Canadian physicians’ gross clinical payments averaged $307482 in 2010–11, a 3.1% increase—the smallest in 5 years, according to a report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Report data show that fees and alternative payments are becoming a bigger part of physician compensation.

Alberta physicians had the highest gross clinical payments in 2010–11 at $349655, and the province had the best-paid family physicians and specialists.

At the other end of gross earnings scale were physicians in Prince Edward Island at $235768. Looking at only fee-for-service payments, Quebec family physicians and specialists were the lowest paid in the country.

Of the $20.4 billion paid to physicians in 2010–11 in Canada, about 73% was in the form of fee-for-service payments—down from 87% 10 years earlier. The remainder came from alternative payments ($5.5 billion), with Ontario accounting for $2.7 billion and Quebec almost $1 billion. CIHI said over half of all physicians received some form of alternative payment in 2010–11.

The report, produced from the National Physician Database, can be viewed at www.cihi.ca [8].