Carolinas HealthCare System is eliminating the position of president and COO, meaning Joe Piemont will leave the Charlotte, N.C.-based system at the end of May, according to a Charlotte Observer report.
Mr. Piemont has served as Carolinas' president and COO since 2007, and he's been with the system for 18 years. "While I am deeply saddened, I respect and support this organization and look forward to seeing its continued success," he said in a statement.
Mr. Piemont is second in command to Carolinas CEO Michael Tarwater, who in an email to staff described the decision as one that will let Carolinas "become more nimble," according to the report.
Carolinas underwent a reorganization last fall that eliminated more than 100 management positions as part of an initiative to cut $110 million in expenses from the 2015 budget. Mr. Piemont helped make those decisions, but the reorganization also shifted some responsibilities away from him "in move that might have foreshadowed what was to come," according to the Charlotte Observer.
With no president and COO, five more executives will directly report to Mr. Tarwater.