Levy's resignation from BIDMC a 'negotiated departure'

More details are surfacing about Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CEO Paul Levy's departure, according to the Boston Globe. What earlier was described as Levy's voluntary resignation was, in actuality, a "negotiated departure," according to hospital board chair Stephen Kay.

Last Wednesday, the board voted to pay Levy up to $1.6 million, or two years of his base annual salary. In an email sent to the hospital community late Friday, BIDMC Board Chairman Stephen wrote that "the Board of Directors has agreed with Paul on a negotiated departure."

While it's true Levy apparently "wanted a change," after he did some soul searching on vacation in Morocco, the board also wanted a change.

After the board collected feedback and wrote up Levy's first major performance review, Kay told him about the questions raised regarding his level of engagement, the Globe reports.

Levy wondered whether BIDMC would be better off if he left, Kay said. The board agreed "that any leader who had lost the enthusiasm for the maintenance of things was not the best leader for the organization. Both sides concluded it was best for Paul to leave."

During the review of his performance, some doctors said they were concerned that Levy's errors in judgment regarding the relationship with a female employee prevented him from leading effectively and attracting big donations.

In related news, members of 1199 SEIU, Massachusetts' largest healthcare union, protested the $1.6 million payout for Levy "after what was initially described as a voluntary resignation," and called it a "slap in the face to every resident of Boston."

Levy, meanwhile, has renamed his blog, "Not Running a Hospital." He describes himself as an advocate for patient-centered care, eliminating preventable harm, transparency of clinical outcomes and front-line driven process improvement.

To learn more:
- read the union press release
- here's the Boston Globe article

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