The American College of Cardiology on Sept. 16 issued its first-ever health policy statement on cardiologist compensation and opportunity equity, marking the first in a series of ACC workforce documents that will reportedly address workplace equality.
The organization’s 17-point list of recommendations addresses the need for objective compensation and opportunity in the field, which suffers from a significant pay gap between men and women. According to the ACC, the annual salary gap between male and female cardiologists can total more than $1 million over the course of a career.
Healthcare is also in the midst of a burnout crisis, Pamela S. Douglas, MD, chair of the writing committee, and colleagues said, and inequities in compensation and opportunity are often cited as reasons for burnout. A lack of equal pay has also tied into the low number of female med school graduates pursuing careers in cardiology.
“With this policy statement, the ACC intends to provide a clear set of principles related to equity in compensation and opportunity in the professional cardiovascular workspace along with the associated underlying considerations,” Douglas said in a statement. “The ACC has developed 17 principles for achieving equity in compensation and opportunity, beginning with the firm declaration that the College believes that cardiologist compensation should be equitable and fair for equivalent work.”
The ACC said there’s a need for a more inclusive culture in cardiology, and increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in the field will be an “important step” toward that. The principles also outline the need for cardiologist compensation to be determined objectively by a modeled systems approach that is prospectively developed and based on consensus principles.
Equity can’t be ensured without considering a host of other factors, Douglas et al. wrote, including career advancement, the quality of a physician’s work, administrative support, clinic time and work environment.
“Compensation and opportunity equity are critical components of a fair and professional work environment,” Douglas said. “No compensation plan can provide fairness unless there is also equal opportunity to maximize performance and advancement. The ACC believes that adherence to these principles will improve the performance and satisfaction of the cardiovascular workforce, enhance team-based care and ultimately benefit patient and population health.”
Find a full copy of the policy statement here.
After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.