Chief Medical Officer

Job Summary The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) serves as the senior physician executive for Livingston HealthCare (LHC) and is responsible for providing clinical leadership, advancing quality and patient safety initiatives, promoting physician engagement, and supporting the organization's strategic goals. The CMO acts as a liaison between the medical staff, administration, governing board, and community stakeholders to ensure high-quality, patient-centered, and financially sustainable healthcare services.

The CMO champions a culture of excellence, regulatory compliance, evidence-based practice, and continuous improvement while ensuring the unique needs of rural healthcare delivery are met.

Essential Functions, Duties And Responsibilities Clinical Leadership

• Provide physician leadership for all clinical quality, patient safety, and care management initiatives.
• Promote evidence-based medicine and best clinical practices throughout the organization.
• Partner with medical staff leaders to establish and maintain standards of patient care.
• Lead efforts to improve clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
• Support development and implementation of clinical protocols and care pathways.
  
  

Quality and Patient Safety

• Oversee quality improvement, utilization management, infection prevention, and patient safety programs.
• Monitor and improve key quality metrics, regulatory indicators, and performance benchmarks.
• Participate in root cause analyses and corrective action plans related to adverse events.
• Support compliance with CMS Conditions of Participation, Critical Access Hospital regulations, and accreditation standards.
  
  

Medical Staff Leadership

• Collaborate with the Medical Executive Committee and departmental leaders.
• Assist with physician recruitment, onboarding, credentialing, and retention efforts.
• Foster physician engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Support medical staff peer review and professional practice evaluation processes.
• Address concerns involving clinical performance, professionalism, and provider relations.
  
  

Administrative and Strategic Leadership

• Participate as a member of the executive leadership team.
• Contribute to organizational strategic planning and growth initiatives.
• Provide physician leadership for service line development and population health management.
• Assist in evaluating new clinical technologies, services, and partnerships.
• Collaborate with operational leaders to improve efficiency and care delivery.
• Serves as Urgent Care Medical Director.
• Serves as Quality & Safety Medical Officer.
  
  

Regulatory and Compliance Oversight

• Ensure adherence to federal, state, and local healthcare regulations.
• Support regulatory surveys, audits, and accreditation activities.
• Maintain compliance with EMTALA, HIPAA, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and applicable healthcare regulations.
• Support risk management and corporate compliance programs.
  
  

Community and External Relations

• Represent the hospital within the community and regional healthcare networks.
• Promote positive relationships with referring providers, clinics, EMS agencies, and community organizations.
• Participate in community health initiatives and physician outreach activities.
• Advocate for rural healthcare access and quality improvement.
  
  

Financial Stewardship

• Partner with executive leadership to ensure effective resource utilization.
• Support initiatives that improve operational efficiency and clinical productivity.
• Assist in development of annual budgets and capital planning related to clinical services.
• Balance quality outcomes with fiscal responsibility.
• Participates in the development of physician contracts and compensation packages.
  
  

Other Functions, Duties And Responsibilities Of All Employees

• Supports and models individual behavior consistent with the Standards of Excellence and the mission, vision and values of Livingston HealthCare.
• Demonstrates commitment to customer service by:
• Building effective working relationships and treating others with respect
• Interacting with customers (Patients, co-workers and visitors) in a warm and friendly way.
• Taking immediate action to meet customers’ needs or requests.
• Attentive to each customer concern.
• Demonstrates and encourages an ethic of open and effective communication and teamwork throughout the organization
• Adheres to Livingston HealthCare’s Code of Conduct and Livingston HealthCare and departmental compliance policies.
  
  

The above statements reflect the general duties considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job as identified and shall not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements which may be inherent in the position.

Qualifications Education

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from an accredited institution.
• Completion of an accredited residency program.
  
  

Licensure/Certification

• Current unrestricted physician license.
• Board certification in a recognized medical specialty.
• DEA registration, if applicable.
• Eligibility for medical staff membership and privileges within the hospital.
  
  

Experience

• Minimum of two years of progressive physician leadership experience.
• Prior experience as Medical Director, Chief Medical Officer, Department Chair, or comparable leadership role preferred.
• Experience working in a rural hospital, Critical Access Hospital, or integrated health system preferred.
• Demonstrated success in quality improvement, patient safety, and physician engagement initiatives.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Strong understanding of Critical Access Hospital regulations and rural healthcare delivery.
• Knowledge of healthcare quality metrics, value-based care, and population health strategies.
• Familiarity with CMS, Joint Commission, and state regulatory requirements.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing leadership, and administrative staff.
• Strong analytical and strategic planning capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change and achieve measurable outcomes.
  
  

Additional Desirable Qualifications

• Clinical practice experience.
• Knowledge of health care regulatory standards, reimbursement and patient safety standards.
• Knowledge of health care environment, trends and provider networks and contracts.
• Experience in strategic planning, service line development, quality, cost containment practices and health care systems operations.
  
  

Working Conditions

• Tasks that involve exposure to blood, body fluids, or tissues. Use of appropriate protective measures is required for every employee engaged.
  
  

Physical Demands

• Based on Livingston HealthCare’s physician demand classification, the working conditions of this job are defined as
• Frequent sitting, standing and walking. Occasional lifting, grasping reaching and pulling.
• Exposure to blood, body fluids, or tissues or airborne contaminants.
• Use of appropriate protective measures is required for every employee engaged in these activities.
  
  

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) The CMO Will Be Evaluated On

• Quality and patient safety outcomes
• CMS and regulatory compliance performance
• Physician engagement and retention
• Patient satisfaction scores
• Readmission and transfer rates
• Clinical productivity and efficiency measures
• Recruitment and retention of providers
• Achievement of strategic organizational goals
  
  

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Clinical Excellence
• Physician Engagement
• Accountability
• Collaboration
• Integrity
• Innovation
• Servant Leadership
• Community Stewardship
• Change Management
  
  

Preferred For Rural Critical Access Hospitals

• Experience leading rural health initiatives.
• Understanding of swing bed operations, rural emergency care, and telehealth programs.
• Experience working with frontier populations and limited-resource environments.
• Ability to develop partnerships with regional referral centers and healthcare networks.