Lewis-Gale Medical Center's parent company, HCA Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., named Victor Giovanetti to the top slot in Salem on Monday morning.

He will succeed Chief Executive Officer James Thweatt, 60, who took the helm at Lewis-Gale seven years ago and is leaving to become a project director with the HCA chain in Virginia.

Giovanetti's appointment is effective Jan. 1. He currently is based in Nashville, where he is the CEO of Southern Hills Medical Center, a 120-bed hospital also owned by HCA.

As Lewis-Gale's new leader, Giovanetti, 44, will oversee a much larger institution with 216 staffed beds and about 1,200 employees. Lewis-Gale also is the regional referral center for three other hospitals in Southwest Virginia: Alleghany Regional; Montgomery Regional; and Pulaski Community.

Lewis-Gale Medical Center claims about one-third of the Roanoke Valley's health care, second to Carilion Clinic.

Giovanetti, who has a Master of Business Administration degree, wasn't available for comment Monday, said Nancy May, an HCA spokeswoman.

Thweatt said he plans to stay at the hospital until the end of the year, but has yet to decide on a departure date.

He anticipates staying in Salem for his new role with HCA. That will include managing the design and construction of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, a proposed 126-bed hospital near Fredericksburg, Va. He declined to comment any further on job specifics, only that he will remain a full-time employee of the for-profit company.

"I just felt I need to do something different," said Thweatt, who started his health care career more than 30 years ago in pharmacy operations.

Thweatt came to Lewis-Gale in 2000 after serving for nearly a decade as CEO of Clinch Valley Medical Center in Richlands, Va. Also owned by HCA, Clinch Valley is much a smaller institution than Lewis-Gale with 126 staffed beds and about 430 employees, according to Virginia Health Information records.