Bon Secours' Carney to leaveamid federal investigation

Four months after Bon Secours Health System disclosed a federal investigation, the system said President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Carney will retire in March 2005. Carney, 57, was named CEO of the 24-hospital Marriottsville, Md., system in 1997. In February, Bon Secours revealed that the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. attorney's office in Baltimore were investigating allegations that a former chief financial officer at its Grosse Pointe, Mich., division had intentionally inflated earnings, prompting Bon Secours to restate two years of earnings. "Chris made this decision as part of a larger life decision," said Sister Patricia Eck, chair of the system's board of directors, in a news release. "He has achieved his major career goals, and now is shifting priorities to spending more time with his family and living in one city. Though we hate to see him go, we are excited for him as he enters this new era of his life." According to a news release, the system plans to find a replacement by early 2005. Bon Secours officials could not be reached for further comment at deadline. Bon Secours is the fifth-largest Roman Catholic system in the nation, according Modern Healthcare's 28th Hospital Systems Survey, which will be published in the June 7 issue of the magazine. -- by Mary Chris Jaklevic