The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will start surveying compensation for 15 different physician specialties starting in 2018. This change is part of an update to BOLS’ Standard Occupational Classification codes.
These new codes will add much needed specificity to the publicly-available physician compensation data reported by BOLS. The existing BOLS groups for physician specialties are extremely limited, and some of the BOLS data drives the Reasonable Compensation Equivalent (RCE) limits for hospital expenses related to administrative physician compensation arrangement that can be claimed as allowable costs.
New 2018 SOC Physician Codes| 2018 SOC Code | Specialty | Description |
| 29-1211 | Anesthesiologists | Physicians who administer anesthetics and analgesics prior to, during, or after surgery, or manage pain in addition to practicing critical care. |
| 29-1212 | Cardiologists | Physicians who diagnose, treat, manage and/or prevent diseases or conditions of the cardiovascular system. May further subspecialize in interventional procedures (e.g. balloon angioplasty and stent placement), echocardiography, or electrophysiology. |
| 29-1213 | Dermatologists | Physicians who diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions. |
| 29-1214 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | Physicians who are tasked with immediate decision making and action to prevent death or any further disability in a pre-hospital setting and directing emergency medical staff and in an emergency department. Provide immediate recognition, evaluation, care, stabilization, and disposition of patients. |
| 29-1215 | Family Medicine Physicians | Physicians who diagnose, treat and provide preventative care to individuals and families across the lifespan. May refer patients to specialists when needed for further diagnosis or treatment. Excludes “General Internal Medicine Physicians” (29-1216) and “Pediatricians, General” (29-1221). |
| 29-1216 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | Physicians who diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting. Excludes “Family Medicine Physicians” (29-1215) and “Pediatricians, General” (29-1221). |
| 29-1217 | Neurologists | Physicians who diagnose, manage, and treat disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, with a primarily non-surgical focus. |
| 29-1218 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | Physicians who provide medical care related to pregnancy or childbirth and those who diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases of women, particularly those affecting the reproductive system. May also provide general care to women. May perform both medical and gynecological surgery functions. |
| 29-1221 | Pediatricians, General | Physicians who diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in children. May refer patients to specialists when needed for further diagnosis or treatment. Excludes “Family Medicine Physicians” (29-1215) and “General Internal Medicine Physicians” (29-1216). |
| 29-1222 | Physicians, Pathologists | Physicians who diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues and fluids. Includes medical examiners. |
| 29-1223 | Psychiatrists | Physicians who diagnose, treat, and help prevent mental disorders. Excludes “Clinical and Counseling Psychologists” (19-3033) and “School Psychologists” (19-3034). |
| 29-1224 | Radiologists | Physicians who diagnose and treat diseases and injuries using medical imaging techniques, such as x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, and ultrasounds. May perform medical and minimally invasive procedures and tests. |
| 29-1229 | Physicians, All Other | All physicians not listed separately. |
| 29-1240 | Surgeons | |
| 29-1241 | Ophthalmologists | Physicians who diagnose, manage, treat, and help prevent disorders, conditions and diseases of the eye and visual system. May perform both medical and surgery functions on the eye and visual system. May also provide vision services (glasses and contacts) for treatment. Excludes “Optometrist” (29-1041). |
| 29-1242 | Orthopaedic Surgeons | Physicians who diagnose, treat and prevent rheumatic and other diseases in the musculoskeletal system, with a primary surgical focus. |
| 29-1243 | Surgeons, Pediatric | All pediatric surgical specialties and subspecialties. |
| 29-1249 | Surgeons, All Other | All surgeons not listed separately. Excludes “Surgeons, Pediatric” (29-1243). |