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Salary, Incentives Reach $1.5 Million for OHSU’s President, Dr. Joe Robertson

The top highest paid executives at the academic institution garnered $754,701 in bonuses.
March 24, 2017

Oregon Health & Science University has released the latest salary and compensation figures paid to its top executives. Beyond the salaries, retirement and health benefits, their compensation includes bonuses paid between last July and February 19, 2017. Such bonuses are based on OHSU’s financial performance following audit reports, Tamara Hargens-Bradley, associate director of media relations, told The Lund Report.

Dr. Joe Robertson, OHSU’s president, garnered the highest bonus, $294,153 followed by Lawrence Furnstahl, executive vice president and chief financial officer who received $166,967.

Together, six OHSU executives received $754,701 in bonuses. One-time payments, often include bonuses, but were not included in this total. They amounted to $111,679 during this same time period and can also include health and wellness incentives and cell phone reimbursements which are considered taxable income.

These bonus amounts were based on goals announced in 2015 as part of annual employment contracts that promised incentive pay if specific goals for the fiscal year ending in June 2016 were met, and are not related to any cost containment measures announced by Furnstahl in March.

In that memorandum, he told staff that a significant and growing budget gap required stricter cost containment efforts immediately.

“Through January, core earnings are now $8 million off budget and in aggregate, we are at risk of not making our budget this year,” wrote Furnstahl. “While a number of areas were able to reduce spending and postpone hiring, the need to contain costs has become more acute. We recognize and thank you for your proactive efforts to date. That said, we need everyone to pull together to solve this problem.

“That is why, effective immediately, we are placing a full freeze on all hiring and discretionary spending. Any exceptions to this freeze will need to be approved by a member of President Robertson's executive team. Please direct any questions about requesting exceptions to your executive team member and his or her financial officer.

“Meeting our budget is critical to our university's long term financial health. This year's $125 million operating-margin target (representing 4 percent of $2.8 billion in revenues) will fund next year's capital and program budget, which is how we make strategic investments in university and hospital initiatives.

Top Earners at OHSU

Here’s a list of the top earners at OHSU including their salaries, contributions, one-time payments and bonuses from July 1, 2016 through Feb. 19, 2017. Also these compensation figures do not include clinical pay because OHSU is exempt from disclosure under Oregon law.

Dr. Joe Robertson, President,

Salary as of Aug. 1, 2016             $1,110,240.04

Incentives:                                      294,153.84

Benefit Contributions                           7,367.92

Retirement Contributions                    51,473.00

One-time Payments                           31,125.00

TOTAL                                       $1,494,359.80

Lawrence Furnstahl, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Salary as of Oct. 3, 2016                 $723 252.14

Incentives                                        166,967.91

Benefit Contributions                            7,367.92

Retirement Contributions                     13,352.32

One-time Payments                                    N/A

TOTAL                                             910,940.29

Cynthia Grueber, Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, OHSU Healthcare

Salary as of Oct. 3, 2016                  $630,002.10

Incentives                                         138,603.61

Benefit Contributions                             4,604.18

Retirement Contributions                      11,630.80

One-time Payments                                     N/A

TOTAL                                            $784,840.69

Dr. David Wilson, Director, Casey Eye Institute and Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology

Salary as of Oct. 3, 2016                  $660,801.44

Incentives                                                    N/A

Benefit Contributions                              9,329.60

Retirement Contributions                       62,568.51

One-time Payments                              30,000.00

TOTAL                                             $762,699.55

Dr. John Hunter, Chief Clinical Officer, Interim Senior Vice President and Dean of the School of Medicine and President of the Faculty Practice Plan

Salary as of Oct. 3, 2016                   $713,799.88

Incentives                                                    N/A

Benefit Contributions                              9,329,64

Retirement Contributions                       17,363.08

One-time Payments                              20,000.00

TOTAL                                             $760,492.60

Dr. Albert Starr, Director, Knight Cardiovascular Institute and Professor of Medicine

Salary as of May 19, 2014                 $739,999.78

Incentives                                                    N/A

Benefit Contributions                              7,367.88

Retirement Contributions                                N/A

One-time Payments                                   350.00

TOTAL                                              $747,717.66

Dr. Fergus Coakley, Professor and Chair, Department of Diagnostic Radiology

Salary as of Oct. 3, 2016                    $622,995.10

Incentives                                                     N/A

Benefit Contributions                                9,329.60

Retirement Contributions                          6,335.40

One-time Payments                                30,000.00

TOTAL                                               $668,660.10

Dr. Mark O’Hollaren, Vice President for Strategic Outreach

Salary as of Oct. 3, 2016                     $507,771.42

Incentives                                              75,775.00

Benefit Contributions                                 9,329.60

Retirement Contributions                         49,534.28

One-time payments                                        N/A

Janet Billups, JD, General Counsel

Salary as of Sept. 5, 2016                     $500,000.00

Incentives                                               69,730.15

Benefit Contributions                                  6,307.92

Retirement Contributions                           45,765.71

One-time payments                                       204.00

TOTAL                                                 $622,007.80

Diana Gernhart, MBA, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, OHSU Healthcare

Salary as of Oct. 3, 2016                        $519,000.04

Incentives                                                 76,119.00

Benefit Contributions                                   6,307.92

Retirement Contributions                            12,496.74

One-time payments                                            N/A

TOTAL                                                  $613,923.70

Diane can be reached at [email protected].

This article has been corrected to indicate that the bonuses paid to OHSU executives were not related to any cost-containment measures implemented in March.

Comments

Submitted by Nick Benton on Sat, 03/25/2017 - 10:41 Permalink

It would be interesting to know if, in addition to these generous pay packages, they also are racking up PERS benefits.  Once they become "Company executives" they should not get further PERS contributions, and any past contributions earned when they were rank and file employees should be frozen, as if they had left at that time.  Oregon taxpayers are already fuming about wealthy contract employees getting PERS on top.

Dr, Nick Benton