There will be a new "single strategy" for Medical College of Georgia, its physician group and the company that runs its hospitals and clinics, University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. predicted. After all, the heads of all three groups, MCG, MCG Health Inc. and Physicians Practice Group, will be new. And the formal affiliation among them might be changed.

Days after MCG Health CEO Don Snell announced his quick departure, Mr. Davis would not comment on whether Mr. Snell was asked to step down, saying, "You're asking about personnel issues. I'm not going to delve into that, out of respect."

He reiterated that, "He resigned voluntarily. He was not terminated, he resigned."

As to why, Mr. Davis said the health system is entering a new phase of "rapid growth" and that did not appear to play to Mr. Snell's strengths.

"Mr. Snell has great skills in turning around organizations, great skills in doing that," he said.

"But he also recognizes that to take organizations to the next level requires a different risk profile, and different risk tolerance and different skill-sets. And I think, to his credit, I believe he understood that."

In fact, he praised Mr. Snell for taking an organization that, before he assumed control in 2000, was in danger of losing more than $20 million, and putting it in a strong financial position.

"Mr. Snell did an outstanding job doing what was asked for that phase of the business's evolution," Mr. Davis said. "He did a lot of things in which he and the organization could take great pride. And we're certainly not going to trash what he has done. We are going to build upon the great financial framework and the great operational framework that he has created and put in place. What we'll expect is continuing operational and financial excellence but a focus on expanding the book of business and expanding our clinical and bench research capabilities."

The 10-year lease MCG Health had to run the clinical system is up in July, and a group is already working on how it might be modified or changed to impart better harmony among the three entities.

"I am looking forward to a new set of relationships with a new focus," Mr. Davis said. The new phase will have "a single strategic plan," he said. "That requires a lot more joint planning, a lot more coordination, and essentially a single-mindedness of purpose between all three entities."

In fact, with the search for a new president of MCG narrowed down to eight to 10 candidates, the search for a new CEO might be slowed if a candidate is named in the next couple of months to allow the new president to have input on that search, Mr. Davis said.

"Because that is going to be one of her or his major partners," he said.

None of the presidential candidates has been promised anything as far as the health system goes, Mr. Davis said.

"Those that did ask were just advised that all of these relationships are going to be revisited because of the 10-year agreements," he said.