Gastroenterologists consistently rank among the highest-paid physician specialists — but many are feeling shortchanged.
According to a new report from recently launched salary transparency platform Marit Health, gastroenterologists report some of the lowest job satisfaction scores among physicians, despite a salary that places them near the top of the compensation ladder.
The Medscape Physician Compensation Report found that average GI salaries fell 3% between 2023 and 2024, from $512,000 to $495,000 — but they are still the fifth highest paid specialty.
Adjusted for inflation, the average gastroenterologist salary today is less than it was in 2015. In 2015, GIs earned an average of $370,000, which is equivalent to $502,930 in 2025 dollars, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator. That puts today’s average salary of $495,000 below 2015 levels in real terms.
Marit Health attributes the stagnation in GI pay to a combination of CMS reimbursement cuts and the growing consolidation of GI practices, especially by private equity firms.
A study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology found that between 2007 and 2022, unadjusted average reimbursement for GI procedures dropped by 7%, while inflation-adjusted rates plummeted by 33%.
Consolidation, particularly through private equity, is also rapidly changing practice ownership in gastroenterology. Nearly 10% of U.S. gastroenterologists are now employed by PE-backed groups.
“I do not feel gastroenterologists are fairly compensated at all,” Pooja Singhal, MD, gastroenterologist at Oklahoma Gastro Health and Wellness, told Becker’s. “Due to continued cuts in reimbursements for procedures, gastroenterology remains a field that has not seen any increase in reimbursement over the last 20 years. Given the three years of residency and additional three years of fellowship training to acquire necessary education and skills, the reimbursement for procedural skills should be in accordance with inflation.”
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