Cardiovascular surgeons generate the most revenue for hospitals, according to Merritt Hawkins' 2019 Inpatient/Outpatient Revenue Survey.
Merritt Hawkins emailed a survey to 3,000 hospital CFOs and other financial managers across the U.S. from October 2018 to December 2018. Hospital CFOs and financial managers reported the combined net inpatient and outpatient revenue generated by a full-time equivalent physician employed by the hospital or in independent practice. Primary care physicians determined revenue from direct hospital admissions, lab tests and procedures performed. The survey was completed by 62 respondents, representing 93 separate hospitals.
The top 10 revenue-generating specialties:
1. Cardiovascular surgery: $3,697,916
2. Invasive cardiology: $3,484,375
3. Neurosurgery: $3,437,500
4. Orthopedic surgery: $3,286,764
5. Gastroenterology: $2,965,277
6. Hematology/oncology: $2,855,000
7. General surgery: $2,707,317
8. Internal medicine: $2,675,387
9. Pulmonology: $2,361,111
10. Urology: $2,161,458