ASCs are run by administrators, business office staff, clinical staff and physicians. Here are 30 things to know about how each of these groups is compensated.
Administrator/Outpatient surgery director
1. ASC administrators earn a mean salary of $108,014, according to VMG Health's 2012 Intellimarker Ambulatory Surgical Center Financial & Operational Benchmarking Study.
2. Outpatient surgery directors make a median salary of $121,389, according to Salary.com.
3. The bottom 10 percent of outpatient surgery directors earn $88,488, and the 25th percentile earns $104,356. The 75th percentile earns $137,772, while the 90th percentile earns $152,687, according to Salary.com.
4. An outpatient surgery director's median base salary accounts for 72.6 percent of total compensation, according to Salary.com. Other components of compensation include:
• Time off: $15,143 (9.1 percent)
• Social Security: $9,131 (5.5 percent)
• Pension: $7,751 (4.6 percent)
• Bonuses: $1,650 (1 percent)
• Healthcare: $6,592 (3.9 percent)
• 401k/403b: $4,429 (2.6 percent)
• Disability: $1,107 (0.7 percent)
Administrative and business office staff
5. ASC administrative staff members earn a mean wage of $22.91 per hour, according the VMG Health report.
6. Outpatient surgical coders earned an average of $20.01 per hour, according to PayScale.com.
7. The bottom 10 percent of coders earn $14 per hour, while the 90th percentile earns an average of $29 per hour, according to PayScale.com.
8. Overtime pay for outpatient surgical coders ranges from $20.95 per hour to $45 per hour, according to PayScale.com. Bonuses range from $0 to $1,221. Total compensation for an outpatient surgical coder can be $29,598 on the low end and $60,565 on the high end.
9. Medical billers employed at outpatient care centers earn a mean hourly wage of $17.55 and average salary of $36,490, according to the Medical Billing and Coding Salary Guide from Coding and Billing Salary.
Nurse and clinical staff
10. Nurses earn a mean wage of $33.24 per hour at ASCs, according to the VMG Health report.
11. An outpatient staff RN earns a median salary of $64,491, according to Salary.com.
12. The bottom 10 percent of outpatient staff RNs earn $50,382; the 25th percentile earns $57,106, according to Salary.com. On the higher end, the 75th percentile earns $72,730, while the 90th percentile earns $80,231.
13. An outpatient care staff nurse's base salary accounts for 70.8 percent of total compensation, according to Salary.com. Other elements of compensation include:
• Time off: $7,949 (8.7 percent)
• Healthcare: $6,592 (7.2 percent)
• Social Security: $4,941 (5.4 percent)
• Pension: $4,069 (4.5 percent)
• 401k/403b: $2,325 (2.6 percent)
• Disability: $581 (0.6 percent)
• Bonuses: $96 (0.1 percent)
14. An ambulatory PACU nurse earns an average salary of $57,000, according to the Nurse Journal.
15. An ambulatory surgical technologist makes an average salary of $41,000, according to the Nurse Journal.
Gastroenterologist
16. GI/endoscopy procedures account for 27 percent of all ASC cases, according to the VMG report. Gastroenterologists earn an average salary of $370,000 per year, according to the Medscape Gastroenterologist Compensation Report 2015.
17. Gastroenterologists earn an average of $14,000 for non-patient care activities including speaking engagements, product sales and expert witness duties, according to the Medscape report.
18. Self-employed gastroenterologists earn more than employed gastroenterologists. Self-employed, male GI physicians earn an average of $419,000; self-employed, female GI physicians earn an average of $434,000. Employed, male gastroenterologists earn $321,000; employed, female gastroenterologists earn $292,000.
19. Gastroenterologist compensation varies across the country, according to the Medscape report.
• Northwest: $505,000
• Southwest: $463,000
• Southeast: $387,000
• Northeast: $379,000
• South Central: $367,000
• West: $365,000
• Mid-Atlantic: $357,000
• Great Lakes: $348,000
• North Central: $310,000
20. A gastroenterologist's base salary is 75.3 percent of his or her total compensation, according to Salary.com. Other factors contributing to salary include:
• Time off: $44,649 (9.8 percent)
• Bonuses: $19,518 (4.3 percent)
• Pension: $16,695 (3.7 percent)
• Healthcare: $6,592 (1.4 percent)
• Social Security: $12,607 (2.8 percent)
• 401k/403b: $9,540 (2.1 percent)
• Disability: $3,265 (0.7 percent)
Ophthalmologist
21. Ophthalmology is the second largest ASC specialty by volume, account for 17 percent of all ASC cases, according to the VMG report. Ophthalmologists earn an average salary of $292,000, according to the Medscape Ophthalmologist Compensation Report 2015.
22. Ophthalmologists garner an average of $14,000 for non-patient care activities, according to the Medscape report.
23. Employed, male ophthalmologists earn $252,000, while self-employed male gastroenterologists earn an average salary of $344,000. Female, employed ophthalmologists earn $224,000; female, self-employed gastroenterologists earn $259,000, according to the Medscape report.
24. Ophthalmologists practicing in the Northeast region of the United States earn the most with an average salary of $328,000. phthalmologists in other geographic regions earn:
• Northwest: $314,000
• West: $306,000
• Great Lakes: $298,000
• Mid-Atlantic: $286,000
• Southeast: $286,000
• North Central: $266,000
• South Central: $265,000
• Southwest: $252,000
25. On average, an ophthalmologist's base salary is 76.3 percent of total compensation, according to Salary.com. Other elements contributing to total compensation include:
• Time off: $33,316 (9.5 percent)
• Pension: $16,695 (4.8 percent)
• Social Security: $11,272 (3.2 percent)
• 401k/403b: $9,540 (2.7 percent)
• Healthcare: $6,592 (1.9 percent)
• Bonuses: $3,341 (1 percent)
• Disability: $2,436 (0.7 percent)
Orthopedic surgeon
26. Orthopedics is tied for second with ophthalmology as the most common ASC specialty, with 17 percent of all ASC case volume, according to the VMG report. Orthopedics surgeons make an average salary of $421,000, according to the Medscape Orthopedist Compensation Report 2015.
27. Orthopedic surgeons pull in an average of $29,000 for non-patient care activities, according to the Medscape report.
28. Male, employed orthopedic surgeons make an average of $411,000; self-employed male orthopedic surgeons earn an average salary of $451,000. Employed, female orthopedic surgeons earn an average of $329,000, while self-employed, female orthopedic surgeons earn $319,000, according to the Medscape report.
29. Orthopedic surgeons in the Northwest region of the United States earn the highest salary at $460,000, according to the Medscape report. Salaries in other geographic regions of the country are:
• Great Lakes: $457,000
• Southwest: $456,000
• South Central: $446,000
• Southeast: $432,000
• Mid-Atlantic: $416,000
• North Central: $410,000
• Northeast: $381,000
• West: $333,000
30. Base salary for an orthopedic surgeon is three quarters (75.1 percent) of his or her total compensation, according to Salary.com. Other aspects of compensation include:
• Time off: $58,736 (10 percent)
• Bonuses: $36,251 (6.2 percent)
• Pension: $16,695 (2.8 percent)
• Social Security: $14,267 (2.4 percent)
• 401k/403b: $9,540 (1.6 percent)
• Healthcare: $6,592 (1.1 percent)
• Disability: $4,295 (0.7 percent)