Most Massachusetts hospital systems, including Partners, are nonprofit organizations and were required to disclose executive compensation in federal tax filings this week.

Dr. David Torchiana’s compensation included salary of about $2.3 million, a $1.5 million bonus, and retirement benefits. Torchiana stepped down as CEO earlier this year.

The former chief executive of Partners HealthCare, the state’s largest health care provider, received $6.1 million in compensation in 2017, topping the list of Boston hospital executives.

Top executives at nonprofit hospital systems commonly make seven figures and receive generous retirement benefits in addition to their base salaries, according to the filings.


Partners owns more than a dozen hospitals including the teaching hospitals Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s. Mass. General’s president, Dr. Peter Slavin, and the Brigham’s president, Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, each received about $2.6 million in total compensation in 2017.

Partners board chairman Scott Sperling said executives are appropriately compensated given the size and complexity of Partners, which has more than 75,000 employees and collects more than $13 billion in annual revenue.

“The market for senior health care executives, particularly physicians, is a national one, and we must provide competitive wages and benefits in order to attract and retain the best individuals at a time when health care is undergoing sweeping change,” Sperling said in a statement. “The competition for excellent managers and leaders is especially strong at this time.”

At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the chief executive, Dr. Kevin Tabb, received $1.8 million in 2017. And Lahey Health’s former CEO, Dr. Howard Grant, took home $2.7 million. Grant retired in 2018 as Lahey and Beth Israel finalized a long-planned merger.

Many CEOs received raises in 2017, while others saw their total pay decline. Total compensation can fluctuate because bonuses and retirement payouts can rise or fall from year to year.


Boston Children’s Hospital’s chief executive, Sandra Fenwick, received about $2.4 million, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s chief, Dr. Laurie Glimcher, got $1.6 million.

Kate Walsh, who leads Boston Medical Center, received $1.9 million.

At Wellforce, the parent organization of Tufts Medical Center, CEO Normand Deschene took home about $2.8 million, while Tufts’s former chief, Dr. Michael Wagner, received $1.3 million.

Central Massachusetts’ largest hospital system, UMass Memorial Health Care, gave about $2.3 million to its chief, Dr. Eric Dickson.

Dr. Mark Keroack, the CEO of Springfield-based Baystate Health, received $1.9 million.

Priyanka Dayal McCluskey can be reached at priyanka.mccluskey@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @priyanka_dayal.