Healthcare technology management: AAMI survey sheds light on salaries, benefits.

Much like the health of the overall economy, salary growth in the healthcare technology management (HTM) field over the past two years has been a mixed bag, according to a 2012 AAMI employment survey. There were a few positive signs with some base salaries rising—with one type of job in particular seeing a significant salary increase—and more fringe benefits. But the salary growth was mostly modest. Information technologists/technicians saw a substantial increase in their base salaries: a 30% jump, from $61,500 in 2010 to $80,000 in 2012. The average base for a clinical engineer rose 3.6% to $72,500 in 2012. “I think the salaries appear to be healthy, but of course everyone wants more,” said Kenneth Maddock, vice president of healthcare technology management and telecommunications services for Baylor Health Care System and a member of AAMI’s Board of Directors. Alan Lipschultz, president of HealthCare Technology Consulting LLC, stresses that salaries tell only one part of the story when it comes to compensation. “Healthcare benefits are expensive,” he says. “The degree to which employers subsidize those costs cannot be ignored when looking at total compensation.” The survey was conducted by Westat, a national research firm. The survey was e-mailed to a random sample of HTM professionals in late February and 425 responded—89% were male and 11% female. Just about half of the respondents (49%) identified themselves as certified biomedical equipment technicians. Salary information was broken down by job title, geographic location, education, specialty, and type of employer. Respondents were also asked about their job satisfaction, hours worked, what kind of additional training they would desire, and the relationship between healthcare technology management and information technology at their facilities. Some highlights: • An overwhelming majority of respondents reported general job satisfaction, but the level varied depending on specifics. For