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Female ophthalmologists submit fewer Medicare charges than male counterparts
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Female ophthalmologists in the United States submit fewer charges to Medicare than their male colleagues, a study found.
The retrospective review included Medicare payments made to ophthalmologists for outpatient services from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2013, excluding J and Q codes.
The review for 2012 included 16,111 ophthalmologists, 19.1% women and 80.9% men. The review for 2013 included 16,179 ophthalmologists, 19.8% women and 80.2% men.
The mean payment per charge was $66 for both sexes in 2012 and $64 for both in 2013. However, women submitted fewer charges in both years.
Female ophthalmologists submitted a median of 1,120 such charges in 2012, which was 935 fewer than the male median (P < .001). The female median for 2013 was 1,141, 937 fewer than that for men (P < .001).
The disparity resulted in female ophthalmologists collecting a mean of $0.58 for every dollar their male counterparts collected and a median of $0.56.
“Women in ophthalmology collect less than men because their clinical activity is lower,” the study authors said, adding that the reasons for the disparity in clinical activity could be explored with further studies. – by Joe Green
Disclosure : The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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Reddy AK, et al. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2016.5399.
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