Ontario Hospital Association
200 Front Street West, Suite 2800
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3L1
Tel: (416) 205-1345 Fax: (416) 205-1360
Visit our Web Site: http://www.oha.com
December 9, 2011
Toronto, ON – Ontario’s hospitals welcome the report of the Independent Expert Panel on Executive Compensation in the Hospital Sector (the Panel) and will act immediately to implement its recommendations, said Tom Closson, CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association. The OHA represents Ontario’s 151 public hospitals.
“I’d like to thank John Manley, Bill Anderson and Peter Barnes for their extremely important contribution to Ontario’s hospital sector,” said Closson. “Their report is the product of months of intense work – all of it done on a voluntary basis. We are grateful that these three individuals dedicated so much of their time and experience to helping hospitals improve.”
The Ontario Hospital Association’s Board of Directors unanimously accepted the Panel’s recommendations, and will communicate and work closely with the Government of Ontario to implement them in the time ahead.
“Ontario’s hospitals are committed to adopting leading practices across all of their operations. Although the Panel found that executive compensation in hospitals is, generally speaking, reasonable when compared to other public sector organizations and private sector companies of similar size and complexity, they also found that compensation practices at some hospitals must be more transparent and better aligned with organizational roles,” said Closson. “We take the Panel’s recommendations very seriously, and we are already examining how they can be implemented without delay.”
The OHA created the Panel earlier this year to review executive compensation policies and practices in the province’s 151 public hospitals and recommend an appropriate compensation framework. The Panel was independent of the OHA.
“Committed, experienced executives have helped Ontario’s hospitals become leaders in patient safety, quality outcomes, and efficiency, and reasonable compensation is important recruiting and retaining those leaders,” said Closson. “That said, it is vital that hospital executive compensation plans be transparent and aligned with leading practices, and reflect the public service mission and prevailing economic circumstances. By ensuring that these principles are reflected in all hospitals’ executive compensation plans, we will enhance public confidence in these leaders and the important work they do.”
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About the OHA: The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) is the voice of Ontario’s public hospitals. Founded in 1924, the OHA uses advocacy, education and partnerships to build a strong, innovative and sustainable health care system for all Ontarians.
For further information:
Alessandra Nigro, OHA Public Affairs
anigro@oha.com
416-205-1592