Caritas Christi names Ralph de la Torre, M.D. as its president and CEO

4/2/2008

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Caritas Christi Health Care Names Ralph de la Torre, M.D. as President and CEO

Experienced physician executive and recognized leader in the Massachusetts health care community to join second largest health care system in New England

BOSTON – April 2, 2008 – Following an extensive nationwide search, the board of governors of Caritas Christi Health Care and an independent search committee of leaders from the health care and business community today announced the appointment of Ralph de la Torre, M.D. as president and CEO.  A renowned cardiac surgeon with dual graduate degrees from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. de la Torre will be responsible for overseeing the operations of the system’s six-hospital network.

“I am honored to be given the opportunity to lead a health care system with a tradition of providing high quality care in an environment of compassion,” said Dr. de la Torre.  “While certain challenges lie ahead, I look forward to working with professionals across the system to strengthen the system’s performance and financial stability through innovation and collaboration.  The board and I share the vision and expectation that by building on Caritas’ foundation as a high quality provider, we will ensure that our hospitals continue their important mission well into the future.”

Prior to joining Caritas Christi, Dr. de la Torre was founder, president and CEO of the Cardiovascular Institute and Cardiovascular Management Associates at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, managing 1,200 physicians, non-physician providers, support staff and hospital personnel in multiple hospital locations.  A key contributor to the hospital’s financial and quality based turn around over the past several years, Dr. de la Torre quickly rose through the ranks at BIDMC given his significant leadership in improving quality outcomes and driving patient volume growth within the hospital’s cardiac surgery program.

“Dr. de la Torre’s experience in and strategic understanding of the complex relationships involving hospital operations and finance, physician practices and network development, along with his ability to innovate new partnerships make him uniquely qualified to lead the network at this critical juncture in its history,” said James Karam, chair of the board of governors of Caritas Christi Health Care.  “Evidenced by his achievements to date, we are confident that Dr. de la Torre possesses the vision, passion, leadership and business acumen necessary to lead Caritas in this sophisticated and complex health care market in which he is already deeply immersed.”

In addition to his management roles at BIDMC, Dr. de la Torre has served as a member of the Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians board which managed the 1,000 physicians tied to BIDMC. 

“First and foremost I want to extend my gratitude to Dr. Chessare for his steady and unwavering leadership during this time of transition and also thank every member of the Caritas Christi staff for their continued commitment to serving patients with compassion and care.  I would also like to thank Jim Karam for overseeing this very important search process and helping affect a new approach to governance of the Caritas network,” said Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley.   “It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome Dr. de la Torre to Caritas Christi.  His leadership combined with the new governance system of Caritas Christi begin a new chapter in the system’s history, one that will result in a stronger system that is well poised to continue our long and proud tradition of serving the needs of all patients.”

Dr. de la Torre graduated from Duke University in 1988 with a bachelor of science in engineering and holds a medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a masters of science in health science and technology from MIT. 

About Caritas Christi Health Care

Caritas Christi Health Care, the second largest health care system in New England, is an integrated health care delivery network providing exceptional care to more than one million people annually. Caritas Christi operates the following acute care hospitals throughout Massachusetts: Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center, Brockton; Caritas Norwood Hospital, Norwood; Caritas Carney Hospital, Dorchester; Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center, Methuen; Saint Anne's Hospital, Fall River; and Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Boston. Caritas Christi also operates a 400-physician group practice, an academic medical research institute, a health sciences college, a clinical laboratory network, centers for hospice and home care, and an international medical services agency for the poor.