Study: Physician income shrinks, but not time spent with patients

Bloomberg News/Chicago Tribune, November 11, 2009

Primary care doctors in the U.S. spent more time with patients during office visits in recent years despite declining paychecks because of lower reimbursement from insurers, a study found. General practitioners, family doctors and general internists increased their time with patients to almost 21 minutes for an average office visit in 2005 from 18 minutes in 1997, according to the research. The physicians' 2003 average income of $146,405 was a 10.2% drop adjusted for inflation from 1995, according to a 2006 report.