Chief Medical Officer

Job Description

Cottage Health seeks a Chief Medical Officer to serve as the senior physician executive responsible for clinical leadership, quality of care, patient safety, and medical staff performance across the health system. This role partners closely with executive leadership to align clinical strategy with organizational goals, while advancing excellence in patient care, graduate medical education (GME), and community health. The Chief Medical Officer provides oversight of medical staff operations, clinical quality, regulatory compliance, and physician engagement, with a strong emphasis on fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and academic collaboration within a community-based teaching environment. Responsibilities include:

Clinical Leadership & Quality

• Lead system-wide initiatives to improve clinical quality, patient safety, and outcomes.
• Oversee performance in core quality metrics.
• Champion evidence-based practice and standardization of care across service lines.
• Drive clinical transformation initiatives, including value-based care and population health.

Medical Staff Governance

• Provide executive oversight of the medical staff office and credentialing processes.
• Partner with Medical Executive Committees (MECs) and department chairs on medical staff matters.
• Ensure compliance with bylaws, policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Address physician performance, peer review, and professionalism issues.

Physician Engagement & Alignment

• Foster strong relationships with employed and independent physicians.
• Lead physician alignment strategies, including engagement, retention, and recruitment.
• Partner with physician leaders to enhance care coordination and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Support leadership development for department chairs, program directors, and emerging physician leaders.

Graduate Medical Education (GME) & Academic Affairs

• Collaborate with the Designated Institutional Official (DIO) and program directors to ensure high quality residency and fellowship programs.
• Promote integration of teaching, research, and clinical care.
• Ensure compliance with ACGME standards and institutional requirements.
• Advance the system's mission as a community-based teaching institution.

Regulatory & Accreditation Compliance

• Ensure compliance with regulatory bodies (e.g., CMS, Joint Commission, state agencies).
• Lead clinical readiness for surveys and audits.
• Oversee clinical risk management in partnership with legal and compliance teams.

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team.
• Contribute to strategic planning, service line development, and growth initiatives.
• Partner with the executive leadership team to align clinical, operational, and financial goals.
• Support integration across hospital sites and ambulatory settings.

Patient Safety & Risk Management

• Lead patient safety initiatives, including root cause analysis and high-reliability organization (HRO) principles.
• Collaborate with risk management to reduce liability exposure.

Community & External Relations

• Represent the organization in community, academic, and professional forums.
• Strengthen relationships with affiliated medical schools and community partners.
• Promote initiatives addressing community health needs and disparities.

This is not an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Employees will be required to perform any job, with related instruction given by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation.

Qualifications

All job qualifications listed indicate the minimum level necessary to perform this job proficiently.

LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Required: MD or DO degree from an accredited institution. Board certification in a clinical specialty.

YEARS OF RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE

Required: Ten (10) years of clinical practice experience. Five (5) years of progressive leadership experience in medical staff leadership, quality, or hospital administration.

Preferred: Experience in a teaching hospital or academic-community hybrid setting strongly preferred.

About Us

Cottage Health is a leading acute care hospital system, located on the central coast of California, widely known for our superior patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health system operates primarily in Santa Barbara, CA, since 1888, and consists of three acute care hospitals, a Rehabilitation Hospital, multiple clinics and a multi-site Urgent Care system. Our mission is to serve the central coast communities with excellence, integrity, and compassion. Every day we touch thousands of lives in many different ways, resolute in our mission to put patients first. We take pride in helping our patients get back to living their lives - in the places they love.

*Pay for non-physician positions is determined based on related years of experience and internal equity. Eligible employees may also receive additional forms of compensation, including shift differentials, on-call pay, incentive pay, and bonus opportunities, where applicable. Manager and above positions may participate in Cottage Health's annual management incentive program. Physician compensation is determined based upon specialty and may include bonus potential. For more information on our comprehensive Total Rewards offerings, please visit

If you're already a Cottage Health employee, please apply on this link only.