Gender Differences in Physician Service Provision Using Medicare Claims Data

Open Globe Injury Repairs Among Medicare Beneficiaries from 2011 to 2020

PURPOSE

To explore patient and surgeon characteristics for open globe injury repairs (OGRs) and rates of subsequent operations.

METHODS

Using a retrospective cohort design, eyes of patients ≥18 years who underwent OGR among 100% Medicare Fee-For-Service dataset from 2011 to 2020 were included. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes were used to identify OGR. Patient characteristics were reported, and surgeon characteristics were stratified by sex and compared using Chi-square and Student's t-test. Overall rate of subsequent operations was reported, and trends of subsequent operations over time were assessed using Cochrane-Armitage trend test.

RESULTS

A total of 16,576 patients with a mean age of 73.89 years (±12.89) underwent OGR. Most patients were White (79.68%, n = 13,207) and 49.44% (n = 8196) were female. More patients resided in a rural area (18.71%; n = 3102) relative to surgeon location (4.51%, n = 748; p < 0.001). A total of 5,898 surgeons performed these OGRs with 77.33% (n = 4,561) male and 22.67% (n = 1,337) female surgeons. Male surgeons performed most of the OGRs (76.35%, n = 12,655; p < 0.001). On average, a surgeon performed a single OGR annually (Mean: 1.08 ± 1.04; Range: 0.11-40). Among all OGRs, 51% (8,452/16,576) had ≥1 subsequent operations in median 29 days (IQR: 10-86), which increased during the last decade from 47% to 51% (p = 0.008).

CONCLUSION

Geographic and workforce disparities in ocular trauma warrant future investigation. Further studies can also assess the reasons for increase in the incidence of subsequent procedures after OGR over time.

Gender based disparities in Medicare physician reimbursement persist across years and specialty

Introduction

The gender pay gap is wide in medicine but the extent of this disparity across specialties and over time have not been elucidated. Here we evaluate differences in Medicare reimbursement between men and women physicians over time and by specialty, controlling for physician and practice characteristics.

Methods

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Payment Data was used to determine total reimbursements and number of services submitted by physicians practicing in the US between 2013 and 2019. Data from the American Community Survey (ACS) were used to determine average income, unemployment rates, poverty rates, income, and educational attainment levels by zip code for each physician's practice location.

Results

Among the 3,831,504 physicians included in this analysis from 2013-2019, 2,712,545 (70.8%) were men and 1,118,859 (29.2%) were women. Overall, men received more in Medicare reimbursements ($58,815 ± $104,772 vs. $32,205 ± $60,556, p<0.001) and billed more services (864 ± 1,780 vs. 505 ± 1,007, p<0.001) compared to women. The median Medicare reimbursement for men decreased from 2013 to 2019 from $59,710 to $57,874, while the median Medicare reimbursement for women increased from $30,575 to $33,456. Men were reimbursed more than women across all specialties with the greatest disparity in procedure-heavy specialties. The specialties with the highest difference in median Medicare reimbursement between men and women were ophthalmology ($99,452), dermatology ($84,844), cardiology ($64,112), nephrology ($62,352), and pulmonary medicine ($47,399). In linear regression models controlling for calendar year, years of experience, total number of services, and ACS zip-code-level variables, men received a higher amount of Medicare reimbursement in all specialties, as compared to women (p<0.01 for all). The percentage of top earning men (range: 65.0%-99.5%) surpassed the proportion of men in each specialty (range: 46.1%-94.6%), except public health and preventive medicine.

Conclusions and Relevance

Women physicians continue to receive lower total Medicare reimbursements than men physicians, particularly in procedure-heavy specialties. Lower clinical volume and fewer procedural services among women physicians partially contribute to the disparities in reimbursement.

Differences in Reimbursements, Procedural Volumes, and Patient Characteristics Based on Surgeon Gender in Total Hip Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Prior studies have suggested there may be differences in reimbursement and practice patterns by gender. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively evaluate differences in reimbursement, procedural volume, and patient characteristics in total hip arthroplasty (THA) between men and women surgeons from 2013 to 2021.

METHODS

The Medicare Physician and Other Practitioners database from 2013 to 2021 was queried. Inflation-adjusted reimbursement, procedural volume, surgeon information, and patient demographics were extracted for surgeons performing over 10 primary THAs each year. Wilcoxon, t-tests, and multivariate linear regressions were utilized to compare men and women surgeons.

RESULTS

Only 1.4% of THAs billed to Medicare between 2013 and 2021 were billed by women surgeons. Men surgeons earned significantly greater reimbursement nationally in 2021 compared to women surgeons per THA ($1018.56 versus $954.17, P = 0.03), but no difference was found when assessing each region separately. Reimbursement declined at similar rates for both men and women surgeons (-18.3 versus -19.8%, P = 0.38). An increase in the proportion of women surgeons performing THA between 2013 and 2021 was seen in all regions except the South. In 2021, the proportion of all THAs performed by women surgeons was highest in the West (3.5%) and lowest in the South (1.0%). Women surgeons had comparable patient populations in terms of age, race, comorbidity status, and Medicaid eligibility to their men counterparts, but performed significantly fewer services per beneficiary (5.6 versus 8.1, P < 0.001) and fewer unique services (51.1 versus 69.6, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Average reimbursement per THA has declined at a similar rate for men and women physicians between 2013 and 2021. Women's representation in THA surgery nationwide has nearly doubled between 2013 and 2021, with the greatest increase in the West. However, there are notable differences in billing practices between genders.

Quantifying EHR and Policy Factors Associated with the Gender Productivity Gap in Ambulatory, General Internal Medicine

BACKGROUND

The gender gap in physician compensation has persisted for decades. Little is known about how differences in use of the electronic health record (EHR) may contribute.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize how time on clinical activities, time on the EHR, and clinical productivity vary by physician gender and to identify factors associated with physician productivity.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This longitudinal study included general internal medicine physicians employed by a large ambulatory practice network in the Northeastern United States from August 2018 to June 2021.

