Beth Israel CEO Levy Announces Resignation

After nine years of leadership at one of Boston’s largest hospitals, Paul Levy said he is stepping down.

Levy, the president and CEO, is credited with pulling BI back from the brink of financial disaster and for fostering a spirit of innovation and transparency in the health care industry. But his tenure was also marked by controversy.

Last May, the hospital board fined Levy $50,000 for “using poor judgement” in hiring a woman who Levy called “a close personal friend.”

In a letter to staff this morning, Levy hopes that these “errors do not overshadow the many accomplishments and contributions of our hospital to the community and the health care industry.”

In an interview with WBUR on Friday morning, Levy said the resignation had nothing to do with the controversy but rather a thirst for new challenges. “I tend to get energized in a turn-around situation and the hospital is now quite successful and I decided it was time to move on,” he said.

Levy joins Radio Boston in WBUR’s Studio 3.

Guest:

• Paul Levy, president and CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Related Links:

• Levy’s blog: Running a Hospital