Harborview Medical Center is a comprehensive, academic healthcare referral facility and the only Level I adult and pediatric trauma and burn center for five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region and a safety net hospital. Harborview is dedicated to providing specialized care for a broad spectrum of patients from throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the most vulnerable residents of King County. Harborview Medical Center (HMH) is also the disaster preparedness and disaster control hospital for Seattle and King County.

The UW Medicine physicians, staff and other healthcare professionals based at Harborview provide exemplary patient care in leading-edge centers, including emergency medicine, trauma and burn care; neurosciences, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, vascular surgery, HIV/AIDS, and rehabilitation medicine.

In addition, as a safety net hospital, patients given priority for care include the non-English speaking poor, the uninsured or underinsured, victims of domestic violence or sexual assault, people incarcerated in King County's jails, people with mental illness or substance abuse problems, particularly those treated involuntarily, and those who require specialized emergency, trauma or burn care.

Harborview recognizes that delivering quality healthcare is enhanced by a strong commitment to teaching, community service and research. Harborview fulfills its educational mission through the support of undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and continuing education programs of the health professions of the University of Washington and other educational institutions, as well as programs relating to patient education.

One of eight entities of UW Medicine, Harborview Medical Center is owned by King County, governed by a county-appointed board of trustees, and managed under contract by the University of Washington. The medical center plans and coordinates with Public Health Seattle and King County, other County agencies, community providers, and area hospitals, to provide programs and services.

• Licensed beds: 500
• Employees: 5,715
• Admissions: 16,024
• Clinic visits: 268,144
• Emergency Department visits: 55,409
• Uncompensated care: $294 million

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Harborview Medical Center (HMC) position is an exciting opportunity to serve as the physician executive for HMC overseeing the safety, quality, and equity of medical care and facilitating teaching and research activities. A member of the HMC executive team, the HMC CMO also serves as Associate Chief Medical Officer of UW Medicine, holds an appointment as Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine, and serves as Chair of the HMC Medical Executive Board. The CMO collaborates with the UW Medicine Chief Quality Officer and the UW Medicine Chief Medical Officer to oversee medical quality improvement and patient safety through an equity lens. Working closely with the HMC executive team and UW Medicine Chief Medical Officer, they have primary responsibility of the medical models reflecting the configuration of the service teams.

This CMO will play a major role in shaping the future of Harborview Medical Center during a significant clinical transformation and expansion. In November 2020, King County voters overwhelmingly approved issuing up to $1.74 billion in bond funds to support development and improvements at Harborview Medical Center. This will include significant renovation to existing facilities and construction of a new high-rise inpatient hospital tower. Completion of the work will create modern, innovative, accessible, and sustainable healthcare facilities to better serve the community.

The Chief Medical Officer has a dual reporting relationship to the Harborview Medical Center Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the UW Medicine Chief Medical Officer and to the Dean of the UW School of Medicine or designee for Associate Dean duties.

The position oversees the following direct reports:

• Associate Medical Director, Critical Care

• Associate Medical Director, Acute Care

• Associate Medical Director, Ambulatory Care

• Associate Medical Director, Emergency Services

• Associate Medical Director, Peri-operative Services

• Associate Medical Director, Credentialing

• Medical Staff Credentialing Administrator

In addition, 19 HMC Chiefs of Service who sit on the Medical Executive Board have a dual reporting relationship to the HMC Chief Medical Officer and their respective Department Chairs.

The CMO will have the following capabilities: 

• An evolved and visionary leader with a track record of success leading and influencing physicians to improve quality and performance, who can build immediate credibility through identifying and effecting quick wins while putting in place a long-term and sustainable transformational agenda.
• Strong executive presence with the self-awareness, motivation, and social skills to direct large scale and complex initiatives across Harborview Medical Center and UW Medicine.
• Solid track record of success and an unwavering commitment to upholding healthcare equity, racial and gender diversity, and inclusion.
• An astute executive with advanced understanding of business, finance, and healthcare economics and proven experience using a variety of data tools, surveys, metrics, and standards to measure performance and success.
• Desire to be a true partner across UW Medicine, interacting across multiple divisions and departments to provide progressive clinical management solutions.
• Intellectual horsepower to take on large and complex problems and filter them through a wide range of possible solutions with a curiosity to imagine what has yet to be discovered.
• Willingness to represent HMC’s medical staff on various committees at HMC, UW School of Medicine, and UW Medicine and to communicate committee activities to HMC’s medical staff and management as appropriate.
• Strength of character with a demonstrated history of integrity, fairness, and professionalism who will support continued transparency and sharing of information among all UW entities to ensure the ongoing success of the organization.
• A creative and positive thinker who relentlessly pursues strategies that challenge the status quo with new and breakthrough ideas, approaches, and solutions. A change agent who can encourage and facilitate staff responsiveness in changing priorities to meet system-wide goals.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to recognize what is going on beyond what is being observed in social and political contexts and inspire medical staff and other members of the UW Medicine community.
• Superior verbal, written, presentation, and group facilitation skills with the capacity to convey complex information in a manner that people at all levels of the organization and external constituents can understand.
• A direct and transparent communication style with the capacity to listen well and respect, encourage, and integrate the views of others while building consensus and trust across a diverse organization.
• An open and participative management style with proven capability to develop a high-performance team culture.

Personal Characteristics

• High sense of purpose and urgency.
• Proactive and innovative.
• Reliable and accountable.
• Confident and articulate.
• Unquestionable personal integrity.
• Collaborative relationship builder.
• Analytical and effective operator.
• Learning agility and intellectual curiosity.

Faculty Appointment

The HMC CMO position is a 0.8 FTE position. This position will have a full-time faculty appointment in one of the UWSOM departments appropriate for background and experience. This position is not eligble for tenure. This is a 12-month service period position (July – June) with an anticipated start date in Fall 2024. All University of Washington faculty engage in teaching, research, and service.

Compensation

The base salary range for this position will be $260,000 - $700,000 per year, commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination. Other compensation associated with this position may include administrative salary supplement and allowances.

Candidate Qualifications

The successful candidate will ideally possess the following qualifications and experience:

Education & Experience

• A doctorate in medicine (M.D. or foreign equivalent) licensed or with the ability to be licensed in the State of Washington. An advanced degree in business or healthcare leadership preferred.
• Seven or more years of senior leadership experience in a large healthcare system directing a complex medical staff operation and managing medical staff organization issues in a Level One Trauma Center.
• Experience in an academic or highly matrixed setting and a belief in and appreciation for the tripartite mission of teaching, research, and clinical care.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

To apply, please upload your CV, cover letter, and diversity statement.  

For questions, please contact Patti McGahey at the McGahey Group, Inc. at 212-750-3556 or pattim@mcgaheygroup.com.