Description

Commonwealth Search Partners - Chief Medical Officer (CMO)

Location: Fall River, Massachusetts
Employment Type: Full-Time, with option to be flexible
Compensation:  $260,000-$300,000

The Search for our next Chief Medical Officer 

HealthFirst is seeking a strategic and collaborative physician leader to serve as their next Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who will take ownership of the organization’s clinical excellence and service delivery, while ensuring high-quality, patient-centered and culturally competent care.  The CEO seeks a strategic partner with whom to chart the course of the health center’s future in a time of great change in health care.  

The CMO is the senior physician executive responsible for clinical strategy, provider performance, and the ongoing evolution of HealthFirst’s care model. The CMO leads and unifies clinical leadership across service lines including medical, behavioral health, and substance use disorder treatment, ensures compliance with FQHC requirements, and strengthens a culture of continuous quality improvement, patient centered team-based care, and clinician engagement. This role integrates clinical excellence with operational effectiveness, quality improvement, and regulatory compliance.

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to partner with, and report to, a visionary and strategic MD CEO focused on future growth and development. Equally important, the CMO serves as the “medical face” of HealthFirst – building trust within the community, representing the organization in public forums, and participating in statewide and national initiatives relevant to community health centers and underserved populations.

About HealthFirst 

HealthFirst Family Care Center (HealthFirst), located in Fall, River, Massachusetts, is a mission driven Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible and culturally responsive health care services to all. Founded in 1971, HealthFirst now provides care to over 13,000 patients annually with a range of services including primary care (adult and pediatric), dental, behavioral health, and nutrition, in addition to operating school-based clinics. With an annual budget of $20 million, HealthFirst employs more than 185 clinicians and staff.  HealthFirst works to support all members of the Fall River community, including the Portuguese, Hispanic, Cambodian, African American and Brazilian Portuguese populations who call this community home. Our staff reflects the various cultures we serve, ensuring easy access for all patients regardless of language, income or cultural barriers to care. 

About the Community

Fall River is a city with nearly 94,000 diverse residents.  Fall River is a historic, waterfront community, with a Gateway City designation that is poised to enter a new, revitalized, future. Fall River is a short distance from some of the most beautiful beaches in Massachusetts.  It is about an hour south of Boston, a brief distance to the Martha’s Vineyard and Block Island Ferries, and just 30 minutes to Newport and Providence RI.

Candidate Profile

The next CMO is a mission-driven leader who combines clinical excellence with operational savvy, regulatory expertise, and a deep commitment to health equity. They will be as focused on supporting clinicians and patients as they are on performance, compliance, and strategy—serving as a bridge between frontline care and executive leadership. The next CMO is also a strategic and innovative thinker who identifies trends and opportunities for improvements.  They will shape the future of the organization’s clinical service delivery as we continue to expand our services to meet the evolving healthcare needs of our community.  

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

A deep commitment to the mission, vision and values of the health center.  These include providing affordable, high-quality care to all, including the medically underserved, a commitment to achieving health equity for all and partnering with others to improve the health of the communities we serve.  

An equally deep understanding of public health principles.  These include an understanding of how the social determinants of health affect health outcomes, an appreciation for listening to the voice of the community and their needs and an ability to spot health trends and partner with public health officials and the community to address them.

A facility with change management while also possessing comfort with teamwork and collaborative decision-making.  The candidate will encourage others to contribute ideas and be open to learning from peers and staff.

A systems thinker able to integrate quality measurement and improvement, clinical operations, finance, regulatory compliance and clinical operations and technology into a coherent clinical strategy.  The candidate will be comfortable managing complex and competing priorities, making data-informed decisions to improve care.

Excellent clinical skills and the highest standards of ethical and professional behavior.  As a clinician first, the candidate will possess a patient-first mindset even while operating at the executive level.  The candidate will maintain the highest standards of professional behavior when interacting with patients, staff members, and other community agency representatives.

A continuous learner, keeping up to date with knowledge of current trends and developments in the field.  Reads appropriate journals, books and other professional literature and attends conferences and seminars to enhance their professional expertise.
Lead the team with high integrity by building trust among clinical leaders as well as peers.  Set clear expectations for the team and hold them accountable while simultaneously supporting and mentoring staff to be successful using a strengths-based approach.  The CMO will sustain and build morale, providing opportunities for voices to be heard and for team members to contribute. 

Possess a track record of clinical quality and operational excellence, using data to hold the organization accountable for achieving goals, objectives and milestones, and implementing improvement processes that achieve results.  

