Cardiac Surgeon Salary Guide 2026: CABG, TAVR, Valve, and Transplant Income

Cardiac surgeon salary overview 2026

Cardiac surgery is among the highest-compensated surgical specialties — and one of the most physically and emotionally demanding. Mean total compensation in 2026 ranges from $500,000–$800,000 for employed hospital cardiac surgeons, $400,000–$650,000 in academic settings, and $700,000–$1,200,000+ for cardiac surgeons in private practice or partnership arrangements with procedural ownership. The wide range reflects significant variation in case volume, procedural mix (CABG vs. valve vs. TAVR vs. transplant), call burden, and whether the surgeon participates in technical billing revenue for minimally invasive and structural procedures.

Income by practice setting

• Academic cardiac surgery (medical school + Level I trauma / transplant center): $400,000–$650,000; includes significant fellow-supervised OR time; NIH research supplementation available for surgeon-scientists; exposure to highest-complexity cases (transplant, VAD, aortic arch, redo sternotomies)
• Employed community hospital (cardiac surgery program, 400–700 bed): $500,000–$800,000; typical employed structure; base salary plus wRVU production bonus; call stipend $50,000–$150,000/year built into or added on to base depending on the program
• Private practice / private group with facility ownership: $700,000–$1,200,000+; revenue sharing from the cardiac OR and cath lab; TAVR professional fees split with interventional cardiology partner; partnership tracks vary 3–5 years; the highest-earning cardiac surgeons in private programs performing 400–600 cases/year can approach $1.5M+ total
• Military / VA cardiac surgery: $320,000–$520,000; GS-15 or equivalent pay scale; PSLF-eligible; significant subspecialty case variety; lower nominal pay is offset by pension, no malpractice premium, and loan forgiveness

Procedure-level billing: where cardiac surgeons earn

• CABG — Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: CPT 33533 (arterial, single) through 33536 (arterial, 4+ vessels); professional fee $2,000–$5,000 per case; 200–350 CABG cases/year is typical volume for an active community cardiac surgeon; total CABG professional billing $400,000–$1,750,000/year at volume
• Valve repair (mitral): CPT 33420 (valvotomy) / 33425–33430 (repair); professional fee $3,500–$7,000; mitral valve repair is increasingly preferred over replacement for degenerative disease; robotic-assisted mitral repair (CPT 33420 with robotic add-on) commands a premium in programs with robotic cardiac capability
• Valve replacement (surgical aortic, mitral, tricuspid): CPT 33361–33366 (TAVR) / 33390–33400 (surgical); surgical AVR professional fee $3,000–$6,500; TAVR professional fee $3,500–$6,000 (heart team model — split between cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology at many centers)
• TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement): CPT 33361 (percutaneous) / 33362 (open femoral); heart team co-management; cardiac surgeon professional fee $2,500–$4,500 when participating as surgical backup / implanter; centers performing 100+ TAVR/year generate significant professional fee revenue for the cardiac surgery team
• Aortic surgery (ascending, arch, descending): CPT 33860–33877; ascending aortic aneurysm repair $4,500–$9,000 professional; total arch (elephant trunk) $7,000–$15,000; these are among the highest-RVU cases in all of surgery; 50–100 aortic cases/year at a regional aortic program generates substantial production income
• LVAD implant (HeartMate 3 / HVAD legacy): CPT 33979 (implant) + 33980 (removal); professional fee $7,000–$15,000 for implant; destination therapy and bridge-to-transplant (BTT) pathways both billable; ongoing LVAD management clinic generates recurring follow-up billing; LVAD programs typically at transplant-capable centers only
• Heart transplant: CPT 33945; professional fee $8,000–$20,000 per case; requires UNOS-certified transplant center; 25–50 transplants/year is typical volume for a mid-size program; post-transplant immunosuppression management generates ongoing clinic revenue
• Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS): Thoracoscopic valve repair/replacement (CPT with -22 modifier); robotic CABG; mini-sternotomy; MICS commands premium professional fees (modifier -22 for increased complexity) and attracts volume from patients seeking less invasive approaches
• 24/7 cardiac OR call: Employed cardiac surgeons frequently receive separate call stipends of $50,000–$150,000/year on top of production compensation; community hospitals without in-house cardiac surgery coverage pay significant locum cardiac surgery rates ($300–$600/hour) to maintain program continuity

wRVU benchmarks and production structure

MGMA data places cardiac surgery at the 50th percentile around 8,000–10,000 wRVUs/year and the 75th percentile at 12,000–15,000 wRVUs/year for actively operating surgeons. Conversion factors in cardiac surgery range from $65–$90/wRVU in employed models. A cardiac surgeon generating 12,000 wRVUs at a $75 conversion factor earns $900,000 in production compensation alone — consistent with top-quartile employed compensation. Surgeons in private practice who own or share in facility fees can effectively double the per-case economic yield over the pure professional fee billing of employed models.

Malpractice and call burden

Cardiac surgery carries among the highest malpractice premiums of any surgical specialty — $80,000–$200,000+/year in occurrence-based coverage in major metro markets. Employers typically include malpractice coverage in the compensation package, but tail coverage (claims-made policy runoff) can represent 1–2× the annual premium if a surgeon departs. Call burden is a significant quality-of-life variable: cardiac surgery programs at community hospitals require 24/7 on-call OR backup, and many cardiac surgeons work 6–7 days/week during heavy OR rotations. Programs that recruit multiple cardiac surgeons (2+ FTEs) allow more structured call schedules (alternating weeks), which is a significant recruitment differentiator.

Geographic variation in cardiac surgeon compensation

• High-volume urban programs (NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston): $600,000–$1,000,000+ employed; dominant academic + Level I centers; TAVR volumes highest nationally; LVAD and transplant programs concentrated here
• Sun Belt community and health system programs (FL, TX, AZ, GA): $550,000–$900,000; aging population drives high CABG and valve volume; private practice opportunities strongest here; FL and TX have active independent cardiac surgery groups
• Midwest and Southeast community hospitals: $500,000–$800,000; often single-surgeon programs or 2-surgeon groups; high call burden; call stipends at the top of range ($100K–$150K) to attract and retain
• Rural and critical access areas: $480,000–$750,000; shortage areas often use locum coverage or regional program expansion rather than FTE recruitment; significant loan repayment incentive programs available (NHSC, state programs) for surgeons willing to commit

What we see at Ava Health

Cardiac surgery is a tight labor market with a relatively small training pipeline — approximately 200–250 cardiac surgery residency and fellowship completions per year nationally. The specialty is aging faster than it is replacing itself, which creates strong long-term demand particularly for community programs that cannot recruit from the academic transplant center pipeline. In our experience placing cardiac surgeons, the most common friction point is call burden and OR schedule structure: candidates consistently evaluate how many days per week they will actually be in the OR and whether a structured call rotation exists before evaluating compensation. Programs that lead with their call structure and OR volume transparency attract stronger candidates faster than programs that lead with salary.

Related: Vascular Surgeon Salary Guide, General Surgeon Salary Guide, Cardiologist Salary Guide, Electrophysiologist Salary Guide.