$1,250 ‘thank-you’ bonuses for University of Kansas hospital workers after COVID year
Thousands of employees at the University of Kansas Health System will receive bonuses of $1,250 after an unprecedented year battling the coronavirus pandemic.
The Kansas City, Kansas, health care system announced Tuesday that all employees hired before January will receive the bonus. The amounts will vary for new or part-time employees, and executives and physicians are not eligible.
A spokeswoman characterized the bonuses as “a special thank-you gift” meant to highlight the contributions of employees during the pandemic and favorable results over the 2020 fiscal year, which ended in June.
Tammy Peterman, president of the health system’s Kansas City division, said inpatient satisfaction and mortality ranked among the top 10 percent of peer institutions over the last fiscal year. Likewise, staff turnover remained low and patient volumes spiked.
“We are so grateful for our employees. Our performance over the last fiscal year was remarkable,” Peterman said in a statement. “All of this occurred during one of the most challenging times in our history.”
In its 2019 fiscal year, the system reported about $2.7 billion in operating revenue. Personnel costs that year were about $1.43 billion, according to an annual report.
A spokeswoman declined to share the hospital system’s 2020 financial performance, saying the independent authority did not share financial information.
Like nearly every American hospital, the KU Health System spent much of the last year squarely focused on the coronavirus pandemic. The hospital has housed dozens of COVID-19 patients for months on end.
It has seen some of the area’s most severe cases, set up a clinic for long-haul cases and at one point took in patients from surrounding states as other hospitals were overwhelmed by the virus.
KU physicians still host a livestreamed morning update to discuss updates on the hospital’s case load, vaccinations and other medical issues.
Bob Page, The University of Kansas Health System’s president and CEO, said the organization’s formula was tested and proven over the previous year.
“That formula is putting patient satisfaction and quality first by hiring and retaining the right people and supporting them with the resources they need,” Page said in a statement. “We are proud of and inspired by our employees and grateful for everything they do for our patients and one another.”
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 10:10 AM.
