(Bloomberg) -- Ralph de la Torre, the controversial chief executive officer of one of the nation’s largest private health systems, Steward Health Care System, will step down from his position Oct. 1.
“While Dr. de la Torre has amicably separated from Steward on mutually agreeable terms, he will continue to be a tireless advocate for the improvement of reimbursement rates for the underprivileged patient population,” Rebecca Kral, a spokesperson for de la Torre, said in an emailed statement.
Steward’s May bankruptcy filing has garnered criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers amid harrowing reports of deficient care. by the Texas-based hospital operator. The former heart surgeon’s role in Steward’s financial unraveling and his personal enrichment while leading the faltering hospital chain have since been under intense scrutiny.
It comes after the US Senate voted earlier this week to hold de la Torre in criminal contempt for failing to testify about his role in the collapse of the hospital operator’s finances. De la Torre has sought to postpone his congressional testimony until after Steward’s bankruptcy concludes.
The bipartisan vote means his failure to comply with a Senate health committee subpoena will be referred for criminal prosecution to the US Attorney for the District of Columbia.
“Dr. de la Torre urges continued focus on this mission and believes Steward’s financial challenges put a much-needed spotlight on Massachusetts’ ongoing failure to fix its health-care structure and the inequities in its state system,” Kral wrote in the statement.
--With assistance from Jonathan Randles.
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