Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1383677
31 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 31 CEO / STRATEGY 18 highest-paid CEOs in healthcare By Ayla Ellison T he CEOs of Centene, Nasvhille, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare and AbbVie are among the highest-paid chief executives of the largest U.S. companies, according to Equilar. For its ranking of the 100 highest-paid CEOs in 2020, Equilar exam- ined proxy statements filed by companies before March 31. e study showed that median CEO compensation was $15.5 million in 2020, down 1.6 percent from $15.7 million in its 2019 study. In line with the decline in median total compensation, 32 CEOs of the largest U.S. companies saw a smaller pay package in 2020 than a year earli- er. Twenty-three CEOs saw compensation dip in 2019, according to the report. Here are the 18 healthcare CEOs that made the highest paid list, in order of total compensation in 2020. 1. Michael Neidorff (Centene) — $24.96 million 2. Alex Gorsky (Johnson & Johnson) — $23.14 million 3. Richard Gonzalez (AbbVie) — $21.78 million 4. David Cordani (Cigna) — $19.74 million 5. Albert Bourla, PhD (Pfizer) — $19.67 million 6. Giovanni Caforio (Bristol-Myers Squibb) — $19.56 million 7. Daniel O'Day (Gilead Sciences) — $18.99 million 8. Samuel Hazen (HCA Healthcare) — $18.13 million 9. David Ricks (Eli Lilly) — $17.82 million 10. Joseph Zubretsky (Molina Healthcare) — $17.81 million 11. Stefano Pessina (Walgreens Boots Alliance) — $17.48 million 12. Bruce Broussard (Humana) — $16.49 million 13. Robert Ford (Abbott Laboratories) — $16.3 million 14. Steven Collis (AmerisourceBergen) — $14.3 million 15. Michael Kaufmann (Cardinal Health) — $14.22 million 16. Michael Hsu (Kimberly-Clark) — $13.47 million 17. Michael Roman (3M) — $12.99 million 18. Rainer Blair (Danaher) — $10.4 million n Northwell Health, CEO earn Brady Action Award for gun violence prevention efforts By Hannah Mitchell N ew Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health and its president and CEO, Michael Dowling, were awarded the Brady Action Award for their gun violence pre- vention campaign, according to an April 30 news release. In a virtual ceremony April 29, which included guest appear- ances from Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Mr. Dowling and Northwell Health were awarded for "their commitment to addressing gun violence prevention as an integral part of their corporate purpose." Under Mr. Dowling's leadership, Northwell has organized and hosted two gun violence prevention forums and pledged $1 million toward research and advocacy efforts. In 2019, Northwell established its Center for Gun Violence Prevention, led by pediatric trauma surgeon Chethan Sathya, MD, to rally support from the healthcare industry to recog- nize gun violence as a public health crisis. In 2021, the collaborative has grown to include more than 300 leaders from Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, Uni- versity of Chicago Medicine, Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital, Little Rock-based University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center, and other hospitals and health systems that have joined the collaboration. Mr. Dowling felt the wave of mass shootings in recent years emphasized the need for immediate action, he said. When speaking to his peers, he said he learned that many were apprehensive about taking a stand on a political issue because of concerns of offending their board members, do- nors and other constituents. Mr. Dowling said in an op-ed published in Becker's: "I'm not oblivious to those considerations, but leadership doesn't hide. True leadership means having the personal courage to speak out and take the heat, particularly on issues that are affecting the health and wellness of our communities. If there was a disease that was killing as many people as guns in this country, we would be mobilizing a national response effort. It's inexcusable for us to remain silent." n