The Value of the Infectious Disease Specialist: Clinical Impact, Economic Contribution, and a Roadmap for Improved Compensation

Abstract

Abstract: Infectious disease (ID) physicians have long provided demonstrable value to patients, healthcare systems, and the broader community. Over more than 25 years of peer-reviewed literature, ID specialists have been associated with reduced mortality, shorter hospital stays, lower costs, and improved antimicrobial stewardship outcomes. Despite this well-documented clinical and economic impact, ID physicians remain among the lowest-compensated internal medicine subspecialists in the United States. This paper synthesizes the historical and contemporary evidence for the value of ID physicians, with particular attention to private practice, and proposes a framework for practice models that align compensation with demonstrated value. Key domains include directive clinical care, outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT), antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention, emerging pathogen management, and lifestyle considerations unique to the specialty.