Orthopedic surgeons in independent practices report higher compensation than their counterparts employed by hospitals, and in some areas the gap widens as physicians gain more experience.
Here is a comparison of orthopedic surgeon pay for employed and independent physicians in practice eight to 14 years and 15 to 21 years based on data from the Medscape's salary explorer tool. The company gathered data from more than 100,000 physicians in its annual survey prior to Feb. 20, 2020, and does not reflect the financial effect of the pandemic, according to Medscape.
Atlanta
· Eight to 14 years employed: $356,412
· Eight to 14 years independent: $504,043
· Fifteen to 21 years employed: $405,569
· Fifteen to 21 years independent: $537,231
Chicago
· Eight to 14 years employed: $377,322
· Eight to 14 years independent: $484,770
· Fifteen to 21 years employed: $394,277
· Fifteen to 21 years independent: $556,660
Houston
· Eight to 14 years employed: $359,066
· Eight to 14 years independent: $495,847
· Fifteen to 21 years employed: $382,715
· Fifteen to 21 years independent: $513,933
Los Angeles
· Eight to 14 years employed: $353,825
· Eight to 14 years independent: $460,833
· Fifteen to 21 years employed: $373,464
· Fifteen to 21 years independent: $474,419
New York City
· Eight to 14 years employed: $367,101
· Eight to 14 years independent: $485,319
· Fifteen to 21 years employed: $383,572
· Fifteen to 21 years independent: $508,792