Graham Center One-Pager
The U.S. Primary Care Physician Workforce: Undervalued Service
Am Fam Physician. 2003 Oct 15;68(8):1486.
Primary care physicians work hard, but their compensation is not correlated to their work effort when compared with physicians in other specialties. This disparity contributes to student disinterest in primary care specialties.
From 1980 to 1999, family physicians, general internists, and general pediatricians have been outnumbered by specialists. Despite this disparity, these primary care physicians have continued to provide a larger proportion of office-based visits than specialists; while comprising a minority of physicians, primary care physicians provided a majority of visits made to doctors' offices.
The disproportionately large service commitment by primary care physicians has not been rewarded compared with other types of physicians.
| Specialist | Average number of patient visits per week, 1999 | Net income after expenses, before taxes, 2000 |
|---|---|---|
Family physician | 122.9 | $144,700 |
General pediatrician | 120.5 | $137,800 |
General internist | 106.5 | $164,100 |
Gastroenterologist | 89.9 | $299,200 |
Cardiologist | 92.4 | $315,500 |
Orthopedic surgeon | 114.3 | $335,800 |
source: AMA Physician Socioeconomic Statistics, 2003 Edition, p. 186, 188, and 193.
| Specialist | Average number of patient visits per week, 1999 | Net income after expenses, before taxes, 2000 |
|---|---|---|
Family physician | 122.9 | $144,700 |
General pediatrician | 120.5 | $137,800 |
General internist | 106.5 | $164,100 |
Gastroenterologist | 89.9 | $299,200 |
Cardiologist | 92.4 | $315,500 |
Orthopedic surgeon | 114.3 | $335,800 |
source: AMA Physician Socioeconomic Statistics, 2003 Edition, p. 186, 188, and 193.
Continuing to pay primary care physicians considerably less than other doctors discourages medical students from choosing primary care careers. This disparity threatens access to care and impedes achieving better health for all Americans. A better balance of physician reimbursement for care is urgently needed.
Number of Office Visits Compared with Number of Office-Based Physicians from 1980–1999
SOURCE: The National Ambulatory Care Surveys 1980-1999.
Number of Office Visits Compared with Number of Office-Based Physicians from 1980–1999
SOURCE: The National Ambulatory Care Surveys 1980-1999.
Adapted from Graham Center One-Pager #24. Biola H, Green LA, Phillips RL, Guirguis-Blake J, Fryer GE. The U.S. primary care physician workforce: undervalued service. October 2003. Available at:www.graham-center.org/x469.xml. From the Robert Graham Center: Policy Studies in Family Practice and Primary Care, 1350 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 950, Washington, DC 20036 (telephone: 202-986-5708; fax: 202-986-7034; e-mail:policy@aafp.org).
note: The information and opinions contained in research from the Graham Center do not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of the AAFP.
Copyright © 2003 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
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