Chief Medical Officers

Chief medical officers have a wide variety of duties that involve staffing, budgeting, and other financial management, short- and long-term strategic planning, community relations, risk management, and other areas. At large companies, CMOs oversee deputies who assist with these tasks.

Chief medical officers hire, train, direct, evaluate the performance of their organization’s medical staff. They write or revise job descriptions and seek to improve onboarding programs for new workers and continuing education programs for current staff.

CMOs evaluate patient care to ensure that high standards are met. They review the results of patient satisfaction surveys and respond to patient complaints. CMOs talk with physicians and other healthcare professionals to receive feedback about the daily operation of the facility and challenges that they are facing. They also tour their facilities to ensure that quality care is being provided, that environmental systems (e.g., heating, cooling, air purification) are operating correctly, and that safety rules and protocols are being followed.

During their organization’s annual budgeting process, CMOs work closely with the chief financial officer (CFO) to prepare a budget and establish targets related to financial performance, expense management, and overall productivity. They also partner with the CFO to proactively monitor areas of high financial risk and identify and implement strategies to address these issues.

Chief medical officers work closely with their organization’s board of directors, CEO, and executive leadership team to develop and implement an annual strategic operational plan, as well as create a long-term strategy that considers industry developments, advances in technology, emerging risks, and staffing trends.

Other important responsibilities for CMOs include serving as an ambassador to the surrounding community, talking with the media regarding their organization and/or major healthcare issues and trends, working closely with other executives to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations, conducting research to identify new medical technology or medical services, and preparing reports for chief operating officers and other top leaders.