MAIN MEASURES

Monthly data on physician work relative value units (wRVUs), physician and practice characteristics, metrics of EHR use and note content, and temporal trend variables.

KEY RESULTS

The analysis included 3227 physician-months of data for 108 physicians (44% women). Compared with men physicians, women physicians generated 23.8% fewer wRVUs per month, completed 22.1% fewer visits per month, spent 4.0 more minutes/visit and 8.72 more minutes on the EHR per hour worked (all p < 0.001), and typed or dictated 36.4% more note characters per note (p = 0.006). With multivariable adjustment for physician age, practice characteristics, EHR use, and temporal trends, physician gender was no longer associated with productivity (men 4.20 vs. women 3.88 wRVUs/hour, p = 0.31). Typing/dictating fewer characters per note, relying on greater teamwork to manage orders, and spending less time on documentation were associated with higher wRVUs/hour. The 2021 E/M code change was associated with higher wRVUs/hour for all physicians: 10% higher for men physicians and 18% higher for women physicians (p < 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Increased team support, briefer documentation, and the 2021 E/M code change were associated with higher physician productivity. The E/M code change may have preferentially benefited women physicians by incentivizing time-intensive activities such as medical decision-making, preventive care discussion, and patient counseling that women physicians have historically spent more time performing.

Evaluation of Medicare Reimbursement and Surgical Patterns for Male and Female Colorectal Surgeons

INTRODUCTION

There are documented differences in salary for male and female surgeons. Understanding the differences in the clinical practice, composition of male and female surgeons may provide a better understanding of reimbursement differences. We aim to evaluate the differences of Medicare reimbursement for different categories of clinical practice for male and female colorectal surgeons.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study compared Medicare claims made by male and female board-certified colorectal surgeons from the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data between 2013 and 2017. Medicare claims were categorized by surgeon gender. Submitted claims were evaluated based on the following seven procedure categories: open abdominal surgery, laparoscopic abdominal surgery, anorectal surgery, diagnostic endoscopy, therapeutic endoscopy, and inpatient/outpatient services. The main outcomes were number of charges submitted by clinical activity category and procedural code variation billed through Medicare. Secondary outcome was category of procedure activity that each surgeon cohort had participated in.

RESULTS

A total of 62,866 claims were reviewed, of which 10,058 (16.0%) were made by female surgeons and 52,808 (84.0%) were made by male surgeons. On average, male surgeons submitted more claims per year, a greater variety of claims per year, and higher revenue generating claims than female surgeons (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Male and female colorectal surgeons may participate in different categories of clinical activities that result in male surgeons performing more and higher relative value units-generating activity than female surgeons.

The gender wage gap among health care workers across educational and occupational groups

Women perform 77% of health care jobs in the United States, but gender inequity within the health care sector harms women's compensation and advancement in health care jobs. Using data from 2003 to 2021 of the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS), we measured women's representation and the gender wage gap in health care jobs by educational level and occupational category. We found, descriptively, that women's representation in health care occupations has increased over time in occupations that require a master's or doctoral/professional degree (eg, physicians, therapists), while men's representation has increased slightly in nursing occupations (eg, registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, aides, and assistants). The adjusted wage gap between women and men is the largest among workers in high-education health care (eg, physicians, advanced practitioners) but has decreased substantially over the last 20 years, while, descriptively, the gender wage gap has stagnated or grown larger in some lower education occupations. Our policy recommendations include gender equity reviews within health care organizations, prioritizing women managers, and realigning Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement policies to promote greater gender equity within and across health care occupations.

Sex and Racial and Ethnic Diversity Among Ophthalmology Subspecialty Fellowship Applicants

Importance

Physician-patient concordance in sex and race is associated with improved patient outcomes. Studies have explored diversity among ophthalmology residents and faculty, but to our knowledge, not among ophthalmology fellows.

Objective

To assess diversity by sex and race and ethnicity among fellowship applicants in ophthalmology subspecialties and compare match rates by applicants' sex and underrepresented in medicine (URiM) status.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study examined ophthalmology subspecialty fellowship data from the 2021 San Francisco Match.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Applicant characteristics were stratified by sex and URiM status and compared using χ2, Mann-Whitney U, and median tests. For applicants who matched, the percentages of female and URiM applicants were compared among the ophthalmic subspecialties. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to assess the association of applicant characteristics with their match outcomes.

Results

Included in the sample were 537 candidates who applied for an ophthalmology fellowship using the 2021 San Francisco Match; 224 applicants (42.6%) were female, and 60 applicants (12.9%) had URiM status. Females and males had similar match rates (70.5% [n = 158] and 69.2% [n = 209], respectively; P = .74), but females had a higher median (IQR) US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) score (248 [240-258] vs 245 [234-254]; P = .01). The pediatric ophthalmology subspecialty had the highest percentage of female matched applicants (67.5%; 27 of 40 matched applicants), while the retina subspecialty had the highest percentage of males (68.9%; 84 of 122 matched applicants). URiM applicants had lower match rates (55.0%, n = 33) than non-URiM applicants (72.2%, n = 293; P = .007). The URiM applicants had lower median (IQR) scores on the USMLE Step 1 (238 [227-247]) compared with Asian applicants (246 [235-254]) and White applicants (243 [231-252]; P = .04). Additionally, URIM applicants submitted fewer median (IQR) applications (10 [1-23]) than Asian (21 [8-37]) and White (17 [8-32]; P = .001) applicants and completed fewer interviews (median [IQR], 2 [0-11]) than Asian (median [IQR], 12 [3-18]) and White applicants (median [IQR], 8 [1-14]; P = .001). Among matched fellows in each subspecialty, URiM applicants comprised 13.9% (n = 11) in glaucoma, 10% (n = 4) in pediatric ophthalmology, 7.3% (n = 6) in cornea, and 6.6% (n = 8) in retina.

