Kaiser Permanente named Bernard J. Tyson as its new CEO and chairman. Tyson will take the reins from CEO and chairman George Halvorson when Halvorson retires in December 2013.

The board of directors of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan made the announcement Nov. 5, promoting Tyson from his current role as president and chief operating officer of Kaiser Permanente. Tyson will join the board of directors next month and will assume the role of CEO after a six-month transition. He will assume the role of chairman and CEO at the end of 2013.

Tyson has been with Kaiser Permanente – which serves more than 9 million members and generates nearly $50 billion in annual revenue – for 28 years in various roles, including executive vice president of health plan and hospital operations for Kaiser Permanente as well as senior vice president and COO for the organization’s regions outside of California.

Tyson serves as chair of the Executive Leadership Council and sits on the board of directors of the American Heart Association.

“I am deeply honored to follow George Halvorson’s incredible leadership and to serve this great organization as its next chairman and chief executive officer,” Tyson said in a news release.

Halvorson, a champion of health information technology, is credited with leading the decision to implement Kaiser's enterprise-wide electronic health record system that’s often touted as a model, and he has been recognized for his leadership and performance throughout his career.

In an interview with Business Times, Tyson said his leadership style would be similar to Halvorson’s. “I think we have a lot of similarities in how we work. I don't think at this point I can pinpoint what's going to be different. That will happen more as I move into the role, and look at the future challenges in front of me,” said Tyson.