Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., appointed Tom Kmetz interim president, effective Feb. 18.
Most recently, Mr. Kmetz served as division president of women's and children's services at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Ky. He previously served as president of Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville. He has also served in leadership positions on the boards of the Children's Hospital Association and Child Health Patient Safety Organization.
"I will be deeply committed to supporting a culture where patient safety continues to be the top priority, where each member of the All Children's community feels empowered and encouraged to speak up and speak out, and where the excellence of care is a shared mission," said Mr. Kmetz.
Mr. Kmetz's appointment comes on the heels of six executive resignations at Johns Hopkins All Children's. In December, CEO Jonathan Ellen, MD; Vice President Jackie Crain; and Jeffrey Jacobs, MD, the deputy director of the hospital's heart institute, resigned.
Three more executives resigned in January: Brigitta Mueller, MD, vice president of medical affairs and chief patient safety officer; Sylvia Ameen, vice president of marketing, communication and culture; and Gerhard Ziemer, MD, PhD, director of the heart institute and chief of cardiovascular surgery.
The resignations occurred after a Tampa Bay Times investigation found the mortality rate at All Children's heart institute tripled between 2015 and 2017. Hospital employees reported problems with heart surgeries to their supervisors.
At the beginning of February, CMS placed Johns Hopkins All Children's on "immediate jeopardy" after identifying significant safety issues during a January inspection.