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How We Estimate Patient
Lifetime Valueby Specialty

The lifetime value figures on our site are conservative estimates built from published industry data, CMS reimbursement benchmarks, and peer-reviewed research. We use these numbers to illustrate a simple point: every patient interaction that fails to activate represents a revenue loss that extends far beyond the missed visit.
Our Approach

We calculate 10-year patient value using three inputs: average revenue per visit for the specialty, typical visit frequency for a retained patient over a 10-year relationship, and downstream revenue from referrals, imaging, labs, and procedures. Our estimates reflect a blended average across patient types. Actual values vary by payer mix, geography, and case complexity. We intentionally use conservative figures.

Gastroenterology — $20,000 over 10 Years

ComponentCalculation10-Year Value
Office visits †
2–3 visits/yr × $350–$500 × 10 yrs

$7,000–$15,000

Screening colonoscopies
1–3 procedures × $2,500–$3,500

$2,500–$10,500

Blended 10-year estimate

~$20,000
Sources (5)
  • GI office visit cost: CareCredit / Fair Health data (July 2025). National average new-patient GI visit: $355, range $281–$646. Source ↗
  • Average specialty visit revenue: AHRQ MEPS, via Nextech (June 2024). Average orthopedic visit revenue: $627; used as cross-reference. Source ↗
  • Colonoscopy facility fees: JAMA Health Forum / Johns Hopkins (Dec 2023). ASC facility fees $989–$1,034; hospital facility fees $1,530–$1,761. Source ↗
  • GI physician revenue: Becker’s ASC Review / Merritt Hawkins 2019. Gastroenterology generates $2,965,277 in net annual hospital revenue. Source ↗
  • Procedure volume: MedPAC March 2025, via Becker’s. GI procedures account for 28.3% of all Medicare ASC volume in 2023. Source ↗

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR PATIENT ACTIVATION: A GI patient who no-shows their first colonoscopy doesn’t just miss one procedure. They miss the surveillance schedule, the polyp detection that prevents cancer, and the downstream referrals. One missed activation moment can cost your system $20,000+ over the next decade.

Orthopedics — $35,000 over 10 Years

ComponentCalculation10-Year Value
Office visits †
2–3 visits/yr × $627 × 10 yrs

$12,500–$18,800

Imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT)
1–2 studies/yr × $500–$1,500 × 10 yrs

$5,000–$15,000

Physical therapy referrals
2–3 PT episodes × $2,000–$4,000

$4,000–$12,000

Surgical episode (weighted) *
Blended across patient mix

$5,000–$10,000

Blended 10-year estimate

~$35,000
Sources (5)
  • Average orthopedic visit revenue: AHRQ MEPS, via Nextech (June 2024). Revenue per visit: $627. Source ↗
  • Imaging costs: GoodRx (May 2024). National average MRI: $1,325, range $400–$12,000. X-rays: $270–$300. Source ↗
  • Physical therapy episode cost: Thervo (Nov 2024). PT sessions $80–$150/session; full episode: $960–$3,600. Source ↗
  • Orthopedic surgeon hospital revenue: Merritt Hawkins 2019. ~$3.3M in net annual hospital revenue. Source ↗
  • Joint replacement episodes: AAHKS (Dec 2021). Implant costs: $3,000–$10,000. Average knee replacement: $32,570. Source ↗

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR PATIENT ACTIVATION: Orthopedic patients who drop off after an initial consult take their entire downstream chain: the MRI, the PT referrals, the potential surgical episode, and years of follow-up. A single failed referral conversion can forfeit $35,000 in lifetime value.

Cardiology — $55,000 over 10 Years

ComponentCalculation10-Year Value
Office visits (incl. EKG)
3–4 visits/yr × $400–$600 × 10 yrs

$12,000–$24,000

Annual diagnostics
$2,000–$3,500/yr × 10 yrs

$20,000–$35,000

Interventional procedure (weighted) *
Blended across patient mix

$8,000–$15,000

Blended 10-year estimate

~$55,000
Sources (5)
  • Cardiology visit cost: ThePricer.org (March 2024). Initial consult: $200–$500. With EKG bundled: $400–$600. Source ↗
  • Diagnostic costs: JAMA Network Open (Sept 2022). Echo: $204–$2,588; stress test: $463–$3,230. Source ↗
  • Visit frequency: AHA/ACC 2023. Clinical follow-up at least annually for stable patients; 2–3+ for HF. Source ↗
  • Cardiologist revenue: Merritt Hawkins 2019, via ACC (July 2022). Non-invasive: $2.31M; invasive: $3.48M. Source ↗
  • Heart failure annual costs: JACC (March 2022). Average annual HF expenditure: $28,950. Source ↗

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR PATIENT ACTIVATION: Cardiology patients represent the highest per-patient lifetime value. A heart failure patient who can’t reach you after hours and visits an out-of-network ER doesn’t just cost one avoidable ED visit — it opens the door to a competitor relationship worth $55,000 over the next decade.

OB/GYN — $40,000 over 10 Years

ComponentCalculation10-Year Value
Annual well-woman visits
1 visit/yr × $200–$300 × 10 yrs

$2,000–$3,000

Pregnancy episodes
1–2 pregnancies × $16,000–$29,000

$16,000–$58,000

Contraceptive mgmt & GYN procedures *
Ongoing over 10 years

$1,000–$4,000

Blended 10-year estimate

~$40,000
Sources (5)
  • Well-woman visit cost: Mira Health (Aug 2024). Initial OB/GYN visit without insurance: $386. Typical annual exam: $200–$300. Source ↗
  • Pregnancy episode costs: Peterson-KFF (Sept 2025). Vaginal delivery: $15,712; cesarean: $28,998; average: $18,865. Source ↗
  • C-section rate: CDC NCHS (May 2025). 32.4% of U.S. births in 2024 were cesarean. Blended per-pregnancy: ~$20,000. Source ↗
  • Prenatal visit frequency: ACOG standard & NCBI review. 12–14 visits recommended for low-risk pregnancies. Source ↗
  • OB/GYN revenue: Merritt Hawkins 2016, via Medscape. OB/GYNs generate ~$1.4M in net annual hospital revenue. Source ↗

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR PATIENT ACTIVATION: An OB/GYN patient who leaves your system after a negative first experience doesn’t just take one delivery with her. She takes the prenatal visits, the delivery, the postpartum care, and every annual well-woman visit for the next decade. One lost activation moment can forfeit $40,000+.

† Visit frequency is a clinical estimate based on standard practice patterns. Per-visit cost IS sourced from published data.

* Base procedure/episode costs are sourced from published data. Probability weighting across a blended patient panel is estimated. See source notes for calculation logic.

Retention Economics

Source Attribution

“5% increase in retention → 25–95% higher profitability”

Frederick Reichheld, Bain & Company. Harvard Business Review (Oct 2014). View source ↗

“3–5×: Cost to acquire new vs. retain existing”

Harvard Business Review. View source ↗

“60–70% (existing) vs. 5–20% (new)”

Marketing Metrics by Farris et al. (Wharton School Press). View source ↗

  • These estimates illustrate the scale of lifetime patient value, not precise financial projections for any specific health system. Actual values vary by payer mix, geography, case complexity, and organizational structure. We encourage healthcare leaders to calculate their own specialty-specific values using internal data. The point is directional: every interaction that fails to convert into action represents a loss that compounds far beyond the immediate visit.

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