When guiding physicians on how to negotiate an employment agreement, we always remind doctors that compensation is only one piece of the overall puzzle. With medicine often being an “eat what you kill” model, throughout our how much doctors make by specialty series, we’ve seen how several factors such as employment type, practice environment, and hours worked a week influence salaries. How many patients doctors see a day can also significantly impact physician compensation, especially for those working under RVU-based contracts or collections based arrangements. To complement our physician salary series, below we looked at the average number of patients doctors see an hour by specialty, and share related insights we found interesting as we scrubbed the data submitted by members of our physician communities.
Disclaimers/Disclosures: This information is derived from our physician salary and compensation databases, but is subject to self-reporting errors and availability of relevant data points from our online communities. This information is provided for educational purposes only, and is aimed at advocating for individual physicians. It is not intended to be used for collective bargaining; please see additional disclosures and disclaimers on the physician salary data pages. Please also do your own research before making any decisions based on the information provided. We are not formal financial, legal, or tax professionals and do not provide individualized advice. You should consult these as appropriate. We highly recommend having your physician employment agreement reviewed by a physician contract review attorney to ensure you have the most up to date and relevant information for your specific situation.
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How many patients on average do doctors see an hour?
Before we dig into stats on patients per hour by specialty below, we first looked at the overall average number of patients across our entire physician salary and compensation database.
The average patients per hour across all specialties was 3.25, or around 3 patients an hour. The median patients per hour reported was also 3.
Doctors reported seeing anywhere from 1 to 15+ patients an hour. The most commonly reported number of patients an hour, however, was also 3.
A note about the data points that reported seeing over 10 patients an hour. A lot of these data points were either radiologists, pathologists, or hospital employed physicians (for example, infectious disease or surgery) who may have been referencing the number of patients they round on in an hour, who were on their inpatient services, or their consult services in their hourly counts. We have clarified these within each of the sections below, and run the numbers with and without these data points to get a more fair representation of how many patients outpatient physicians are seeing. For surgical specialties, a portion of these reporting higher number of visits may also reflect follow up examinations and post op checks. For the next version of the database, we plan on clarifying inpatient vs. outpatient to more confidently break down the distribution.
While this can give us a very broad picture for doctors across medicine, we’ve seen how specialty can heavily influence salaries and other factors in physician compensation packages, so dig further to see how patient counts differ by specialty below.
Average number of patients for physicians by specialty
When looking at patients seen an hour by specialty, we wanted to make sure we had a relevant number of data points to draw conclusions. If you don’t see your specialty listed below, please consider contributing to our physician salary and compensation database if you haven’t already for this calendar year. We will continue to update our findings as new data comes in.
Number of patients seen per hour by addiction medicine doctors
The average number of patients addiction medicine doctors reported seeing an hour was 2.5, with a median of 2 patients an hour. This was also the most commonly reported number. Addiction medicine doctors reported seeing anywhere from 2 - 4 patients an hour.
Different subspecializations were reported for addiction medicine, but we don’t currently have enough data to break down insights further.
Contribute your anonymous physician salary and compensation database today to see this section expanded in the future.
Number of patients seen per hour by allergists/immunologists
The average number of patients allergy and immunology doctors reported seeing an hour was 2.75, with a median of 3 patients an hour. 3 patients an hour was also the most commonly reported number. Allergists reported seeing anywhere from 2-6 patients an hour.
Number of patients seen per hour by anesthesiologists
The average number of patients anesthesiologists reported seeing an hour was 3.25, with a median of 3 patients an hour. This number is hard to interpret, as there was a wide range of patients seen per hour, from 1 to 15+ reported. The most commonly reported number was 1 patient per hour, likely reflecting that the anesthesiologist was in an operating room the whole hour, and we assume that those reporting more patients an hour may be doing things like pre-op, blocks, or small cases, or supervising multiple ORs.
We don’t have enough data to analyze the data by each subspecialization, but we did have a large dataset for anesthesiologists who specialize in pain management. These physicians average a slightly higher 3.75 patients an hour, with a median of 4 patients per hour. The most commonly reported number was also 4.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients cardiologists see per hour
The average number of patients cardiologists reported seeing an hour was 3.25, with a median of 3 patients an hour. The most commonly reported number was also 3 patients an hour.
Cardiologists reported seeing anywhere from 2 patients an hour to 15+. We presume the physicians on the higher end of the spectrum may be referring to consults or those reviewing echocardiograms, stress tests, or other diagnostics.
