British Columbia Cardiac Surgeon Billings Reach C$559,313, Provincial Analysis Finds

New physician payment data show cardiac surgeons generated median gross billings of more than C$559,000 in British Columbia.

Cardiac surgeons recorded median gross physician billings of C$559,313 in British Columbia, according to a new analysis of Canadian physician payment disclosures. While the figures represent gross fee-for-service billings rather than take-home income, they provide a valuable benchmark for cardiac surgeons assessing practice revenue within Canada's healthcare system.

Key findings

A new analysis of public physician payment disclosures found that cardiac surgeons recorded median gross fee-for-service billings of C$559,313 per physician in British Columbia. The analysis uses official physician payment disclosures from the British Columbia Medical Services Plan Blue Book (2024) and Manitoba Health (2024/25) to compare physician billings by specialty.

While British Columbia reports a dedicated cardiac surgery category, an equivalent cardiac surgery category is not separately reported in the Manitoba dataset, meaning a direct provincial comparison is not possible using the available published data.

British Columbia versus Manitoba

British Columbia recorded median gross physician billings of C$559,313 for cardiac surgeons.

The Manitoba physician payment disclosures published within the Open Compensation analysis do not include a standalone cardiac surgery specialty category, preventing a like-for-like comparison between the two provinces.

This reflects differences in how provincial physician payment data are categorised and reported, rather than an absence of cardiac surgery services. It is also important to note that these figures represent gross fee-for-service billings before practice overhead, rather than physician salary or take-home income.

Why cardiac surgery billings are at this level

Cardiac surgery is one of the most technically demanding procedural specialties, combining highly specialised operative care with intensive perioperative management of patients with complex cardiovascular disease.

Coronary artery bypass grafting, heart valve surgery, aortic procedures, minimally invasive cardiac interventions and postoperative follow-up all contribute to fee-for-service activity. The combination of lengthy operative procedures, multidisciplinary care and ongoing specialist management can support substantial levels of gross billings.

Gross billings are not take-home pay

The figures reported represent gross physician billings, not physician salaries or personal income.

These billings typically cover the cost of operating a cardiac surgery practice, including:

• Clinical and administrative staff

• Practice premises

• Surgical facilities

• Specialist cardiac surgical equipment

• Medical consumables

• Professional indemnity and other overheads
  

Consequently, a cardiac surgeon's net income will be substantially lower than the published billing figures.

The analysis also primarily reflects fee-for-service payments and does not fully capture physicians working under salaried or alternative funding arrangements.

What this means for cardiac surgeons

For cardiac surgeons benchmarking their practice activity, the findings provide a useful indication of gross fee-for-service billings within British Columbia.

However, billing figures should be interpreted as a measure of practice revenue rather than personal earnings. Differences in surgical case complexity, operating theatre availability, reimbursement schedules and operating costs all influence the amount physicians ultimately retain.

As additional provincial payment disclosures become available using comparable specialty classifications, a clearer picture of how cardiac surgery billings vary across Canada will emerge.

Source

Open Compensation. Which Medical Specialty Pays the Most in Canada? Physician Billings Ranked. Published 12 July 2026.

The analysis uses physician payment disclosures from the British Columbia Medical Services Plan Blue Book (2024) and Manitoba Health (2024/25). Figures represent gross fee-for-service billings before overhead and should not be interpreted as physician salary or net income.

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