Becker's ASC Review

24 GASTROENTEROLOGY The bargaining chip gastroenterologists are using to command higher salaries By Claire Wallace G astroenterologist pay has risen 11 percent in the last year, reaching $501,000 annually and outpacing the average specialty physician pay by $119,000. is jump in pay comes as high inflation rates continue to threaten practices, and a new Doximity report shows that many physician salaries are not keeping pace with inflation. Neal Kaushal, MD, a gastroenterologist at Adventist Health in Sonora, Calif., told Becker's that while inflation is rising nationwide, he does not believe that is the main contributor to growing gastroenterology salaries. Instead, he believes that as the demand for gastroenterologists drives competition for talent among hospitals, ASCs and megagroups, GI physicians are bargaining for higher salaries. Dr. Neal Kaushal: I don't think that the pay increase is strictly a product of inflation rates per se, but more one of supply and demand. Especially in the post COVID-19 era, screening and elective GI procedures, which may have been impacted, are now leading to increased demand for GI services. Additionally, the field of GI itself is becoming more sub-specialized, and there are simply not enough gastroenterologists to meet current demand. One emerging trend in GI is adopting a "GI hospitalist" model, in which there is a more defined separation between inpatient and outpatient GI care. While this may have certain benefits and drawbacks to patient care, at the end of the day this model means that more GI physicians are needed to serve the patient care continuum, and there simply aren't as many as are needed. ere is also more money flowing into the GI industry as a whole, especially via private-equity-backed deals. GI physicians — being the resourceful and motivated professionals that they are — I think see this as an opportunity to command higher salaries because the stakes of so-called "mega-groups" competing with large health systems and universities are now higher than ever. n 5 numbers troubling gastroenterologists By Riz Hatton Here are five numbers that may be troubling gastroenterologists. This information comes from Medscape's "Gastroenterologist Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2023" and "Gastroenterologist Compensation Report 2023." 36 percent: The percentage of gastroenterologists who said they are burned out. 36 percent: The percentage of gastroenterologists who said they take on extra work to supplement their income. 47 percent: The percentage of gastroenterologists who said that burnout has a strong or severe impact on their life. 56 percent: The percentage of gastroenterologists who said that they feel fairly paid. 86 percent: The percentage of gastroenterologists who said they have not sought professional help for burnout. n Johns Hopkins' 1st pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Alan Lake, dies at 76 By Claire Wallace A lan Lake, MD, the first board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital, has died at 76, according to a June 23 report from The Baltimore Sun. Dr. Lake was a longtime member of the Maryland Pediatric Group in Lutherville, working as a gastroenterologist from 1983 until his retirement in 2016. He worked at Johns Hopkins from 1979 to 2002, founding its Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. He was the first pediatric gastroenterologist at Johns Hopkins, and now they have 12. In 1991, he became an associate professor of pediatrics at the Hopkins School of Medicine, holding the role until 2016. Dr. Lake died following complications from a stroke. n

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