March 2012

Integrated Healthcare Strategies, an independent healthcare consulting firm with offices in Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Dallas, has just released the results of their Spring 2012 Salary Increase, Incentive and Benefit Updates Survey. According to the survey, average 2012 salaries for hospital and health system executives are expected to increase 2.5 percent. Middle management and staff salaries will rise 2.8 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.

As a recognized leader in the healthcare survey industry, Integrated Healthcare Strategies draws on over 20 years of compensation-survey experience. They conduct a wide variety of compensation surveys, collecting data on executive, director, and manager positions; staff and nursing positions; advanced practice provider positions; and medical director positions. IHS conducts the survey as a series; this is the sixth consecutive survey on this topic

In 2010, the government predicted 3.2 million new jobs in healthcare between 2008 and 2018 — more than any other industry. Part of the growth is driven by aging baby boomers, but there are also other forces at work. For example, a portion of these jobs will be positions that did not exist in healthcare five or 10 years ago.

Accountable/preventive care
Jena Abernathy, vice president of national executive search firm Witt/Kieffer, said the shift toward pay-for-performance and accountable care has helped spur job growth for wellness coaches, nutritionists and other jobs focused on preventive care. “With organizations that are either taking their own path towards accountable care, or partnering to have accountable care organizations, we’re seeing the onset of a lot of positions that are very wellness-oriented,” says Ms. Abernathy. While candidates for wellness coach positions generally don’t need MDs, they must have extensive experience in wellness, such as therapy, nutrition and fitness — suggesting a new value for these types of backgrounds in the industry

A newly released study, the 2011 Physician Retention Survey, shows that the demand for primary care physicians is increasing. According to the survey, 74% of USA medical groups plan to hire more PCPs this year than they have previously.

The proposed hiring increase stems from a projected physician shortage and a high turnover rate for nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Medical groups are more likely to hire advanced practitioners to fill the gaps in patient care.