Physician Vacancy Cost Calculator
Every day a physician position sits unfilled, your practice loses real revenue. Select your specialty and enter how long the position has been open. The calculator shows your daily loss, monthly loss, total exposure, and what it would cost at the industry-average 118-day fill time.
118 days
Average time to fill a physician vacancy through traditional recruiting channels
AAPPR 2025~50%
of all active physician searches remained open at the end of 2024
AAPPR 2025$58K–$87K
Average fee charged by traditional physician recruiting firms per hire
Industry standard (20–25% of first-year comp)Calculate Your Vacancy Cost
Select your specialty and use the slider to set how long the position has been open. Numbers update in real time.
ROI framing: PhysicianWork costs $199/month. Every day you fill this position faster, you recover $5,500. Based on the vacancy duration above, that’s a 2,487x return on the subscription.
Revenue estimates: AAPPR 2025 / AMN Healthcare / Merritt Hawkins. See methodology below.
How to Read These Numbers
Each output reflects a different time horizon for the same vacancy. Use them together to build a complete picture of your exposure.
Daily Loss
The revenue your practice misses on a single working day. Use this to communicate urgency internally. A single lost week is 5× this number.
Monthly Loss
What the vacancy costs over 30 calendar days. If you're doing monthly budget reviews, this is the figure to track.
Total So Far
Your cumulative exposure over the exact duration entered. Useful for building a business case to invest in a faster recruiting solution.
At 118-Day Average
What the position will cost if it takes the industry-average 4 months to fill through traditional channels (AAPPR 2025).
Stop the revenue leak
PhysicianWork gives you immediate access to 166,000+ physician profiles at $199/month. No placement fees. Month-to-month. Most practices get qualified candidates in their pipeline within days.
Vacancy Cost by Specialty
Reference costs for all specialties in the calculator. Daily figures are national averages derived from AMN Healthcare and Merritt Hawkins data; actual numbers vary by market and practice type. This table is useful if JavaScript is unavailable.
| Specialty | Daily Loss | Monthly Loss | Avg Fill Cost (118 days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine | $5,500 | $165,000 | $649,000 |
| Internal Medicine | $6,200 | $186,000 | $731,600 |
| Cardiology | $8,100 | $243,000 | $955,800 |
| Gastroenterology | $8,200 | $246,000 | $967,600 |
| Orthopedic Surgery | $9,500 | $285,000 | $1,121,000 |
| Neurosurgery | $9,400 | $282,000 | $1,109,200 |
| Urology | $6,000 | $180,000 | $708,000 |
| OB/GYN | $6,800 | $204,000 | $802,400 |
| Psychiatry | $5,800 | $174,000 | $684,400 |
| Pediatrics | $4,500 | $135,000 | $531,000 |
| General Surgery | $7,200 | $216,000 | $849,600 |
| Dermatology | $7,000 | $210,000 | $826,000 |
| Emergency Medicine | $7,800 | $234,000 | $920,400 |
| Anesthesiology | $8,500 | $255,000 | $1,003,000 |
Sources: AMN Healthcare / Merritt Hawkins Physician Revenue Survey (2024), MGMA Physician Compensation Survey (2024). National averages. Figures represent gross revenue per physician, not net margin.
How the Calculator Works
The calculator uses published national benchmark data to estimate revenue exposure. All assumptions are documented below. These are estimates — use them as a starting point for your own analysis, not as precise financial projections.
Daily revenue figure
Annual specialty revenue ÷ 260 working daysRepresents revenue a full-time physician generates per working day, based on published specialty benchmarks from AMN Healthcare and Merritt Hawkins.
Monthly loss figure
Daily revenue × 30 calendar daysUses a 30-day calendar month, not 22 working days, as a conservative estimate of sustained vacancy cost across the billing cycle.
Total vacancy cost
Daily revenue × Days entered in calculatorCumulative revenue exposure for the duration entered. Does not include locum tenens coverage costs, overtime, or lost referrals.
ROI calculation
Total vacancy cost ÷ $199 subscriptionCompares total lost revenue to the PhysicianWork monthly subscription price. Illustrative only — actual ROI depends on how much faster you fill the position.