Conclusions and Relevance

Ophthalmology subspecialty fellowship match rates were lower for URiM vs non-URiM applicants in 2021. Underrepresentation of females exists in the retina subspecialty, while racial and ethnic differences exist in all ophthalmology subspecialty fellowships examined. Monitoring trends in fellowship diversity over time should help inform where targeted efforts could improve diversity.

Racial Disparities in Compensation Among US Anesthesiologists: Results of a National Survey of Anesthesiologists

BACKGROUND

A racial compensation disparity among physicians across numerous specialties is well documented and persists after adjustment for age, sex, experience, work hours, productivity, academic rank, and practice structure. This study examined national survey data to determine whether there are racial differences in compensation among anesthesiologists in the United States.

METHODS

In 2018, 28,812 active members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists were surveyed to examine compensation among members. Compensation was defined as the amount reported as direct compensation on a W-2, 1099, or K-1, plus all voluntary salary reductions (eg, 401[k], health insurance). Covariates potentially associated with compensation were identified (eg, sex and academic rank) and included in regression models. Racial differences in outcome and model variables were assessed via Wilcoxon rank sum tests and Pearson's χ 2 tests. Covariate adjusted ordinal logistic regression estimated an odds ratio (OR) for the relationship between race and ethnicity and compensation while adjusting for provider and practice characteristics.

RESULTS

The final analytical sample consisted of 1952 anesthesiologists (78% non-Hispanic White). The analytic sample represented a higher percentage of White, female, and younger physicians compared to the demographic makeup of anesthesiologists in the United States. When comparing non-Hispanic White anesthesiologists with anesthesiologists from other racial and ethnic minority groups, (ie, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander), the dependent variable (compensation range) and 6 of the covariates (sex, age, spousal work status, region, practice type, and completed fellowship) had significant differences. In the adjusted model, anesthesiologists from racial and ethnic minority populations had 26% lower odds of being in a higher compensation range compared to White anesthesiologists (OR, 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-0.91).

CONCLUSIONS

Compensation for anesthesiologists showed a significant pay disparity associated with race and ethnicity even after adjusting for provider and practice characteristics. Our study raises concerns that processes, policies, or biases (either implicit or explicit) persist and may impact compensation for anesthesiologists from racial and ethnic minority populations. This disparity in compensation requires actionable solutions and calls for future studies that investigate contributing factors and to validate our findings given the low response rate.

Surgeon Gender and Performance Outcomes for Hysterectomies: Retrospective Cohort Study

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether there are differences in several performance metrics between male and female surgeons for hysterectomies.

DESIGN

Multicenter retrospective cohort study. We matched surgeries performed by female surgeons to those by male surgeons using a propensity score and compared outcomes by gender after adjusting for years in practice and fellowship training.

SETTING

A total of 6 hospitals (3 academic, 3 community) in Ontario, Canada, between July 2016 and December 2019.

PATIENTS

All consecutive patients.

INTERVENTIONS

Hysterectomy.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Primary outcome was a composite of any complication or return to emergency room (ER) within 30 days. Secondary outcomes were grade II or greater complications, return to ER, and operative time. We included 2664 hysterectomies performed by 77 surgeons. After propensity matching, 963 surgeries performed by females were compared with 963 performed by males. There were no differences in the primary (relative risk [RR], 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71-1.20; p = .56) or secondary outcomes of grade II or greater complication (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.71-1.45; p = .96) or return to ER (RR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.55-1.20; p = .30). However, surgeries performed by males were 24.72 minutes shorter (95% CI, 18.09-31.34 minutes; p <.001). Entire cohort post hoc regression analysis confirmed these findings. E-value analysis indicated that it is unlikely for an unmeasured confounder to undo the observed difference.

CONCLUSION

Although complication and readmission rates are similar, male surgeons may have a shorter operating time than female surgeons for hysterectomies, which may have implications for health systems and inequalities in surgeon renumeration.

Geographic variations in gender differences in cataract surgery volume among a national cohort of ophthalmologists

PURPOSE

To assess factors associated with gender disparities in cataract surgery volume and evaluate how these differences have changed over time.

SETTING

Cataract surgeons in the 2012 to 2018 Medicare database.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

METHODS

The association of provider gender with the number of cataract surgeries per office visit billed was assessed with negative binomial regression models, controlling for calendar year, years in practice, hospital affiliation, geographic region, rurality, density of ophthalmologists, and the national percentile of Area Deprivation Index (ADI) score for the practice location.

RESULTS

There were 8480 cataract surgeons, most of whom were male (78%). Male surgeons worked in more deprived areas with a higher ADI (median: 40 vs 33, P < .001). Female surgeons performed fewer cataracts per year (140 [95% CI, 126-154] vs 276 [95% CI, 263-288], P < .001) and billed fewer office visits (1038 [95% CI, 1008-1068] vs 1505 [95% CI, 1484-1526], P < .001). In multivariate analysis, the number of cataract surgeries per office visit was greater for males compared with females in all years in the South (average incidence rate ratio 1.80), Midwest (1.50), and West (1.53), but not in the Northeast (1.16). The relative rate of cataract surgeries between male and female surgeons in each region did not change significantly over time from 2012 to 2018 ( P > .05 in each region).

CONCLUSIONS

Gender disparities in cataract volume among male and female surgeons have remained unchanged over time from 2012 to 2018. The higher cataract volume among male surgeons may be explained in part by provider practice location. Further studies are needed to better understand and address gender disparities.

