Grady Memorial Hospital is expected to announce a new CEO to run the troubled medical center in about a month and bring the new leader on board in September, officials said Wednesday.

Pete Correll, head of the hospital board of directors, said he expects to announce the names of finalists for the job as early as next week, with the board voting on a final choice two weeks later.

Correll acknowledged that the hospital missed its self-imposed deadline to name a new chief officer in June and said the search has proved more difficult than expected.

In particular, some candidates were deflected by the Georgia law requiring that the names of finalists for such public positions be made public. Some, he said, did not want current employers to know they were looking only to be passed over.

Others bowed out after learning the troubling financial condition of Georgia's largest and busiest hospital and the public scrutiny its leaders endure, he said.

The selection of a new CEO marks a major step in the effort to rehabilitate an Atlanta institution that has been floundering for years, running multimillion dollar deficits, using outdated equipment and struggling to stay open.

"Then we can start to put together and implement a turnaround plan," Correll said. "We can stop looking backward and start looking forward."

The search that began over a month ago at first attracted some 30 candidates. Correll said board members interviewed three candidates Wednesday.

Correll said he believes the board has attracted the level of candidates it hoped for, including the heads of hospitals around the country. Several, he said, have records of turning around troubled institutions.