Findings on Medical Research Reported by Investigators at University of Toronto (Gender-based Differences In Physician Payments Within the Fee-for-service System In Ontario: a Retrospective, Cross-sectional Study): Health and Medicine – Medical Research

Health & Medicine Daily

2021 NOV 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Daily -- Data detailed on Health and Medicine - Medical Research have been presented. According to news reporting originating in Toronto, Canada, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Differences in physician income by gender have been described in numerous jurisdictions, but few studies have looked at a Canadian cohort with adjustment for confounders. In this study, we aimed to understand differences in fee-for-service payments to men and women physicians in Ontario.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Toronto, “We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of all Ontario physicians who submitted claims to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) in 2017. For each physician, we gathered demographic information from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario registry. We compared differences in physician claims between men and women in the entire cohort and within each specialty using multivariable linear regressions, controlling for length of practice, specialty and practice location. We identified a cohort of 30 167 physicians who submitted claims to OHIP in 2017, including 17 992 men and 12 175 women. When controlling for confounding variables in a linear mixed-effects regression model, annual physician claims were $93 930 (95% confidence interval $88 434 to $99 431) higher for men than for women. Women claimed 74% as much as men when adjusting for covariates. This discrepancy was present in nearly all specialty categories. Men claimed more than women throughout their careers, with the greatest gap 10-15 years into practice. We found a gender gap in fee-for-service claims in Ontario, with women claiming less than men overall and in nearly every specialty.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Further work is required to understand the root causes of the gender pay gap.”

For more information on this research see: Gender-based Differences In Physician Payments Within the Fee-for-service System In Ontario: a Retrospective, Cross-sectional Study. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2021;193(41). Canadian Medical Association Journal can be contacted at: Cma-canadian Medical Assoc, 1867 Alta Vista Dr, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 5W8, Canada.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Christopher D. Witiw, University of Toronto, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Toronto, On, Canada. Additional authors for this research include Zamir Merali, Armaan K. Malhotra, Michael Balas, Gianni R. Lorello, Alana Flexman and Tara Kiran.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.210437. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.