Physician Compensation Consultation Lawyer
Prepare For The Best Outcome
Why Choose Michael Johnson Legal for a Physician Compensation Consultation
Every contract we evaluate belongs to a physician. Our attorneys already know how wRVU-based compensation plans work, how academic appointment letters layer in hidden terms, and what a malpractice tail coverage dispute looks like. You do not have to spend your consultation teaching your attorney how physician contracts function. We are not ‘generalists,’ we know you, what you’re experiencing, and how to help.
Physician-Focused MGMA Data Analysis
General employment attorneys typically do not have MGMA access or the context to interpret it for physician contracts. Our attorneys work only with physicians, and every compensation consultation draws on the same dataset that hospitals, health systems, and recruiting firms use to build physician pay structures.
Flat Fee with No Hourly Billing
A physician compensation consultation costs $300. That covers a full one-hour session with an attorney, the MGMA data analysis, and the discussion of what those numbers mean for your situation. If you later hire us for a full contract evaluation, the $300 is applied directly toward the package price.
Nationwide Service for All Specialties
We provide physician compensation consultations in all 50 states, across every specialty and subspecialty. Geographic region significantly affects physician compensation, and our analysis accounts for these differences rather than relying on national medians alone. Volume is a big player in determining appropriate compensation, and being underpaid for intense work can leave money on the table for years.
What a Physician Compensation Consultation Covers
A physician compensation consultation is a focused, data-driven session that addresses the specific components of how physicians are paid. The analysis goes beyond a single salary number and examines the full compensation structure.
Compensation Benchmarking by Specialty
MGMA tracks total physician compensation by specialty, including base salary, incentive pay, and benefits value. Our consultation compares your current or proposed compensation against the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles for your specialty. That comparison shows where you stand relative to physicians in the same field, not a generic average across all of medicine.
Compensation per Work RVU ($/wRVU) Analysis
Many physician contracts tie a portion of pay to clinical productivity, measured in work relative value units (wRVUs). The dollar amount per wRVU varies by specialty, practice setting, geographic region, and volume expectations. A rate that looks competitive for one situation may fall well below market for another.
Our consultation identifies your $/wRVU rate, compares it to MGMA benchmarks, and explains whether the associated production threshold is realistic for your practice volume.
Practice Setting Comparisons
Where you practice shapes your compensation as much as what specialty you practice. Hospital-employed physicians, private practice physicians, and academic physicians often see different total compensation numbers and different compensation structures for the same specialty.
MGMA data separates these settings, and our analysis reflects the distinctions rather than blending them into a single benchmark.
Geographic Region and Urban vs. Rural Differences
Physician compensation varies by region, and the gap between urban and rural markets is larger than many physicians expect. MGMA data breaks compensation down by geographic section, and our consultation uses that granularity to show whether your offer or current pay reflects the market where you practice, not a national composite.
Volume Expectations and Production Bonus Structures
A generous-looking base salary means less if the production bonus requires hitting a wRVU threshold that sits at the 90th percentile for your specialty. Our consultation evaluates whether the volume expectations tied to your compensation plan are realistic, how the bonus formula works, and where the tipping point sits between guaranteed and performance-based pay.
When Physicians Benefit from a Compensation Consultation
A physician compensation consultation serves a different purpose at different career stages. The data is the same, but the questions physicians bring to it change depending on where they are.
Residents and Fellows Preparing for Interviews
Residents and fellows who understand market compensation norms before they interview negotiate from a stronger position once offers arrive. A compensation consultation before the interview process provides a baseline for evaluating whether early verbal offers fall within expected ranges.
It also prevents the common mistake of anchoring expectations to a number that sits well below the median for the specialty.
Some employers will strategically ask you about your compensation expectations early on, during the interview process, when you’re not prepared. A compensation consult can fix this and leave you prepared for that discussion.
Attending Physicians Evaluating a New Offer
An attending physician weighing a new opportunity benefits from seeing exactly how the proposed compensation compares to current market data. The comparison covers more than salary. It includes the productivity structure, the bonus formula, and the total compensation picture, benchmarked against MGMA data for the right specialty and practice setting.
Attending Physicians Considering Renegotiation
MGMA benchmarks shift from year to year. An attending physician whose compensation has stayed flat for three or four years may find that market rates have moved considerably. Our consultation provides the data to determine whether a renegotiation conversation is supported by the numbers. Every 2 to 3 years is a reasonable interval for attendings to verify that current pay keeps pace with the market.
How a Physician Compensation Consultation Works
The consultation follows a straightforward process designed to give you usable data in a single session. The following steps describe what to expect:
Schedule the consultation
Book through our online scheduler or contact form. The consultation costs $300, paid before the session.
Provide your details
We ask about your specialty, subspecialty, practice setting, geographic region, volume expectations, and any compensation figures you have from a current contract or pending offer.
