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Dr. Karen Duncan, CEO and president of JPS Health Network, and Rick Merrill, CEO and president of Cook Children’s, celebrate the groundbreaking of the health systems’ joint Las Vegas Trail neighborhood health center at the corner of Calmont Avenue and Cherry Lane on Nov. 14, 2023. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)
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Who is the highest-paid health system chief executive officer across Tarrant County and North Texas?Tax filings listed on ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer detail the base salaries and additional compensation of hospital leaders from fiscal year 2022. 

At the top of the list is Children’s Health CEO Christopher J. Durovich, who earned a base salary of $3,912,737 and additional compensation of $63,125. Durovich has led the Dallas-based pediatric health system since 2003. 

Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan, who leads one of the largest faith-based nonprofit health systems in the U.S., earned a base salary of $3,378,414, with additional compensation of $427,703. He has served in the role since 2014. 

Baylor Scott & White Health CEO Peter McCanna, who has been in the role since January 2022, earned a base salary of $2,857,510, with additional compensation of $768,184. The health system was formed in 2013 from the merger of Scott & White Healthcare with the Baylor Health Care System.

Methodist Health System CEO James Scoggin Jr., who leads the faith-based organization with hospitals in Dallas, earned a base salary of $2,661,978, with additional compensation of $395,704. 

Cook Children’s CEO Rick W. Merrill earned a base salary of $674,193, with additional compensation of $1,989,195. He has led the Fort Worth-based pediatric health system since 2007.

Parkland Health CEO Frederick P. Cerise, a physician who leads Dallas County’s public health system, earned a base salary of $922,829 and additional compensation of $82,482. He was named to the role in March 2014.

JPS Health Network CEO Dr. Karen Duncan, who started leading the Tarrant County hospital district in January 2022, took home $835,851 and additional compensation of $120,876 in her first year. In November 2023, JPS’ board of managers voted 8-2 to increase Duncan’s annual base salary to $950,000. 

Private health system Medical City Healthcare declined to provide the Report with the base salaries of its North Texas CEOs. The health system operates 19 hospitals across Dallas-Fort Worth. Medical City is operated by the for-profit company HCA Healthcare Inc., which reported $60.233 billion in revenue in 2022. 

David Moreno is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.