Supplement-How do your salary and benefits stack up against your peers'?
Most respondents earn $55,000 to $75,000
Whatever their profession, almost everyone would secretly admit to the desire to know where their salary stands in relation to that of their peers, if only to better gauge how fairly they're being compensated for what they do. Hospital Peer Review's annual salary survey attempts to provide some insight into that question for hospital-based quality managers.
This year's survey was mailed to readers in the June 1999 issue. The responses contained no names unless readers wished to include them along with special comments. The surveys were compiled and analyzed at the corporate office of HPR's publisher, Atlanta-based American Health Consultants. This report contains the results we think are of most interest to HPR readers.
Most of the respondents to our survey report annual earnings somewhere between $55,000 and $75,000. About 45% work between 41 and 45 hours per week, while 46% work more than 45 hours per week. If respondents received a salary increase over the past 12 months, it was probably between 1% and 3%. Only 15.5% of respondents received an increase of 7% or greater.
When it comes to years of experience in the field, the greatest percentage of respondents — about 23% — have been on the job in the quality field for between four and six years, though a significant percentage have been in the profession for as long as 15 years. Their titles vary: quality manager, quality director, quality assurance director, quality improvement director, case management director, utilization review manager, and vice president. Most have been working in the health care industry in some capa city for at least 22 years. Only 3.6% have been in health care for less than 10 years.
The overwhelming majority of those who responded to our survey are women (91.6%). About 44% are between 41 and 50 years of age, but a healthy percentage are between 51 and 60 (32%) and between 31 and 40 (17%). About 21% have attained masters' degrees, while 40% have at least a bachelor's degree.
Responses regarding job benefits indicate that most respondents listed medical coverage (91.5%) and dental coverage (74.7%) as being important or extremely important. About two-thirds, or 66.3%, considered life insurance important or extremely important. Other benefits listed as being important or extremely important include: pension plans, 67.1%; 401k plans or other savings plan, 85.2%; and maternal or parental leave, 58.7%. Listed as less important were child care (with 4.9% of respondents listing this as important or extremely important), annual or semiannual bonuses (28.6%), profit-sharing plans (11%), and elder care (4.9%). High on the list of importance to our readers was the less tangible benefit of enjoying the freedom to choose one's own schedule; 77.5% said this was important or extremely important.
Nearly 42% of our respondents said their contribution to the cost of medical benefits had increased over the past year. A little more than 34% saw no change, and only about 5% had their contributions decrease.
One-third of HPR's readers come from region 2 on our map, representing the southern states from Texas across to Virginia in the Mid-Atlantic states. About 30% hail from the north-central states running from Ohio on the east to the bread-basket states in the west. Another one-fifth of readers are based in the northeastern United States. About 40% are based in what they describe as rural locations. About 16% are based in suburban hospitals, and 25% come from urban settings. Most respondents (66%) work in nonprofit institutions, while 8.5% work in for-profit organizations. About 18% work for state or county government facilities, and only 6% work in either federal facilities or academic institutions.
The highest percentage of our respondents (36%) work in hospitals with 100 or fewer beds. The next-highest percentage (34.6%) work in hospitals with between 101 and 300 beds. Only 7.4% work in hospitals with more than 500 beds. Many quality professionals (41%) supervise between one and three staffers, but a significant number supervise between four and 40 employees.
In answer to our question about changes in overall staffing levels, 30% had seen at least a marginal increase in their number of employees, while 25% saw a decrease, and almost half (45%) saw no change over the past 12 months.
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