Interventional Radiologist Salary Guide 2026: TACE, Ablation, UFE, and Vascular Income

Interventional radiologist salary overview 2026

Interventional radiology (IR) is the procedural arm of radiology — a specialty defined by image-guided minimally invasive procedures for vascular disease, oncology, women's health, pain management, and access creation. IR physicians train through a 5-year integrated IR/DR residency (the new training paradigm) or a DR residency plus 1-year IR fellowship. Mean total compensation in 2026 ranges from $360,000–$580,000 in academic settings, $400,000–$700,000 in employed health system and private radiology group positions, and $600,000–$1,200,000+ in private IR practices with ASC or facility ownership. IR is the most procedurally productive subspecialty in radiology and generates professional fees that routinely exceed diagnostic radiologists by $150,000–$400,000+ per year at equivalent productivity.

Income by practice setting

• Academic interventional radiology: $360,000–$580,000; complex oncologic IR (TACE, TARE, ablation), vascular and lymphatic interventions, research in novel embolic agents, ablation technology, and minimally invasive oncology; SIR research grant funding; fellowship training program; lowest nominal income but deepest case complexity and research access
• Hospital-employed or health system IR: $400,000–$650,000; employed by the hospital directly or through a hospital-affiliated radiology group; 24/7 IR call coverage for acute hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism intervention, acute stroke, and trauma; elective oncology and women's health IR volume; wRVU production bonus structure
• Private radiology group (hospital contract): $500,000–$800,000; group employed IR physicians who perform procedures at hospital(s) under group contract; higher income than directly employed model due to group's leverage in contract negotiation; call structure varies by group size and contract terms
• Private IR practice with procedure ownership: $700,000–$1,200,000+; physician-owned or physician-partnership IR centers that perform elective procedures at their own facilities (UFE, PAE, ablation for benign disease, dialysis access, vascular access); ASC-level technical fee capture for appropriate procedures; highest income in IR; requires significant business development and capital investment

Procedure-level billing: oncologic IR

• TACE (Transarterial Chemoembolization): CPT 37243 (embolization, organ/tissue); professional fee $3,000–$6,000; locoregional hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment using drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) or conventional TACE; typically performed every 6–8 weeks in multi-lesion HCC; high-volume liver tumor programs generate strong TACE revenue
• TARE / Y-90 Radioembolization: CPT 79445 (radiopharmaceutical therapy, intravascular); professional fee $4,000–$8,000; yttrium-90 microsphere treatment (TheraSphere, SIR-Spheres) for HCC and liver metastases from colorectal cancer; mapping angiogram required pre-treatment (separate billing); highest individual procedure professional fee in IR oncology
• Thermal ablation — liver (RFA / MWA): CPT 47382 (RFA, open/percutaneous approach) / 47383 (open) / 47370 (laparoscopic RFA); microwave ablation uses same code variants; professional fee $2,500–$5,000; HCC ≤3 cm and colorectal liver metastases; CT or ultrasound guidance add-on
• Thermal ablation — lung: CPT 32998 (RFA) / 32994 (cryoablation); professional fee $2,500–$4,500; stage I NSCLC in patients who cannot tolerate surgery or SBRT; metastatic pulmonary nodule ablation; growing indication with evolving Medicare coverage
• Thermal ablation — kidney: CPT 50592 (RFA) / 50593 (cryoablation); professional fee $2,000–$4,000; T1a renal cell carcinoma as nephron-sparing alternative to partial nephrectomy; high-risk surgical patients preferred; CT-guided percutaneous approach
• Vertebroplasty / kyphoplasty: CPT 22510 (vertebroplasty, thoracic) / 22511 (lumbar) / 22512 (cervical); CPT 22513 (kyphoplasty, thoracic) / 22514 (lumbar) / 22515 (cervical); professional fee $2,000–$4,500; osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture; percutaneous cement augmentation; high-volume pain management IR service line

Procedure-level billing: women's health IR

• UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization): CPT 37243; professional fee $3,000–$6,000; bilateral uterine artery embolization for symptomatic fibroids; significant cash-pay and direct-to-consumer market (women avoiding hysterectomy); hospital + outpatient ASC potential; IR practices that market UFE directly to patients generate strong elective volume; highest-growth women's health IR procedure nationally
• PAE (Prostatic Artery Embolization): CPT 37243; professional fee $3,500–$6,500; BPH treatment as alternative to TURP or medications; outpatient procedure; growing market as urology increasingly comfortable co-managing with IR; some Medicare jurisdictions now covering PAE
• Varicocele embolization: CPT 37241 (venous, single vein) / 37242 (multiple veins); professional fee $1,500–$3,000; male infertility and testicular pain treatment; outpatient day procedure
• Pelvic congestion syndrome embolization: CPT 37241-37243; professional fee $2,000–$4,000; gonadal vein embolization for chronic pelvic pain from venous congestion; female patient population