118-day average fill time
National average from AAPPR 2025 benchmarking reportThe "At 118-Day Avg" output shows what a typical search costs if it takes the industry-average time to fill through traditional channels.
What this calculator does not include
Locum tenens coverage costs, overtime or additional staff costs, lost referral revenue, patient attrition, or recruiter fees. In most cases, the true cost of a physician vacancy is higher than what this calculator shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate are these vacancy cost estimates?
The figures are directional benchmarks derived from published national averages — not practice-specific financial projections. Actual revenue loss depends on your practice's payer mix, patient volume, geographic market, and whether you have locum coverage. Use these numbers to understand the order of magnitude of your exposure, then adjust for your situation.
What is "daily revenue loss" based on?
The daily figure is calculated by dividing the average annual revenue a full-time physician generates in that specialty (from AMN Healthcare and Merritt Hawkins survey data) by 260 working days. It represents the gross revenue that position produces on a normal working day — which is the revenue you lose while it sits unfilled.
Does this include locum tenens coverage costs?
No. The calculator shows only the revenue-side vacancy cost — the revenue you would have generated with a permanent physician. Locum coverage typically adds $150–$350/hour in additional cost on top of this number. If you're covering with locums, your true cost of vacancy is higher than what the calculator shows.
Why does the 118-day benchmark matter?
118 days is the average time it takes to fill a physician vacancy through traditional recruiting channels (AAPPR 2025 data). That's nearly four months. The "At 118-Day Avg" output shows you what a typical search costs if you follow the traditional path. Most practices that subscribe to PhysicianWork report getting qualified candidates into their pipeline within days of starting their search.
How does PhysicianWork help fill positions faster?
PhysicianWork gives you direct access to 166,000+ verified physician profiles — both actively searching candidates and passive candidates open to the right opportunity. Instead of posting a listing and waiting for applicants, you search by specialty, geography, fellowship, board certification, and 35+ other filters, then contact candidates directly. No recruiter gatekeeper, no waiting period.
What does PhysicianWork cost?
The Self-Serve Platform starts at $199/month with no long-term contract and a 14-day money-back guarantee. The Physician Recruiting Engine (done-for-you) starts at $1,500/month. Neither option charges placement fees — you pay the flat monthly rate regardless of how many physicians you hire.
We already use a recruiting firm. Why would we also need PhysicianWork?
Many practices run PhysicianWork in parallel with a retained search. PhysicianWork gives you visibility into the available candidate pool so you're not entirely dependent on one firm's pipeline. Some practices use it to benchmark their recruiter's performance or to source candidates for positions their firm is too slow to fill. There is no exclusivity requirement.
What if I can't find my specialty in the calculator?
The calculator covers 14 major specialties. If your specialty is not listed, use the closest comparable — or use Family Medicine ($5,500/day) as a conservative baseline. The full physician database covers 175+ specialties and you can search by any specialty when you subscribe.
More questions? See the full FAQ or contact our team.
What to Do With This Number
Now that you know the cost, you have options. Here’s how independent practices typically respond when they see their vacancy exposure.
Search the Database Yourself
Subscribe to the self-serve platform at $199/month. Search 166,000+ verified physician profiles with 40+ filters. Contact candidates directly. No placement fees.
Have Our Team Do It For You
The Physician Recruiting Engine assigns a dedicated team to your search for $1,500/month. One intake call — we handle everything else. 3 qualified candidates in 60 days or your next month is free.
Compare Your Options
See how self-serve at $199/mo and done-for-you at $1,500/mo compare to each other — and to the $58K–$87K you'd pay a traditional recruiting firm.
Evaluating physician recruiting platforms? See a detailed comparison of PhysicianWork vs. DocCafe and PracticeMatch.
The Vacancy Cost Is Real. The Solution Is $199/Month.
Access 166,000+ verified physician profiles. Search by specialty, filter by 40+ criteria, contact candidates directly. Month-to-month. No placement fees. 14-day money-back guarantee.