Disparities in Radiologist Fee-For-Service Payments by Gender in Canada.

Area of Science:

• Medical Economics
• Radiology
• Health Equity

Background:

• Fee-for-service (FFS) models are common in healthcare reimbursement.
• Understanding gender-based disparities in physician compensation is crucial for equity.
• Radiology is a field where FFS payments significantly impact earnings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the gender pay gap in fee-for-service radiology payments in Canada.
• To identify potential factors contributing to observed payment differences between male and female radiologists.
• To analyze trends in the gender pay gap over a defined period.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of publicly available FFS radiology billing data from four Canadian provinces (2017-2021).
• Data stratified by gender, province, and year, including procedure billings and days worked.
• Calculation of the gender pay gap as the difference in mean billing payments relative to men's payments.

Main Results:

• A 19% gender pay gap was observed, with women earning 81% of men's FFS payments.
• The pay gap remained consistent between 2017 and 2021, with variations across provinces.
• Women radiologists worked 8% fewer days annually than men, which did not fully explain the payment disparity.

Conclusions:

• A significant gender pay gap exists for Canadian radiologists operating under FFS models.
• The disparity in FFS payments is not solely attributable to the number of days worked.
• Further research is needed to explore other contributing factors to this persistent inequity in radiology compensation.