Hospital CEO pay grows at twice the average for other workers

Chief executive officers at Oregon's leading hospitals saw a significant pay increase in 2011, with seven earning at least seven-figure compensation, according to the Lund Report.

Executive pay at Oregon's acute care providers rose at a 4.2 percent clip in 2011. That compares to a 2 percent bump for most employees nationwide, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,

However, some compensation swings--such as the 92.6 percent increase for James Diegel, CEO of the St. Charles Health System in Bend--resulted from IRS-mandated changes to reporting guidelines as opposed to actual increases in take-home pay, the Lund Report noted. And 26 hospital executives did see their pay drop between 2010 and 2011.

But seven-figure pay packages for nonprofit hospital executives are commonplace across the nation. In fact, 20 hospital CEOs in the Windy City region alone earned more than $1 million in 2011, according to Crain's Chicago Business.

The highest-paid hospital CEO in Oregon for 2011 was Gregory Van Pelt, who oversees Providence Health & Services. He earned $4.2 million, of which $3.2 million was accrued pay earmarked for his impending retirement, according to Lund. Moreover, Deryl Jones, who had retired as CEO of Portland Adventist Medical Center in 2008, received $1.8 million in 2011--one of three long-retired Oregon hospital executives who continue to draw seven-figure pay.

To learn more
- read the Lund Report article
- here's the Crain's Chicago Business article