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January 30, 2019

Partners HealthCare CEO retiring in April

Photo/SHNS David Torchiana has been the CEO of the Partners HealthCare system since March 2015. He plans to retire in April.

The chief executive of Partners HealthCare, the state's largest health care provider system, announced Tuesday that he will retire in the spring after four years running an organization that owns several of the most well-known hospitals in the country.

Dr. David Torchiana, who was a cardiothoracic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital before getting into management, notified the board of directors of Partners Healthcare on Monday night that he plans to retire April 29. He has been the CEO of the health care system since March 2015. 

Scott Sperling, the chair of the Partners board of directors, said in an email to all employees Tuesday morning that retirement was something Torchiana "has been contemplating for some time."

"Torch has been a valued leader, and he has led this organization in a thoughtful and effective manner," Sperling wrote.

Sperling credited Torchiana with leadership in the "public policy environment" and the successful acquisition of Mass Eye and Ear.

The Boston Globe, however, reported that Torchiana's move to expand into Rhode Island and his consideration of purchasing Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has lead to friction between Torchiana and other leaders in the company, including leadership at Mass. General and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

"I am fortunate to have worked at MGH and Partners for my entire professional life and to have been given the opportunity to lead us forward at the culmination of my career," Torchiana said in a statement released through the company. "I look forward to retirement and have full confidence in the future of our organization which is filled with talented and dedicated people focused on our important mission to make healthcare better and take exceptional care of the patients that have placed their trust in our hands."

Sperling said the Partners board will work "over the coming weeks" to develop a search process to find Torchiana's replacement.

"We will — as we always have — conduct a national search to ensure that we find the best person possible to lead Partners HealthCare into the future," Sperling wrote.

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