Doctors who specialize in noninvasive cardiology reported slightly lower patient counts, with an average of 3 patients an hour and a most commonly reported number of 2 patients an hour. Noninvasive cardiologists also reported lower average salaries than interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients seen per hour by dermatologists
The average number of patients dermatologists reported seeing an hour was 5, with a median of 5 patients an hour. Dermatologists reported seeing 2 - 11 patients an hour, with 4 patients an hour being reported the most.
We don’t have enough data for specific insights by derm subspecialty.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients emergency medicine doctors see an hour
The average number of patients emergency medicine doctors reported seeing an hour was 2.25, with a median of 2 patients an hour. EM doctors reported seeing 1 - 5 patients an hour, with 2 patients an hour reported the most.
Full time emergency medicine doctors who saw 3 patients an hour reported higher salaries than their colleagues that reported seeing 2 patients an hour on average, indicating that there may be some productivity based component in many EM arrangements.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients seen per hour by endocrinologists
The average number of patients endocrinologists reported seeing an hour was 3, with a median of 3 patients an hour. Endocrinologists reported seeing 2 - 5 patients an hour, with 3 patients an hour being reported the most.
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Number of patients family medicine doctors see an hour
The average number of patients family medicine doctors reported seeing an hour was 3, with a median of 3 patients an hour. The most commonly reported number was also 3 patients an hour. Family medicine physicians reported anywhere from 1 to 15+ patients an hour.
The family medicine doctors who reported seeing 7+ patients an hour were in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and some may have included coverage of units or rounding in their patient count. Regardless, the number of physicians who reported seeing 7+ patients an hour was a small part of our dataset, so it did not change the overall average of 3 patients an hour.
The number of patients seen an hour was fairly uniform across our different subspecialties/focuses including:
Family medicine with OB
Family medicine without OB
Urgent care family medicine
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients seen per hour by gastroenterologists
The average number of patients gastroenterologists reported seeing an hour was 3, with a median of 3 patients an hour. Gastroenterologists reported seeing 2 - 6 patients an hour, with 3 patients an hour being reported the most.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients geriatric medicine doctors see an hour
The average number of patients geriatric medicine doctors reported seeing an hour was 1.75, with a median of 2 patients an hour. The most commonly reported number was also 2 patients an hour. Geriatric medicine doctors reported seeing 1 - 4 patients an hour.
Number of patients seen per hour by hematologists/oncologists
The average number of patients heme-onc doctors reported seeing an hour was 3.5, with a median of 3 patients an hour. Hematologist oncologists reported seeing anywhere from 1 to 15+ patients an hour, with 3 patients an hour being reported the most.
All hematologist oncologists who reported seeing more than 6 patients an hour were hospital employees who may have included a component of rounding in their reporting. When removing these contributions, the average dropped slightly to 3.25 patients an hour, but the median remained the same.
While we don’t have enough data by subspecialization to draw definitive conclusions, we did note that doctors focusing on medical oncology only typically reported seeing less patients an hour. Doctors in this specialization also reported 8% lower salaries than others in hematology oncology.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients hospice and palliative care doctors see an hour
The average number of patients hospice and palliative care doctors reported seeing an hour was 1.5, with a median of 1 patient an hour. The most commonly reported number was also 1 patient an hour. Doctors reported seeing 1 - 3 patients an hour.
Due to the nature of the field, we are not surprised (and happy for patients) that this is one of the lower patient counts we’ve seen of the specialties we’ve looked at so far. Unfortunately, and also perhaps not surprisingly given the lower volume, we noted in our how much doctors make by specialty series that this specialty tends to have lower than average salaries compared to other specialties.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients seen per hour by hospitalists
Of all the specialties we’ve assessed so far, hospitalists have some of the greatest variation. Reported patients seen per hour ranged anywhere from 1 - 15+ with numbers scattered everywhere in between. The average was 3.75, with a median of 3 patients an hour. The most commonly reported was 2 patients an hour.
We suspect the number of patients reported as being seen per hour has a lot to do with how the physician perceived the question. As hospitalists are often managing many patients simultaneously, we suspect that reflected the higher reported numbers, whereas the lower reported numbers may refer to admissions or time spent in patient rooms.
The average patients an hour were similar for family medicine hospitalists versus internal medicine doctors with the same median and commonly reported numbers, yet family medicine physicians on average reported higher salaries.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients infectious disease doctors see an hour
The average number of patients infectious disease physicians reported seeing an hour was 3, with a median of 3 patients an hour. Doctors reported seeing 1 - 6 patients an hour.
