Increases in Salaries Continue to Exceed Projected Budgets

According to 2008 Survey of Manager and Executive Compensation in Hospitals
and Health Systems by Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc.

CHICAGO, July 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc. is
in the process of publishing its 2008 Survey of Manager and Executive
Compensation in Hospitals and Health Systems, now in its sixteenth edition.
This year, 243 health systems and 730 hospitals participated in the survey, a
respected industry resource. Participants submitted data for over 20,000
executives and managers between January and June 2008. SullivanCotter's
national survey provides not only cash compensation data for executive and
management jobs in hospitals and health systems, but also data on pay
practices, annual incentive plans, supplemental benefits, perquisites,
nonqualified retirement plans, and much more. Modern Healthcare magazine
released portions of the survey in its July 28, 2008 issue.
When comparing the data from 165 health systems and 607 hospitals which
participated in 2007 and 2008, base salaries have increased on average 5.0%
and 5.2%, respectively. The increase in salaries is higher than the average
projected 2008 salary increase budget, which was 4.0% for health systems and
3.8% for hospitals. "These results are similar with the outcomes from last
year's analysis," noted SullivanCotter Managing Principal Tom Pavlik. "While
we do not compile data on what impacts salary increases, the competition for
seasoned, high-performing executives is likely a factor. It will be
interesting to see if next year's results are different considering the
increased disclosure from the new Form 990 for 2008."
Modern Healthcare magazine is sponsoring a webinar of the survey overview
and trend results on August 21st at 10 a.m. Registration information can be
found at http://www.sullivancotter.com beginning August 5th. Downloads of the
discussion are available after the broadcast. Modern Healthcare, the nation's
largest healthcare weekly, relies on Sullivan, Cotter and Associates' data for
its annual coverage on healthcare executive compensation.
The 2008 Survey of Manager and Executive Compensation in Hospitals and
Health Systems will be available for purchase in late August. The cost to
healthcare organizations agreeing to participate in next year's survey is
$600; for those not wishing to participate, the cost is $1,500. The survey is
also available to non-healthcare organizations. To order a copy, please visit
the SullivanCotter website at http://www.sullivancotter.com or contact Mary
Kowalczyk, survey coordinator, at 312/739-2000, toll-free at 888/739-7039, or
email maryk@sullivancotter.com.
Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc. specializes in the development and
implementation of strategic total compensation and reward programs for the
healthcare industry. Since 1992, SullivanCotter has worked closely with
healthcare organization executives, boards, and compensation committees to
devise innovative compensation solutions that attract and retain leadership
talent while satisfying not-for-profit missions and regulatory requirements. A
leader in independent consulting, benchmarking, trends, and analyses,
SullivanCotter has developed the most widely recognized physician and
executive compensation surveys in the United States. SullivanCotter has
offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, New York City,
Parsippany, San Francisco, and Westport. For more information, visit
http://www.sullivancotter.com or call 888-739-7039.
SOURCE Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc.

Karolyn Raphael of Winger & Associates, Ltd., +1-312-494-0422,
Karolyn@wingerandassociates.com, for Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc.