Colon and rectal surgery is one of the lowest-paid ASC specialties, according to Doximity's "Physician Compensation Report 2024", published May 23.
Colon and rectal surgeons made an average of $455,282 in 2023, up from $445,685 in 2022, according to the report. Despite being one of the lowest-paid ASC specialties, it's still ranked 18 out of 40 by the report, which notes the lowest paid tend to be pediatric and primary care specialties.
Medicare reimbursements for colorectal surgery procedures are decreasing at an accelerating rate, according to a study published in 2023 in the National Library of Medicine. The adjusted reimbursement rates decreased by 33.8% for a flexible colonoscopy with biopsy.
Colon and rectal surgeons are also increasingly consolidating. From 2015 to 2022, the percentage of colorectal surgeons in groups of 1-2 members fell from 18.9% to 10.7%, while those in groups of 500+ members grew from 26.5% to 45.2%, according to a 2024 report in the Journal of Surgical Research.