Gender differences in repeat-year experience, clinical clerkship performance, and related examinations in Japanese medical students

While the number of female medical students is increasing in Japan, gender differences in medical school performance have not been studied extensively. This study aimed to compare gender differences in repeat-year experience, Clinical Clerkship (CC) performance, and related examinations in Japanese medical students. We retrospectively analyzed the number of repeat-year students and years to graduation for male and female medical students, and assessed gender differences in performance on computer-based testing (CBT) before CC, CC as evaluated by clinical teachers, the CC integrative test, and the graduation examination in 2018-2020 graduates from our medical school. Subgroup analyses excluding repeat-year students were also performed. From 2018 to 2020, 328 medical students graduated from our medical school. There were significantly fewer repeat-year female students compared to male students (P = .010), and the average number of years to graduate was significantly higher for male students than female students (P < .001). Female students showed higher scores and performance in all integrative tests and CC (P < .05, each). In analysis excluding repeat-year students, there were no significant gender difference in performance on the CBT, and CC integrative test, although female students significantly outperformed male students on the CC and graduation examination. Female medical students had a fewer number of repeat-years and performed better in the CC and graduation examination compared to their male counterparts.

Differences by sex in supply, payments and clinical activity of family physicians in Ontario: a retrospective population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

The proportion of women entering medicine has increased in recent years, and understanding the different practice patterns of female and male family physicians (FPs) will provide important information for health workforce planning. We sought to evaluate differences by sex in the supply, payments and clinical activity among FPs in Ontario.

METHODS

We conducted a cohort study using claims data from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. We included all Ontario FPs who submitted claims from 1992 to 2018. We analyzed data using regression analyses for our outcomes of yearly number of FPs, payments, patient visits and distinct patients.

RESULTS

The number of practising FPs increased from 10 370 in 1992 to 14 329 in 2018, with an annual increase of 155 female FPs and 13 male FPs. In 2018, male FPs outnumbered female FPs by 1159. Among male FPs, 32.7% worked less than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) position, 18.1% worked 1 FTE and 49.2% worked more than 1 FTE, with little change over the 27-year study period. Among female FPs, the percentage of those who worked less than 1 FTE position decreased over time (58.6% in 1998 to 48.3% in 2015), those who worked 1 FTE was stable (22.2%-24.3%) and those who worked more than 1 FTE increased (18.7% in 1998 to 28.0% in 2017). Yearly payments were higher for male FPs than female FPs by 40%-60% overall and by 10%-20% in FPs who worked more than 1 FTE. For FPs who worked 1 FTE or less than 1 FTE, both sexes had similar payment amounts (from 2005-2018). For FPs who worked 1 FTE, female FPs were less likely to receive payments from fee-for-service after 2004, and had 550 fewer visits and 121 fewer patients annually than male FPs.

INTERPRETATION

In Ontario, there are differences by sex in FP supply, payments, percentages of FTE groups, number of patient visits and number of distinct patients. Health administrators should be mindful of these differences when considering FP workforce plans to ensure a stronger primary health care system, with adequate health care delivery for the population.

Factors Influencing Career Decisions and Satisfaction Among Newly Practicing Ophthalmologists

PURPOSE

To describe the career choices of newly practicing ophthalmologists and explore factors influencing career decisions and satisfaction.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from an electronic survey of ophthalmologists who completed training within the prior 5 years. The survey included questions about demographic information, medical education, current practice, factors affecting career choices, and career satisfaction. Statistical comparisons were made based on gender, type of practice, subspecialty training, and practice area.

RESULTS

Surveys were completed by 696 (32%) newly practicing ophthalmologists, including 276 (40%) women, 179 (29%) academicians, and 465 (67%) subspecialists. A higher proportion of female respondents entered academics than male respondents (36% vs 26%, P = .009). Female and male respondents pursued fellowship training with similar frequency (64% vs 68%, P = .32), but men were more likely to seek vitreoretinal fellowships (30% vs 11%, P < .001) and women were more likely to undertake fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology (21% vs 8%, P < .001), uveitis (10% vs 2%, P = .002), and neuro-ophthalmology (6% vs 2%, P = .042). A total of 514 (83%) respondents reported being happy with work life.

CONCLUSIONS

The career choices of newly practicing ophthalmologists differ based on gender, type of practice, subspecialty training, and practice area. Many factors affect career decisions, and they have varying influence on subgroups within ophthalmology. Ophthalmologists have high levels of career satisfaction. This information may prove useful when developing workforce strategies to meet future eye care needs. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored by the American Ophthalmological Society.

Sex Differences in the Pattern of Patient Referrals to Male and Female Surgeons

Importance

Studies have found that female surgeons have fewer opportunities to perform highly remunerated operations, a circumstance that contributes to the sex-based pay gap in surgery. Procedures performed by surgeons are, in part, determined by the referrals they receive. In the US and Canada, most practicing physicians who provide referrals are men. Whether there are sex-based differences in surgical referrals is unknown.

Objective

To examine whether physicians' referrals to surgeons are influenced by the sex of the referring physician and/or surgeon.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional, population-based study used administrative databases to identify outpatient referrals to surgeons in Ontario, Canada, from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2016, with follow-up to December 31, 2018. Data analysis was performed from April 7, 2019, to May 14, 2021.

Exposures

Referring physician sex.

Main Outcomes and Measures

This study compared the proportion of referrals (overall and those referrals that led to surgery) made by male and female physicians to male and female surgeons to assess associations between surgeon, referring physician, or patient characteristics and referral decisions. Discrete choice modeling was used to examine the extent to which sex differences in referrals were associated with physicians' preferences for same-sex surgeons.

Results

A total of 39 710 784 referrals were made by 44 893 physicians (27 792 [61.9%] male) to 5660 surgeons (4389 [77.5%] male). Female patients made up a greater proportion of referrals to female surgeons than to male surgeons (76.8% vs 55.3%, P < .001). Male surgeons accounted for 77.5% of all surgeons but received 87.1% of referrals from male physicians and 79.3% of referrals from female physicians. Female surgeons less commonly received procedural referrals than male surgeons (25.4% vs 33.0%, P < .001). After adjusting for patient and referring physician characteristics, male physicians referred a greater proportion of patients to male surgeons than did female physicians; differences were greatest among referrals from other surgeons (rate ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.13-1.16). Female physicians had a 1.6% (95% CI, 1.4%-1.9%) greater odds of same-sex referrals, whereas male physicians had a 32.0% (95% CI, 31.8%-32.2%) greater odds of same-sex referrals; differences did not attenuate over time.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional, population-based study, male physicians appeared to have referral preferences for male surgeons; this disparity is not narrowing over time or as more women enter surgery. Such preferences lead to lower volumes of and fewer operative referrals to female surgeons and are associated with sex-based inequities in medicine.

