This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Female health care providers still paid less than men

After adjusting for experience, how hard they work, and productivity, female health care providers are still paid less than their male peers, with an overall differential of more than $18,000, according to data published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal.

“Many studies have theorized that pay disparities result from women undervaluing the services they provide, working fewer hours and/or being less productive,” Tejas Desai, MD, of the WG Hefner VA Medical Center, in Salisbury, North Carolina, and colleagues wrote. “Unfortunately, these theories are based on analyses of data that are susceptible to bias and/or not adjusted for confounding variables… With such limitations, we believe that the medical community could improve upon its understanding of gender pay inequality.”

To analyze gender inequality in reimbursement among health care providers, the researchers reviewed more than 3 million reimbursement claims for the calendar year 2012, contained within the 2014 Medicare Fee-for-Service Provider Utilization and Payment Data Physician and Other Supplier Public Use File. The dataset included practice locations, primary medical specialty, sex, reimbursements paid, services provided, and beneficiaries seen of, to and by health care providers in the CMS Part B fee-for-service program.

The researchers compared the reimbursements detailed in 3,549,862 records, from 246,995 providers, received by men and women in 13 specialties, adjusting for how hard they worked, productivity and level of experience. They calculated a reimbursement differential between male and female providers by primary medical specialty.

According to the researchers, the overall adjusted reimbursement differential against female health care providers was –$18,677.23 (95% CI, –$19,301.94 to –$18,052.53). Female health care providers earned less in all 13 specialties. Only two specialties — hematology and medical oncology — had gender pay gaps that were not statistically significant.

“Reimbursement differentials between male and female providers continue to exist in a large proportion of medical specialties,” Desai and colleagues wrote. “Our findings suggest that the commonly held theories of why monetary disparities exist need to be revisited.” – by Jason Laday

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.