AMGA Survey Finds Modest Increases in Compensation in 2005

According to findings in the American Medical Group Association’s (AMGAs) 2006 Medical Group Compensation & Financial Survey, most specialties saw modest increases in compensation in 2005. In 2005, 89 percent of the specialties experienced increases in compensation, with the overall average increase around 6 percent. The primary care specialties saw about an 8 percent increase in 2005, while other medical and surgical specialties averaged around 6 percent and 5 percent increases, respectively. The survey also found that, on average, only organizations in the western region were operating on a profit ($7,970 per physician), whereas organizations in the northern region were operating at a significant loss ($8,111 per physician).
The survey found that during 2005 three specialties experienced the largest increases in compensation: dermatology (12.01 percent), cardiac/thoracic surgery (11.47 percent), and gastroenterology (11.66 percent). Interestingly, gastroenterology had one of the lowest increases in 2004 (1.07 percent). In addition to pediatrics and adolescent (7.63 percent), other primary care specialties saw increases: family medicine (8.62 percent) and internal medicine (8.42 percent). After years of substantial increases, hematology/oncology saw one of the lowest increases in compensation in 2005 (3.25 percent).