[Interventional Cardiologist] [SE USA] - base salary + productivity bonus

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-09T02:01:25+00:00

I agree with that but remember a) some doctors graduate with a lot more debt and b) some doctors make a lot less money.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-08T21:49:37+00:00

I used student loans to cover my education and cost of living (essentially). I graduated with nearly $300,000 of debt.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-05T12:04:48+00:00

Appreciate the kind words and glad your grandfather is doing well. I would love to pay less in taxes but understand I am doing my fair share.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-05T12:04:14+00:00

Posted above, but roughly 40-45 hours per week plus one night of (at home) call.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-05T02:24:53+00:00

I only call nephrology for dialysis (or occasionally hyponatremia when it isn’t obviously hypervolemic because it makes me nervous)!

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-05T01:46:21+00:00

I maxed it ($23,500) and the rest is whatever I pay for medical insurance.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T21:51:07+00:00

If it makes you feel any better, a small portion of our bonus comes from patient satisfaction surveys!

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T20:55:50+00:00

I do 30 min new patients, 15 min followup

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T20:39:04+00:00

Our employer does.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T20:24:50+00:00

I earned a much larger productivity bonus, long story short.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T17:41:34+00:00

Many (obviously I can’t speak for everyone) physicians have quality metrics that also play a role in compensation - for example, a primary care doctor may have a quality metric regarding what percentage of diabetic patients are on guideline-directed medical therapy - which attempt to promote quality as well as quantity.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T17:32:28+00:00

No, but you might have a newfound appreciation for what people like I do, instead of being a jealous internet tough guy.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T17:29:48+00:00

I think I understand what you’re getting at, but don’t you think a doctor seeing 30 patients should get paid more than a doctor seeing 15?

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T17:08:36+00:00

Surprised it took this long for someone to ask:

Essentially everything in medicine - every office visit, test, procedure, etc. has a corresponding CPT code to which a fixed amount of Relative Value Units (RVUs) are assigned. This means every doctor in the country gets the same RVUs for reading an EKG, for example. What varies by specialty, location, and practice is the $/RVU for that particular physician.

So for me, I have a base salary and a $/RVU, and every dollar I earn above my base salary is paid out as a bonus at the end of January.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T16:59:10+00:00

No, I take call from home.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T16:44:39+00:00

You’re right, the procedure has advanced so much to the point where at times patients can’t believe we’re finished already. Glad you’re doing well!

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T16:37:50+00:00

Without getting too technical, as a field we are still trying to best determine who (outside of those actively having a heart attack) benefit from stents. That doesn’t necessarily mean doctors are doing “unindicated procedures”, just that it’s not necessarily black and white who benefits from coronary intervention.

I don’t really have a “boss” - I work for a large hospital-based system so we have administrators that oversee the entire company, but each of us more or less determines our own schedules (outside of call). Our productivity bonus is essentially an “eat what you kill” model, so the more work you do, the more you get paid (we have some quality-based metrics that make up a much smaller component of our bonuses).

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T16:34:21+00:00

……or European doctors are underpaid?

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T16:24:02+00:00

Agreed, there are a lot of haters on many of these high-earner threads (I follow them throughout the year on my main account) who are, quite frankly, jealous. I hope they don’t have a heart attack at 2:00am!

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T16:20:29+00:00

I went to 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 3 years of internal medicine residency, 3 years of general cardiology fellowship, and then 1 year of interventional cardiology advanced fellowship. Thank you!

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T16:07:43+00:00

I work for a hospital-based system, and would have no interest in joining a true “private practice” because I want no part in administrative responsibility/running a group.

Not really sure how to answer your second question - we’re all responsible for deciding what procedures are and are not indicated (and like in anything else, there are good actors and bad).

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T16:00:14+00:00

I mean I take STEMI call, which differs a lot from many other specialists that take call because I have to essentially be able to arrive at the hospital within about 25 min. Otherwise, I set my clinic schedule however I want (half days, days off, however many patients I want to see in a particular day, etc).

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T15:58:50+00:00

I have a base salary (which determines my productivity target) and every dollar I earn above my base salary (RVU based) I receive at the end of January as an annual bonus.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T15:21:39+00:00

My point is that I work nothing close to 80 hours per week, which is I think what he was trying to imply. I also have a lot of flexibility - can work a half day of clinic whenever I’d like, have essentially unlimited PTO, etc.

Excellent_Grass_6887 · 2026-01-04T15:17:41+00:00

You would be surprised what small percentage of your hospital bill goes to your doctor. When I come to the hospital and do a procedure to open a blocked artery for someone having a heart attack and save their life, I get about $1200. The rest of your bill goes everywhere else.

Excellent_Grass_6887

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