For its 2016 survey of physician compensation, Medscape received information from more than 19,000 physicians across 26 specialties. Orthopaedists again topped the list this year at $443,000 (see graph below), followed by cardiologists ($410,000), and dermatologists ($381,000). Orthopaedists and cardiologists were the top two earners last year also (see related OrthoBuzz post).
Although orthopaedists were the highest-paid group overall, only 44% of them felt they were fairly compensated (see graph below). Orthopaedists who felt fairly paid made $156,000 more than those who believed their compensation was not fair.
On a more positive note, nearly half (46%) of orthopedists believe that relationships with patients are a major source of satisfaction (see below). In the comments section included with this question in the Medscape survey, orthopaedists frequently mentioned helping patients and teaching as rewards of practice.
In Medscape’s calculations, compensation for employed physicians included salary, bonus, and profit-sharing contributions. For partners, compensation included earnings after business taxes and deductions, but before income taxes.