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How the Gender Wage Gap for Primary Care Physicians Differs by Compensation Approach : A Microsimulation Study
Ishani Ganguli1, Kathleen L Mulligan2, Robert L Phillips3
1Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (I.G.).
Background:
The physician gender wage gap may be due, in part, to productivity-based compensation models that undervalue female practice patterns.
Objective:
To determine how primary care physician (PCP) compensation by gender differs when applying existing productivity-based and alternative compensation models.
Design:
Microsimulation.
Setting:
2016 to 2019 national clinical registry of 1222 primary care practices.
Participants:
Male and female PCPs matched on specialty, years since medical school graduation, practice site, and sessions worked.
Measurements:
Net annual, full-time-equivalent compensation for male versus female PCPs, under productivity-based fee-for-service, panel size-based capitation without or with risk adjustment, and hybrid payment models. Microsimulation inputs included patient and visit characteristics and overhead expenses.
Results:
Among 1435 matched male (n = 881) and female (n = 554) PCPs, female PCP panels included patients who were, on average, younger, had lower diagnosis-based risk scores, were more often female, and were more often uninsured or insured by Medicaid rather than by Medicare. Under productivity-based payment, female PCPs earned a median of $58 829 (interquartile range [IQR], $39 553 to $120 353; 21%) less than male PCPs. This gap was similar under capitation ($58 723 [IQR, $42 141 to $140 192]). It was larger under capitation risk-adjusted for age alone ($74 695 [IQR, $42 884 to $152 423]), for diagnosis-based scores alone ($114 792 [IQR, $49 080 to $215 326] and $89 974 [IQR, $26 175 to $173 760]), and for age-, sex-, and diagnosis-based scores ($83 438 [IQR, $28 927 to $129 414] and $66 195 [IQR, $11 899 to $96 566]). The gap was smaller and nonsignificant under capitation risk-adjusted for age and sex ($36 631 [IQR, $12 743 to $73 898]).
Limitation:
Panel attribution based on office visits.
Conclusion:
The gender wage gap varied by compensation model, with capitation risk-adjusted for patient age and sex resulting in a smaller gap. Future models might better align with primary care effort and outcomes.
Primary Funding Source:
None.
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