Ralph de la Torre will step down as chief executive of beleaguered Steward Health Care next week, the company said in a statement Saturday, after he was found in criminal contempt by the US Senate for refusing to testify about cost-cutting measures at the group's 31 hospitals before it filed for bankruptcy.

The Dallas-based company made the statement and said de la Torre would step down as both its CEO and chairman as of Oct. 1 as part of an agreement in principle reached earlier this month.

A spokesperson for de la Torre confirmed that the former heart surgeon "has amicably separated from Steward on mutually agreeable terms" and "he will continue to be a tireless advocate for the improvement of reimbursement rates for the underprivileged patient population."

The Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to detain de la Torre in criminal contempt of Congress following his failure to appear at a Sept. 12 hearing called by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which was holding an investigation into the causes of Steward's financial crisis. De la Torre was subpoenaed to attend that hearing.

Steward, the biggest privately owned hospital chain in the United States, filed for bankruptcy in May and is now looking to sell all of its hospitals and address $9 billion in debt. It has sold several of the hospitals since it filed.

"Dr. de la Torre urges continued focus on this mission and believes Steward's financial challenges put a much-needed spotlight on Massachusetts' ongoing failure to fix its healthcare structure and the inequities in its state system," his spokesperson said.

Hospitals affected by Steward's struggles included several in Massachusetts.

Ralph de la Torre will step down as chief executive of beleaguered Steward Health Care next week, the company said in a statement Saturday, after he was found in criminal contempt by the US Senate for refusing to testify about cost-cutting measures at the group's 31 hospitals before it filed for bankruptcy.

Ralph de la Torre will step down as chief executive of beleaguered Steward Health Care next week, the company said in a statement Saturday, after he was found in criminal contempt by the US Senate for refusing to testify about cost-cutting measures at the group's 31 hospitals before it filed for bankruptcy. The Dallas-based company made the statement and said de la Torre would step down as both its CEO and chairman as of Oct. 1 as part of an agreement in principle reached earlier this month. A spokesperson for de la Torre confirmed that the former heart surgeon "has amicably separated from Steward on mutually agreeable terms" and "he will continue to be a tireless advocate for the improvement of reimbursement rates for the underprivileged patient population." The Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to detain de la Torre in criminal contempt of Congress following his failure to appear at a Sept. 12 hearing called by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which was holding an investigation into the causes of Steward's financial crisis. De la Torre was subpoenaed to attend that hearing. Steward, the biggest privately owned hospital chain in the United States, filed for bankruptcy in May and is now looking to sell all of its hospitals and address $9 billion in debt. It has sold several of the hospitals since it filed. "Dr. de la Torre urges continued focus on this mission and believes Steward's financial challenges put a much-needed spotlight on Massachusetts' ongoing failure to fix its healthcare structure and the inequities in its state system," his spokesperson said. Hospitals affected by Steward's struggles included several in Massachusetts.

Steward Health CEO who declined US Senate testimony to resign

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Steward Health CEO who declined US Senate testimony to resign