Cardiology’s busy year: Compensation, productivity, imaging volumes and TAVR cases all on the rise for heart specialists
Cardiologists and other cardiology professionals are thriving in the face of adversity, according to a new report from MedAxiom, an American College of Cardiology company. Productivity is up across the board, for example, and compensation is the highest it has been in the report’s history.
The 2026 Cardiovascular Provider Compensation and Production Survey includes insights into the earnings and day-to-day responsibilities associated with multiple cardiology subspecialties. More than 6,000 U.S. physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) contributed survey responses to MedAxiom for the development of this report. All numbers reflect 2025 data.
Key compensation updates
Overall, the median total compensation per full-time cardiologist came in $727,712, increasing nearly 5% compared to the previous year. In addition, each cardiology subspecialty included in the report achieved its highest median total compensation in the history of this survey. That includes all-time highs for invasive cardiologists ($806,551), interventional cardiologists ($803,934), electrophysiologists ($803,000), advanced heart failure cardiologists ($662,297) and general/noninterventional cardiologists ($654,848).
“This is a strong indication of the tight market and increasing value of cardiologists,” according to the report.
The Northeast was linked to the highest median total compensation per full-time cardiologist ($843,322). The Midwest, meanwhile, earned the lowest ($697,848).
When focused on ownership types, integrated cardiologists earned a median total compensation per full-time cardiologist of $773,162. That is considerably higher than private cardiologists ($700,768) and academic cardiologists ($603,750), though this is also the first year academic cardiologists were grouped separately. In the past, academic cardiologists were placed in the same group as integrated cardiologists.
Additional recent looks at cardiology compensation are available here, here and here.
Productivity gains
Due to an ongoing workforce shortage and an aging population, cardiologists have been busier than ever. Median work relative valve units (wRVUs) are up in all specialties, with the biggest jump seen among advanced heart failure cardiologists.
Another key takeaway from this report is the fact that new patient volumes reached an all-time high in 2025, a trend that may indicate cardiologists are working more as consultants as time goes on. APP support is up as well, reaching an all-time high.
In addition, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) volumes have continued to increase almost every year. The median TAVR volume per full-time interventional cardiologist was 26 in 2016 and 47 in 2025.
Electrophysiologists are also performing more ablations than ever, a trend to watch now that those procedures are starting to be performed more and more at ambulatory surgery centers.
Advanced imaging studies are also growing more common, especially due to substantial increases in cardiac CT and PET volumes. On the other hand, cardiac MRI volumes have remained relatively unchanged since 2021.
“What we're seeing in this year's data is a clear picture of a cardiovascular workforce under increasing pressure to meet growing patient demand,” Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, president and CEO of MedAxiom, said in a statement. “Programs are responding through higher productivity, expanded APP utilization and evolving compensation models. These trends offer important insight into how leading organizations are adapting to today's challenges while preparing for future growth.”
That is just the beginning of what is available in this report. Click here to access the full document.
Stay tuned for a separate look at cardiac surgery trends in the days ahead.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.