Number of patients seen per hour by internal medicine physicians
The average number of patients internal medicine doctors reported seeing an hour was 3, with a median of 3 patients an hour. IM doctors reported seeing anywhere from 1 to 15+ patients an hour, with 3 patients an hour being reported the most. The vast majority of internal medicine physicians saw 1-6 patients an hour. Those seeing more reported working in hospital settings where a component of rounding or patients in their service may have been included. This was such a small subset of our doctors that it didn’t influence the average or median patients an hour.
With a larger dataset, we were able to look at other factors within this specialty, such as the number of patients seen depending on the practice environment:
Corporate groups: 4.5 patients an hour
FQHC: 3.25 patients an hour
Government facilities: 3 patients an hour
Group private practices: 3.25 patients an hour
Academic hospitals: 3 patients an hour
Nonacademic hospitals: 3.25 an hour
We noted that salary trends looked similar for this specialty by practice environment, with the exception of non-private equity backed private practice physicians reporting less patients per hour but higher salaries.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients nephrologists see an hour
The average number of patients nephrologists reported seeing an hour was 4, with a median of 3 patients an hour. Doctors reported seeing anywhere from 1 to 15+ patients an hour, though the majority saw 1-8 an hour. Nephrologists who reported seeing 9+ patients an hour were all hospital employees, who may have included rounding or patients on their service in their reported numbers.
Our nephrology dataset is currently smaller, so removing these outliers dropped the average number of patients to 3.5 an hour. The median, however, remained 3.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients seen per hour by neurologists
The average number of patients neurologists reported seeing an hour was 2.5, with a median of 2 patients an hour. Neurologists reported seeing anywhere from 1 to 15+ patients an hour, with 2 patients an hour being reported the most. The vast majority of neurologists reported seeing 1 - 4 patients an hour. All contributions above 4+ patients an hour were from neurologists working in hospital settings, and may have included counts from rounding or service counts.
We don’t currently have enough data by subspecialty to dig deeper, but we look forward to updating this section in the future.
Contribute your anonymous physician salary and compensation database today to see this section expanded in the future.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients OB-GYNs see an hour
The average number of patients OB/GYNs reported seeing an hour was 4, with a median of 4 patients an hour. Doctors reported seeing anywhere from 1 to 15+ patients an hour, with 4 patients per hour the most commonly reported. The vast majority of our OBGYNs saw 1 - 8 patients an hour. All our OBGYNs who reported seeing more than 10 patients an hour worked in a hospital setting and may have included service counts of those patients being concurrently monitored/treated.
With a larger dataset, we were able to break this down further by specialization:
General OB/GYN: average 4.25 patients an hour, median of 4
Gynecological oncology: average 3 patients an hour, median of 3
Gynecology only: average 3.25 patients an hour, median of 3
OB/GYN hospitalist: average 3.5 patients an hour, median of 3
Maternal and fetal medicine: average 3.25 patients an hour, median of 3
Reproductive endocrinology: average 2.5 patients an hour, median of 2
Urogynecology: average 3.75 patients an hour, median of 3
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients seen per hour by ophthalmologists
The average number of patients ophthalmologists reported seeing an hour was 5.5, with a median of 5 patients an hour. Ophthalmologists reported seeing anywhere from 2 to 15+ patients an hour, with 4 patients an hour being reported the most.
The majority of our ophthalmologists reported seeing 1 - 10 patients an hour. Those who saw more than 10 patients an hour were either hospital employees or retina specialists, and some may have included patients on service. Removing these higher outliers changed the average patients seen an hour to 5.25, but it did not change the median.
While we don’t have enough data to draw definitive conclusions, ophthalmologists who specialize in retina and vitreoretinal surgery reported some of the highest patient counts per hour. Physicians in these subspecialities also reported some of the highest salaries within ophthalmology.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients orthopedic doctors see an hour
The average number of patients orthopedic physicians reported seeing an hour was 5.25, with a median of 5 patients an hour. Orthopedic doctors reported seeing 2 - 12 patients an hour. A portion of these reporting higher number of visits may also reflect follow up examinations and post op checks.
We don’t currently have enough data by subspecialty to dig deeper, but we look forward to updating this section in the future.
Contribute your anonymous physician salary and compensation database today to see this section expanded in the future.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients seen per hour by otolaryngologists (ENTs)
The average number of patients ENTs reported seeing an hour was 4.25, with a median of 4 patients an hour. Doctors reported seeing 2 - 9 patients an hour, with 4 patients per hour the most commonly reported.
A portion of these reporting higher number of visits may also reflect follow up examinations and post op checks.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients pediatricians see an hour
The average number of patients pediatricians reported seeing an hour was 3.75, with a median of 4 patients an hour. Pediatricians reported seeing anywhere from 1 - 15+ patients an hour, but 3 patients an hour was the most commonly reported. The vast majority of our pediatricians saw 1 - 9 patients an hour. Those who saw 10+ patients an hour typically worked at FQHCs or other non-profit groups.
