Chief Medical Officer - Saddle Back Medical Center

MemorialCare•Laguna Hills, CA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Medical Officer serves as the physician executive leader responsible for clinical quality, utilization, with input into clinical operations, and strategy. This role ensures alignment between medical staff, operational leaders, hospital administration, and system-wide goals to enhance patient care, improve provider engagement, and drive excellence in clinical and operational performance. The CMO acts as the primary clinical voice in strategic planning and decision-making, fostering collaboration among physicians, medical teams, and executive leadership.

Requirements

MD/DO with current license by California Medical Board with board certification in a relevant specialty
Successful clinical practice experience
Proven leadership experience in clinical operations, quality management, and strategy implementation
Strong understanding of healthcare utilization metrics, regulatory compliance, and provider engagement
Exceptional communication and collaboration skills to engage physicians, executives, and healthcare teams

Nice To Haves

Medical leadership position such as medical staff department chair and/or Chief of Staff
Medical business exposure as director of IPA, PPO, or medical group
Oversight responsibility such as a member of a hospital or healthcare entity Board of Directors
Active Staff member SMC

Responsibilities

Foster clear understanding of the independent medical staff and its oversight of quality for SMC.
Foster strong partnership with medical staff and administration for the betterment of SMC and MemorialCare as a whole.
Serve as the executive liaison for medical staff communication, overseeing interactions with MEC.
Champion physician wellbeing initiatives to support a sustainable and thriving medical workforce.
Assist in oversight of physician aspects of maintenance and/or acquisition of accreditation by regulatory agencies (e.g., CDPH, Joint Commission, DNV, etc.).
Function as primary contact to address operational physician issues.
Participate in Senior Leadership Council meetings and other administrative meetings as appointed by CEO.
Participate as a voting member of the Quality Committee of the Board and as an ex-officio member of the Orange County Board of Directors Quality and Risk Management.
Accountable for quality performance at the campus/entity, overseeing metrics such as quality (e.g., Vizient) scorecards.
Partner with operations, nursing, and quality teams to establish and achieve clinical goals, improve patient and clinician safety, and reduce care variation.
Serve as the High Reliability Organization (HRO) executive champion for providers.
Attends and participates in Performance Improvement Patient Safety Council (PIPS), MemorialCare Physician Society Board (as SMC CMO), and other relevant meetings.
Ensure physician leadership in utilization management, driving key performance metrics such as length of stay.
Act as the clinical partner in operational efficiency, improving ancillary services, patient flow, perioperative effectiveness, etc.
Guide medical staff in alignment with hospital’s mission, vision, and strategic goals.
Represent the physician executive voice in campus/entity strategic planning.
Communicate clinical implications of organizational strategies, ensuring alignment with patient care needs.
Act as a bridge between medical staff and executive leadership to implement strategic visions effectively.
Maintain an 80/20% focus on campus vs. system-wide initiatives, championing local needs while supporting broader organizational objectives.