Gender Differences in Medicare Payments Among Cardiologists

Importance

Women cardiologists receive lower salaries than men; however, it is unknown whether US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimbursement also differs by gender and contributes to the lower salaries.

Objective

To determine whether gender differences exist in the reimbursements, charges, and reimbursement per charge from CMS.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional analysis used the CMS database to obtain 2016 reimbursement data for US cardiologists. These included reimbursements to cardiologists, charges submitted, and unique billing codes. Gender differences in reimbursement for evaluation and management and procedural charges from both inpatient and outpatient settings were also assessed. Analysis took place between April 2019 and December 2020.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Outcomes included median CMS payments received and median charges submitted in the inpatient and outpatient settings in 2016.

Results

In 2016, 17 524 cardiologists (2312 women [13%] and 15 212 men [87%]) received CMS payments in the inpatient setting, and 16 929 cardiologists (2151 women [13%] and 14 778 men [87%]) received CMS payments in the outpatient setting. Men received higher median payments in the inpatient (median [interquartile range], $62 897 [$30 904-$104 267] vs $45 288 [$21 371-$73 191]; P < .001) and outpatient (median [interquartile range], $91 053 [$34 820-$196 165] vs $51 975 [$15 622-$120 175]; P < .001) practice settings. Men submitted more median charges in the inpatient (median [interquartile range], 1190 [569-2093] charges vs 959 [569-2093] charges; P < .001) and outpatient settings (median [interquartile range], 1685 [644-3328] charges vs 870 [273-1988] charges; P < .001). In a multivariable-adjusted linear regression analysis, women received less CMS payments compared with men (log-scale β = -0.06; 95% CI, -0.11 to -0.02) after adjustment for number of charges, number of unique billing codes, complexity of patient panel, years since graduation of physicians, and physician subspecialty. Payment by billing codes, both inpatient and outpatient, did not differ by gender.

Conclusions and Relevance

There may be potential differences in CMS payments between men and women cardiologists, which appear to stem from gender differences in the number and types of charges submitted. The mechanisms behind these differences merit further research, both to understand why such gender differences exist and also to facilitate reductions in pay disparities.

Practice Patterns of Athletic Trainers Regarding the On-Site Management of Patients With Joint Dislocations

CONTEXT

As part of clinical practice, athletic trainers (ATs) provide immediate management of patients with acute joint dislocations. Management techniques may include on-site closed joint reduction of the dislocated joint. Although joint reduction is part of the 2020 educational standards, currently practicing ATs may have various levels of exposure, knowledge, and skills.

OBJECTIVE

To capture AT self-reported knowledge and practice patterns concerning closed joint reductions.

DESIGN

Cohort study.

SETTING

Online survey (Qualtrics).

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

The survey link was emailed to 5000 certified ATs. A total of 772 responses were completed by certified ATs with clinical practice experience (15.4% response rate).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Participants were asked to complete a survey about their practice patterns concerning patients with closed joint reductions, which included questions about the types of closed reductions ATs performed most commonly, the frequency of on-site reduction by ATs, and participants' demographic information. Additionally, the survey addressed the ATs' training and comfort level in performing closed reductions and knowledge of standing orders and the state practice act.

RESULTS

Ninety percent (n = 694) of ATs reported ever performing a closed reduction (either with or without a physician present), with 10% (n = 78) stating they had never performed a joint reduction. The interphalangeal joint of the finger (73.2% of ATs), shoulder (63.3%), and patella (48.2%) were cited as the 3 most common reductions performed without a physician present. Only 46.5% (n = 359) of ATs indicated receiving training in joint-reduction techniques as part of their precertification athletic training curriculum or program; a greater percentage (64%) said they learned directly from a physician. Fewer than 60% of ATs reported having standing orders related to joint reductions.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the high percentage of ATs who reported performing closed joint reductions and the low percentage with formal training, further development of joint-reduction training and standing orders is warranted.

Characterizing Medicare Reimbursements and Clinical Activity Among Female Otolaryngologists

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate geographic and temporal trends in Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) billing and reimbursements across female otolaryngologists (ORL).

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional, retrospective analysis of the 2017 Medicare Physician and Other Suppliers Aggregate File. We analyzed differences in the number of services, patients, reimbursements, unique Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes used, and services billed per patient among female ORLs.

RESULTS

Female ORLs accounted for 15.2% of the 8453 Medicare-reimbursed ORLs. Female ORLs who graduated between 2000 and 2010 were reimbursed a median of $58 031.9 (IQR: $32 286.5-$91 512.2) and performed a median of 702 (IQR: 359.5-1221.5) services, significantly less than those who graduated between 1990 and 1999 (median: $67 508.9; IQR: 37 018.0-110 471.5; P < .001; median: 1055.5; IQR: 497.3-1944; P < .001). Female ORLs who graduated between 2000 and 2010 saw a median of 232 patients (IQR: 130.5-368), significantly less than those who graduated between 1990 and 1999 (median: 308; IQR: 168.3-496; P < .001) patients, significantly more than those. Female ORLs in urban settings performed a median of 795 (IQR: 364-1494.3) services and billed for a median of 42 (IQR: 28-58) unique codes, significantly fewer than their counterparts in rural settings (median: 1096; IQR: 600-2192.5; P = .002; median: 54; IQR: 31.5-64.5; P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Medicare reimbursements and billing patterns across female ORLs varied by graduation decade and geography. Female ORLs further along in their careers may be reimbursed more with greater clinical volume and productivity. Those practicing in urban settings may have practices with decreased procedural diversity and lower clinical volume compared to their counterparts in rural areas.

