After two weeks of relative silence to criticism over the heightened pay of Valley Children’s Hospital CEO Todd Suntrapak and a roster of executives, Healthcare Board Chair Michael Hanson said Suntrapak’s salary is in line with other comparable healthcare executives.
However, a review of comparable children’s hospital CEOs throughout California reveals that claim to be far from reality.
The big picture: Hanson – the former Fresno Unified School District superintendent – wrote a letter to the Fresno City Council on Wednesday alleging media misinformation and noting, in part, that Suntrapak’s annual salary since July 2020 is $1,711,341, “which is in line with other health system CEOs with similar levels of responsibility,” he wrote.
- The rest of Suntrapak’s compensation largely consists of performance bonuses, Hanson said.
- Hanson also said the $5.1 million total compensation reported on the 2021 tax return for Suntrapak is because the hospital handed out performance bonuses a month earlier than normal in 2021 at the recommendation of its accounting firm, resulting in inflated totals.
By the numbers: Looking at the salaries that other children’s hospital CEOs makes paints a different picture than what Hanson said.
- According to the 2021 tax returns, Valley Children’s paid Suntrapak a base salary of nearly $1.7 million.
- Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles CEO Paul Viviano received a base salary of $1.07 million in 2021.
- Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego paid CEO Patrick Frias a base salary of $1.08 million.
- Children’s Hospital of Orange County gave CEO Kimberly Cripe a base salary of $1.07 million.
- Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford paid CEO Paul King $1.09 million as a base salary.
- Suntrapak’s base salary is also significantly larger than James Downing’s, who is the CEO of St. Jude Children’s Resarch Hospital. Tax returns show that Downing received a base salary of $1.19 million in 2021.
Go deeper: Suntrapak’s $1.7 million base salary is more in line with the total compensation packages that his colleagues at other children’s hospitals are receiving.
- Viviano received a totel compensation package of $1.74 million, which includes all bonuses and benefits.
- Frias had his total compensation set at $1.7 million while Cripe received a total of $1.87 million in 2021.
- King’s total compensation was $2.46 million in 2021.
