Dr. Patrick Battey will become CEO of Piedmont Atlanta Hospital early next year, after serving as co-CEO since January. The hospital is the flagship of the Piedmont Healthcare system.
Battey, 61, will assume the full CEO role on Jan. 1 after Les Donahue, 60, co-CEO and Piedmont Atlanta's president, retires at the end of the year. Donahue has led the hospital since July 2010, and has spent 37 years in the healthcare industry
The dual CEO structure was designed to create a smooth transition when Donahue retires, officials said.
It's not the first time Battey, a vascular surgeon and chairman of the system's board of directors, has served in a CEO role. He stepped in as interim CEO of Piedmont Healthcare when former leader R. Timothy Stack passed away in 2012, and served as interim CEO before Kevin Brown was appointed to lead the system in April 2013.
Battey has practiced at Piedmont Atlanta since 1985.
