Here is where orthopedics stands today through the lenses of salary, ASC reimbursement rates and more.
ASC
- Orthopedics is the third-most common ASC specialty everywhere but the South, according to VMG Health's "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study" for 2022.
- Nationwide, orthopedic surgeries bring in more revenue than any other specialty, according to VMG Health's "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study" for 2022.
- Orthopedics represents 20 percent of cases for surgery centers in the Mountain area, according to VMG Health's "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study" for 2022.
- Orthopedic cases offer the highest reimbursements to ASCs, according to VMG Health's "Multi-Specialty ASC Benchmarking Study" for 2022.
Salary and wealth
- Orthopedics is among the top five wealthiest specialties, with 25 percent of survey respondents reporting a net worth of more than $5 million, according to Medscape's 2022 "Physician Wealth & Debt Report."
- Fourteen percent of orthopedic physicians reported a net worth of less than $500,000, according to Medscape's 2022 "Physician Wealth & Debt Report."
- The average and high ends of orthopedic surgeon pay have decreased since 2016, and the lower end has increased, according to Merritt Hawkins' 2022 "Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives."
- According to an annual report from healthcare recruiting firm AMN Healthcare, orthopedic surgeons were offered the highest starting salary among medical professionals in 2022, at $565,000 plus sign-on bonuses and incentives.
- Medscape reported the average compensation for orthopedic surgeons was $557,000 in 2022, up from $511,000 in 2021. The specialty also saw the highest average incentive bonus, $126,000. In 2021, that figure was $116,000.
Miscellaneous
- Twenty-one percent of orthopedic physicians said they are paying off student loans, according to Medscape's 2022 "Physician Wealth & Debt Report."
- Almost 23,000 orthopedic surgeons practice in the U.S., according to Definitive Healthcare's PhysicianView.