Severance raised hospital chief's pay to $7.7M

In the last two decades, Hackensack University Medical Center has grown from a community hospital into the state's busiest, with nationally known specialists in cancer care, stem cell and organ transplantation, pediatrics and trauma, among other fields. It has been ranked one of the nation's top 50 hospitals for four years by an independent rating service using Medicare data.

But its executive compensation raises questions, some experts say.

"They are spending taxpayer money," said James Abruzzo, co-director of the Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers Business School and a compensation consultant to non-profit organizations. "The institution has a tax exemption, which means everyone else's taxes are higher."