Grady Memorial Hospital officials announced on Monday the four finalists to take the helm of the long-distressed hospital that is struggling to rebuild itself under new leadership.

The selection of a new CEO marks a major step in setting Georgia's largest and busiest hospital on a new track, and it is the first significant test for a new board of directors composed of business, medical and community leaders.

The leaders of Grady —- metro Atlanta's major trauma center and safety-net health provider for the poor —- said they are pleased with the caliber of candidates and hope to select the new CEO in a few weeks. That person should be on board in September, officials said.

"These are professionals who've run hospitals and have the track records and can run Grady," said Pete Correll, head of the Grady board of directors.

The finalists all have run hospitals with big budgets and large staffs, some of which are affiliated —- like Grady —- with major medical teaching institutions. Some have run trauma centers on par with Grady's. Some bill themselves as turnaround artists who have track records improving financially ailing hospitals.

The finalists include Gregory Burfitt, 59, who until recently was the CEO of Centura Health system in Colorado, overseeing 12 acute care hospitals; and James Burkhart, 54, president of Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, a large trauma center in Florida.

In addition, the Grady officials are considering Michael Young, 52, who for the past three years has been CEO of the Erie County Medical Center Corp. in upstate New York; and Dr. Michael Keith Butler, 52, who for the past year has led the seven hospitals in the Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division.

The selection of a new CEO marks a crucial step in the effort to rehabilitate a historic Atlanta institution that has run multimillion-dollar deficits for years and faces huge capital costs for replacing outdated equipment.

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

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

According to their resumes, the candidates have experience in financial management, planning, controlling costs, generating revenue and negotiating contracts. The new CEO will need all those attributes to save Grady hospital, a sprawling institution that sees close to 1 million patients a year, has 950 beds and manages a $730 million budget.

Grady's problems reflect many of the maladies of health care across the country, including a lack of privately insured patients, dwindling government payments, rising costs and years of neglect of facilities and equipment.

In addition, the new Grady CEO must reverse a tendency of leaders to come and go within a year or so, unable to negotiate the intense hospital, community and racial politics, as well as the public scrutiny surrounding Grady.

Importantly, the short list does not include interim CEO Pam Stephenson. She drew political heat as she served in the $600,000 CEO job, as well as being a member of the Grady authority and its new nonprofit board of directors.

Correll noted that Stephenson has a contract with Grady, and that discussions are under way to end the contract and bring on a new CEO.

Burfitt has served as a CEO at a half-dozen hospital systems since the late '70s, most recently at the Centura Health system in Colorado. There he oversaw 12 hospitals, among other facilities, according to his resume. He said he left Centura over a difference of opinion over the future direction of the company.

Burfitt also has a Georgia connection, in that he served as senior vice president of operations for the southern region of Tenet HealthSystem from 1999 to 2004. From the regional office in Atlanta, he oversaw a six-state area with 21 hospitals, including Atlanta Medical Center.

Emphasizing his Atlanta ties, Burfitt said, "It's one of the reasons I'm interested in this opportunity."

Butler is the only medical doctor among the candidates. He could not be reached for comment.

Burkhart, as CEO of Shands Jacksonville, said he led a major financial turnaround of the hospital that was near bankruptcy. He increased working capital, decreased the debt ratio and cut the costs of supplies.

He said he created a diversity council that helped enhance the employee work environment.

"There's a lot of similarities of where Shands was and where Grady is now," Burkhart said, noting that they're both Level 1 trauma centers, both safety-net facilities, and both associated with fine medical schools. "I don't shy away from tough jobs or when the going gets tough."

Young, as head of the 550-bed Erie County hospital in upstate New York, noted that the facility, associated with the University of Buffalo, scored high on trauma outcomes and had the No. 1 ranked kidney program in western New York.

Young has more than 20 years of experience as a hospital CEO and reduced emergency-room delays —- a problem at Grady —- and increased admissions and revenues, he said.

"We at Erie County Medical Center were losing $30 million a year [before I came]. Last year, we made $17 million in operating profit," Young said.

He added, "Grady would be a tremendous challenge and a tremendous opportunity. ... I think Grady is worth saving, don't you?''

News researcher Sharon Gaus contributed to this article.

THE CANDIDATES

Gregory Burfitt

Age: 59

Birthplace: Warren, Ohio.

Educational background: Bachelor's degree, Youngstown State University; master's in business and hospital administration, University of Florida.

James R. Burkhart

Age: 54

Birthplace: Knoxville

Educational background: Bachelor's degree, University of Tennessee; master's of hospital and health care administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Michael Keith Butler

Age: 52

Birthplace: Louisiana

Educational background: Bachelor's degree, Amherst College; medical degree, Tulane University; master's in health administration, Tulane.

Michael A. Young

Age: 52

Birthplace: York, Pa.

Educational background: Bachelor's degree, University of Pittsburgh; master's in health administration, University of Pittsburgh.