According to a 2013 survey co-sponsored by the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, CEOs of independent health systems earned a median salary of $750,000, while CEOs at subsidiary health systems earned a median figure of $539,000. CFOs at hospitals and health systems earned median compensation that ranged from about $200,000 at subsidiary hospitals to about $400,000 at independent systems. Median salaries for COOs at health systems ranged from approximately $350,000 to $450,000 depending on the type of ownership. At independent and subsidiary hospitals, COO compensation averaged about $300,000.
This data and additional details are found in an article published by Becker’s Hospital Review (link below). The article also discusses five trends in hospital executive compensation to watch in 2014:
1. Expect modest increases, generally between two percent and four percent.
2. Nonprofit hospital executives need to address the public perception that compensation is not tied to healthcare quality.
3. Compensation plans will be more closely linked to value-based outcomes and physician engagement and alignment.
4. Advocacy groups are pushing hospitals to align compensation with attaining goals.
5. Hospital executives who are physicians are in high demand and receiving greater pay increases.
The bottom line is that there are new factors coming into play with hospital executive compensation – and the more you know, the better you will be able to navigate the changing landscape. To see the article in Becker’s Hospital Review, visit
