Chief medical officer job description

This post includes 3 parts: duties list, job qualification and job description writing tips for Chief medical officer in details. A complete job description concludes Chief medical officer key duties/responsibilities, Chief medical officer job qualifications (knowledge, education, skills, abilities, experience…KSA model) and other ones such as daily tasks, key activities, key/core competencies, job functions/purpose…

I. List of Chief medical officer duties:

1.     Works with Hospital Medical Staff, Board of Directors, and Facility Leadership to improve the functionality and effectiveness of the hospital medical staff organization.

2.     Partners and collaborates with medical staff and hospital/facility management teams, facilitating teamwork and shared goals.  Represents medical staff viewpoints to management and relays management viewpoints to medical staff.

3.     Provides clinical support and consultation regarding cost effective clinical resource management in the facility by sharing of reports and providing recommendations to reduce the variable cost per case while maintaining and enhancing clinical effectiveness.

4.     Serves as a direct liaison between HCA affiliated physicians and facility.

5.     Works with the Division CMO in establishing and maintaining an ongoing program to orient and develop management expertise for the Chief of Staff, Medical Executive Committee and other medical staff leaders.

6.     Leads educational sessions and provides ongoing in-service to the facility medical staff regarding clinical resource management, appropriate documents standards, utilization and quality issues, and quality improvement activities in collaboration with the Facility Chief of Staff and other clinical leadership.

7.     Collaborates on a day-to-day basis with the Facility CEO.

8.     Has knowledge of all HCA clinical technologies and assists with the education of physicians on these systems.

9.     The FCMO functions as an administrative liaison with the medical staff as a member of the hospital leadership team and attends medical staff meetings as an ex-officio member

II. List of Chief medical officer qualifications

1.    Possesses and uses current knowledge of quality improvement and assurance, staff and meeting organization, and approaches to the delivery of medical care and strategies for examining and applying relevant concepts.

2.    Has a demonstrated understanding of the social, political, and economic influences affecting health care program and services.

3.    Ability to advise the leaders of the hospital, medical staff, and clinical staff in the facilities' decision-making structures and processes.

4.    Licensed in Floridaas an M.D. or D.O.

5.    Possession of requisite credentials to obtain staff appointment at facility if requested

6.    Board Certification in a clinical discipline required

7.    Additional education and coursework in management and business

8.    An MBA or equivalent desired

9.    10 years of clinical practice desired

10.  Chief Medical Officer, Medical Director or other similar position within progressive, complex health care system. 

III. Tips to write job description

1. Too-long job description:

Looking at a too-long job description can frighten the candidates off and drive the away. A job description, no matter how important the job is, should not be included in more than 3 pages. If one focuses on too many things at a time, he shall definitely lose focus on the main items and get overwhelmed by the remaining; So, keep it concisely.

2. Too-short job description:

While too-long can be a problem, too-short is more a problem. It will ruin the meaning of the job description. A too-short one means it lacks necessary details and therefore, the candidate will not be able to understand while reading it.

3. Listing unnecessary functions or job duties:

Just classifying these into the “others” category will save you a lot of effort and space. On the other hand, the job description will become more dilute and easy to be neglected.

4. Key functions

Not listing key functions as required for the job can be a fatal mistake to a job description.

5. Grammar and spelling

Poor grammar and having spelling errors can ruin the job description, too. Never think that as you are the employer, you may have the right to make grammar or spelling errors while requires other not to. A job description with such errors is easily to be mistaken as a fake or ghost ads; as a result, the candidate will turn away from it.

6. Not specific enough:

Be specific and concise; if you don’t address the specific, then what the job description is for. It is for the candidate to understand just exactly what he needs to do or needs to have. Lacking details can confuse the candidates very well.

7. Not having the job description reviewed by others:

This is also a common mistake. One may be subject to bias, but more than one, especially with the help of those external advisor, the job description can be more perfect.

8. Using buzzwords or abbreviations:

In fact, it is not necessary at all to use such in a job description.

9. Using slang or legal words:

Just use common wording to communicate with others and don’t do anything extraordinarily.

10. Not updating the job description:

The same job may require different duties and responsibilities in different times, so, you cannot use the same job description for 2 different times.