The ability to communicate effectively and build strong, productive relationships with peers, staff, the board, partners and community stakeholders.  

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Leadership, Quality, and Patient Safety 

• Sets and drives HealthFirst’s clinical strategy and priorities in alignment with organizational goals, staff wellbeing, community needs, and health policy trends.
• Leads Medical, Behavioral Health, and OBAT QI projects, including performance improvement, patient safety, and outcomes monitoring; ensure corrective actions and sustainment plans are implemented.
• Provides clinical leadership and accountability for the HRSA-required Quality Improvement/Quality Assurance (QI/QA) Program. Exercises authority to chair or oversee the QI/QA Committee, implement corrective actions, and approve changes to clinical practice in accordance with a written Clinical Quality Management (QI/QA) Plan. Oversees ongoing assessment of clinical performance, patient safety, risk management, peer review, adverse events, and patient grievances; ensures quality data are reviewed, acted upon, documented, and reassessed to demonstrate improvement; and reports QI/QA activities and outcomes to the governing board in compliance with HRSA Health Center Program requirements.
• Oversees infection prevention activities and clinical policy standardization across sites/service lines.
• Promotes evidence-based care, continuity of care, prevention, and chronic disease management; strengthens team-based care delivery.
• Acts as the Program Coordinator for the Patient Care Assessment (PCA) Committee in accordance with the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine requirements. Supports the delivery of high-quality patient care by coordinating the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of PCA policies, operating procedures, and assessment activities. Ensures the PCA Plan is properly developed, implemented, and maintained. Monitors program outcomes, identifies trends and opportunities for improvement, and facilitates updates to procedures as needed. Oversees the operational functions of the PCA Program, coordinates Committee activities, and serves as an active member of the PCA Committee.
• Ensures readiness for, and robust performance on, applicable standards and recognitions (e.g., HRSA requirements; PCMH/NCQA, ACO or other accreditations as applicable). 

Provider Leadership, Supervision, and Professional Practice 

• Interviews, hires and directly supervises medical providers, the Director of Nursing and the Director of Behavioral Health. Ensures consistent clinical leadership and accountability across all locations.
• Owns provider performance systems: quality metrics, panel stewardship, productivity expectations, documentation standards, and teamwork behaviors.
• Convenes and presides over clinical staff meetings.  
• Works collaboratively with the Director of Nursing, the Behavioral Health Director, and other team members to optimize workflow and productivity.
• In conjunction with the Director of Nursing, creates and maintains clinical provider schedules ensuring continuous office, weekend, holiday, and weekend coverage for uninterrupted patient care; approves professional staff time off request in accordance with personnel policies.
• Builds a high-trust clinical culture through visibility, coaching, and supportive but clear accountability.
• Ensures appropriate supervision and ongoing training for advanced practice clinicians and students, including documented clinical review consistent with state requirements and organizational policy.
• Fosters a learning environment and oversees all student activities in clinical areas.
• Contribute clinical content to required reporting and organizational plans (commonly including UDS and other quality/operations reporting).
• Maintains part-time clinical practice.

Credentialing, Peer Review, and Clinical Governance 

• Ensures a robust privileging and peer review program for medical, Behavioral Health, and OBAT providers that addresses quality, safety, professionalism, and service issues fairly and promptly. Conducts monthly peer reviews on provider level staff.
• Partners with Compliance/Quality and HR to maintain licensure, certifications, and clinical competency requirements for all providers.
• Works with Chief Operating Officer to ensure clinical policies, protocols, and procedures are current, consistently implemented, and aligned with accepted professional standards and applicable requirements (HRSA, PCMH, DPH, BORIM, grants, and clinical risk management)
• Addresses clinical departmental policy and procedure development based on the current standards of care, on-going in-service training, appropriate referral/linkage to other health center departments and the local medical community, medical records documentation and appropriate coding of billing information, review of transferring patients, serious patient complaints, identification of systematic problems and initiation of corrective action.

FQHC Compliance, Regulatory Readiness, and Program Integrity 

• Maintains working fluency in the FQHC regulatory environment and ensures clinical operations meet HRSA and other applicable requirements (including documentation, scope-aligned care delivery, and quality reporting expectations).
• Contributes clinical content to required reporting and organizational plans (commonly including UDS and other quality/operations reporting).
• Technology, Data, EHR Optimization, and Responsible AI Enablement
• Serves as executive clinical sponsor for the EHR: optimizes documentation workflows, standardizes templates/order sets, improves data quality, and drives adoption of features that improve care, quality measurement, operational efficiency, and staff wellbeing.
• Uses clinical, productivity, and quality data to make defensible decisions and communicate performance transparently to clinical teams and leadership.
• Partners with IT/Operations/Compliance to evaluate, implement, and govern clinical-facing and operational AI tools with a focus on safety, equity, privacy, and measurable administrative burden reduction. 

