For healthcare marketers and PR pros looking to see where the grass is greener, Diane Ruffo a consultant with William M. Mercer, an Atlanta-based market research firm, identified home healthcare, new business development (mergers and acquisitions) and managed care as hot areas of industry growth. "These opportunities are fairly new because of all the consolidation we're seeing-10 years ago they didn't exist. But there's definitely a growing trend of hospitals developing managed care relationships and pursuing new business ventures," said Ruffo. If you're ready to make the leap into these burgeoning arenas, here's a look at the average salaries you can expect, according to Mercer's 1997 Integrated Health Networks Compensation Survey:
- Head of Hospital Home Healthcare - $66,500
- Top Home Healthcare Executive - $98,000; w/total cash compensation: $110,000
- Top Business Development & Acquisitions Executive - $158,300; w/total cash compensation: $180,200
- Top Executive of Managed Care Marketing/Sales - $125,300; w/total cash compensation: $130,100 (William M. Mercer, 404/527-4735)