CEOPAYCHECK

How much CEOs of large nonprofit hospital systems are paid

The median CEO of a large US nonprofit hospital system was paid $3,036,555, according to each of 229 systems' latest full-year IRS Form 990. 18 systems paid their CEO $10 million or more.

By Becky Schmidt. Last updated .

The numbers

  • The median CEO pay is $3,036,555 across 229 large nonprofit hospital systems. For 4 systems whose return gives no one a chief executive title, the highest-paid person is counted instead.
  • 18 report $10 million or more, and 62 report $5 million or more.
  • The top figure is $30,286,568, for Robert I Grossman MD at NYU Langone Health, fiscal year ending August 2025.
  • When the same person led a system in both of its latest two years, pay changed by a median of +12.5% (202 systems).
  • 45 of the 229 systems report their CEO on a parent return that holds a small part of the system's revenue.

Returns are each system's latest full-year Form 990, for fiscal years ending December 2023 to December 2025. Pay is Part VII columns D, E and F: reportable pay from the organization and from related organizations, plus estimated other compensation such as retirement contributions and benefits.

Which hospitals are included

This page covers large nonprofit hospital systems in the US: those that file an IRS Form 990 and report at least $1 billion in revenue on their biggest return. Systems were picked by size, not by pay.

Not included:

  • For-profit chains such as HCA Healthcare and Tenet, which report executive pay to the SEC instead.
  • Government and public-university hospitals, which don't file a Form 990.
  • Smaller systems and standalone hospitals. Those with at least $100 million in revenue are on the hospitals ranking.

So these figures describe big systems, not a typical hospital.

Of the 231 systems that meet that test, 229 are counted. Vandalia Health and Saint Francis Health System aren't, because the return that reports each one's CEO pay has under $5 million in revenue, below the size this site covers.

The 10 highest-paid hospital system CEOs

  1. NYU Langone Health: Robert I Grossman MD, $30,286,568, fiscal year ending August 2025.
  2. NewYork-Presbyterian: Steven J Corwin, $26,271,976, fiscal year ending December 2024.
  3. Advocate Health: Eugene Woods, $25,781,275, fiscal year ending December 2024.
  4. Montefiore Health System: Philip O Ozuah MD PhD, $16,690,037, fiscal year ending December 2024.
  5. Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Jeffrey R Balser MD PHD, $16,481,139, fiscal year ending June 2025.
  6. CHRISTUS Health: Ernie Sadau, $14,656,684, fiscal year ending June 2025.
  7. Risant Health (Geisinger): Jaewon Ryu, $14,295,895, fiscal year ending December 2024.
  8. CommonSpirit Health: Wright L Lassiter III, $14,175,319, fiscal year ending June 2025.
  9. Ascension: Joseph R Impicciche JD MHA, $14,086,474, fiscal year ending June 2025.
  10. Hackensack Meridian Health: Robert C Garrett, $13,541,590, fiscal year ending December 2024.

The full list of 229 is on the hospital systems ranking.

How pay is spread

Number of systems by CEO pay, 229 large nonprofit hospital systems, latest full-year return
$10 million or more18
$5 million to $10 million44
$2.5 million to $5 million82
$1 million to $2.5 million77
under $1 million8

CEO pay by state

States with at least 3 systems in the ranking, by the state on each system's return, with the median and the highest-paid CEO. 26 systems are in states with fewer than 3; they are on the full ranking. The state is the address on the return, which for a few systems is a parent's office in another state: Risant Health, Geisinger's parent, files from California.