Strategic Planning, Growth, and Cross-Functional Leadership 

• Collaborates with the CEO and executive team to align clinical strategy with access goals, staffing models, financial sustainability, enhancement of reimbursement efforts, and service line growth.
• Supports recruitment, retention, and engagement strategies for clinicians; strengthens onboarding and professional development pathways.
• Collaborates closely with the Chief Dental Officer to support integrated medical and dental care, including medical consultations for dental patients, development of shared emergency and medical clearance protocols, bidirectional referrals, and coordinated quality improvement initiatives.
• The CMO provides medical leadership to ensure safe, timely, and coordinated care for medically complex dental patients and supports integration efforts that advance whole-person care.

Partners closely with the CFO to align clinical excellence with financial stewardship, collaborating on budgeting, service line strategy, productivity, revenue optimization, and data-driven decision-making across medical, operational, and finance teams.

External Leadership, Advocacy, and Community Presence 

• Represents HealthFirst as the senior medical spokesperson in community settings and strengthens the organization’s reputation as a trusted clinical leader.
• Participates in statewide committees, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and accountable care organization initiatives, learning collaboratives, and other FQHC-relevant workgroups. Brings back best practices, influencing policy and implementation approaches that benefit patients,
• Maintains the highest standards of professional behavior when interacting with patients, staff members, and other community agency representatives.
• Maintains knowledge of current trends and developments in the field to enhance professional expertise by reading appropriate journals, books and other professional literature and attending conferences and seminars.

To make the health center run more efficiently, the Chief Medical Officer will be expected to do other tasks assigned at the discretion of the CEO or Board of Directors.

Qualifications

Education and Credentials 

• MD or DO from an accredited medical school; board certification in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or other primary-care-aligned specialties required.
• Eligible for (or currently holding) unrestricted medical licensure in Massachusetts, DEA, Mass Controlled, and necessary certifications are required.
• Significant clinical experience with progressive leadership responsibility; demonstrated success supervising providers and leading quality/performance improvement in a FQHC preferred.
• Demonstrated comfort with EHRs and data-informed performance management.
• Knowledge of community health and public health principles and practices preferred
• Master of Business Administration or Healthcare Administration preferred
• Possesses the ability to balance clinical and business consideration.
• Commitment to, and interest in, working with a multi-cultural population.
• Bi-lingual/Tri-lingual English, Spanish Portuguese preferred but not required.
• Maintains a current certification in CPR at the healthcare provider level.
• Strong computer knowledge.

Experience

• Minimum 5–7 years of clinical experience.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of progressive leadership/management experience.
• Demonstrated experience in and commitment to community health, FQHCs, safety-net care, or underserved settings.
• Proven ability to lead diverse, multidisciplinary teams and drive organizational success through strategic vision and operational excellence, preferably in an FQHC setting.

Comfort and experience with EHRs and data-informed performance management. 

Compensation and Benefits

HealthFirst offers a competitive salary and benefits package for employees. The salary for this role is anticipated to range from $260,000-$300,000, commensurate with experience. Sign-on bonus and relocation support may be available. 

Contact

Commonwealth Search Partners has been retained to support this engagement. Express interest by emailing us directly via HealthFirstCMO@massleague.org. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

Commonwealth Search Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email bconcannon@massleague.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.  

About Commonwealth Search Partners

Commonwealth Search Partners (CSP) was created by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (Mass League) in 2025 to provide its members with high-value executive search services that result in excellent candidates who possess a deep commitment to the mission and values of community health centers.  The Mass League’s 50 members are Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other community health centers, as well other related entities.  CSP prides itself on identifying candidates who not only possess the health care leadership experience and excellence required, but are also passionate about the values of the health center movement, including providing access for all regardless of ability to pay, achieving health equity and partnering with others to improve the health of the communities we serve.  

Equal Opportunity Statement
HealthFirst is an equal employment opportunity employer. Our goal is to have a diverse workforce representative of all people, at all job levels, in the organization. HealthFirst does not and will not make any personnel decisions (like recruiting, hiring, job assignments, and promotions) based on age, color, national origin, citizenship status, or physical disability.