Health systems are continuing to invest heavily in employee pay in 2026, but some health system leaders are also putting more focus on what those dollars deliver. The focus comes as compensation has become more important to workers while labor…
Compensation Issues
Physician assistants averaged a salary of $155,000 in 2026, continuing a run of steady raises since 2022, according to a report from Medscape. The topline number hides a more complicated picture: pay growth varies widely by specialty setting, state and…
Pediatric neonatal-perinatal medicine is the highest-paying specialty for nurse practitioners, and cardiovascular surgery is the highest-paying for physician assistants, according to SullivanCotter’s 2026 Advanced Practice Provider Compensation and Productivity Survey Report. The report draws on data from 892 organizations and…
Neurosurgery had the highest median call pay per call day among 34 physician specialties, according to an Aug. 25 report from Marit Health, which collects anonymous salary data in medicine. Just over 1 in 5 physicians (22%) who take call…
Atlanta-based Grady Health System will reduce temporary block pay — extra pay tied to working a set block of shifts — that was implemented during the pandemic by 40% for nurses and some other roles, effective Sept. 26. Grady recently…
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Single specialty and multi-specialty groups were the top two highest-paying settings for physicians, followed by hospitals, Doximity found. Doximity, a digital platform for U.S. medical professionals, released its 2026 Physician Compensation Report Aug. 25. The report surveyed physicians in June…
Neurosurgeons have the highest annual compensation out of any physician specialty, bringing in an average of nearly $830,000, more than $75,000 higher than the second-highest-paid specialty, according to Doximity’s “Physician Compensation Report 2026.“ The specialties with the highest average compensation…
The highest-paying occupations by state are in healthcare in 49 of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to an Aug. 21 LinkedIn post from WalletHub. The ranking uses May 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. A healthcare job…
More than 8 in 10 employers say rising healthcare costs are cutting into wage and salary increases, according to a survey conducted by The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. The 2026 Pulse of the Purchaser survey, released Aug. 12,…
Physician assistants in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery reported the highest mean income of any specialty in 2025 at $162,045, compared with $134,010 across all PAs, according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants’ 2025 Statistical Profile of Board…