Anatomy of a Doctor’s Bill

Just how much of the $100 your physician charges for each 30 minutes goes into her pocket? After paying the bills, she gets less than half. This breakdown, according to Robert Lowes, senior editor at Medical Economics:

$3.50 for malpractice insurance

$3.50 for equipment, repairs, and maintenance

$6 for supplies, including gowns, tongue depressors, and copy paper

$7 for rent and utilities

$11 for office expenses, such as telephones, accounting fees, advertising, medical journals, licenses, and taxes

$28 for secretary, office manager, and medical assistant salaries and benefits

$41 Amount that goes into the doctor’s paycheck

Over the course of a year, this adds up to around $155,000, the annual salary of the average family physician. This number rose just 3.3% between 2002 and 2006, while expenses increased nearly 25% over the same period.

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