22 Statistics on Best Payors for Physicians by Specialty

It can be difficult to determine which payor is the best payor because physicians often find benefits and drawbacks from each company. According to Medscape's Insurer Ratings Report 2011, 54 percent of physicians say the level of payment is the most important factor in making a payor their best payor. Other important factors include that the company is easy to do business with (15 percent) and the frequency of denials (13 percent).

The survey was sent to 307,000 physicians in the United States and gathered 10,214 respondents.

Here are the top two "best" payors indicated by physicians in different specialties. Overall, 29 percent of physicians reported Blues Plans as their best payor with Aetna a distant second, at 10 percent.

Anesthesiology
Blues Plans: 21 percent
United Healthcare: 12 percent

Gastroenterology
Blues Plans: 31 percent
Aetna: 15 percent

General surgery
Blues Plans: 32 percent
Aetna: 11 percent

Neurology
Blues Plans: 33 percent
Aetna: 14 percent

Ophthalmology
Blues Plans: 28 percent
Aetna: 10 percent

Orthopedics
Blues Plans: 28 percent
Aetna: 8 percent

Plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine
Blues Plans: 29 percent
Aetna: 11 percent

Radiology
Blues Plans: 28 percent
Aetna: 7 percent

Rheumatology
Blues Plans: 25 percent
Cigna: 14 percent

Surgery
Blues Plans: 28 percent
United Healthcare: 10 percent

Urology
Blues Plans: 23 percent
Aetna: 13 percent

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