Guides and data stories

Our doctor data guides explain the U.S. health care workforce with real numbers. They cover how to choose a specialty and a residency, how physician pay and RVUs work, which drugs Medicare patients fill, how drug companies pay doctors, and where people struggle to find care.

Doctor data guides by topic

• Medical students and residents: choosing a specialty, residency programs, interviews, fellowship length and your first job.
• Physician pay and RVUs: what RVUs are, work RVUs by specialty, and how to negotiate an RVU contract.
• Drugs and pharma: the most prescribed and fastest-growing drugs, company payments and pill identification.
• Access to care: doctor shortage areas, disability and specialists, and psychiatrist shortages.

How we write our guides

Every guide starts with public data. For example, the RVU guides use Medicare claims and the CMS fee schedule. Then each article links to the maps and pages behind its numbers, so you can check them yourself. In addition, each guide names its sources at the end.

Our guides are general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Therefore, check important details with your program, employer or clinician. Most of our data comes from CMS (opens in a new tab) and the Census Bureau. Read our methodology to see how we build each number.

Questions about our doctor data guides

Who writes the doctor data guides? The contact.doctor editorial team writes them from public government data. We do not accept payment from companies, hospitals or doctors for coverage.

How often are the guides updated? We update the numbers when the federal data behind them is updated, usually once a year. In addition, each guide shows the data year in its sources.

Can I suggest a topic? Yes, please use our contact page. For example, you can suggest a specialty, a drug or a state you would like us to cover.