Compensation, utilization keep rising for cardio APPs: 10 takeaways

Advanced practice provider compensation has continued to increase year over year, according to 2023 data reported by the American College of Cardiology's consulting firm, MedAxiom.

The "Cardiovascular Advanced Practice Provider Compensation and Utilization Report" used data from 90 organizations, according to a Jan. 2 news release from MedAxiom. 

Here are 10 takeaways:

1. Between 2022 and 2023, median compensation for APPs increased in these categories:
   
   
   • Cardiology: from $121,018 to $123,572
   • Cardiac surgery: from $149.275 to $152,883
   • Vascular surgery: from $120,513 to $133,474
     
     
2. The vast majority of programs, 90%, reported that full-time APPs were scheduled between 40 and 45 hours per week, with 3% reporting full-time schedules over 45 hours per week and 6% reporting schedules between 36 and 40 hours per week.
   
   Of those respondents, 53% of programs reported their APPs worked 45 hours per week or more, showing a discrepancy between expected and actual working hours.
   
   
3. Cardiology APPs in acute care settings had the following shift lengths:
   
   
   • No shifts length/stay until work is done: 12%
   • 8 hours: 33%
   • 10 hours: 40%
   • 12 hours: 11%
   • More than 12 hours: 4%
     
     
4. Responsibilities for APPs in acute care settings were:
   
   
   • Rounding: 99%
   • Consults: 86%
   • Admissions: 68%
   • Discharge planning: 68%
   • Care management: 53%
   • Night coverage: 26%
   • Procedures: 21%
   • Other: 14%
   • Bed management: 12%
     
     
5. Cardiology APPs in ICU settings had the following shift lengths:
   
   
   • No shift length/stay until work is done: 11%
   • 8 hours: 23%
   • 10 hours: 23%
   • 12 hours: 26%
   • More than 12 hours: 17%
     
     
6. Responsibilities for cardiology APPS in ICU settings were:
   
   
   • Rounding: 97%
   • Admissions: 89%
   • Consults: 82%
   • Direct Patient Care Management: 79%
   • Night Coverage: 53%
   • Procedures: 50%
   • Bed Management: 29%
   • Other: 16%
     
     
7. The ratios of patients per cardiology APP in ICU settings were:
   
   
   • 4 to 1: 42%
   • 5 to 1: 19% 
   • 6 to 1: 13%
   • 8 to 1: 6%
   • 10 to 1: 13% 
   • More than 10 to 1: 6%

8. For a cardiology APP to be considered full-time in an ICU setting, their working hours per pay period were:
   
   
   • Less than or equal to 72 hours: 3% 
   • Greater than 72 hours: 20%
   • Greater than 76 hours: 17% 
   • Greater than or equal to 80 hours: 60%
     
     
9. Responsibilities for APPs in the cardiovascular operating room were:
   
   
   • First assist in OR:  88%
   • Chest tube removal: 88%
   • Line removal: 70%
   • Chest tube placement: 67%
   • Line placement: 61%
   • Chest closure: 55%
   • Second assistant in OR (in lieu of RNFA): 48%
   • Transplant harvest: 18%
   • Other: 12%

10. About 50% of programs reported an organizational structure where an APP leads the APP care team, though lead position titles varied. The average cardiology program had between six and seven APPs for every 10 physicians.

Find the full report, including ambulatory setting data, here.