Compensation jumps 6% for heart surgeons, hits all-time high for vascular surgeons
Compensation for cardiovascular surgeons in the United States is on the rise, according to a new survey published by MedAxiom, an American College of Cardiology company.
The 2024 Cardiovascular Provider Compensation and Production Survey Report includes data from 202 cardiovascular programs that represent more than 5,000 different full- and part-time physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs). While 85% of participating providers work in cardiology, 10% work in cardiac surgery and 5% work in vascular surgery. All numbers in the 59-page report represent 2023 data.
Looking specifically at the cardiac and vascular surgeons who participated in the MedAxiom survey, a significant majority (60%) came from the South. Seventeen percent of the remaining respondents hail from the Midwest, while 14% work in the West and the remaining 9% work in the Northeast. The median program size for cardiac surgery was two full-time surgeons. Vascular surgery groups are slightly smaller, with a median program size of one and a half full-time surgeons.
Overall, compensation for cardiovascular surgeons has increased in the last year. In 2023, median total compensation per full-time surgeon was $928,000 for cardiac surgeons, up 6.2% compared to 2022. For vascular surgeons, meanwhile, median total compensation was $650,000 in 2023, up 4% from 2022.
The 2023 data represent significant totals for both groups. $650,000 is the highest compensation MedAxiom has ever registered for vascular surgery, and $928,000 is the second highest for cardiac surgery.
Surgeon production was another key topic included in the new report, and it was mostly unchanged in 2023 compared to 2022. Work relative value units (wRVUs) were did increase in both cardiac surgery (10,322 vs. 9,611) and vascular surgery (9,710 vs. 9,379), but not by much.
“Unlike cardiology, where there is a direct connection between compensation and production, the relationship between median compensation and production is more volatile for cardiac surgery and vascular surgery,” according to the report. The authors linked this difference to multiple factors, including a tight labor market where “demand far exceeds the supply of physicians.”
All median compensation figures in this analysis were rounded.
Click here to access the full report from MedAxiom. Prior Cardiovascular Business of the report focused on cardiologist compensation is available here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.