PORT ANGELES — Olympic Medical Center commissioners approved a 10 percent pay raise for CEO Eric Lewis at their Wednesday afternoon meeting.
Lewis, who currently earns $176,000 per year, will receive $193,600 in 2014.
“I feel strongly a 10 percent raise is important. He has done a tremendous job in a year when there have been lots of hurdles,” said Commissioner Jean Hordyk.
Hordyk was the only commissioner to comment on the raise before they voted unanimously in favor of it.
“I strongly feel that in order to keep him, he needs a raise,” Hordyk said.
Lewis, who attended the meeting, did not comment on the raise.
Board Chairman John Beitzel asked the Human Resource Committee to make a recommendation on Lewis’ salary in June, which resulted in a recommendation for the raise.
OMC reviews salaries of its managers and staff on an annual basis for recruitment and retention, according to Chief Human Resource Officer Richard Newman.
“Anytime a highly qualified and skilled employee leaves the organization, they tend to take a lot of organizational knowledge with them, and they’re often very difficult to replace,” Newman said at the commission’s September meeting.
Second-highest-paid
Once the raise goes into effect, Lewis will be the second-highest-paid public employee on the North Olympic Peninsula behind Jefferson Healthcare CEO Mike Glenn, according to a two-month salary review conducted by the Peninsula Daily News earlier this year.
Two recent hospital surveys that showed Lewis’ pre-raise salary was considerably lower than the CEOs of smaller neighboring hospitals.
Glenn earns $233,515 per year, and Forks Community Hospital CEO Bill McMillan earns $176,010, the analysis showed.
Both are critical-access hospitals, which are licensed for 25 beds, though the Forks hospital has only 17.
OMC has 78 beds and generates $140 million in revenue.
Lewis also received a 10 percent pay raise in June 2012 — his first raise since being promoted from chief financial officer to interim CEO in December 2006.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb and Reporter Rob Ollikainen contributed to this report.
