New England Baptist chief resigns

The chief executive of New England Baptist Hospital, Joseph D. Dionisio, has resigned for "personal reasons," hospital officials said yesterday.

"He's not communicating with anyone at the hospital as his resignation was for personal reasons," said Erin McDonough, a New England Baptist spokeswoman. McDonough would not provide more details about Dionisio's departure, which came almost six years after he became head of the Boston hospital. Dionisio could not be reached for comment.

John P. Wilkins, the chairman of the board of trustees, met with staff yesterday to inform them of Dionisio's resignation, McDonough said. Helen R. Strieder, former chairwoman of the board of trustees, has been named interim chief executive.

"Joe joined the institution in 2002 when we were experiencing a financial crisis," Wilkins wrote in an e-mail to staff. "I am proud to say that the hospital is financially strong today, and we are grateful to Joe for his years of service."

Still, New England Baptist, which specializes in orthopedic surgery, suffered a blow this year when several of its prominent spine surgeons moved their group practice to Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Physicians do not take the decision to relocate lightly, said Marc Bard, the chief executive of the Bard Group, a hospital consulting firm based in Needham.

"A number of well-respected physicians have relocated their practices outside of the Baptist Hospital over the past two years," Bard said. "To an outsider well versed in the healthcare marketplace, that's often a warning signal that something's amiss."

But Bard added that he is not familiar with the specific circumstances that led to Dionisio's departure.

Also, the Globe reported last month that surgeons at New England Baptist operated in the wrong location during four spine surgeries between May of last year and this March, prompting the state to order it to hire an outside consultant to review the cases and the hospital's plan for reducing errors.

In three of the cases, the mistake was discovered in the operating room and the correct procedure was performed while the spine was still exposed.

No deaths or severe disabilities resulted from any of the faulty spine surgeries, state health authorities said.

"They've been through some tough times, they have some healing to do," said Dr. Robert J. Banco, the president of Boston Spine Group, the practice that left New England Baptist in May. "They're a great institution that will rally and rise to the occasion."

Established in 1893, New England Baptist Hospital has about 140 beds. It is the official hospital of the Boston Celtics and has provided services to US Olympic teams and other athletes.

It performs about 13,000 surgeries annually.

Elizabeth Campbell can be reached at ecampbell@globe.com.