The starting salary and total compensation for neurosurgeons and spine surgeons depends on experience, subspecialty focus and competition in the market, according to a Neurosurgery Market Watch report.
Six trends in neurosurgeon and neurospine surgeon compensation:
1. Some reports have neurosurgeon compensation flat from 2017 to 2018, while others calculated a 5.5 percent growth.
2. In 2018, the AMGA 2018 Medical Group Compensation and Productivity Survey reported the median neurosurgeon compensation at $800,000 and MGMA's Physician Compensation and Production Survey placed neurosurgeon compensation at $821,691 on average.
3. Market consolidation and competition among hospitals and healthcare organizations to hire neurosurgeons could inflate current compensation benchmarks "to possibly unsustainable levels." When neurosurgeons take top-paying jobs, hospitals will expect production.
4. Among neurosurgeons, surgeons who focus 50 percent or more time on spine have the highest median compensation at $796,000, according to the Neurosurgery Executives' Resource Value and Education Society study. Neurosurgeons who focus on vascular, cranial and functional services were No. 2.
5. Starting neurosurgeon salary was highest for vascular neurosurgeons, at $577,000, compared to starting salary for neurosurgeons focused on spine at $550,000.
6. Geographic differences in compensation are becoming less pronounced, while state-to-state differences and the gap between rural and urban neurosurgeon compensation is becoming larger.