Physician pay rose again in 2025, but some reports are showing ASC administrator pay didn’t keep pace.
Physician compensation climbed 3% in 2025, rising from $374,000 to $386,000, per year according to Medscape’s 2025 “Physician Compensation Report.” That increase outpaced the 2.7% core inflation rate, a real gain physicians haven’t consistently posted in recent years. Doximity’s 2025 “Physician Compensation Report” separately found physician pay grew 3.7% year over year, though the firm cautioned the increase was modest against deepening reimbursement pressure and workforce strain.
The specialties ASCs depend on most for case volume captured outsized raises. For example, cardiology compensation jumped 10%, radiology climbed 9% and anesthesiology rose 8% over the past year, per Medscape. Orthopedic surgeons now average $611,000 per year, cardiologists average $575,000 and anesthesiologists average $543,000, all specialties that drive the procedures for which ASC administrators are hired to schedule, staff and bill.
ASC administrators saw raises too, just smaller ones on a far lower base. The average administrator raise reached 5.1% in 2023, up from 4.24% the year before, according to an OR manager survey of 139 ASC leaders. However, that 5.1% bump trailed the 2022 consumer price index of 6.5%, meaning many administrators’ raises didn’t keep pace with inflation even as headline pay rose. Seventy-seven percent of ASC leaders now earn $100,000 or more, up from 58% two years earlier, and 12% clear $200,000, up from just 3%. Even those top brackets sit well below what the specialties above earn on average.
More recent government data confirms the gap holds industrywide. The mean annual wage for medical and health services managers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics category that includes ASC administrators, reached $140,970 in May 2025. New York paid administrators the most, at $184,960; Arkansas paid the least, at $101,500. Every state’s average sits below the lowest-paid physician specialty Medscape tracked.
ASC leaders now oversee an average of 40 full-time-equivalent employees, up from 36 in 2022 and 32 in 2019. More than half reported their operating budgets grew in 2024, and administrators described taking on broader responsibilities as case complexity and volume expanded. Staffing shortages are adding to that load. More than 40% of anesthesia professionals said they’re considering leaving their roles within two years, citing compensation, administrative burden and hours, per an August American Medical Association report.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
