2026 Podiatrist Salary Guide: DPM Compensation, Foot & Ankle Surgery Billing

Podiatrists — Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) — are licensed physicians who diagnose and treat conditions of the foot, ankle, and lower extremity. After 4 years of podiatric medical school and a 3-year podiatric medicine and surgery residency (PMSR), podiatrists practice in a range of settings from private office-based medicine to hospital-based diabetic limb salvage programs and wound care centers. Compensation in 2026 runs from $180,000 to $400,000+ depending on surgical volume, subspecialty training, practice model, and geographic market. Foot and ankle fellowship-trained podiatrists (ABFAS board-certified in reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery) earn at the top of the range.

Salary overview by practice setting

• Hospital-employed podiatrist (inpatient consults + wound care): $200,000–$300,000; diabetic foot wound management, pre-operative clearance, inpatient limb salvage consultation; PSLF-eligible at nonprofit hospitals; strong demand in health systems building comprehensive diabetic limb salvage programs
• Outpatient wound care center podiatrist: $220,000–$320,000; Healogics or hospital-owned wound center staffing; high-volume debridement and offloading; overlaps with wound care physician scope; podiatrists perform the majority of routine chronic wound debridement in the US
• Private podiatry practice (general): $200,000–$340,000; office-based; high volume of routine podiatric care (ingrown toenails, mycotic nails, plantar warts, plantar fasciitis); orthotics dispensing (ancillary revenue); minor surgical procedures; referral-driven surgical cases
• Foot and ankle surgical subspecialist (ABFAS reconstructive rearfoot/ankle certified): $280,000–$420,000; complex reconstructive foot and ankle surgery (total ankle replacement, flatfoot reconstruction, calcaneal osteotomy); higher wRVU surgical volume; competing directly with orthopedic foot and ankle surgeons in many markets
• Academic podiatric surgery (VA, teaching hospital): $180,000–$270,000; resident and student training; research in diabetic foot disease, wound healing, biomechanics; PSLF-eligible; lower compensation ceiling

Podiatric procedures and CPT billing

• Ingrown toenail excision (partial nail avulsion): CPT 11750 (permanent nail removal); professional fee $250–$500; high-volume bread-and-butter procedure; insurance-covered; CPT 11751 (excess nail fold) and 11752 (with matrix excision) for complete removal; multiple toes in one visit billed with modifier
• Nail debridement (mycotic/dystrophic nails): CPT 11720 (1–5 nails) or 11721 (6+ nails); professional fee $80–$150; high-volume geriatric practice procedure; done quickly in-office; insurance coverage varies by payer (many require evidence of medical necessity such as pain or impaired ambulation)
• Wound debridement (selective): CPT 97597 (first 20 cm²); professional fee $150–$300; same code set as wound care physicians (see wound care salary guide); podiatrists perform the majority of diabetic foot ulcer debridement nationally; high-volume wound care programs bill this code dozens of times per clinic day
• Bunionectomy (hallux valgus correction): CPT 28296 (Lapidus procedure — first tarsometatarsal joint arthrodesis); professional fee $3,000–$5,000; 8.0 wRVU; Lapidus bunionectomy growing in adoption; CPT 28292 (Keller arthroplasty), 28294 (tendon transfer), 28295 (Joplin's procedure) for alternative techniques; Austin/Chevron osteotomy (CPT 28296 or 28296 with modifier); correction of metatarsus primus varus
• Hammertoe correction: CPT 28285 (hammertoe correction with implant) or 28286 (proximal interphalangeal joint arthroplasty); professional fee $1,500–$3,000 per toe; multiple hammertoe corrections in one session add significant aggregate wRVU; PIP arthrodesis (CPT 28285) increasingly performed with intramedullary implant
• Plantar fascia release (plantar fasciectomy): CPT 28119; professional fee $1,500–$3,000; open partial plantar fasciectomy; CPT 28008 for open release; endoscopic plantar fasciotomy (ECSW) less commonly billed separately; common surgical treatment for recalcitrant plantar fasciitis after conservative management failure
• Achilles tendon repair: CPT 27650 (primary repair); professional fee $2,500–$4,500; 9.0 wRVU; acute Achilles rupture repair; open vs. mini-open vs. percutaneous; Achilles tendinopathy surgery (CPT 27680 tenolysis, CPT 27881 Haglund's deformity resection) for insertional and non-insertional chronic disease
• Total ankle arthroplasty (ankle replacement): CPT 27702; professional fee $4,000–$7,000; 20+ wRVU; growing market with expanded implant options (STAR, Salto-Talaris, Scandinavian Total Ankle Replacement, InBone); competes with ankle arthrodesis as definitive end-stage ankle arthritis treatment; foot and ankle fellowship required for competence and credentialing acceptance
• Ankle arthroscopy: CPT 29894 (with removal of loose body) / 29895 (synovectomy) / 29897 (debridement) / 29898 (multiple procedures); professional fee $1,500–$3,500; diagnostic and operative; osteochondral lesion of the talus treatment (microfracture CPT 29891, OATS CPT 29892); growing volume as ankle preservation gains favor over arthrodesis in younger patients
• Calcaneal osteotomy (flatfoot reconstruction): CPT 27700 (arthrodesis) or calcaneal osteotomy CPT codes; professional fee $3,500–$6,000; adult acquired flatfoot deformity (PTTD) reconstruction; medializing calcaneal osteotomy + FDL tendon transfer + spring ligament repair; highest-complexity reconstructive rearfoot surgery in podiatric scope
• Fifth metatarsal fracture (Jones fracture) repair: CPT 28322 (open treatment); professional fee $2,000–$3,500; intramedullary screw fixation; common in athletes; distinction between Jones fracture (zone II — high non-union risk requiring surgical fixation) vs. pseudo-Jones/avulsion fracture (zone I — typically conservative management) is key to billing appropriateness
• Neuroma excision (Morton's neuroma): CPT 28080; professional fee $1,500–$2,500; interdigital neuroma excision; dorsal approach; CPT 64782 (excision of nerve, foot) as alternative coding; non-surgical alcohol sclerosing injection (CPT 64632) as a less invasive option billed in-office
• Custom orthotics: A5512 (custom-molded shoe insert, each) or L3030 (foot insert, removable, custom molded); reimbursement $100–$300 each; requires casting and clinical documentation; ancillary revenue in private practice; Medicare covers therapeutic footwear for diabetic patients (A5500 diabetic shoe, A5512 custom insert) under Therapeutic Footwear Benefit
• Wound care biologics (same CPT 15271–15272 as wound care section): Application of cellular tissue products to diabetic foot ulcers; buy-and-bill margin as described in wound care guide; podiatrists with high-volume DFU practices leverage CTP formulary management for meaningful ancillary income

