Davide Carbone, CEO of West Palm Beach, Fla.-based St. Mary’s Medical Center, has stepped down just two days after the hospital closed its troubled pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Here are three things to know about Mr. Carbone and his resignation.
1. In announcing Mr. Carbone's resignation, the hospital said, "We appreciate Davide's dedication to both St. Mary's and the Palm Beach community for the last nine years and wish him well in his future endeavors," according to the report.
2. COO Joey Bulfin, RN, will take over as interim CEO.
3. Mr. Carbone's resignation comes days after the hospital closed its pediatric cardiothoracic surgery program. The decision to shut the program down followed a CNN investigation, which found that from 2011 to 2013, the program had a 12.5 percent mortality rate for open heart surgeries — more than three times the national average.
In response to the investigation, St. Mary's expressed pride in the program.
"We are proud of the work that has been done and the lives that have been saved. This is the decision of the hospital (to shut down the program) and not based on a decision or recommendation by the state of Florida or any regulatory agency," St. Mary's said in a statement, according to CNN. St. Mary's continued: "The inaccurate media reports on our program have made it significantly more challenging to build sustainable volume in our program. At this time we feel it is best to focus on other services needed by our community."
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