Question 1

Profession and urgency (optional) Who are you hiring? Physicians Hospitalist, family medicine, anesthesiology Advanced practice Nurse practitioner, PA, CRNA Nursing leadership Director of nursing, CNO, unit manager Nursing RN specialist, charge nurse, nurse educator Allied health Imaging lead, therapist, pharmacist Practice operations Practice administrator, clinic manager Revenue cycle and finance Revenue cycle director, controller Executive leadership CEO, COO, administrator, VP How soon? Now The seat is open today Within 30 days Opening soon Planning ahead Building the plan Anything else? (optional) Website I agree that Healthcare Headhunters, a trade name of Royalty Talent LLC, may contact me about this request. I have read the privacy policy . Looking for a job? Join our talent network. Send Us Your Open Role What happens next We review your role, responsibilities and location. Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon. You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search. Fees. No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement. Exclusivity. Set out in the signed client agreement. Confidentiality. We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity. No hire. No hire means no fee on standard searches. Positions we recruit Physician Executives & Medical Directors 16 positions Search positions 16 matching positions Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Work Senior physician executive leadership linking medical staff, organizational leadership, and governance through quality review and committee decisions Chief of Anesthesia / Anesthesia Medical Director Work Anesthesia physician leadership overseeing clinical staffing, safety review, service agreements, coverage arrangements, and assigned physician performance responsibilities Chief Physician Executive / President, Medical Group Work Medical group executive leadership directing physician decisions, addressing disagreements, and participating in medical staff accountability processes Department Chair / Division Chief Work Department or division physician leadership overseeing staffing decisions, clinical standards, schedules, budgets, and physician accountability Director of Advanced Practice / Chief APP Officer Work Advanced practice leadership overseeing nurse practitioners and physician assistants, staffing decisions, schedules, performance reviews, and practice standards Emergency Department Medical Director Work Emergency department physician leadership combining patient care, physician scheduling, case review, consultant dispute management, and practice changes Health Plan Medical Director (Utilization Management) Work Health plan physician coverage review involving chart analysis, plan criteria application, documented rationale, and treating physician discussions Hospice Medical Director Work Hospice physician direction involving terminal illness record review, eligibility rationale, interdisciplinary discussions, and responses to physician questions Hospitalist Program Medical Director Work Hospitalist physician leadership combining bedside care with program oversight, coverage decisions, staffing coordination, and physician performance review Medical Director (Practice, Clinic, Region) Work Practice, clinic, or regional physician leadership combining patient care, performance review, APP supervision, and peer concern management Medical Director, Value-Based Care / Population Health Work Physician leadership connecting population measures and contract goals through care gap review and practice variation analysis Physician Advisor (Utilization Review) Work Physician advisory review of inpatient and observation status, medical necessity, documentation gaps, and appeal support Regional Medical Director Work Regional physician leader overseeing medical directors, physician performance, care concerns, and clinical policy across facilities or practices Senior Medical Director Work Senior physician leader overseeing clinical policy, physician performance, and services, with responsibility for reviewing challenged policy decisions SNF / Post-Acute Medical Director Work Physician medical direction of patient care in skilled nursing facilities and post-acute care settings Vice President of Medical Affairs (VPMA) Work Executive medical affairs leadership overseeing medical staff governance, credentialing concerns, peer review, and quality reporting Start with the work What should you settle before you hire? Healthcare Headhunters recruits physicians for executive leadership and medical director positions. These titles can describe very different jobs. Your opening may involve organization-wide medical oversight, responsibility for one service, or leadership within a practice. We help separate those duties before approaching candidates, so you assess physicians against the work rather than the title on their résumé. A service-line medical director usually works closer to a defined specialty. That physician might review referral patterns, chair case discussions, and resolve coverage concerns. Neither title tells you whether the physician controls budgets or supervises other physicians. Practice medical directors may divide their week between patient care and leadership. Other physician executives hold largely administrative appointments. If your director will still see patients, define the clinical schedule alongside meeting commitments. Ask who handles leadership decisions during clinic sessions. An attractive title cannot fix a role that leaves its owner responsible without decision authority. Ask for evidence What should you check before an offer? Decision authority: Which decisions could you make independently in your last role? Ask for an example involving physician coverage, practice policy, or service changes. A useful answer separates personal authority from recommendations requiring approval. Physician accountability: How did you address a physician whose work raised documented concerns? Listen for fact gathering, direct discussion, medical staff procedures, and follow-through. Distinguish participation in a review from ownership of the process. Operational judgment: If clinic access worsened while physicians resisted schedule changes, what would you review first? Look for appointment patterns, staffing constraints, and patient needs, followed by a practical discussion of competing choices. Administrative partnership: Describe a disagreement with an operations or finance leader. What information changed the discussion? Strong evidence includes the physician's contribution, the other leader's concern, and how the final decision was communicated. Credentials and clinical duties: What license, specialty certification, and current privileges support the proposed patient care? We screen credential information and work history. Your organization completes credentialing and clinical assessment, including any privileges needed for the appointment. Time allocation: How would you divide a week containing patient sessions, physician reviews, and committee meetings? Ask what would be delegated or rescheduled. The answer should expose whether your proposed schedule leaves time for leadership. Different backgrounds, different fit Where does relevant experience come from? We look across hospitals, health systems, physician practices, ambulatory organizations, and specialty programs. The relevant pool depends on the assignment. A physician leading a department may suit a service-level opening, while organization-wide oversight calls for evidence of working across specialties and with executive colleagues. Possible reasons for a move include clearer authority, a different clinical-administrative balance, or the chance to lead a defined service. We ask candidates what they want to change and what they would retain. That conversation helps you distinguish genuine interest in your assignment from interest in a larger title. Avoid these Which hiring mistakes should you avoid? A common mistake is treating the title as proof of scope. Two medical directors may have very different experience with physician supervision, budget decisions, committee leadership, and direct patient care. Another is leaving reporting relationships unresolved. Specify whether the physician reports to an executive, a clinical leader, or both, and who resolves conflicting instructions. Assuming clinical reputation proves management skill. Ask for examples of difficult feedback, written decisions, and follow-through with colleagues who disagreed. Put it to work What are the next steps? We discuss the service or organization, reporting line, clinical duties, and decisions assigned to the physician. We screen physicians against that scope and discuss examples of their actual leadership work. Your interviews should include the leaders who will share decisions with the hire. Define the appointment Identify which responsibilities belong elsewhere, especially staffing administration, financial approval, and medical staff actions. Compare relevant experience You receive a clearer basis for comparing a practicing medical director with a physician whose recent work has been administrative. Test the working arrangement Confirm authority, clinical time, licensure where needed, and the appointment process before finalizing the role. Does every physician executive need the same credentials? No: clinical duties require the applicable license and privileges; specialty certification expectations should reflect the assignment. For a largely administrative appointment, distinguish credentials needed for medical staff oversight from those needed to provide patient care. A chief medical officer may address medical staff policy, quality review, physician performance, and disagreements between clinical leaders and administration. When should we recruit a chief medical officer rather than a service medical director?

