Compensation rising for cardiology APPs as they get more involved in patient care
Compensation is on the rise for advanced practice providers (APPs) in cardiology, cardiac surgery and vascular surgery, according to a new report from MedAxiom, an American College of Cardiology company. Median compensation for cardiology APPs was $124,000 in 2023, up 2.5% since 2022 and up 15% since 2019. Meanwhile, median compensation was $153,000 for cardiac surgery APPs and $133,000 for vascular surgery APPs in 2023; both numbers represent significant increases over the last five years.
APPs continue to play a significant role in cardiology, helping private practices and hospitals overcome the challenges brought on by an ongoing physician shortage, declining reimbursements and an aging population. For its 2024 Cardiovascular Advanced Practice Provider Compensation and Utilization Report, MedAxiom explored 2023 survey responses from 90 different provider organizations, monitoring key trends in the ways APPs are used to help with the delivery of high-quality patient care.
“Carefully designed team-based care models with APPs at the helm can alleviate workflow challenges, create a flexible culture and drive subspecialized care to deliver better outcomes,” Ginger Biesbrock, MedAxiom’s vice president of care transformation services, said in a statement. “Staff retention is necessary to make these teams sustainable and effective. This report defines appropriate compensation, incentives, shift structures and performance management to retain and motivate APPs—important leaders in cardiovascular care.”
In addition to the steadily rising compensation rates, these are some other key takeaways from the MedAxiom report:
- The median ratio of full-time equivalent (FTE) APPS to FTE physicians sits at approximately 0.66, meaning that the average program employs between six to seven APPs for every 10 physicians.
- While 92% of survey respondents said their APPs work in the ambulatory setting, another 88% said they work in the acute care care setting. Totals for cardiothoracic surgery and the ICU were 44% and 43%, respectively.
- APPs are most commonly responsible for managing follow-up care for routine patients and patients who have recently been hospitalized or undergone a procedure. APPs also play a substantial role in the management of urgent patient needs and interacting with telehealth patients. More than 50% of respondents even said APPs regularly interact with new patients.
- The most common roles for APPs in the ICU include rounding, admissions, consults, direct patient care management and night coverage.
The full report is available from MedAxiom 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.