Telemedicine is the practice of using technology to provide medical services remotely. With telemedicine, physicians can conduct consultations, refill prescriptions, perform diagnosis with live HD video and photos, as well as monitor patient health.
So, how much do telemedicine physicians actually make? Hourly rates range anywhere from $15 to $50 per hour and yearly wages range anywhere from $30,000 to $500,000 a year. This depends on whether or not the doctor is a full-time telemedicine physician, as well as other factors including location and specialization.
Do Telemedicine Physicians Earn More?
A telemedicine physician enjoys benefits that conventional physician jobs don’t offer, which includes financial advantages that stem from remote work:
- On top of more flexible hours, telemedicine physicians can scale their practice by tapping into new markets. Instead of exclusively serving their local community, a telemedicine physician has access to patients outside their state, especially areas that are lacking access to quality healthcare.
- Telemedicine physicians charge by the hour. Their finite resources become much more valuable because every call and interaction is billable. Telemedicine physicians aren’t expected to give an unlimited amount of time for a maximum amount of salary.
- Succint video calls replace long-winded in-hospital visits. As a result, a telemedicine physician can fit in more patients in one day, and conduct more sessions than they would have in a busy hospital.
Physician Salary By Specialization
Salary estimates for telemedicine jobs vary depending on location, job experience, and services offered. This is especially true in the United States where medical professionals can be compensated differently based on their location. The data listed below comes from a range of telemedicine physicians, including those that are:
- Self-employed and operating their own telemedicine company at home
- Those who are part of a hospital or practice and are using telemedicine as a supplement to conventional care
- Those who offer telemedicine outside of their hospital contracts
- Physicians who are working part time (less than 40 hours a week)
Listed below are the most telemedicine-friendly specializations in the United States:
Telemedicine Family Medicine
| Hourly rate | $15 to $200 per hour |
| Yearly rate | $28,000 to $386,000 |
| Average yearly rate | $191, 202 |
Primary care physicians are among the easiest practices to convert into telemedicine, with some physicians offering telemedicine-only consultation. Common duties of a telemedicine physician include diagnosing and treating mild symptoms, providing scheduled physical check-ups, and connecting patients with other specialists.
Telemedicine Psychologists and Psychiatrists
| Hourly rate | $25 to $181 per hour |
| Yearly rate | $60,000 to $300,000 |
| Average yearly rate | $189,000 |
Salary estimates for telemedicine psychologists and psychiatrists depend on their experience. Adult psychologists earn $2,000 to $5,000 more than child psychologists. Nonetheless, both specializations are suitable for telemedicine jobs. With constant communication, psychologists and psychiatrists are able to encourage better compliance and cooperation with their patients, leading to higher success rates.
Telemedicine Radiologists
| Hourly rate | $30 to $200 per hour |
| Yearly rate | $150,000 to $500,000 |
| Average yearly rate | $494,400 |
Teleradiology is one of the more lucrative specializations making the shift into telehealth and telemedicine, so much so that teleradiologists are earning a lot more than conventional radiologists without changing the core aspects of their profession.
Telemedicine Pediatricians
| Hourly rate | $45 to $100 per hour |
| Yearly rate | $45,000 to $250,000 |
| Average yearly rate | $190,000 |
Not all health issues concerning children are urgent, which is why consultations over telemedicine technology is ideal for pediatricians. Instead of going to the hospital or the emergency room, worried parents can easily access their telemedicine physician and get much-needed, urgent advice.
Telemedicine Cardiologists
| Hourly rate | $50 to $200 per hour |
| Yearly rate | $50,000 to $500,000 |
| Average yearly rate | $464,000 |
Managing congenital heart diseases and reducing the risk of complications becomes easier with telemedicine. Most of cardiology care involves patient monitoring, which is now even more accessible since patients can participate in consistent remote monitoring.
Telemedicine Gastroenterologists
| Hourly rate | $40 to $150 per hour |
| Yearly rate | $150,000 to $300,000 |
| Average yearly rate | $175,000 |
Gastro conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and hemorrhoids are typically treated as outpatient conditions. Gastroenterologists who make the shift to become a telemedicine physician can still manage these non-emergency chronic conditions without a hospital visit. Common duties include checking for symptoms and providing prescriptions when necessary.
Telemedicine Endocrinologist
| Hourly rate | $30 to $200 per hour |
| Yearly rate | $60,000 to $280,000 |
| Average yearly rate | $200,000 |
On top of video conferencing, endocrinologists typically use trackers and other bioscanning devices to monitor glucose, blood pressure, and other data. These information will be sent directly to the hospital’s database so endocrinologists can keep track of their patients’ health remotely.
How to Get Started: Telemedicine Physician Jobs
Telemedicine doctors are growing in demand, particularly in the United States. To get started, you can look up available telemedicine physician jobs online in marketplaces like Job Hunt, Indeed, and Zip Recruiter.
These websites congregrate multiple listings, from one company to another, and collate it on one page for easier application. The salary for the physician jobs are typically posted, making it easier to decide whether or not you want to work with a specific clinic or practice.
On the other hand, you can also start your own telemedicine practice, and let your own time define what your physician salary is going to be. Get in touch with PracticeBloom today to learn more about telemedicine, and why you should consider becoming a telemedicine physician.
Read more: What Can Be Treated Through Telemedicine?