Accepted Answer

Use the scope of decisions as the starting point. Organization-wide physician policy and executive accountability differ from oversight of one specialty or program.

Question 2

Can our medical director continue seeing patients?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the appointment includes clinical practice. Define patient sessions, leadership time, and coverage for urgent administrative decisions before comparing candidates.

Question 3

How do we assess leadership outside the candidate's specialty?

Accepted Answer

Ask about a decision involving several specialties with conflicting interests. Look for how the physician gathered evidence, involved colleagues, and explained the outcome.

Question 4

Who should interview a physician expected to supervise peers?

Accepted Answer

Include the direct supervisor and relevant physician leaders. Ask each interviewer to examine a different accountability question rather than repeating a general leadership conversation.

Physician Executives & Medical Directors: positions we recruit

Tell us who you need

What happens next

Physician Executives & Medical Directors

Chief Medical Officer (CMO)

Chief of Anesthesia / Anesthesia Medical Director

Chief Physician Executive / President, Medical Group

Department Chair / Division Chief

Director of Advanced Practice / Chief APP Officer

Emergency Department Medical Director

Health Plan Medical Director (Utilization Management)

Hospice Medical Director

Hospitalist Program Medical Director

Medical Director (Practice, Clinic, Region)

Medical Director, Value-Based Care / Population Health

Physician Advisor (Utilization Review)

Regional Medical Director

Senior Medical Director

SNF / Post-Acute Medical Director

Vice President of Medical Affairs (VPMA)

What should you settle before you hire?

What should you check before an offer?

Where does relevant experience come from?

Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?

What are the next steps?

Define the appointment

Compare relevant experience

Test the working arrangement

Does every physician executive need the same credentials?

How can Healthcare Headhunters help with this hire?

Send us your open role

What happens next

Keep the hiring brief connected