Hepatologist Salaries in USA

While covering Gastroenterology incomes in USA, we saw how gastro-trained MDs make big bucks due to the procedural nature of the specialty with colonoscopy being the chief 'cash-cow' procedure - prompting the common joke : 'Gastroenterologists spend most of their lives in the colon'..LOL. Hepatology is less procedural and more consultation-heavy sub-specialty of Gastroenterology. Since insurance companies reimburse less for physician-patient consults than procedures, a Gastroenterologist with majority of his practice in Hepatology would see lower incomes than his procedure-heavy brethen. A Majority of cases that a hepatologist would see is caring for Hepatitis patients and post-transplant liver followups.

Do not confuse a Hepatologist or a Liver Specialist with the surgery counterpart - a Liver Transplant Surgeon can see huge incomes - Like Dr. Ronald Busuttil of UCLA, who made a total of $1.6 Million in 2005 !

While Many job sites commonly advertise positions for practice as both the normal gastroenterology part and the hepatology part and offer salaries like $300,000 and above in partnership scenarios, pure hepatology positions may not pay as much - a figure I have come across a few job postings stood around $250,000 per year in base pay. One job posting even mentioned only about $150,000/- per year in Seattle, WA - but may not be a reliable figure.

While the Hepatologist may not be able as much income on his/her own, the practice setup can generate lots of income from provision of ancilliary services like lab testing since liver patients need a lot of those. Hence academic centers find it profitable to have a hepatology unit running in their gastro departments. In fact, this powerpoint lecture by Dr. Imtiaz Alam [pdf] suggests the following measures for a Hepatologist to improve incomes:

- Sticking to effective treatment guidelines for Hepatitis C
- Using Mid-level providers (Nurses / Assistants) to reduce workload, increase intake capacity and improve revenues
- Careful documentation so that incomes are not lost due to missed billing opportunities
- Appropriate bill coding and not short-changing oneself by coding at lower reimbursement levels



Q. How to Become a Hepatologist in USA ?

A. To become a Hepatologist, a Medical Graduate must first complete a three-year residency in Internal Medicine, followed by a three-year fellowship training in Gastroenterology and then an additional year training in Hepatology. Programs may combine the final year of the Gastro-fellowship with Hepatology while some programs may also include Transplant Hepatology in the training year. I have portrayed the same in an interactive map format on USMLEtoMD.com/mdpathways

[ A Fellowship after a Residency is also called a sub-specialty training but the physician becomes a 'specialist'. More training after fellowship should then be called a sub-sub-specialty ...but the physician becomes a 'super-specialist' Those amongst you who understand the etymological implications of 'sub' and 'super' should be amused at this paradox ;-)]


Also Read:

- Virtual Colonoscopy: Radiologists threaten Gastroenterologist Wages ?
- Residency Salaries in USA
- Fellowship Salaries in USA