NEW CEO FOR VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - Valley Presbyterian Hospital has hired a new president and chief operating officer who has earned a reputation in Los Angeles for reviving financially ailing medical centers, the hospital announced Wednesday.

Albert Greene, 56, will begin his new job on Monday, said David Fleming, president of the hospital's board of directors.

Greene was formerly CEO of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, where he increased the size of the medical staff by 50 percent in two years and brought the hospital back into profitability in eight months. Greene retired there two years ago.

Fleming said Greene faces a similar task at Valley Presbyterian.

``This is the guy who doesn't need the job, so this is more of a challenge for him,'' Fleming said. ``He's worked at several hospitals, and at each one, he has healed them.''

Greene replaces interim president Dan Ansel, who held the position for five months. The hospital's board and members of the medical staff had interviewed several applicants since November, but unanimously agreed that Greene was perfect for the position, Fleming said.

Greene could not be reached for comment.

Built in 1958, Valley Presbyterian is the largest acute care hospital in the central San Fernando Valley, according to its Web site.

The hospital, one of the few that is not corporate-owned in the region, recently unveiled its new $300,000 emergency room. It is the latest in an ongoing series of projects, including the completion of a new hospital tower in August, a pediatric department and a revamp of the information technology system.

After the closure of nearby Northridge Hospital-Sherman Way campus in 2004, the hospital has seen its patient volume swell 14 percent. Many are low-income patients.

Susan Abram, [phone]

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com