MGMA data analysis
Our attorneys pull MGMA compensation data matched to your specialty, setting, volume, and region. The analysis covers total compensation, base salary, $/wRVU rates, production bonus structures, and volume expectations.
One-hour consultation
We walk through the data with you, explain what the benchmarks mean for your situation, and answer your questions. This session also covers how compensation norms differ across the practice settings you are considering.
Next steps
The consultation stands on its own as a finished service. If you decide to move forward with a full contract evaluation, the $300 is applied toward the package price ($1,600 for residents and fellows, $1,900 for attending physicians).
A big part of this service is also about going into interviews informed, so it’s often the start of a full contract evaluation. It helps you position yourself better early in the process. You leave with a clear picture of where your compensation sits relative to the market and whether the numbers support a negotiation.
Physician Compensation Consultation Pricing
Michael Johnson Legal prices every service as a flat fee. Here is exactly what a physician compensation consultation costs:
Residents and Fellows Preparing for Interviews
$300 for all physicians (residents, fellows, and attendings). Covers a one-hour session with an attorney, full MGMA data analysis by specialty, practice setting, and geographic region, and a discussion of what the benchmarks mean for your specific situation.
Credit Toward Full Contract Evaluation
The $300 consultation fee is applied toward the package price if you hire us for a full physician contract evaluation. Residents and fellows pay $1,600 for the full evaluation ($158.33 per month for 12 months also available), and attending physicians pay $1,900.
No Hourly Billing
The $300 covers the full consultation. There are no additional charges for preparation time, data analysis, or follow-up questions during the session.
The price above is the price you pay.
How Market Changes Affect Physician Compensation Benchmarks
Physician compensation data does not stay static. Regulatory changes, shifts in payer mix, and evolving practice models all influence what employers pay and how they structure productivity-based compensation.
The CMS 2026 Efficiency Adjustment and Physician wRVUs
Why Regular Compensation Benchmarking Matters
Ask Michael Johnson Legal
How is a compensation consultation different from a full contract evaluation?
A compensation consultation ($300) focuses on one question: where does your pay sit relative to the market? It covers MGMA data for your specialty, setting, volume, and region.
A full contract evaluation ($1,600 for residents and fellows, $1,900 for attendings) covers the entire agreement, including noncompete clauses, malpractice tail coverage, termination provisions, and unlimited negotiation rounds. The $300 consult fee is applied toward the full evaluation if you decide to proceed.
Do I need a compensation consultation if I already have MGMA access?
Access to the data and knowing how to interpret it for a specific contract are different things. Our attorneys contextualize the numbers for your specialty, your practice setting, and the structure of the compensation plan in front of you. A $/wRVU rate that looks competitive in isolation may tell a different story once you factor in the production threshold, the bonus cap, and how the employer defines clinical full-time equivalency.
For example, the market norms for “All Practices, Nationally” within a specialty can vary by 20% or more when controlling for practice setting, geography, volume. We see too many physicians DIY’ing their compensation analysis miss these variables, and it can be very costly.
When is the best time for a resident or fellow to schedule a compensation consultation?
Before the interview process begins. Entering interviews with a clear understanding of market compensation for your specialty prevents early anchoring to a number that falls below the median. It also gives you a framework for evaluating verbal offers as they come in, rather than reacting to numbers without context.
Physician Compensation Consultation Questions Answered by Our Nationwide Physician Attorneys
What does MGMA data actually measure, and why does it matter for my contract?
MGMA collects compensation and productivity data from physicians and organizations nationwide. The dataset breaks down total compensation, base salary, $/wRVU rates, and work volume by specialty, practice setting, volume, and geographic region. It matters because employers and health systems use MGMA data to set and justify their compensation offers. Evaluating your contract against the same data puts you on equal footing.
How often do attending physicians need a compensation consultation?
Every 2 to 3 years is a reasonable interval. MGMA data shifts annually, and a compensation plan that matched market rates when you signed may fall behind over time. A consultation identifies whether that gap exists and whether the data supports a renegotiation conversation with your employer.
Is the $300 consultation fee applied toward a full contract evaluation?
Yes. If you decide to move forward with a full physician contract evaluation after the compensation consultation, the $300 is credited toward the package price. Residents and fellows pay $1,600 for the full evaluation ($158.33 per month for 12 months also available), and attending physicians pay $1,900.
Do you provide compensation consultations for physicians in all specialties?
Yes. We provide compensation consultations for physicians in every specialty and subspecialty, using MGMA data matched to your field. Subspecialty data is included when available. The analysis accounts for specialty-specific differences in compensation structure, including how productivity metrics and bonus formulas vary between surgical, procedural, and cognitive specialties. If subspecialty data is not available, we have often represented physicians within your subspecialty and can bring our independent analysis and experience to fill in the gaps.
