Primary care physicians see modest increase in pay

Family and internal medicine doctors were in high demand in 2008, but saw only a modest increase in compensation, according to a report by the Delta Companies, a medical recruiting and placement firm.

Family practitioners and internists ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in demand last year, according to the firm, which reported that 47 percent of its searches were for primary care physicians. Family physicians earned a total average annual compensation of $210,852 (including an $18,160 sign-on bonus), up less than 1 percent from the prior year, while the average internal medicine doctor landed $228,480 last year in total compensation (including a $20,183 bonus), up 3.7 percent.

Subspecialists in pulmonary critical care received the biggest pay raise last year, up 12.7 percent from 2007, with $381,129 in total salary, according to the report. Radiologists earned the highest average annual salary last year at $608,333.