Healthcare Insights
Top 20 medical specialties ranked by percent of total specialty physicians
Life sciences companies rely on partnerships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) to inform the development and usage of their products. KOLs are well-respected external experts and influencers with proven experience in a specific therapy area. A category of healthcare KOLs are specialty physicians who have experience on the management of specific conditions and systems of the body. Examples of specialty physicians include oncologists, cardiologists, neurologists, and more. These highly skilled experts can greatly benefit pharma and medical device companies by helping to inform clinical trials, access target audiences, and grow patient market share for a brand or medical device. to inform the development and usage of their products. KOLs are well-respected external experts and influencers with proven experience in a specific therapy area. A category of healthcare KOLs are specialty physicians who have experience in the management of specific conditions and systems of the body. Examples of specialty physicians include oncologists, cardiologists, neurologists, and more. These highly skilled experts can greatly benefit pharma and medical device companies by helping to inform clinical trials, access target audiences, and grow patient market share for a brand or medical device.
We analyzed more than 15 million external expert profiles tracked in Definitive Healthcare’s Monocl ExpertInsight to rank the top 20 medical specialties with the highest percentage of specialty physicians.
The table below lists the top medical specialties by the highest percentage of specialty physicians.
| Rank | Medical specialty title | Percent of total specialty physicians in the United States | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pediatricians | 13.8% | Explore |
| 2 | Surgeons | 13.8% | Explore |
| 3 | Psychiatrists | 8.3% | Explore |
| 4 | Anesthesiologists | 8.0% | Explore |
| 5 | Gynecologists | 7.2% | Explore |
| 6 | Radiologists | 7.0% | Explore |
| 7 | Cardiologists | 4.4% | Explore |
| 8 | Hospitalists | 3.7% | Explore |
| 9 | Neurologists | 3.3% | Explore |
| 10 | Ophthalmologists | 3.2% | Explore |
| 11 | Pathologists | 2.8% | Explore |
| 12 | Podiatrists | 2.8% | Explore |
| 13 | Gastroenterologists | 2.5% | Explore |
| 14 | Oncologists | 2.3% | Explore |
| 15 | Dermatologists | 2.3% | Explore |
| 16 | Pulmonologists | 2.0% | Explore |
| 17 | Urologists | 1.8% | Explore |
| 18 | Otolaryngologists | 1.8% | Explore |
| 19 | Nephrologists | 1.6% | Explore |
| 20 | Intensivists | 1.3% | Explore |
Fig. 1. Data is from the Definitive Healthcare Monocl ExpertInsight product, the Atlas Dataset and sources from publicly available databases, and proprietary research. Only the top 20 medical specialties with the highest percentages of specialty physicians are included.
What are the top medical specialties?
Pediatricians and surgeons both tie for the top 2 top medical specialties at 13.8%.
The U.S. child population in 2023 is 73.6 million, which comprises 22% of the total population in the U.S. With so many children in the country, pediatricians are likely to remain a top medical specialty for years to come. And with more than a third of all surgeries performed on people age 65 and older, it’s no surprise that surgeons rank near the top of the list.
Psychiatrists rank the third highest in our list coming in at 8.3%. While the Covid pandemic may be subsiding for now, its effect on mental health remains substantial and may continue for years to come. In fact, at the height of the pandemic, 40% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression.
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Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare commercial intelligence from the Definitive Healthcare Monocl Expert Insight platform. Want even more insights? Start a free trial now and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on industry experts.
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