Procedure-level billing: vascular access and interventional

• Port-a-cath placement: CPT 36560 (subcutaneous port, central venous access) / 36561 (with pump); professional fee $1,000–$2,000; chemotherapy and long-term IV access; high-volume procedure in cancer center IR practices (100–200+ ports/year at active oncology programs)
• PICC line placement: CPT 36569 (PICC, with imaging guidance); professional fee $400–$900; peripherally inserted central catheter for antibiotics, TPN, blood products; high-volume, quick procedure; ultrasound guidance add-on (CPT 76937) standard
• IVC filter placement: CPT 37191; professional fee $1,000–$2,000; inferior vena cava filter for PE prevention in anticoagulation-ineligible patients; declining volume as evidence for IVC filters weakens; optional retrievable filters
• IVC filter retrieval: CPT 37193; professional fee $1,500–$3,500; growing procedure as mandatory retrieval policies expand; difficult retrievals (tip-embedded, tilted, long-dwell-time filters) may require advanced snare/loop techniques with significantly higher professional fees
• Arterial stent placement (iliac, SFA, renal, mesenteric): CPT 37221 (renal artery stent) / 37220 (iliac) / 37228-37237 (lower extremity); professional fee $2,500–$6,000; peripheral arterial disease, renal artery stenosis, mesenteric ischemia; overlap with vascular surgery for some indications; IR or vascular surgery performs depending on institution and complexity
• Dialysis access (fistula creation, declot, balloon angioplasty): CPT 36820 (forearm AV fistula) / 36821 (upper arm AV fistula) / 36870 (thrombectomy/declot); professional fee $1,200–$3,500; hemodialysis access management is a high-volume and clinically important IR service line; repeat interventions (fistuloplasty, declot) generate recurring billing from the same patient population
• Biliary drainage (PTBD/PTC): CPT 47510 (biliary drainage catheter, without stent) / 47511 (with stent); professional fee $2,000–$4,500; malignant biliary obstruction, post-op bile leak, anastomotic stricture; fluoroscopic guidance; complex cases require subsequent biliary interventions (exchange, dilation)
• Nephrostomy tube: CPT 50432 (diagnostic nephrostomy) / 50433 (with conversion); professional fee $1,500–$3,000; urinary obstruction relief; ureteral stent exchange (CPT 50385/50386); recurring patient population

Pulmonary embolism intervention (acute PE)

Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) and pulmonary embolism response team (PERT) activation has created a new high-acuity IR service line at hospitals with PERT programs. EKOS (ultrasound-accelerated thrombolysis) for submassive PE: CPT 36016 (catheter placement) + 37212 (thrombolysis) + 75898 (pulmonary angiography); total professional fee $3,000–$6,000 per case; acute PE cases generate significant professional fee income and require around-the-clock IR availability. PERT programs generate consistent call activation volume at high-volume academic centers and Level I trauma centers.

Geographic variation in interventional radiologist compensation

• Major academic centers and Level I trauma centers: $400,000–$620,000 academic; comprehensive IR scope including complex oncologic interventions, PERT, and rare vascular procedures; highest training environment for IR fellows; strong research pipeline in novel ablation technologies and embolic agents
• Large private radiology groups (hospital contract): $550,000–$850,000; group contract leverage; multi-site coverage; elective + emergency IR scope; equity/partnership in 3–5 years; highest income in employed-like structure without full private practice risk
• Sun Belt private IR markets (FL, TX, AZ, GA): $650,000–$1,200,000+; UFE direct-to-consumer marketing successful; PAE growing; warm climate favors outpatient procedure volume year-round; private IR practices in FL and TX generating highest income in specialty
• Rural and community hospitals: $450,000–$700,000; generalist IR scope (access, drainage, basic vascular); high call burden; significant shortage of IR coverage in rural markets; locum IR rates $500–$900/hour reflect genuine supply constraint

What we see at Ava Health

Interventional radiology is the procedural subspecialty with the largest income gap between employed and private practice models of any radiology subspecialty — and the gap is widening as direct-to-consumer IR services (UFE, PAE, varicocele embolization) develop a sustainable marketing pathway. The IRs in our network who have moved into private practice or partnership in physician-owned procedure facilities consistently describe the transition as the single most financially impactful career decision they made. For hospitals recruiting IRs, the structural challenge is that the most productive IRs are increasingly aware of the private practice economics — and employment compensation needs to be benchmarked against the private practice opportunity cost, not just against other employed radiology salaries. Call coverage expectations and procedure scope are the key recruitment variables after compensation: IRs who are asked to cover complex acute PE and hepatic trauma embolization overnight will negotiate differently from those at elective-only programs.

Related: Radiologist Salary Guide, Nuclear Medicine Salary Guide, Vascular Surgeon Salary Guide, Cardiac Surgeon Salary Guide.