,000 7. Radiology: -5 percent From $423,000 to $401,000 8. Hematology/oncology: -4 percent From $403,000 to $385,000 9. Gastroenterology: -1 percent From $457,000 to $453,000 Physician pay increased for these eight specialties: 1. Physician assistants: +14 percent From $112,000 to $128,000 2. Neurology: +13 percent From $295,000 to $332,000 3. Nurse practitioners: +12 percent From $125,000 to $140,000 4. Noninterventional cardiology: +9 percent From $409,000 to $446,000 5. Pediatrics: +7 percent From $221,000 to $236,000 6. CRNAs: +3 percent From $215,000 to $222,000 7. Family medicine: +1 percent From $240,000 to $243,000 8. Psychiatry: +1 percent From $276,000 to $279,000 n Surprise billing in the United States: 4 things to know By Marissa Plescia S urprise billing rules took effect Jan. 1 and are intend- ed to protect patients from unexpected costs and create a process for payers and providers to settle disputes. Four things to know about surprise billing, according to a Nov. 22 report by the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation: 1. The requirements target surprise billing problems, which is when privately insured patients receive an unexpected medical cost during an emergency or when an out-of-net- work provider provides care at an in-network facility. 2. According to studies, 18 percent of emergency room visits by people with large employer coverage lead to one or more out-of-network bills. About 20 percent of patients who go through in-network nonemergency surgeries or labor get surprise bills. The costs of these bills are on av- erage $1,200 for anesthesia, $2,600 for surgical assistants and $750 for childbirth. More than 50 percent of Ameri- cans have received an unexpected and expensive bill. 3. The interim final rule announced Oct. 7 will leave patients out of payment disputes and instead creates a process for providers and insurers to figure out a deal between themselves. 4. State efforts on surprise billing dispute resolution have led to higher healthcare costs in some cases because they can give providers more leverage to negotiate in-network rates. This informed federal rulemaking, according to the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. n