About $80 million in bonuses was awarded to 366 New York state hospital officials in 2016, according to a USA Today investigation.
Part of the money went to the leaders of New York's most powerful hospital networks. Craig Thompson, MD, president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health in New Hyde Park; and Eric Bieber, MD, CEO of Rochester Regional Health System, received the highest bonuses in 2016, according to USA Today's review of nonprofit federal tax filings.
Some patient advocates raised red flags about the bonus pay, arguing that many patients are facing financial hardships. Still, hospital trade groups said rising executive pay is a necessary part of American medicine.
"Hospital CEO compensation reflects their myriad operational and fiscal responsibilities, the complexity of running sophisticated medical centers that literally never close and employ thousands, and the national market for their talents," Brian Conway, a Greater New York Hospital Association spokesman, told USA Today.
For the full investigation, click here.
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