Gender Differences in Compensation in Anesthesiology in the United States: Results of a National Survey of Anesthesiologists

BACKGROUND

A gender-based compensation gap among physicians is well documented. Even after adjusting for age, experience, work hours, productivity, and academic rank, the gender gap remained and widened over the course of a physician's career. This study aimed to examine if a significant gender pay gap still existed for anesthesiologists in the United States.

METHODS

In 2018, we surveyed 28,812 physician members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists to assess the association of compensation with gender and to identify possible causes of wage disparities. Gender was the primary variable examined in the model, and compensation by gender was the primary outcome. Compensation was defined as the amount reported as direct compensation on a W-2, 1099, or K-1, plus all voluntary salary reductions (eg, 401[k], health insurance). The survey directed respondents to include salary, bonuses, incentive payments, research stipends, honoraria, and distribution of profits to employees. Respondents had the option of providing a point estimate of their compensation or selecting a range in $50,000 increments. Potential confounding variables that could affect compensation were identified based on a scoping literature review and the consensus expertise of the authors. We fitted a generalized ordinal logistic regression with 7 ranges of compensation. For the sensitivity analyses, we used linear regressions of log-transformed compensation based on respondent point estimates and imputed values.

RESULTS

The final analytic sample consisted of 2081 observations (response rate, 7.2%). This sample represented a higher percentage of women and younger physicians compared to the demographic makeup of anesthesiologists in the United States. The adjusted odds ratio associated with gender equal to woman was an estimated 0.44 (95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.53), indicating that for a given compensation range, women had a 56% lower odds than men of being in a higher compensation range. Sensitivity analyses found the relative percentage difference in compensation for women compared to men ranged from -8.3 to -8.9. In the sensitivity analysis based on the subset of respondents (n = 1036) who provided a point estimate of compensation, the relative percentage difference (-8.3%; 95% confidence interval, -4.7 to -11.7) reflected a $32,617 lower compensation for women than men, holding other covariates at their means.

CONCLUSIONS

Compensation for anesthesiologists showed a significant pay gap that was associated with gender even after adjusting for potential confounding factors, including age, hours worked, geographic practice region, practice type, position, and job selection criteria.

Assessment of Gender Differences in Clinical Productivity and Medicare Payments Among Otolaryngologists in 2017

Importance

Women comprise an increasing proportion of the otolaryngology workforce. Prior studies have demonstrated gender-based disparity in physician practice and income in other clinical specialties; however, research has not comprehensively examined whether gender-based income disparities exist within the field of otolaryngology.

Objective

To determine whether diversity of practice, clinical productivity, and Medicare payment differ between male and female otolaryngologists and whether any identified variation is associated with practice setting.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of publicly available Medicare data summarizing payments to otolaryngologists from January 1 through December 31, 2017. Male and female otolaryngologists participating in Medicare in facility-based (FB; hospital-based) and non-facility-based settings (NFB; eg, physician office) for outpatient otolaryngologic care were included.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Number of unique billing codes (diversity of practice) per physician, number of services provided per physician (physician productivity), and Medicare payment per physician. Outcomes were stratified by practice setting (FB vs NFB).

Results

A total of 8456 otolaryngologists (1289 [15.2%] women; 7167 [84.8%] men) received Medicare payments in 2017. Per physician, women billed fewer unique codes (mean difference, -2.10; 95% CI, -2.46 to -1.75; P < .001), provided fewer services (mean difference, -640; 95% CI, -784 to -496; P < .001), and received less Medicare payment than men (mean difference, -$30 246 (95% CI, -$35 738 to -$24 756; P < .001). When stratified by practice setting, women in NFB settings billed 1.65 fewer unique codes (95% CI, -2.01 to -1.29; P < .001) and provided 633 fewer services (95% CI, -791 to -475; P < .001). In contrast, there was no significant gender-based difference in number of unique codes billed (mean difference, 0.04; 95% CI, -0.217 to 0.347; P = .81) or number of services provided (mean difference, 5.1; 95% CI, -55.8 to 45.6; P = .85) in the FB setting. Women received less Medicare payment in both settings compared with men (NFB: mean difference, -$27 746; 95% CI, -$33 502 to -$21 989; P < .001; vs FB: mean difference, -$4002; 95% CI, -$7393 to -$612; P = .02), although the absolute difference was lower in the FB setting.

Conclusions and Relevance

Female sex is associated with decreased diversity of practice, lower clinical productivity, and decreased Medicare payment among otolaryngologists. Gender-based inequity is more pronounced in NFB settings compared with FB settings. Further efforts are necessary to better evaluate and address gender disparities within otolaryngology.

The Proportion of Female Physician Links With Advanced Educational Opportunity for Female and by Female

Background: The overall proportion of female physician is increasing worldwide. However, its ratio exhibits a substantial diversity among each member country of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This study aimed to reveal the social factors of countries associated with the percentage of female physicians.

Methods: We retrieved the percentage of female physicians and social characteristic which may affect the ratio of female physicians of 36 OECD countries in 2016 or nearest year from the World Bank Open Data. Multivariate regression analysis was performed after univariate evaluations with Spearman’s coefficient to explore correlation of social variables with the proportion of female physicians.

Results: The percentages of female adolescents who dropped out of school before lower secondary school, female population that attained or completed Master’s or equivalent degree, female labour force, and female academic staff in tertiary education showed statistically significant correlation with proportion of female physicians (Spearman coefficient = -0.527, 0.585, 0.501, and 0.499; P =.01, .001, .002, and .008). Female’s educational attainment at least Master’s or equivalent and that of female academic staff at tertiary education were selected after multivariate analysis.

Conclusion: Our study revealed the relationships between advanced education opportunity and female participation in academic positions with the percentage of female physicians. Our research is limited in the difficulty to evaluate physicians’ working hours in spite of its possible effect. Further studies with qualitative assessment are warranted to explore the detail reasons to cause gender gap in physician.

