Based on data from more than 3,000 physician and advanced practitioner recruiting assignments conducted by the firm between April 2014 and March 2015, the report indicates the demand for psychiatrists specifically reached a record high in the past year.
“Mental health is a topic that the health system and patients themselves often avoid,” Travis Singleton, senior vice president of Merritt Hawkins, said in a statement. “For that reason, psychiatry can be considered the ‘silent shortage,’ even though shortages in psychiatry may be even more acute than they are in primary care.”
Team-based care and population health management is driving the demand for primary care physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, obstetricians/gynecologists and physicians who manage chronic illness, like pulmonologists, cardiologists and psychiatrists, according to the report.
Here are the top 20 types of physicians and practitioners ranked in order of demand from most to least, and their average incomes for 2014 to 2015, according to Merritt Hawkins. Note: Demand is based on number of search requests for each specialty. Income includes full-time base salary or guaranteed income only, and excludes production bonuses or benefits.
1. Family medicine physician — $198,000
2. Internal medicine physician — $207,000
3. Psychiatrist — $226,000
4. Hospitalist — $232,000
5. Nurse practitioner — $107,000
6. Obstetrician/gynecologist — $276,000
7. Orthopedic surgeon — $497,000
8. Emergency medicine physician — $345,000
9. Pediatrician — $195,000
10. General surgeon — $339,000
11. Physician assistant — $107,000
12. Neurologist — $277,000
13. Otolaryngologist — $334,000
14. Dermatologist — $398,000
15. Gastroenterologist — $455,000
16. Urologist — $412,000
17. Physiatrist — $244,000
18. Pulmonologist — $331,000
19. Cardiologist — $291,000 (non-invasive), $525,000 (invasive)
20. Urgent care — $210,000
The report noted physician compensation is still primarily driven by volume-based metrics, including Relative Value Units, patient visits and net collections, despite the push for value-based compensation.
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