Using Data to Shape the Future of Cardiovascular Care
In the current healthcare environment, it is more important than ever for programs to understand compensation, productivity and workforce trends. Data-driven insights can be used to optimize patient care and sustain health systems – shaping the future of cardiovascular care.
Powered by MedAxcess – the cardiovascular industry’s leading proprietary database and business intelligence application – MedAxiom’s 13th annual Cardiovascular Provider Compensation and Production Survey report highlights findings across cardiology, surgery and advanced practice providers.
Programs Represented
%
Increase in Program Participation
Providers
(Physicians + APPs)
%
Increase in Cardiovascular Providers
SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Compensation Increase: Compensation for full-time (FT) cardiologists continued its upward trajectory, reaching an all-time high in 2024 of $694,954 at the median. Across all subspecialties, compensation gains were reported despite a slight decline in median work relative value unit (wRVU) production.
- Compensation Divergence: Median compensation for integrated cardiologists surpassed $700,000 per FT physician, while private practice cardiologists saw a decline to $588,479, marking the largest gap in over five years. Cardiac surgeons experienced a modest compensation increase despite declining productivity, while vascular surgeons maintained near-peak compensation levels despite a steep drop in wRVUs.
- Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Deployment Trends: APPs continue to play a critical role in cardiovascular care. Cardiology programs increased their APP-to-physician ratio to 0.75, while cardiac and vascular surgery programs saw declines in APP support per surgeon.
- APP Productivity Growth: Cardiology APPs posted an 8% increase in median wRVUs, reaching 1,987 in 2024. Private practice APPs significantly outperformed their integrated peers, producing a median of 2,743 wRVUs, underscoring differences in billing independence and productivity expectations.
- Access Challenges: Access to cardiology care showed signs of strain in 2024 as larger patient panels, nearly 2,000 per physician FTE, coincided with the first drop in new patient office visits reported in several years. The percentage of new patient visits to total office visits dipped to its lowest point in five years at 15.4%.
- Declining Cath Lab Volumes: Catheterizations and PCIs per 1,000 active cardiology patients continued their downward trend, reflecting shifts in care delivery and the growing use of advanced imaging to guide interventions.
