Cardiothoracic Surgery wRVU Rate 2026
What Cardiothoracic Surgery attending physicians are paid per work RVU (wRVU), from 12 approved SalaryDr reports, data as of May 8, 2026.
Figures from 24 or fewer reports (after outliers are trimmed) are rounded to the whole dollar to protect privacy.
What a wRVU rate is
A work relative value unit (wRVU) measures the physician work in a service: the scale Medicare uses to price visits and procedures gives every billing code a number of wRVUs for its time, skill and intensity. A wRVU rate (or conversion factor) is what an employer pays for each wRVU a physician is credited with.
Productivity pay is the rate times the volume. Many contracts pay a base salary and apply the rate only to wRVUs above a threshold, so the same rate can mean different pay under different contracts.
Illustration, not SalaryDr data
5,000 wRVUs × $68 per wRVU = $340,000 in productivity pay.
The rate is the Cardiothoracic Surgery median above; 5,000 wRVUs is a round number chosen for the arithmetic, not a benchmark. SalaryDr does not publish wRVU volumes because too few reports include them.
Total compensation, for context
The median Cardiothoracic Surgery attending on SalaryDr reports $1,150,000 in total compensation, from 26 approved reports. That includes base salary, bonuses and other pay, so it is not simply rate × volume. See Cardiothoracic Surgery salary data.
Cardiothoracic Surgery wRVU rates by region
| Region | Median | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | $75† | 7 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median wRVU rate for Cardiothoracic Surgery?
Cardiothoracic Surgery attendings on SalaryDr report a median of $68 per wRVU across 12 approved reports (data as of May 8, 2026). The middle 50% report $62 to $76 per wRVU.
How do you estimate pay from a wRVU rate?
Multiply the rate by the wRVUs you are credited with. As an illustration only, 5,000 wRVUs at the Cardiothoracic Surgery median of $68 come to $340,000 in productivity pay. 5,000 is a round number chosen for the arithmetic, not a Cardiothoracic Surgery benchmark: SalaryDr does not publish wRVU volumes because too few reports include them. Many contracts also pay a base salary and apply the rate only to wRVUs above a threshold.
What is total compensation for Cardiothoracic Surgery?
The median Cardiothoracic Surgery attending on SalaryDr reports $1,150,000 in total compensation, from 26 approved reports. Total compensation includes base salary, bonuses and other pay, so it is not simply rate × volume.
Where does this wRVU data come from?
From compensation Cardiothoracic Surgery attendings reported to SalaryDr, approved by moderation before publication (reports are not NPI-verified). Rates outside $20–$200 per wRVU are excluded as entry errors and outliers beyond 1.5×IQR are trimmed. Every figure needs at least 5 reports left after trimming, the 10th and 90th percentiles need 15, and figures from 24 or fewer are rounded to the whole dollar.
Keep exploring
† From 24 or fewer reports after outliers are trimmed: rounded to the whole dollar to protect privacy.
Source: SalaryDr salary data for Cardiothoracic Surgery (N=12 approved reports, updated May 8, 2026, data as of 2026-05-08). URL: https://www.salarydr.com