Chief Medical Officer

Job Description

Western State Hospital is one of the largest inpatient psychiatric hospital west of the Mississippi, with more than 700 patients and nearly 2,800 employees, located in the city of Lakewood, Washington, just south of Tacoma, and to better support this vision, Western has created two separate centers of operations. The Civil Center of Excellence will provide civil operations while developing plans for a new 350-bed hospital on its campus to help patients become stable enough to understand and participate in their court proceedings and the Gage Center of Forensic Excellence will provide state-of-the-art mental health evaluation, restoration, treatment, habilitation, and consultation services. This job is a great opportunity to support our mission.



We are seeking a visionary and collaborative leader who has experience in both medical and management leadership roles, demonstrating the respect and humility to hold themselves and all others accountable. This will be an exciting and challenging opportunity, as they will be tasked to discharge many patients to their families and communities and who can proactively lead, delegate and empower our workforce to live out Western State Hospitals purpose and values of transforming lives that foster high-quality patient-centered care.



The Chief Medical Officer is a key leadership role on the civil side reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. Youll serve as an essential member of the hospitals Executive Cabinet on the civil center and play a crucial role in overseeing, the civil patients, where the focus is to help patients transition into local communities and guiding daily activities related to the hospitals administration and personnel management. You will strategically plan, develop, manage, direct and evaluate all clinical and administrative components to assure a supportive environment for all medical staff and clinical medical services. You will oversee, lead, and direct multidisciplinary management teams, programs, projects, and people and ensure that all staff adhere to safety standards, and deliver on the highest quality of services and the safest treatment to all patients.

Primary priorities of what you'll do:

Model cohesive leadership

Direct and demonstrate appropriate and relevant strategies; establish, develop, and implement the overall plans, goals, and objectives to partner and support the team; understand our impact within the communities we serve to deliver safe, quality patient care.
Supervise, lead, train and support the staff; provide direction, expertise, and guidance on complex issues, and work closely with the senior medical leadership team, other multidisciplinary teams of psychiatrists, medical physicians, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, and other clinical staff to champion their own success.
Manage day-to-day operations

Lead the coordination and operational effectiveness of the hospitals psychiatric and medical services.
Participate in the formulation of treatment and administrative procedures for clinical services and ensure coordination with the social and rehabilitation programs of the hospital.
Provide consultation on clinical matters related to nursing, rehabilitation, and other professional services.
Support new and effective strategies for the clinical staff to ensure medical interventions are efficient and medically necessary.
Develop the current and future business processes to support the unique needs of the patients we serve.
Maintain compliance

Ensure hospital compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service laws governing the provision of psychiatric inpatient care, the Joint Commission of Accreditation, and Washington state professional standards of practice, Revised Code of Washington, Washington Administrative Code, and agency policies.
We want to connect with a leader who has experience, expertise, and strengths to:

Ensure self and others are accountable for creating a cohesive environment based on the deep appreciation and respect for others where each person is heard and valued and has an innate talent for fostering an inclusive environment.
Leverage creativity, open to new ideas, and the innovation of others to deliver services, solve problems and improve our processes and mental health care services.
Oversee, lead, and direct multidisciplinary management teams, programs, projects, and people
Build trust, influence, collaborate, delegate, and be a savvy relationship builder with stellar communication skills.
Oversee budget and facilities; apply human resource practices to attract, hire, develop, coach, and retain talent; evaluate performance and recognition, and take corrective actions, in accordance with labor and union laws.
Tolerate stress, adapt to changing business needs, make decisions, recommendations, and accept responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work to meet or exceed predetermined goals and objectives.

If this is your area of expertise and interest, come partner with us in doing this meaningful and critical work. We encourage you to apply!

Required Education and Experience
Valid license to practice medicine and surgery in Washington state
Certification in general psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Experience in the private/public sector with leadership and management skills that can be incorporated into the state system to improve services
Proven demonstrated medical executive leadership
To learn more about the Western State Chief Medical Officer opportunity, DSHS, and BHA click here to view the Chief Medical Officer executive advertisement


Application Process

To be considered, please submit a resume and cover letter reflecting relevant experience and demonstrating what makes you a competitive applicant for this opportunity

If you have questions about this ad, job number 2021-06802, contact Anu Rao at (360) 972-6206 or via email at anu.rao@dshs.wa.gov

NOTE: Per Governor Inslees Proclamation 21-14 (Download PDF reader) state employees must be fully vaccinated. Your vaccine status will be verified. Please note medical or religious accommodation may be available, once an offer of employment is made.

Employer Profile

Not Specified

View Full Employer Profile