While we didn’t dig into each pediatric subspecialty separately, we did note that physicians in pediatric subspecialties reported a slightly lower average (3.25) patients an hour, as well as a lower median patients an hour of 2.
Related PSG Resources:
Number of patients seen per hour by physiatrists (PM&R)
PM&R doctors reported seeing an average of 3.25 patients an hour, with a median of 3 patients an hour. The vast majority of our physiatrists saw 1 - 7 patients an hour, with 2 patients an hour being reported the most.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients psychiatrists see an hour
The average number of patients psychiatrists reported seeing an hour was 2.5, with a median of 2 patients an hour. The vast majority of our psychiatrists saw 1 - 5 patients an hour, with 2 patients an hour being reported the most. Psychiatrists who reported seeing more than 5 patients an hour all worked at FQHC and other non-profits or at hospitals, and may have included the number of patients currently on their inpatient service.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients seen per hour by pulmonologists
Pulmonologists reported seeing an average of 3.75 patients an hour, with a median of 3 patients an hour. The vast majority of pulmonologists reported seeing 1 to 5 patients an hour. Those who reported seeing 6+ were hospital employees, who may have included the number of patients on their service rather than individual encounters per hour.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients radiation oncologists see an hour
The average number of patients radiation oncologists reported seeing an hour was 2.25, with a median of 2 patients an hour. Doctors reported seeing 1 - 6 patients an hour, with 2 patients an hour most commonly reported.
Number of patients seen per hour by radiologists
Radiologists reported seeing an average of 5.25 patients an hour, with a median of 4 patients an hour. Radiologists reported seeing anywhere from 1 to 15+ patients an hour. Of course, these numbers are hard to draw general conclusions for, as we would need a breakdown of how many of these patients were x-ray reads versus something more time intensive such as a CT, MRI, or PET scan.
As alluded to above, not surprisingly, diagnostic radiologists reported seeing more patients on average, with an average of 6 an hour versus 3.5 for interventional radiologists. The mean reported patients per hour for diagnostic radiologists was 4, while it was 3 for interventional radiologists.
Related PSG Resource:
Number of patients rheumatologists see an hour
The average number of patients rheumatologists reported seeing an hour was 2.75, with a median of 3 patients an hour. Rheumatologists reported seeing 1 - 5 patients an hour, with 3 patients an hour also the most commonly reported.
Number of patients seen per hour for sleep medicine
Sleep medicine doctors reported seeing an average of 2.75 patients an hour, with a median of 3 patients an hour. Physicians reported seeing 2 to 4 patients an hour.
Number of patients surgeons see an hour
Given the number of surgery subspecialties, we looked through our physician salary and compensation database by specialization for surgeons. Many specialties we didn’t have enough data points yet to assess, and the datasets for specialties below were small apart from general surgery, so we look forward to updating this section in the future with additional data.
Bariatric surgeons: Average of 4 patients an hour, median of 4
Breast surgeons: Average of 3.25 patients an hour, median of 3
Colon and rectal surgeons: Average of 4.75 patients an hour, median of 4
General surgeons: Average of 4.25 patients an hour, median of 4
Neurosurgeons: Average of 3.5 patients an hour, median of 3
Plastic and reconstructive surgeons: Average of 4.5 patients an hour, median of 4
Trauma surgeons: Average of 5.75 patients an hour, median of 5
Vascular surgeons: Average of 3.75 patients an hour, median of 3
Note that a portion of the data points reporting higher number of visits may also reflect follow up examinations and post op checks.
Related PSG Resources:
Number of patients seen per hour for urologists
The average number of patients urologists reported seeing an hour was 4, with a median of 4 patients an hour. Urologists reported seeing 2 - 8 patients an hour, with 3 patients an hour most commonly reported.
Related PSG Resource:
Conclusion
As we see above, the average number of patients physicians see an hour, and thus a day, can differ significantly depending on specialty and other factors such as subspecialization, practice environment, inpatient vs outpatient, and more. While seeing more patients can increase a doctor’s salary, especially on a RVU-based or collections based compensation model, some physicians may prefer to spend more time with patients, even if it comes with a lower guaranteed salary. This can be especially important for physicians in private practice to consider as they plan out their patient scheduling template.
If you’re considering changing positions, assess the average for your specialty and what you would be most comfortable with, and make sure you understand your future employer’s expectations so you can ensure they align with your goals. Having this discussion before starting a new position can help you better find a work-life balance that helps you create a sustainable life in medicine that fits your desires.
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