A surprising new study has found the gender gap between male and female gastroenterologists extends to Medicare reimbursements.
Based on coding, it is reasonable to expect Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) billing to be gender-neutral, but female gastroenterologists were found to receive approximately 15% less in Medicare reimbursements than their male counterparts, according to Shaina Hasan, MD, an internal medicine resident at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville.
Although “much of the discussion regarding gender pay gaps can be subjective,” Dr. Hasan said the difference in Medicare reimbursement found in her study “was substantial even after multiple adjustments.”
CMS payments only represent a slice of the revenue sources for gastroenterologists, but it is not insignificant, according to Dr. Hasan. She cited data indicating that this income represents more than 20% of average GI compensation nationally.