WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ralph de la Torre will step down as CEO of troubled Steward Well being Care subsequent week, the corporate mentioned on Saturday, after he was held in prison contempt by the U.S. Senate for refusing to testify about cost-cutting choices on the group’s 31 hospitals earlier than it filed for chapter.
In a press release, the Dallas-based firm mentioned de la Torre would now not function its CEO and chairman as of Oct. 1 as a part of an settlement in precept reached earlier this month.
A spokesperson for de la Torre confirmed that the previous coronary heart surgeon “has amicably separated from Steward on mutually agreeable phrases,” and “he’ll proceed to be a tireless advocate for the advance of reimbursement charges for the underprivileged affected person inhabitants.”
The Senate unanimously voted on Wednesday to carry de la Torre in prison contempt of Congress after he declined to attend a Sept. 12 listening to earlier than the Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions, which was probing Steward’s monetary troubles. De la Torre had been subpoenaed to attend the listening to.
Steward, the most important privately owned hospital community within the U.S., filed for chapter in Could, searching for to promote all of its hospitals and deal with $9 billion in debt. The corporate has bought a number of hospitals since that submitting.
“Dr. de la Torre urges continued deal with this mission and believes Steward’s monetary challenges put a much-needed highlight on Massachusetts’ ongoing failure to repair its healthcare construction and the inequities in its state system,” his spokesperson mentioned.
A lot of hospitals affected by Steward’s monetary troubles have been based mostly in Massachusetts.
