Lately I have been thinking about boards of directors and corporate executive pay because for the last several years it has been increasingly in the news. Corporate executives being arrested for stock option backdating or swindling of funds; boards of directors asleep at the wheel or just rubberstamping whatever the Chief Executive Officer wants, and more.
It’s interesting to see that Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world, gets paid by his company Berkshire Hathaway about $100,000 a year plus some perks. Or how about Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple getting a dollar a year. Obviously both men are billionaires and don’t need the money but it is an example of responsible corporate leadership.
There are plenty of other examples where corporate chiefs get a base salary and their bonuses are tied to performance. If the company does well and the owners (shareholders) are happy with the returns on their investment, then the CEO is rewarded and if the company doesn’t do well then that is reflected in the compensation too.
Good corporate boards should be made of individuals that bring some expertise or experience to the table and are active in the governance of the company. These are professionals that should not have conflicts of interest either by doing business with that company or have relatives working for the company.
That’s one of the reasons why it’s rather odd to me to see the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital (HMNMH) board of directors appear to be so cozy. Especially with all the controversy that has surrounded the hospital over the years it would seem prudent to have a board of directors that are as independent as possible.
The HMNMH Board Chair is James Hicken, President & Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Santa Clarita and Elizabeth Hopp, Sr. Vice President/Director of Client Services for Bank of Santa Clarita, is also on the hospital Board of Directors. What’s interesting about this is that the hospital apparently has millions of dollars in the Bank of Santa Clarita. That makes me ponder if these board members are looking out for the best interests of the hospital or of the bank? If the hospital decided to put its’ money in another bank would these board members still invest their time on the hospital board?
I also wondered why several doctors that are on the HMNMH board apparently have million dollar contracts with the hospital? Wouldn’t it be better to have medical doctors or experts on the hospital Board of Directors that don’t have any monetary affiliation with the facility; doesn’t that make them more objective and impartial?
There is an awful lot of construction going on at the hospital campus with more to come over the next few years and one of the owners of a construction company that appears to have a multi-million dollar contract with the hospital is on the board of directors. I would think having a construction expert on your board during a major facilities expansion and upgrade is a great idea but it would seem more sensible to have an independent expert, one with no business connection, on the board to add to the checks and balances of overseeing the construction work at the hospital. Wouldn’t that seem better?
The other thing that I thought was peculiar is that Roger Seaver the President/CEO of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital getting a total compensation package of $631,540.00. Gee, that’s more than six times what Warren Buffett makes and more than 50% higher then the $400,000 that President Obama makes. It might be better to have a more performance based compensation structure in place, one that rewards for significant improvements in health care to patients.
Now let’s face it, the hospital can pay what it wants and have whomever it wants on its board of directors. But it does raise eyebrows when you do see some of the activity described above going on and continually hear about quality of care issues. Those quality issues have been around for a long time and it may mean that the hospital facility has to go above and beyond to shake that negative stigma. Even starting at the board level with having more transparency and less perceived conflicts.
I discussed it with a few folks and one of them said to me; “That’s just how they do things in the Santa Clarita Valley; there is a lot of back slapping going on, that’s just the way it is.” But that doesn’t make it right or appropriate, does it?
It’s not hard to get the impression from some of this information that quite possibly there may be more interest in business and “back slapping” then in the administering of quality health care. That is certainly the view of some local doctors and former hospital patients.
Dave Bossert- Commentary
Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.
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