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Gastroenterologists earned a median total compensation of $384,015 in 2005-up from $368,733 in 2004-making them some of the top earning specialists in recent years, according to the 2006 Medical Group Management Association Physician Compensation and Production Survey. Many of the usual suspects play a role in raising compensation for the specialty. Similar to other fields, gastroenterology is experiencing a physician shortage, giving hard-to-recruit physicians more leverage in the compensation arena. And also similar to other specialties, the aging baby boomer population has increased demand for medical services, effectively exacerbating the physician shortage.