Hiring an associate? Model what that provider really costs you: base salary, production pay, benefits, and payroll taxes — the fully-loaded number most owners underestimate.
Simplified model: total cash = base + (wRVUs × $/wRVU); loaded cost adds benefits/payroll taxes. Many real contracts include a wRVU threshold before production pay begins — adjust accordingly.
Most wRVU calculators online answer the associate's question: "what will I earn?" This one answers the owner's question: "what will this hire cost me?" The gap between cash compensation and fully-loaded cost — benefits, payroll taxes, malpractice, retirement contributions — commonly adds 20–35%, and it's where hiring math most often goes wrong.
Two things to model carefully. First, thresholds: many contracts pay production only above a wRVU threshold (often tied to the base salary), which lowers the number above. Second, ramp time: a new associate rarely hits full wRVU production in year one, while the base salary and benefits cost you from day one.
A common model is base salary plus production pay, where production pay equals the associate's annual wRVUs multiplied by an agreed dollar amount per wRVU. Many contracts also include a wRVU threshold that must be exceeded before production pay begins.
It varies by specialty, region, and market. Published surveys show wide ranges, and the rate is individually negotiated — this calculator lets you model any rate.
Work Relative Value Unit — the component of the Medicare physician fee schedule that measures the work (time, skill, intensity) of a service. Employers use wRVUs to quantify provider productivity.
Beyond cash compensation, employers pay benefits, payroll taxes, malpractice, and often bonuses — commonly adding 20–35% on top of salary. This calculator applies a benefits multiplier to show the fully-loaded cost.
Podo360's multi-professional admin tracks every provider's schedule, production, and payroll inputs — so the numbers you modeled stay visible all year.
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