Palomar Health Board Chair Richard Engel, MD, outlined the reasoning for the contract in a Sept. 15 news release. Under Ms. Hansen's leadership, the health system has seen various successes, he said, citing improved patient quality rankings and opening a new crisis stabilization unit as some examples. The Palomar Health news release says the board consulted with multiple nationally recognized experts, and Ms. Hansen's new contract "is commensurate with comparable hospital system CEOs." "The contract is based on credible, independent and unbiased market analysis that is fair to both Ms. Hansen and the organization," Dr. Engel said in the news release, adding that the effects of the pandemic on executive compensation were taken into account. "I am confident Diane is the right leader for Palomar Health and I can unequivocally say we are very fortunate to have her as our CEO at this extremely critical time," Dr. Engel said.