Diabetic limb salvage: the core market driver

The US diabetic foot disease burden — approximately 34 million Americans with diabetes, of whom 15–25% develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime, and 20% of those ulcers lead to amputation — is the single largest driver of podiatric demand. Podiatrists are the primary providers of diabetic foot care nationally. Health systems building comprehensive diabetic limb salvage programs (combining vascular surgery, podiatric surgery, wound care, endocrinology, and infectious disease) create the highest-value employed podiatric positions — those with both surgical and wound care scope, inpatient access, and strong vascular surgery partnership.

Geographic variation in podiatrist compensation

• Southeast US (FL, GA, MS, LA, AL): Highest diabetic foot burden nationally; strong wound care center density; high Medicare beneficiary population; podiatric demand exceeds supply in rural and suburban Southeast markets
• Urban markets nationally: $220,000–$360,000 employed; private practice ceiling higher in affluent urban demographics (surgical foot and ankle procedures, orthotic dispensing, sports podiatry)
• Rural and underserved markets: $240,000–$380,000 when positions exist; podiatry access gap in rural areas; significant patient demand for routine podiatric care from underserved communities; strong loan repayment opportunities (NHSC, rural health clinic)
• VA system: $200,000–$290,000 GS-equivalent compensation; strong diabetic foot care mission; PSLF-eligible; consistent schedule and benefits

What we see at Ava Health

Podiatrists in our recruiting database are among the most actively responsive healthcare providers to outreach. The practice model is portable — routine podiatric care exists in every geographic market — and the diabetic foot care demand is highest in the Sun Belt markets where we have the most active healthcare system clients. Foot and ankle fellowship-trained DPMs (ABFAS reconstructive rearfoot/ankle certification) are the most sought-after profile for hospital systems building limb salvage programs; these physicians can handle the full surgical scope from wound debridement through complex reconstructive procedures and total ankle replacement, and they command compensation at or near orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon rates in markets that understand their scope of practice.

Related: Wound Care Physician Salary Guide, Vascular Surgeon Salary Guide, Orthopedic Surgeon Salary Guide, Sports Medicine Physician Salary Guide.