Sex-Based Disparities in the Hourly Earnings of Surgeons in the Fee-for-Service System in Ontario, Canada

Importance

Sex-based income disparities are well documented in medicine and most pronounced in surgery. These disparities are commonly attributed to differences in hours worked. One proposed solution to close the earnings gap is a fee-for-service payment system, which is theoretically free of bias. However, it is unclear whether a sex-based earnings gap persists in a fee-for-service system when earnings are measured on the basis of hours worked.

Objective

To determine whether male and female surgeons have similar earnings for each hour spent operating in a fee-for-service system.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional, population-based study used administrative databases from a fee-for-service, single-payer health system in Ontario, Canada. Surgeons who submitted claims for surgical procedures performed between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016, were included. Data analysis took place from February 2018 to December 2018.

Exposures

Surgeon sex.

Main Outcomes and Measures

This study compared earnings per hour spent operating between male and female surgeons and earnings stratified by surgical specialty in a matched analysis. We explored factors potentially associated with earnings disparities, including differences in procedure duration and type between male and female surgeons and hourly earnings for procedures performed primarily on male vs female patients.

Results

We identified 1 508 471 surgical procedures claimed by 3275 surgeons. Female surgeons had practiced fewer years than male surgeons (median [interquartile range], 8.4 [2.9-16.6] vs 14.7 [5.9-25.7] years; P < .001), and the largest proportion of female surgeons practiced gynecology (400 of 819 female surgeons [48.8%]). Hourly earnings for female surgeons were 24% lower than for male surgeons (relative rate, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.74-0.79]; P < .001). This disparity persisted after adjusting for specialty and in matched analysis stratified by specialty, with the largest mean differences in cardiothoracic surgery (in US dollars: $59.64/hour) and orthopedic surgery ($55.45/hour). There were no differences in time taken by male and female surgeons to perform common procedures; however, female surgeons more commonly performed procedures with the lowest hourly earnings.

Conclusions and Relevance

Even within a fee-for-service system, male and female surgeons do not have equal earnings for equal hours spent working, suggesting that the opportunity to perform the most lucrative surgical procedures is greater for men than women. These findings call for a comprehensive analysis of drivers of sex-based earning disparities, including referral patterns, and highlight the need for systems-level solutions.

The impact of arm lymphedema on healthcare utilization during long-term breast cancer survivorship: a population-based cohort study

PURPOSE

Cancer treatment-related late effects degrade survivors' quality of life, independence, and societal integration, yet may be ameliorated, or even reversed, with effective care. Unfortunately, survivors inconsistently receive this care and the impact on their healthcare utilization is unknown. We sought to estimate differences in utilization between breast cancer (BC) survivors with and without upper extremity lymphedema; a common, remediable late effect.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based, retrospective longitudinal cohort study of survivors with incident BC diagnosed from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2010. HC utilization was characterized using the Berenson-Eggers Type of Service (BETOS) categories. Outcomes included overall healthcare utilization as well as its compartmentalization into the BETOS categories of (1) Evaluation and management, (2) Procedures, (3) Imaging, (4) Tests, (5) Durable medical equipment, (6) Physical/occupational therapy, (7) Other, and (8) Exceptions/Unclassified.

RESULTS

The cohort included 1906 subjects of which 94% (1800) had records meeting the inclusion criteria. Mean follow-up per survivor was 12.8 years (mean, 11, range 1-25 years). Analysis revealed that (1) survivors with BC-associated lymphedema used > 30% more services annually; (2) their increased utilization lessened but persisted for at least 10 years after diagnosis; and (3) this finding of increased utilization extends across all BETOS categories, is further amplified as BMI increases, and cannot be explained solely by lymphedema-directed care.

CONCLUSIONS

BC-related lymphedema appears to be an important driver of survivors' healthcare utilization and guideline-concordant activities to reduce its incidence and severity may be cost neutral or saving.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Early detection and effective management of cancer-related late effects like lymphedema may reduce survivors' healthcare needs in the decades that follow their cancer treatment.

Gender-Specific Trends in Ophthalmologist Medicare Collections

PURPOSE

To assess the factors influencing the Medicare collections disparity between male and female ophthalmologists.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

The Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data from 2012-2015 were combined with the 2015 Physician Compare National Downloadable file and US Census data. Three complementary regression models were generated for number of patients seen, number of services performed per patient, and the amount collected per service. Predictor variables included gender, calendar year, geography, years since medical school graduation, and subspecialty.

RESULTS

After adjusting for age, geography, and subspecialty, women ophthalmologists collected 42% less as compared to male ophthalmologists, with the median male ophthalmologist out-earning the 75th-percentile female ophthalmologist across almost all age groups, practice categories, and geographic regions. Although women are entering more lucrative subspecialties (cataract and retina) at a higher rate than before, the percentage of women pursuing these subspecialties remains lower than that of men.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with men, women ophthalmologists see fewer patients and have lower Medicare collections. The observed gender gap in collections was highly persistent across years in practice, subspecialty, and geographic region. Future studies are warranted to examine whether the observed gender collections gap results from structural inequities, social circumstances, or personal choices.

Exploration of Gender-Specific Authorship Disparities in the Pain Medicine Literature

BACKGROUND

Given the readily increasing membership of the pain physician community, efforts toward correcting notable gender disparities are instrumental. The under-representation of women is particularly prevalent within leadership roles in academic medicine, thought to be driven largely by diminished research efforts. Consequently, we aimed to characterize gender differences among the highest impact pain literature.

METHODS

The 20 highest cited articles per year from 2014 to 2018 were extracted from each of seven impactful journals affiliated to the largest pain medicine societies. Collected data from each article included genders of the first and last authors, the number of citations accumulated and the journal impact factor at the time of publication.

