NR vs Rads vs Neurology for ENR compensation

[BronxBomber]

I'm very interested in interventional stroke treatment and there seem to be a lot of ways to get there. I'm curious how the compensation shakes out.

Do neurosurgeons who are entirely endovascular get paid significantly more than radiologists or neurologists who do the same procedures? I'm assuming that the reimbursement is exactly the same, but I'm wondering if hospitals pay more for neurosurgeons since their salaries are generally higher anyway.

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[NOSfan]

Compensation really comes down to Call Pay and is widely variable.

If you choose to go IR stroke route, would also recommend you train/become proficient in cerebral imaging so you can read your own studies. Note, this too is hospital dependent.

 

[oopsy]

If you do the exact same procedure, range of procedures, and volume of procedures, you're going to roughly get paid the same. That said, that's simply not the case. Almost none of these people do just NIR all day. The radiologists read films (or do other intervention cases, ie spine stuff), the surgeons do surgery, and the neurologists do inpatient work when not in the suite. They get paid accordingly. Similarly, your elective case volume is what keeps you afloat. The surgeons get the most referrals (ie- aneurysms, AVMs) in most centers, followed by rads and neuro. Each center has its own way of handling referral sharing, call sharing, etc, and the sticky politics to go with it. Suffice to say, it's the range/volume of procedures that you're doing in the suite + the stuff you do when not in the angio suite that dictates your salary. For most folks, the pay scale goes NSGY > RADS > NEURO, but there is obvious variance. You'll be probably (or at least close to) the highest paid neurologist in your department if you do NIR. On the other hand, surgeons make a ton more doing spine surgery than NIR, but the surgeons definitely make more than the radiologists/neurologists b/c of the other billing they generate with OR time, etc. They also pay for it with their time, etc.