Median total compensation for a full-time cardiologist rose nearly 5% to $727,712 in 2025, according to MedAxiom’s 2026 Cardiovascular Provider Compensation & Production Survey Report.
The report draws on 2025 data from 205 programs and 6,476 providers. Programs with 10 or fewer cardiovascular physicians made up 64% of participating locations, compared with 38% of MedAxiom members. MedAxiom said larger organizations are underrepresented, so the findings lean toward small and midsize programs.
Here are 10 numbers to know from the report:
- $727,712: Median total compensation per full-time cardiologist in 2025, up from $694,954 in 2024. MedAxiom said every cardiology subspecialty reported its highest median total compensation in the survey’s history.
- $603,750: Median total compensation for cardiologists at academic medical centers, which MedAxiom reported separately for the first time. Private practice cardiologists reported $700,768 and integrated program cardiologists reported $773,162.
- About $800,000: Median total compensation for electrophysiology ($803,000), interventional ($803,934) and invasive ($806,551) cardiologists across all program types. General/noninvasive cardiologists reported $654,848 in compensation and advanced heart failure cardiologists reported $662,297 in compensation.
- 14,853: Median work relative value units (wRVUs) for full-time electrophysiologists, the highest of any subspecialty and up about 10% from 2024. Advanced heart failure had the largest increase at almost 11%, but the lowest median at 6,489. MedAxiom said pay does not track production directly: wRVUs for electrophysiology, invasive and advanced heart failure each rose about 10%, while median compensation rose 0.63%, 4.21% and 1.74%, respectively.
- 85%: Median total compensation for female cardiologists relative to male cardiologists ($632,368 versus $745,998). Median wRVUs for female cardiologists were 78% of male cardiologists’ (9,045 versus 11,633). MedAxiom said subspecialty mix may explain part of the gap: more than 60% of female cardiologists practice general/noninvasive cardiology, one of the lower-producing and lower-paying subspecialties.
- 33%: How much less cardiologists who opt out of call earn at the median than those who take full call. According to MedAxiom’s separate call pay survey, only 38% of programs pay separately for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)/interventional call, 19% for general call and 8% for electrophysiology call.
- 2,007: Median patient panel per full-time cardiologist, a record high. Median new patient volume also reached a record 727 in 2025. Both are up 18% from 2021.
- 56%: The median ratio of advanced imaging studies to cardiac catheterizations in 2025, above 50% for the first time. Median advanced imaging volume rose 36% from 2024 to 2025, to 38 studies per 1,000 active patients, driven largely by cardiac computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Median ablations per electrophysiologist rose to 185 in 2025 from 131 in 2021.
- $1,045,000: Median total compensation for cardiac surgeons, up from $942,700 in 2024. MedAxiom said it is the first time any cardiovascular specialty in the report has exceeded $1 million.
- 2,060: Median wRVUs for full-time cardiology advanced practice providers, the first time the median has topped 2,000, and up about 30% since 2021. The median advanced practice provider-to-cardiologist ratio rose to 0.76 from 0.60 in 2021, and median advanced practice provider compensation was $133,791.
Read the full report here.
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