Carrie Horn, MD
Chief Medical Officer
National Jewish Health
How is the role of CMO changing/evolving over time?
Originally, it focused on acting as a liaison between administration and the medical staff. Since then, the role has grown to include quality, safety and operational components while still maintaining that relationship between administration and the medical staff.
How has your experience as a physician helped you as CMO?
As a practicing hospitalist, I work very closely with a wide range of subspecialists. The relationships with these colleagues allow me to partner with front-line providers to move care delivery changes forward more effectively. As I continue to practice, I witness how the projects we undertake directly affect my interactions with patients and the care I am able to provide.
What is a misconception about your job?
That it is all-time encompassing, and that I'm always "on call." I work very hard to maintain my outside of medicine life and relationships. I believe that it is important to take care of one's whole self, both with work satisfaction and personal satisfaction. Sometimes that is as easy as just reading a book for pleasure, and sometimes it is a big family trip with no cell phone service or internet.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I think the one area I would advise my younger self a little differently would be to have a broader focus of learning and knowledge earlier on. I love learning bits and pieces of foreign languages when I am traveling, and I wish that I had put more effort into becoming fluent in another language and learning about other cultures when I was younger.
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
I think that everyone should have the experience of being surrounded by a completely new and different environment. Every trip has deepened my respect for how each person lives his or her life. By understanding more about how different our lives can be, I can be a better advocate for the health and lives of others.
John Tynes, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Saint Joseph Hospital
How is the role of CMO changing/evolving over time?
In the past, CMOs often focused solely on supporting routine medical staff functions like credentialing and peer review. Today, we are more active members of the hospital's executive team, engaged in growth strategies, community outreach, and oversight of quality and safety.
How has your experience as a physician helped you as CMO?
I will never forget how challenging clinical practice can be, with the rapid advance of medical therapies, constantly shifting regulations and shrinking reimbursement. I hope I'm always seen as supportive of providers at the front line as they strive to provide the best care for patients.
What is a misconception about your job?
That it's only a 40-hour work week! I think I work longer hours now than I did when I was in clinical practice!
What advice would you give your younger self?
Get involved in medical staff committees’ sooner and learn as much as possible about hospital operations and health care finance as you can. Physicians need to have a knowledgeable voice at the administrative table, to help guide the future of health care.
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
For any health care provider: Volunteer on a medical mission in a foreign country. I performed surgeries with the help of a talented team of professionals in hospitals in Nepal and Peru and was astounded at the high level of care that they are able to provide with a fraction of the resources we have in the USA. It was both humbling and inspiring!