  • Arizona (5 systems): median $4,422,352. Highest: CommonSpirit Health, Wright L Lassiter III, $14,175,319.
  • California (20 systems): median $3,336,075. Highest: Risant Health (Geisinger), Jaewon Ryu, $14,295,895.
  • Florida (15 systems): median $2,570,950. Highest: AdventHealth, Terry D Shaw, $9,855,391.
  • Georgia (6 systems): median $3,718,462. Highest: Northside Hospital, Robert T Quattrocchi, $5,944,335.
  • Illinois (8 systems): median $3,238,489. Highest: Northwestern Medicine, Howard B Chrisman MD, $8,174,061.
  • Indiana (5 systems): median $3,677,159. Highest: Indiana University Health, Dennis M Murphy, $5,720,461.
  • Kentucky (6 systems): median $1,666,281. Highest: Baptist Health (Kentucky), Gerard J Colman PhD, $5,838,744.
  • Louisiana (5 systems): median $1,235,962. Highest: Ochsner Health, Peter C November, $7,011,513.
  • Maryland (4 systems): median $3,431,573. Highest: MedStar Health, Kenneth A Samet, $6,562,774.
  • Massachusetts (10 systems): median $2,114,646. Highest: Mass General Brigham, Anne Klibanski MD, $9,180,758.
  • Michigan (4 systems): median $7,016,987. Highest: Trinity Health, Michael Slubowski, $7,298,977.
  • Minnesota (7 systems): median $4,092,093. Highest: Fairview Health Services, James Hereford, $5,659,485.
  • Missouri (7 systems): median $5,392,901. Highest: Ascension, Joseph R Impicciche JD MHA, $14,086,474.
  • New Jersey (10 systems): median $3,454,417. Highest: Hackensack Meridian Health, Robert C Garrett, $13,541,590.
  • New York (13 systems): median $5,329,588. Highest: NYU Langone Health, Robert I Grossman MD, $30,286,568.
  • North Carolina (9 systems): median $2,152,599. Highest: Advocate Health, Eugene Woods, $25,781,275.
  • Ohio (14 systems): median $2,436,843. Highest: Bon Secours Mercy Health, John Starcher Jr JD, $12,809,033.
  • Oregon (5 systems): median $1,730,320. Highest: Legacy Health, Kathryn Correia, $2,784,747.
  • Pennsylvania (10 systems): median $3,899,276. Highest: UPMC, Leslie C Davis, $13,324,020.
  • South Carolina (3 systems): median $3,374,451. Highest: Lexington Medical Center, Tod Augsburger, $4,261,823.
  • South Dakota (3 systems): median $2,504,735. Highest: Sanford Health, Bill Gassen, $4,999,360.
  • Tennessee (7 systems): median $3,913,950. Highest: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Jeffrey R Balser MD PHD, $16,481,139.
  • Texas (11 systems): median $5,590,405. Highest: CHRISTUS Health, Ernie Sadau, $14,656,684.
  • Virginia (7 systems): median $2,477,935. Highest: Inova Health System, J Stephen Jones MD, $6,579,451.
  • Washington (5 systems): median $4,455,419. Highest: Providence Health, Erik Wexler, $9,125,384.
  • Wisconsin (4 systems): median $2,140,756. Highest: Froedtert ThedaCare Health, Imran Andrabi MD, $5,238,377.

Change from the year before

For 202 systems led by the same person on their latest two full-year returns, the median change in pay is +12.5%: 163 rose and 39 fell.

  • Largest rise: NewYork-Presbyterian, Steven J Corwin, $14,550,784 to $26,271,976 (+80.6%), fiscal years ending December 2023 and December 2024.
  • Largest fall: NYU Langone Health, Robert I Grossman MD, $36,023,136 to $30,286,568 (-15.9%), fiscal years ending August 2024 and August 2025.

Which return to look at

A hospital system is usually many legal entities, each filing its own Form 990, and the CEO is not always on the biggest one. On 45 of the 229 systems, the CEO's pay is reported on a return whose revenue is under 25% of the system's largest return. The three most extreme:

  • Advocate Health: Eugene Woods, $25,781,275, on a return reporting $333,741 in revenue, 0.0043% of the $7,808,910,070 on Advocate Health and Hospitals Corp (EIN 36-2169147).
  • Monument Health: Paulette Davidson, $2,199,697, on a return reporting $2,554,690 in revenue, 0.23% of the $1,091,839,091 on Monument Health Rapid City Hospital (EIN 46-0319070).
  • Premier Health: Michael C Riordan, $1,579,749, on a return reporting $4,384,254 in revenue, 0.27% of the $1,604,924,367 on Miami Valley Hospital (EIN 31-0537504).

Each system's page names the return its figure comes from and links it. The method is on the methodology page.

How to cite

CEO Paycheck, "Nonprofit hospital CEO pay: $3.04 million median across 229 large systems," https://ceopaycheck.com/findings/hospital-ceo-pay/. Figures from IRS Form 990 filings as published; each system's page links the return.