While physicians are increasingly shifting towards hospital, health system or private equity-owned practices, the state of independent practice looks different from specialty to specialty.
Here’s where independent practice stands across five physician specialties:
Anesthesiology
- Consolidation within anesthesia is accelerating, in large part due to efforts by large anesthesia groups such as Dallas-based US Anesthesia Partners and Melville, N.Y.-based North American Partners in Anesthesia.
- In May, the Federal Trade Commission resolved an antitrust case against Welsh Carson, Anderson & Stowe which was tied up in a lawsuit alongside its portfolio company, U.S. Anesthesia Partners. In January, the FTC reached a settlement with Welsh Carson, requiring the company to limit its involvement with USAP and notify the commission of specified future acquisitions and investments in anesthesia and other hospital-based physician practices. The FTC has finalized that consent order, according to a May 20 news release. The FTC’s case against USAP continues to proceed in federal court.
- Independent anesthesiologists tend to earn their peak average income at between 15 and 21 years of experience, according to Medscape’s salary explorer.
- Independent anesthesiologists earn about 10% more than their employed peers, averaging $591,000 annually compared to $542,000.