I Want to Be a Chief Medical Officer: Now What? Foreword

I hazard a guess that many physicians have heard this:

You seem to be well-liked by your patients…

Other physicians seem to respect you…

Our staff seem to enjoy working with you, and…

Your outcomes compared to others seem terrific, so…

Congratulations, we want you to be the next Chief Medical Officer here!

Although a majority of these potential chief medical officers who hear this may not have any level of relevant leadership experience, they are still initially attracted to the job invitation and become curious about this choice for a career path.

This is a position not to be taken lightly in the current era of our healthcare industry.

The chief medical officer (CMO) role has been around in some fashion for a good number of years, but its importance and relevance rapidly escalated recently. The COVID pandemic certainly increased awareness of the significance of the CMO role, and for many healthcare delivery systems, the role has evolved to be one of critical importance and influence within administrative circles. At times, the scope of related responsibilities may even seem to be outsized for the role.

For those interested in pursuing the CMO role, this book offers an excellent approach to answer that core question of “Now what?” The book is laid out in such a fashion that you, the reader, will often feel as if the authors are sitting beside you, anticipating your thoughts and questions.

The book succeeds in this fashion because the authors are all veteran CMOs themselves and have experienced the many aspects — positive and negative —of the CMO role. They know the territory exceedingly well and are committed to helping you navigate this journey by answering your questions based on their direct experience. The overall layout and sequencing of the topics further reinforce the value and readability of the book.

The host and variety of issues, strategies, tactics, and problems for a CMO role in any organization can often seem daunting for the uninitiated, but the converse is also quite true. The necessary trend to consolidate true patient-centered care, the inevitable progress to value-based care models, the importance of improving workforce wellness, the ability to contribute to the improvement of quality, safety and efficiency initiatives, as well as the opportunity for being the interface professional with non-clinical administrators, to name just a few, can be exhilarating and deeply satisfying for those in CMO roles. Don’t be daunted, be encouraged.

It is one thing to recognize the importance and the potential opportunity of becoming a CMO; it is quite a different matter to know how to obtain this role in the first place. This book is an excellent guide on the nuances of becoming a CMO and provides brilliant insights about the variety of issues at play while pursuing your first (or even second and third) CMO opportunity.

The book represents a well-written treatise on how to identify your potential for being a CMO and it helps you move through a host of resources and explore a variety of factors while making the final decision about becoming a CMO. This final choice is yours — do you want this job, and can you do it well?

At some level, all physicians are leaders, regardless of whether or not they are in formally titled roles. Yes, a variety of other new leadership roles are coming into place within healthcare, such as chief quality officer, chief medical informatics officer, and chief wellness officer. However, the CMO role offers the broadest and deepest set of opportunities within any organization or clinical delivery system.

The CMO role also offers high levels of personal satisfaction as a result of helping other physicians achieve their own leadership potential for professional growth and development.

Helping one’s peers is a distinct privilege and a truly unique opportunity. Often, the CMO role involves varying levels of mentorship and coaching for other physicians. This rolls over to other clinical professionals, as well as many non-clinical administrators in an organization. As a result, the CMO role is high-profile and has a high impact on several levels. The net effect is markedly improved patient care processes coupled with improved patient care outcomes.

Interestingly, a July 2022 McKinsey analysis identified three primary CMO archetypes for consumer-facing companies beyond healthcare: the policymaker and culture carrier, the guardian of the patient and the consumer, and the growth strategist. This represents another potential pathway for those considering CMO roles. The net effect is to help these consumer-facing organizations better interface with their customer base and improve their product lines.

The healthcare industry is exceedingly complex and will remain so for the foreseeable future. The CMO role is likely to become even more pivotal to developing successful transformations of clinical delivery systems — transformations that will ultimately improve the professional satisfaction of the workforce and the baseline health of our patients.

Regardless of how one approaches this book and for what potential endpoint, the information provided in the book on how to become a CMO in the current healthcare marketplace is a must-read. This should also be a serious read for those who are involved with preparing or hiring individuals for CMO roles.

Enjoy your read. The outcome will be greater success in becoming a CMO and improved professional satisfaction.

Excerpted from I Want to Be a Chief Medical Officer: Now What? by Rex Hoffman, MD, MBA, FACHE, CPE.