The compensation structure at Southern Medical Group has undergone significant updates in recent months, bringing guarantees and productivity rates in line with national market realities. For years, the base guarantee lagged behind competing opportunities, and the group lost candidates who never looked beyond the initial number. That has changed. The current package positions SMG competitively against opportunities nationally, and when you factor in the additional income streams unique to this practice, total compensation reaches the 75th percentile or higher for non-invasive cardiologists.
The model rewards productivity without creating the pressure-cooker environment of pure eat-what-you-kill compensation. You receive a guaranteed base during your initial years, with work RVU production determining your income once you reach partnership. The physicians who work efficiently and maintain strong patient volumes earn accordingly; those who prefer a measured pace still earn well above national medians.
The guaranteed base salary for incoming non-invasive cardiologists now starts in the range of $550,000 annually. This represents a significant increase from the $450,000 guarantee that was in place until recently, a change driven by recognition that the previous number was not competitive in today's physician market. The guarantee applies during your initial employment period as you build your panel and establish referral relationships.
Once you transition to productivity-based compensation, your income is determined by work RVU production multiplied by a conversion factor. New physicians receive $60 per work RVU; partners receive $65 per work RVU. The $5 differential contributes to practice overhead costs including administrative staff, legal counsel, and operational expenses.
Using the $60 rate, a physician producing at the national median of approximately 9,000-10,000 work RVUs would generate $540,000-$600,000 in base productivity income. Partners producing at the same level with the $65 rate would generate $585,000-$650,000. These figures represent base productivity income before adding the substantial non-RVU income streams described below.
Southern Medical Group participates in a co-management agreement with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare that provides significant additional income to partner physicians. This arrangement compensates physicians for quality improvement activities, metric achievement, and administrative participation in hospital governance. Partner physicians receive approximately $65,000 annually through this agreement, paid through a combination of hourly compensation for meeting participation and year-end quality metric payouts.
The co-management structure reflects the Heart and Vascular Institute governance model, where physicians share accountability for outcomes and receive compensation for the administrative work that hospital employment models often expect without additional pay.
Beyond base productivity and co-management income, several additional revenue sources contribute to total compensation:
Heart Station Revenue: Partners share in revenue generated by the practice's cardiac monitoring and diagnostic services. This passive income stream rewards the collective investment in building diagnostic infrastructure.
Resident Supervision: FSU medical residents rotate through the cardiology service, and supervising physicians receive $250 per day for teaching responsibilities. Physicians who participate in resident education can expect approximately $5,000 - $10,000 annually from this source, with potential growth as the academic affiliation expands.
Research Participation: The practice maintains an active research program with opportunities for clinical trial participation. Physicians interested in research can generate additional income through study enrollment and protocol completion.
ASC Joint Venture: The ambulatory surgery center opening in 2026 will operate as a joint venture between the physician group and TMH. Partners will have the opportunity to invest and share in facility profits, creating an additional long-term income stream.
When you combine base productivity income with co-management payments, heart station revenue, teaching compensation, and other sources, total compensation for established non-invasive cardiologists reaches $750,000 or higher. This places SMG physicians at approximately the 75th percentile nationally according to MGMA data, competitive with opportunities in larger metropolitan markets while enjoying Tallahassee's significantly lower cost of living.
The physicians who shared compensation data during interviews emphasized that the headline guarantee number does not tell the full story. Candidates who dismiss the opportunity based on initial salary discussions miss the substantial additional income that distinguishes this practice from simpler employment arrangements.
The path to partnership spans approximately one year. During this period, you build your patient panel, demonstrate clinical competence, and integrate into the practice culture. Partnership brings equity ownership in the practice, profit-sharing participation, eligibility for the full co-management agreement payout, and the higher work RVU conversion rate.
Partners also gain the ability to employ their own advanced practice provider, a significant capacity multiplier once your practice volume justifies the additional salary expense. The APP works directly for you, extending your reach without the complications of shared coverage models.
The compensation figures above gain additional significance when considered against Tallahassee's cost of living. Housing costs run 30-40% below major metropolitan markets, property taxes are modest, and Florida has no state income tax. A physician earning $750,000 in Tallahassee retains significantly more purchasing power than a colleague earning the same amount in Atlanta, Miami, or coastal cities where many cardiologists practice.
This financial advantage compounds over a career. Lower housing costs mean smaller mortgages and faster equity accumulation. No state income tax preserves tens of thousands of dollars annually. The combination of competitive compensation and favorable cost of living creates wealth-building potential that metropolitan practices cannot match.
The physicians who understand this calculus recognize that the opportunity here exceeds what surface-level salary comparisons suggest. The question is not whether the compensation is adequate; it is whether you recognize the full picture.