Union Calls for Beth Israel CEO Paul Levy's Ouster

The board at BI is meeting today. Hopefully, they'll act in a just and moral manner relative to Mr. Levy's disposition at the hospital.

Good riddance to old dust.

Will he stay or go?

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital CEO Paul Levy acknowledges 'lapses of judgment'
April 26, 2010 09:49 PM
By Liz Kowalczyk, Globe Staff

Paul Levy, the chief executive of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, has acknowledged unspecified ''lapses of judgment in a personal relationship,'' prompting the hospital's board tonight to issue a statement declaring that it was "disappointed in these circumstances" but also expressing "unanimous continued confidence" in Levy's leadership.

In a written statement provided to the Globe, board chairman Stephen B. Kay said that "recently, a letter was sent anonymously to some of our board members and it involved allegations about our CEO. Even though the letter was anonymous, the board felt it needed to conduct further inquiry and has done so...It is the policy of this hospital to take all allegations seriously.''

Kay's statement did not describe the nature of the allegations, and he did not return phone calls from the Globe.

Kay said the board did not receive a complaint, and found no violation of law or hospital policy. But, he said, Levy "did acknowledge lapses of judgment in a personal relationship, and the board is taking appropriate action.''

He did not describe the nature of the board's action. Hospital spokeswoman Judy Glasser said the board would not provide more details because personnel matters are not public.

"We are disappointed in these circumstances, but the board expressed unanimous continued confidence in Mr. Levy's leadership of the medical center," Kay's statement concluded.

Levy did not return phone calls from the Globe. Tonight, however, he e-mailed an apology to hospital employees.

"Our Board recently received an anonymous letter concerning me and my actions as your CEO,'' he said. "The Board appropriately conducted a review of my tenure here and found an instance in which I exercised poor judgment. I agree that the Board's conclusion is accurate, and I have apologized to them. I now also write to apologize to you for any discredit this brings upon our hospital and the excellent work you do here.''

Levy, who has run the hospital since 2002, is widely known in Massachusetts, both for turning around the hospital's troubled finances in the early years of his tenure, and for his outspoken nature.

In 2007, he began writing a blog, called "Running a Hospital," about the inner workings of an academic medical center. The blog has gained a wide following in the health care industry, but also has upset some executives and physicians because Levy at times has criticized competitors. Levy also has been one of the most strident advocates for openness about internal hospital operations, including medical errors.

Unlike prior Beth Israel Deaconess presidents, Levy is not a physician. The board has said it hired him because he has previously run several complex organizations, including the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, during times of crisis. Immediately before taking over at Beth Israel Deaconess, Levy worked as an executive dean at Harvard Medical School.

Liz Kowalczyk can be reached at [email protected]