RESULTS

Across all considered literature, female authors were surprisingly not under-represented when considering the national prevalence of female pain physicians. However, more in-depth analysis found trends toward significance to suggest that female authorship was relatively diminished within more impactful and higher cited literature. When exploring gender-gender collaboration patterns, we found that male authors were favored over female counterparts with statistical significance; it must be noted that this likelihood analysis and preference toward male authors may be statistically obfuscated by the high prevalence of male authors. Nonetheless, these findings help to quantify overt, demonstrated disparity patterns. Of note, this inequity may also be fully secondary to the lower number of female pain physicians and/or those involved in research endeavors and decreased number of submissions from female physicians. Establishing gender discrimination patterns as causal factors in such disparities can be extremely challenging to determine.

CONCLUSION

In our analysis of authorship between genders within the context of pain medicine literature, we found trends, although non-significant, toward women being lesser represented in the more impactful literature. We suggest that these inequities are possibly resultant of a markedly small and outnumbered female pain physician membership that has yet to achieve a critical mass and possible implicit gender biases that may restrict female authorship. However, further exploration and analysis of this issue are necessary to more clearly illuminate which systemic deficits exist and how they may, in turn, be corrected with cultural and macroscopic organizational-driven change.

Assessment of Differences in Clinical Activity and Medicare Payments Among Female and Male Radiation Oncologists

IMPORTANCE

Although physician sex is known to influence salary even after controlling for productivity, sex-based differences in clinical activity and reimbursement among radiation oncologists are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate differences by sex in productivity, breadth of practice, and payments and to characterize Medicare reimbursement by sex among similarly productive groups of radiation oncologists.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the January 1 to December 31, 2016, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Physician and Other Supplier Public Use File (POSPUF) to identify charge and payment information for individual radiation oncologists. Clinicians were part of a population-based sample of US radiation oncologists who bill Medicare in both non-facility-based (NFB) and facility-based (FB) practice settings. Analysis was conducted from June 5 to 25, 2018.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Outcome measurements included physician productivity (measured by number of Medicare charges), physician payments (reported as total Medicare payments as well as mean payments per charge submitted and per beneficiary treated), and physician breadth of practice (measured by number of unique Medicare billing codes) in NFB and FB settings.

RESULTS

A total of 4393 radiation oncologists (1133 women and 3260 men) were included in the POSPUF in 2016. Compared with their male counterparts, female physicians in the NFB setting submitted a mean of 1051 fewer charges (95% CI, -1458 to -644; P < .001), collected a mean of $143 610 less in revenue (95% CI, -$185 528 to -$101 692; P < .001), and used a mean of 1.32 fewer unique billing codes (95% CI, -2.23 to -0.41; P = .004). Compared with their male counterparts, female radiation oncologists in the FB setting submitted a mean of 423 fewer charges (95% CI, -506 to -341; P < .001), collected a mean of $26 735 less in revenue (95% CI, -$31 910 to -$21 560; P < .001), and submitted a mean of 1.28 fewer unique billing codes (95% CI, -1.77 to -0.78; P < .001). Women represented 46 of the 397 most highly productive radiation oncologists in the FB setting (11.6%) and collected a mean of $33 026 less (95% CI, -$52 379 to -$13 673; P = .001) than men who were similarly productive. In the NFB setting, women represented 54 of the 326 most highly productive radiation oncologists (16.6%) and collected $345 944 (95% CI, -$522 663 to -$169 225; P < .001) less than similarly highly productive men. Women collected a mean of $8.49 less per charge (95% CI, -$14.13 to -$2.86; P = .003) than men in the NFB setting.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study suggests that female radiation oncologists submit fewer Medicare charges, are reimbursed less per charge they submit, and receive lower Medicare payments overall compared with male radiation oncologists. Even among similarly productive radiation oncologists, women in this study still collected less revenue than men. Further research is required to understand the sex-based barriers to economic advancement within radiation oncology.

Why Aren't There More Female Pain Medicine Physicians?

Despite a growing awareness about the importance of gender equity and the rising number of women in medicine, women remain persistently underrepresented in pain medicine and anesthesiology. Pain medicine ranks among the bottom quartile of medical specialties in terms of female applicants, female trainees, and proportion of female practitioners. Female pain medicine physicians are also notably disadvantaged compared with their male colleagues in most objective metrics of gender equity, which include financial compensation, career advancement, public recognition, and leadership positions. Increased gender diversity among pain medicine physicians is vital to fostering excellence in pain research, education, and clinical care, as well as creating a high-quality work environment. Pain medicine stands at a crossroads as a specialty, and must examine reasons for its current gender gap and consider a call to action to address this important issue.

Billing by residents and attending physicians in family medicine: the effects of the provider, patient, and visit factors

BACKGROUND

Medical billing and coding are critical components of residency programs since they determine the revenues and vitality of residencies. It has been suggested that residents are less likely to bill higher evaluation and management (E/M) codes compared with attending physicians. The purpose of this study is to assess the variation in billing patterns between residents and attending physicians, considering provider, patient, and visit characteristics.

METHOD

A retrospective cohort study of all established outpatient visits at a family medicine residency clinic over a 5-year period was performed. We employed the logistic regression methodology to identify residents' and attending physicians' variations in coding E/M service levels. We also employed Poisson regression to test the sensitivity of our result.

RESULTS

Between January 5, 2009 and September 25, 2015, 98,601 visits to 116 residents and 18 attending physicians were reviewed. After adjusting for provider, patient, and visit characteristics, residents billed higher E/M codes less often compared with attending physicians for comparable visits. In comparison with attending physicians, the odds ratios for billing higher E/M codes were 0.58 (p = 0.01), 0.56 (p = 0.01), and 0.63 (p = 0.01) for the third, second, and first years of postgraduate training, respectively. In addition to the main factors of patient age, medical conditions, and number of addressed problems, the gender of the provider was also implicated in the billing variations.

CONCLUSION

Residents are less likely to bill higher E/M codes than attending physicians are for similar visits. While these variations are known to contribute to lost revenues, further studies are required to explore their effect on patient care in relation to attendings' direct involvement in higher E/M-coded versus their indirect involvement in lower E/M-coded visits.