Health care CIOs have had their hands full in implementing federal mandates under federal reform, but their salaries budged little during the past year, according to a survey by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
In the poll of 264 health care CIOs, almost half reported receiving either no increase or less than a 3 percent raise.
Those with a title of just CIO earned an average salary of $199,890 in 2012; those also with vice president in their title averaged $206,788, and those with the title senior or executive vice president and CIO averaged $310,326.
In comparison, a salary survey by Janco Associates put CIO compensation at large enterprises across industries at $182,210 (up 6.04 percent in the past year) and $165,820 (an increase of 1.6 percent) in mid-sized enterprises.
The CHIME report breaks out CIO salaries in various ways, including by employer:
- Multi-hospital system — $254,054
- Academic medical center — $243,229
- Hospital/clinic model — $187,410
- Community hospital — $178,786
- Critical access hospital (25 or fewer beds) — $125,573
By educational level:
- MD — $306,000
- PhD — $230,714
- Master’s degree — $213,705
- Bachelor’s degree — $194,473
- Technical/associates/community college certificate — $175,250
- High school diploma — $140,675
And by region. CIOs in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana earned the least, an average of $186,429, while those on the West Coast had the highest base compensation — $232,181. The report notes that a majority of CIOs report that bonuses and other compensation can greatly boost their total compensation beyond base salary.
The reporting structure in the organization also affects salary. Forty-four percent of respondents (the largest group) said they reported to the CEO. That group’s average salary was $217,170. The next largest group (21 percent) said they reported to the CFO, and they reported an average base salary of $175,263.
