On the front page of last Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal was this headline: “Taxpayers Foot Big Bills from Handful of Doctors.” It is a two-page story about a clinician whose practice drew attention from the WSJ research team that combed through the recently released Medicare Utilization and Payment database released in April. They wrote:
“Ronald S. Weaver isn’t a cardiologist. Yet 98% of the $2.3 million that the Los Angeles doctor’s practice received from Medicare in 2012 was for a cardiac procedure, according to recently released government data…The government data show that out of the thousands of cardiology providers who treated Medicare patients in 2012, just 239 billed for the procedure, and they used it on fewer than 5% of their patients. The 141 cardiologists at the Cleveland Clinic, renowned for its heart care, performed it on only 6 patients last year. Dr. Weaver’s clinic administered it to 99.5% of his Medicare patients…”
Lets face it: curiosity about what other people earn is a national pastime. Pro golfers qualify for their tournaments based on their publicly accessible official winnings. NFL agents bargain for their clients based on position-specific compensation comparables. We are frequently reminded that members of Congress “officially” earn $174,000 plus attractive perks, and of late, executive compensation for most of America’s public companies has become a major focus for Board Compensation Committee’s who are being pushed by shareholders to reign in their generous comp packages. So it’s understandable that physicians bristle at stories like this one. We would as well if in their shoes.
Here’s why the story is particularly challenging for the medical profession:
1-Physician income is high relative to what most American’s earn. Though wide-ranging across the various specialties in medical practice, the ratio of physician income to the median income in the U.S. ($51,324) is from a low of 3.6:1 for family practice to 13.9:1 for the highest earning clinicians in radiology, orthopedics and others (and that does not include their income from ownership in surgery centers, testing facilities and other services). Physicians think they deserve to be paid more than any other profession, reasoning theirs is a higher calling, their debt higher (averaging $170,000 for the 86% that borrow for medical school) and their training and expertise more valuable to society than others. Stories like this draw attention to how much physicians “might” earn and lend to suspicions that belly-aching by some in their ranks claiming they earn too little is more about greed than the greater good. Income potential is important to everyone: physicians want to earn as much as they can, and keep score against their peers and other high-earning professions. Many feel underpaid; some indeed are. But relative to what’s made in the vast majority of households, they are well paid.
