As more Americans develop diabetes, osteoporosis, and obesity-related health problems, the number of endocrinologists who specialize in treating them is shrinking. Richard Hellman, MD, president-elect of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the United States currently has 12% fewer endocrinologists than are needed.
Hellman and others said the falling numbers are a result of physician retirement combined with salaries for endocrinologists that are lower than other specialties. “The payment system is perverse and discriminates against taking care of complicated diseases like diabetes,” Hellman said. According to the Medical Group Management Association, the median salary for a noninvasive cardiologist in the Northeast is $307,344; it is $193,345 for orthopedists who do not perform surgery, and $164,503 for endocrinologists. The American Diabetes Association first warned of an impending shortage of endocrinologists in 1999.
