Medscape released its Physician Compensation Report 2020, which included compensation and practice management information for orthopedic surgeons.
Medscape surveyed 17,461 clinicians across 30 specialties from across the U.S. between Oct. 4, 2019, and Feb. 10, 2020. Around 3 percent of the total respondents were orthopedic surgeons. Here are the key orthopedics-specific takeaways from the report.
1. Orthopedic surgeons reported average annual compensation of $511,000 in 2019. They were the top compensated specialists, followed by plastic surgeons at $479,000 and ENT specialists at $455,000.
2. Orthopedic surgeons reported $96,000 as their average incentive bonus pay per year. Orthopedists also reported the highest bonuses, followed by ENT specialists at $91,000.
3. Despite being the top compensated specialty, only 60 percent of orthopedists feel fairly compensated.
4. Orthopedic surgeons reported having among the lowest percentage of women in the specialty; 11 percent of orthopedists reported being women.
5. Orthopedists reported spending around 13.7 hours per week on paperwork, about the same as plastic surgeons and ENT specialists.
6. Orthopedists said around 18 percent of their claims are denied or have to be resubmitted, and on average hospitals spend around $118 per claim that is appealed.