Taking a beating. Healthcare execs see stock holdings, company portfolios nosedive

The pounding that healthcare companies have taken on Wall Street is getting personal for their CEOs, whose holdings at their respective companies are down more than $180 million in value this year. "The key driver of incentives is stock holding. That's where the action is," says Wayne Guay, left, of the Wharton School. Boards may want to consider increasing their CEOs' relative weighting to equity compensation, he says.

Strong performance. Healthcare executives reaped big rewards in 2010, with returning hospital CEOs seeing a 58.2% gain in compensation

Healthcare CEOs saw their compensation slip relative to other industries but still earned big paydays last year. "2010 was a great year for corporate earnings and stock performance," says Steve Kaplan, left, a professor of finance and entrepreneurship. "Part of the reason for the increase in pay is that the CEOs delivered in 2010."

Subsidized then scrutinized. Reform will bring billions of dollars to the industry, but it could also deliver added examination of executive pay

With more government involvement comes more government attention. That's the lesson about executive pay healthcare CEOs could learn as the reform law and its ramifications settle into place. "It's important for the people who are scraping together the dollars to pay their health insurance premiums to know what luxurious lives these CEOs are leading. They're living in a parallel universe", says U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, left.

The big pay (scale) back. In the midst of a recession, healthcare execs see their compensation make a marked decline

Partly thanks to the stock market downturn, fiscal 2008 was the first time in its seven-year history that our annual survey of CEO compensation saw no one raking in more than $15 million. Overall, 2008 shows "a slight decline in executive comp from 2007, but they don't show a sharp downturn, given the drop in company earnings and stock market performance. That's the thing that I'm looking for next," says business professor Ed Lawler, left.

Executive pay is rising guess who's footing the bill?

With the credit crunch hard upon us and the news full of failing businesses, G20 protests and all-round financial anxiety, you would think that now would be a good time for everyone to tighten their belts, cancel any exotic holiday plans and put thoughts of a pay rise on the back burner. Well, you’d be wrong. Unfortunately, it seems that one group of public sector employees has forgotten to read the newspapers lately and, uncomfortably for any of us connected to the NHS, we are not talking about fatcat hedge fund managers or Russian billionaires, but the very people in charge of our health services – Trust chief executives.

Transitioning dementia residents from assisted living to memory care units: a pilot study

Our study examined the process of transitioning residents of assisted living facilities (ALFs) who have Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder to memory care units (MCUs). In-depth surveys with 10 ALF administrators in South Carolina were conducted. Grounded theory identified major themes; thematic analysis organized content. Most administrators used a preadmission screening process to assess cognitive status. About half reported that they discussed the possibility of future transfer to another level of care with the family at admission. Most administrators said that their facilities had transfer policies in place; of these, only two-thirds discussed their policies with families on admission. Transfer triggers included leaving the facility without anyone's knowledge, disturbing behaviors, and increased care needs. Challenges included family resistance and greater costs of MCUs. Assisted living facilities that were part of continuing care retirement communities used more multidisciplinary transfer decision-making than free-standing ALFs. Suggested improvements stressed educating families about dementia and MCUs.

Still making their ascent. Disclosure rules don't hinder CEOs from big paydays, perks, as salaries for top-level healthcare execs rose 4% for 2007

A tight economy and stricter disclosure rules on CEO compensation don't seem to have tamped down the trend for extravagant paydays. Eleven of the 30 CEOs in Modern Healthcare's annual report on executive pay made $10 million or more. But not everything was up. "Incentive payouts, as a percentage of opportunities, have dropped from five years ago," says consultant Jim Nelson, left.

The early career progress of baccalaureate healthcare management students

Programs in healthcare management are increasingly asked to demonstrate program outcomes by identifying graduates working in the profession of healthcare management. In particular, standards under AUPHA's certification process for undergraduate programs require that programs identify programmatic and educational outcomes. However, little is known about the career track of undergraduate healthcare management graduates. This paper describes management roles and settings for the graduates of a baccalaureate program in healthcare management, and presents salary and career progression information obtained from a recent alumni survey. Findings and implications are important to highlight the success of program graduates, and support the value of undergraduate programs in healthcare management.

Good times. New accounting rules mean fewer stock options for healthcare CEOs, but the highest paid execs are still raking it in

Healthcare CEOs are getting fewer stock options, thanks to new accounting rules, but that doesn't mean the top-paid executives are doing without. UnitedHealth's William McGuire led the pack with total compensation of $124.8 million in fiscal 2004. Even the second-highest paid hospital exec, Triad Hospitals' Denny Shelton, left, added $17.9 million to his personal bottom line in 2004.